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How Similar is Brave New World's Society to Our Own? The novel, Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley portrays a so-called "utopian" society. When examining the surface, their society does seem truly perfect. It is problem free and everyone is happy. In addition the population is also controlled from their social status to their intellectual ability. However, after further examination of this "perfect" world, it seems strangely similar to our own society, which is not in any way near being perfect.
The society in Brave New World and our society today share many similarities and differences. For instance, there are similarities and differences between the aspects of drug use, consumerism, and relationships. "One cubic centimetres cures ten gloomy sentiments. " In the Brave New World, it is not illegal to use drugs. In fact, drugs are readily available for anyone in need of it. The drug in the new world is referred to as soma. It produces a euphoric feeling without the negative aftereffects.
Furthermore, the consumption of soma is carefully regulated. As a result, overdoses do not occur unless someone is dying and they are given a fatal amount of soma. Everyone in the society is conditioned to take soma whenever they are unhappy. In fact, the consumption of soma is done on a daily basis. Every status has a required daily ration. Huxley created some to control people's emotions, which would maintain the stability of the society in Brave New World.
However, in today's society, drugs seem to result in chaos rather than stability. It is illegal to take drugs with the exception of alcohol, tobacco, and prescription drugs. Sadly, in our society, drugs are also readily available for those that want it. However, they are not prescribed. Unlike soma, the drugs produce numerous negative aftereffects. Furthermore, the consumption of drugs is not regulated.
As a result, many accidental overdoses do occur. Although drug use is not mandatory as it is in Brave New World, many people choose to take drugs. In both societies, people use drugs for the euphoric feeling to escape from their worries and problems, instead of dealing with their emotions. It seems as if both societies only care about "having fun" and "being happy. "Ending is better that mending. The more stitches the less riches. " In the Brave New World, children are condition to be materialistic. Their entire society is controlled by consumerism.
People work to make products and money, they later use that money to buy products, which results in an endless cycle. In the novel, their society dislikes everything that is old. They would rather throw something away that fix it. The society is so obsessed with consumerism that they worship Ford, the founder of the assembly line.
Our society today is also very materialistic. However, it is the media, which tells us how we should dress. The style of clothing is constantly changing every day. Sadly, people are judged by how they dress. If one person did not dress the same as everyone else, they would not be accepted into the group.
The person would be labeled as "different", just as Bernard was in Brave New World. Both worlds expect people to throw things away and buy new things. Consequently, our society and the society in the book are both shallow and materialistic. "Everybody belongs to everybody else. " In the novel, they live in a "pleasure-seeking" society. People are encouraged to have sex with various people. They are required to participate in a weekly orgy-porgy. Although the society is very promiscuous, women hardly ever get pregnant and if they do they have an abortion.
In this world, babies are not viviparous. Instead, they are decanted in the Hatchery. It is considered disgusting to have children the "normal" way. To call someone mother or father is the most degrading and hurtful insult. Those that have sex with one person for a period of time are considered unhealthy. For instance, when Lenin was only seeing Henry Foster, Fanny encouraged her to be more promiscuous and see other people.
In our world today, there are some individuals that believe in monogamous relationships. People are expected to marry the person they love. They are not encouraged to have sex with numerous people, although it does occur. Today, women are expected to have children and it is not considered disgusting.
The aspect of relationships in the novel is just an extreme version of our own. Today, many are becoming sexually active at a much younger age. Eventually, our world may share the same lack of values as in the Brave New World. Neither our world nor the society in Brave New World is perfect. Although there may be a few positive aspects in the novel, it still resembles our own society today and it is not perfect. However, I would rather live in our world.
Even though we do not live in a utopian society, at least we have the freedom to think and feel what we like. I would dislike living in a society where everything is already planned out and strictly controlled. Sadly, the society in brave new world is very similar to our own. Who knows, maybe one day the society in Brave New World may become our own. Bibliography:
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Research essay sample on Brave New World Similarities And Differences
