Topic > Telltale signs of contentment and social caste in the new world

Every author has a purpose behind every piece he writes; some sort of deeper message or meaning behind their work. Aldous Huxley's purpose in writing Brave New World was certainly a warning towards the possibilities of the future. The dystopian society within Brave New World showcased a world dominated by technological advancements that sculpted society itself through a variety of means. Throughout Brave New World, Aldous Huxley warns of the dangers of social casting, the acceptance of comfort and contentment rather than true happiness, and the risks in these factors that technological advances bring. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the most important themes of Brave New World is the presence of social castes and their effect on society. Society in Brave New World is divided into five castes, each with different intelligence and social roles. The highest caste, the Alphas, are the dominant class in both intelligence and status, and include the leaders of society both through government and in the various sciences. As the caste level is lowered, people's intelligence and positions decrease, they gradually deteriorate into the lowest Epsilon class, who are idiots and forced into menial jobs. Social casting like this is not something unusual even in today's society, although it is much more subtle in the real world. There are definite trends in the jobs different people do and their general intelligence levels. Those who are able to receive an adequate education can earn a bachelor's degree and are able to earn a significantly higher overall income, with a bachelor's degree earning on average 1.65 times the income of a high school diploma and a master's degree who earns an average of almost double the amount (Baum, Ma & Payea, 12). Differences in income level due to education often lead to separation between people and in itself create an informal social structure. However, differences in social classes in today's society are not something very concrete. Due to the lack of concrete social castes in today's society, it is relatively easy for anyone to achieve a better position in life. Anyone can put enough effort into their life and find a way to be more successful than they currently are. However, this is not the case with Brave New World. The caste system is established before people are even born. Instead of having children normally, all children are conceived and raised in a nursery. This allows hatchery managers to directly influence the conditions the unborn child is subjected to, as well as the genetics of each child. Because of this, the government has direct control over what caste each person becomes, from the highly intelligent Alphas to the idiotic Epsilons. While genetic engineering of this quality was little more than a theoretical concept when Huxley wrote Brave New World, it is now relatively common, although not among humans. Many crops and livestock have been genetically modified to become resistant to disease or to be able to provide more food, but similar treatments could easily be practiced among humans (Simmons). Although ethical restrictions have limited this intervention only to the cure or prevention of disease, the possibility of using genetic engineering for powerful eugenic reasons is a real threat, and if the government were to gain the capacity to implement a eugenics program of this magnitude , Brave New World's caste system could very well become a reality. Another problem upthat Huxley warned us about in Brave New World is the acceptance of contentment and the overvaluation of comfort. Within the society of Brave New World, people are conditioned to completely avoid emotions, society is built on never having to feel emotions like anger, fear, and sadness, but at the same time, true happiness is also something that is frowned upon. Little propaganda phrases are imposed on society from childhood, for example through the phrases “when the individual feels himself, the community falters” and “everyone is happy nowadays” (Huxley). To further condition negative emotions out of society, they are encouraged to take soma, a specially designed drug that can easily override negative emotions with feelings of comfort and euphoria. The use of soma is further encouraged through phrases such as "a gram is always better than a damn", "a gram in time saves nine", and "a cubic centimeter cures ten dark feelings" (Huxley). Through the use of soma, Brave New World society has been assured of eternally having comfort and the basic contentment that comes with it, but will never know the feelings of true happiness. Just as the people of Brave New World did, society today has a great tendency to seek and value comfort over true happiness. Technological advances are one of the main causes of these changes in values, leading to a materialistic society that values ​​whatever is most convenient that money can buy. It's hard to become truly happy, but it's relatively easy to feel comfortable. The problem with comfort is that the easier it is to achieve, the more boring and mundane it becomes. Blogger Mariele Anastasia puts it bluntly but succinctly when she says, “Comfort is defined by its mediocrity. If you are fighting for happiness, you have risks to take: you risk being afraid, being hurt, being rejected, making mistakes. You risk feeling the lowest lows. You may feel downright unhappy. At least you feel something” (Comfort vs. Happiness). These risks are things that many people are afraid of taking, and as a result, they choose convenience to avoid these fears. Within Brave New World, soma acts as a barrier against these unwanted emotions. Huxley further focuses these concepts on the use of comfort to mask negative emotions through Alpha caste members' descriptions of soma. the facts. And there is always soma to calm your anger, to reconcile you with your enemies, to make you patient and long-suffering. In the past, these things could only be achieved by making a great effort and after years of hard moral training. Now you swallow two or three half gram tablets and that's it. Anyone can be virtuous now. You can carry at least half your morality in a bottle. (Huxley) Hiding from negative emotions through comfort keeps society in a state of ignorant bliss, since no one who feels comfortable has to experience true unhappiness. However, a lack of unhappiness is not the same as happiness, and without embracing the risks of negative emotions, true happiness can never be achieved. The desire to accept the highs with the lows and to accept all emotions to their fullest extent is the greatest emphasis. between those who are truly happy and those who are content and comfortable. Aldous Huxley highlights this concept through conversations between members of the Alpha caste and the Savages, people who live outside of established society and the policies they implement. “But I don't want comfort. I want God, I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness, I want sin." "In fact," said Mustapha Mond, "you're, 2012.