clouds passing by

—To Be Edited—

 

With a Huge Emptiness and Nothing to Think About Properly

 

     “History is bunk” is another ‘conditioning’ statement used at the Brave New World, the novel by Aldous Huxley.  It is repeated throughout the story by different characters in different situations and in different events.  It was used by the director, and also by Mustapha Mond, who actually knew it was not quite true.

    From this quote, we can analyze the theme ‘Looking back on the past disrupts the present.’
I don’t agree with this theme fully, but I strongly disagree with the statement “History is bunk.”

     History lives in our decisions today.  In our actions, in science, ethics, religion, culture and even in the way we look and even in the smallest thing we see its glow.  For science, we can clearly see how all throughout time there has been failures, observations, experiments and the inventions, and how these inspired or influenced others and affected many.  Even from the most terrible and horrifying happenings in the past, we can make a brighter future.  There are many happenings and knowledge that we learn from, and we know many things that we must not do again or not to let it happen, many things we must do in different conditions for different purposes; there are some that make us very proud and aware of how we ended up living the way we do now in this certain position and situation, and some help us to consider new things and think more efficiently.

    Try to imagine living in Brave New World and the very simple idea of just watching a tv.  Wouldn’t it seem as if it had appeared out of nowhere.  Everything, even science, machines each development and events, left blank only but the newest and the best information present, just the supposedly useful ones.  Whenever we even look around us and think, we can think about how years ago when humans had started to create their own history they couldn’t even talk, and muttered strange noises which then became a language and then they could write these down; and also there was this great discovery of fire.  Tools with rock and wood, later on machines and many inventions; colonies settling down, the building of houses and then temples, palaces and amazing monuments; villages, cities and powerful and huge civilizations forming, and the very interesting and fast happenings of amazing developments of the closer time periods, aren’t all those amazing to think about? But nothing in the Brave New World matters ofcourse, they don’t even have families or relatives.  They can’t even properly recognize the word history and understand it. 

   The time we are living at right now is bursting with knowledge, and years ago people had searched for these so passionately, and would have lived so much better with some, and some times were very desperate for these; they lived without all we possess now.  Each individual therefore should learn history as much as they can and appreciate it, think on it as if a privilege and in the end try to add to it, in the way other people could benefit from also and hopefully in a positive way.

They took their seats in the plane

a pilot in Gamma-green uniform, said the savages “never will learn”

A small square rest-house in Malpais they flew to

as he was pointing down at the skeletons on the ground below them

 

a pilot in Gamma-green uniform, said the savages “never will learn”

talked about their summer festival, their dances at the pueblo

as he was pointing down at the skeletons on the ground below them

Lenina and Bernard listened with their suitcases in their hands

 

talked about their summer festival, their dances at the pueblo

“Orgy-Porgy” she whispered to herself as the drums beat out the same rhythms

Lenina and Bernard listened with their somas in their hands

masked and painted, in blankets and with feathers on their hair savages danced

 

“Orgy-Porgy” she whispered to herself as the drums beat out the same rhythms

They took their seats in the plane

masked and painted, in blankets and with feathers on their hair savages danced

a pilot in Gamma-green uniform, said the savages “never will learn”

 

a Pantoum, inspired by the Reservation scene’s in the novel Brave New World

Different shades and tints of complete greens

Create contrast with the never ending

Hues and they blossom in different rhythms

 

As wind whistles, tree trunks start their singings

With careful ears listens the ones with

Different shades and tints of complete greens

 

And to this concert may birds and crickets

Contribute in summer eves; pure joy with

Hues and they blossom in different rhythms

 

And may beauty watch and gaze, live in these

Everlasting moments, memories; with

Different shades and tints of complete greens

 

Hum in winter nights, as blizzards too dances

When spring comes again, flowers will wake in

Hues and they blossom in different rhythms

 

Streams run crystal clear, and life shall flow through

Valleys, mountains, fields and from right next to

Different shades and tints of complete greens,

Hues and they blossom in different rhythms

routines

being trapped in

a diurnal vortex.

continuous happenings slowly

flowing.

are long lasting

never ending stories

of some conscious and unconscious

habits

kept silent, and

replacing emptiness,

the quotidian behaviors

routines

Still snowing, pastel painting landscape snow scene trees
painting by artist Johanna Bohoy

Snowflakes

drifted through the clear sky,

dancing with each other,

once again.

 

Drifted through the sky,

To nourish the noble trees; and the flowers

once again

that will blossom with the coming spring

 

To nourish the noble trees; and the flowers;

the leaves of joy and the petals of rainbow colours,

that will blossom with the coming spring;

descending elegantly to the ground

 

the leaves of joy and the petals of rainbow colours, hid under

snowflakes,

descending elegantly onto the ground,

dancing with each other.

I am called the savage, but my real name is John

I am a disgrace, and disgusting to some, a being of curiosity from the reservation

I am a mystery, a puzzle to solve for them and to myself

I suffered

so should they

 

My name is Bernard,

I am another unwanted, at the Brave New World

I brought back Linda, and Savage with me and together with it, came chaos; uncertainity

I experienced what I should have learned,

they didnt even notice anything, they didnt even care.

 

My name is Linda,

I am a Beta; abondened at the reservation

ruined, and with the inevitable mark of the years’ torture I came back; to nothingness but to live with soma holidays only

they couldnt even look at me

 

“What May Happen In the Next Hundred Years”

 

    John Elfreth Watkins, Jr., a civil engineer, had asked the most learned, careful, and wisest men of science in America, what in their opinion, would happen in a century from his time-on 2000.  His writing on the summation of his research was published in The Ladies’s Home Journal in December 1900, consisting of several predictions with their explanations.  Thirty two years after this publishing, Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World, an award-winning fiction novel based on futuristic ideas.

     What we see in these writings are that in Brave New World, some of John Elfreth Watkins’ predictions have echoed, and in our time, which is exactly a century and twelve years later,  some have came true.

    His image on condensed words expressing condensed ideas, the extermination of mosquitoes and flies, the ready-cooked meals and above ground traffic we see are clearly present; his concept of nutrition, sports and the extinction of wild animals are closely related; although some of his predictions were quite off-the-mark for both the Brave New world and our world, some were strongly thought and anticipated.  The use of helicopters and their speed, the existence of wild life only in reservations, the artificiality, the almost programmed and controlled thinking system restricting the capabilities of the mind, the supplement of vitamins and highly nutritiously developed foods, the television showing various programs and the emphasis and encouragements on sports in Brave New World demonstrate in what direction we are heading to and what both have envisioned.  And what may happen in the next century, we can predict for ourselves. ?

Confucius Quotes

I can relate many of his quotes with what we study in our English class and with both Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451, I think they have similar ideas, also with the Giver too; especially his quotes on the Superior man are very interesting.  Below are some that I like and there is a link which I found to be the most detailed source on his quotes.

In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.                                     Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. 
Silence is a true friend who never betrays.
Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.    http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/confucius_2.html#ixzz1kBHpUUrY

Confucius