Brave New Education?

Earlier this week in AP literature, we watched a video by Sir Ken Robinson. The video consisted of Sir Ken Robinson’s view on education in today's society and the flaws it is based on. His beliefs were illustrated with vivid animations. Personally, the video was quite interesting and brought up some very good points. Throughout the video, Robinson criticizes education today and the road to getting a college degree and job. He explains that our level of creativity decreases as our ages increase. In Brave New World, creativity is shut out from an early age so that there is no such thing at all. Robinson also brings up the question of why we are taught in classes grouped by age. He throws out the notion that kids these days are being educated in the same way goods are manufactured. He says, "only thing important about the children is date they’re manufactured." This relates to the idea of Brave New World. The children are placed into a certain lifestyle before they are born. Humans are made to work and function the way that the leaders want them to. "Wheels must turn steadily, but cannot turn untended." This means that the people in Brave New World are being monitored so that they all function the same. In schools these days, kids are taught the same principles, and are tested on the same skills. There is no room for creativity, as Robinson points out in his video. As students grow older and learn about what is valid and real, they shut out creativity and the ability to see things that are extraordinary.

Brave New World Order

Mustapha Mond states that "Wheels must turn steadily, but can not turn untended. There must be men to tend them, men as sturdy as the wheels upon their axles, sane men, obedient men, stable in contentment." Brave New World focuses on the creaton and manipulation of human life. In the state of growing, humans are put through numerous circumstances so they will be adapted to their predestined future. Mustapha utters these words with the belief that human life is not stable on its own. Each individual's "wheels", or brains must be put into gear so that these individuals can be useful to this new society. However, these brains cannot be allowed to opperate freely. Without guidance, society would only fall into chaos.  While giving his speech to the boys, Mustapha Mond blames the previously sacred institutions of family, love, motherhood, and marriage for causing social instability in the old society. According to the state's motto, the reason for all this artificial reproduction is to provide stability in their community, and personal feelings and sacred institutions only conflicted with this goal. Therefore, these institutions are removed so that individuals are trained only to focus on what is important to the state. This also goes with what Mond says about wheels that can not turn untended. It is important that they guide the growth of produced adults so that emotion, religion, etc. is eliminated at an early start. War, disease, and such is eliminated and everyone lives together toward a soul purpose.
Commonly throughout the chapter, Henry Foster states, "Every one belongs to every one else." In relation to Mond's words, Henry is building off of the fact that there are no feelings of love or commitment in their world. Relationships are not true relationships in which only two people commit to each other. For example, Henry and Lenina are dating, yet she accepts Bernards invitation to his place. Also, Henry conversates with another man in the changing room about Lenina and talks of her as if she is a piece of meat. Henry says to the other man that in time, he will have her too. These words are not unusual, especially since Lenina treats herself in the same manner.

Preparing to Write about The Tempest

The Tempest can be interpreted in various ways. In George Will’s Literary Politics, he argues that The Tempest can only be analyzed through a political viewpoint. However, there are undoubtedly other ways to think about this text. For one thing, Aime Cesaire's version, A Tempest, puts the story into a new perspective. Although the thought of colonialism has been brought up numerous times in out class discussions, Aime Cesaire’s revisioning of the play further develops this concept. By rewriting the dialogue of the characters, she directs the readers’ attention to the relationship between Caliban and Prospero. With her revsioning of the play more focused on this relationship, it becomes easier to grasp the theme of colonialism. As she constructs the dialogue in a way that reveals more of Caliban and Ariel’s feelings, we are able to grasp how natives must have felt during British colonial practices. In the last scene of Cesaire’s work, Ariel and Caliban are found discussing their status as slaves of Caliban. While Ariel believes in achieving freedom in less violent means, Caliban deems Ariel’s beliefs as foolish. Caliban, a symbol of the natives dring British colonialism, believes in taking back his land through force and war. His thoughts can very well be compared to the colonists’ rebellion toward British authority during the American Revolution. Furthermore, In Literarcy Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice), Charles Bressler also contends that colonialism is a central theme in The Tempest. Bressler supports Caliban’s thoughts on the idea of learning a new language by describing Fanon’s thoughts on the matter. “Fanon believes that as soon as the colonized…were forced to speak the language of the colonizer…the colonizer either accepted or were coerced into accepting the collective consciousness of the French [the colonizers].” Alone and forced to provide for his master, Prospero, Caliban serves as a symbol to any race or group of peoples that have been oppressed or colonized. As Bressler puts it, Caliban is one of the “Others. Therefore, taking these positions into account, we can see that The Tempest is a play focused on the topic of colonialism.