Chapters 6-10 Discussion Questions

Answer the following prompts thoroughly and formally (minimum 8 sentences).  Weave evidence from your reading and/or other outside sources.
HW: Respond to 3 different classmates' posts (minimum 4 sentences).

1. Which character in the novel would you be and why?

2. The name John Savage could be considered ironic. Explain how.

3. The two greatest obscenities in the society of Brave New World are birth and mother. Why?

4. When John first starts reading Shakespeare, he discovers that the words make his emotions "more real" - they even make other people more real. Talk about the power of language in the book--the power of the word to influence thought and behavior. Why did Huxley choose Shakespeare as the medium of John's intellectual awakening?

5. Talk about Huxley's use of narrator. Does the fact that Huxley's vision was impaired for part of his life have any bearing on the way he narrates the story and sets the scenes?

6. If you were to choose a theme song for Brave New World, what would it be and why?

Chapter 3

A. What is the purpose of Lenina’s Malthusian belt? Why must she wear it?
B. What is soma? What can it be compared to in today's society?

Chapter 2

A. Why must the lower groups be conditioned to go to the country?  How does this relate to modern advertising?
B. The Director says that wordless conditioning is crude and wholesale. What does this mean and what reasons does he give for this?

Chapter 1

A. What is the Bokanovsky Process?
B. How does the introduction of Henry Foster give a businesslike feeling to the Hatchery procedure?
C.What does Lenina’s reaction to the Director’s familiarity show about their relationship?