Chapter Sixteen PDF

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Brave New World chapter 16 summary/questions ...

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Naomi Sterling Mr.Salame, Period 3 English 12 03.02.20 Chapter Sixteen 1. Contrast Helmholtz, Bernard, and John’s behavior as they wait for Mond. Who does Mond take an interest in? - Helmholtz chooses the best chair in the room while Bernard seeks out the worst, hoping that this self-inflicted punishment will make things easier for him. Helmholtz no longer feels himself subordinate to society or any individual. Bernard on the other hand still bears a strong attachment to his society. He chooses the poor chair in the hope that by showing contrition he will receive a milder punishment, indicating that a certain degree of self-loathing is important to the enforcement of social control. Mustapha arrives and takes interest in “the savage” 2. What can you infer from Mond’s quoting of Shakespeare? - "Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments will hum about my ears and sometimes voices." The Savage is thrilled that someone else knows Shakespeare. Mustapha indicates that although he forbids reading things such as Shakespeare, he can break the rules since they are his rules. 3. How does Mond justify the banishment of Shakespeare and other beautiful things? - No one would understand it; all beauty has been sacrificed for stability. Mond defines art and science as the two primary sacrifices of the old world in order to obtain the ultimate utilitarian goal, that of maximum happiness. Art can only exist when it has no meaning, and whereas science is praised for improving society, it is also restricted because it may destabilize society. 4. Provide textual evidence that shows what Mond feels has taken the place of high art. - Mustapha explains that “beauty’s attractive, and we don’t want people to be attracted by old things. We want them to like the new ones.” A societal structure that creates art and literature is now considered dangerous. According to Mustapha, “you can’t make tragedies without social instability. The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get.” They would be unlikely to appreciate art, anyway: Brainwashing has successfully alienated them from the human experiences art seeks to illuminate, such as death, love, and pain. At the same time, art has the potential to enlighten people about their own oppression, and cause them to feel dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction is bad for production and leads to revolution. “Universal happiness keeps the wheels steadily turning; truth and beauty can’t,” Mustafa explains. 5. Why can’t everyone be Alpha-decanted and conditioned, according to Mond? What does he assert would be the result? - Mustapha points out that an entire society of Alpha Pluses would create social chaos. No one wants to waste time doing the menial chores performed by Epsilons and Deltas. He mentions an old experiment on Cyprus that had attempted a society of Alphas. That society soon disintegrated into a civil war, and in the end, they asked the World Controllers to take over.

6. What was the Cyrpus Experiment? What was the result? Why? Do you think this is realistic? - The Cyprus Experiment was an experiment referenced by Mustapha Mond in his conversation with John during their last meeting in Brave New World. In it, Mustapha refers to a time when the island of Cyprus was only populated with the best minds, or Alphas, that society had. It ended in a civil war. 7. Given an example of what Mond considers a “menace to stability”? - Every change is a menace to stability. That's another reason why we're so chary of applying for new inventions. Every discovery in pure science is potentially subversive; even science must sometimes be treated as a possible enemy. It isn't only art that's incompatible with happiness; it's also science. 8. What does Mond say is a “possible enemy”? Do you agree or disagree? Explain. - Science: He cannot allow science to make progress without strict controls since science can lead to social instability. When the others protest that science is everything, Mustapha agrees with them. He distinguishes between the science that ensures social stability and the science that would create social unrest. His world comes from the type of science that helps ensure social stability. Science cannot exist in the World State because the search for “truth” conflicts with happiness. This is very suggestive because it implies that the entire society is somehow built upon lies, but he is tantalizingly unclear about what truths and what lies he is talking about. 9. What is a “cookery book” according to Mond? What nearly happened to him as a result of his “cooking”? - “... realize that all our science is just a cookery book, with an orthodox theory of cooking that nobody's allowed to question, and a list of recipes that mustn't be added to except by special permission from the head cook. I'm the head cook now. But I was an inquisitive young scullion once. I started doing a bit of cooking on my own. Unorthodox cooking, illicit cooking. A bit of real science, in fact." Mond's scientific investigations into the nature of the physical world were beginning to pose a threat to the Brave New World, so much so that he was at the point of being sent to an island. 10. What is Bernard’s reaction to the hint that they were to be sent to an island? What do you think about his reaction? - Bernard begins to beg and plead for Mond to change his sentence. Three men drag him away to sedate him with soma. Mond says that Bernard does not know that exile is actually a reward. I think it’s funny because Bernard exposed the DHC in hopes of not getting exiled, but now it’s unavoidable. 11. To where does Helmholtz prefer to be sent? Why? - Helmholtz chooses to go to the Falkland Islands in order to write. His reasoning for the choice is that bad weather promotes better writing.

12. Do you agree with Mond that an ignorant society is “The price we have to pay for stability” Why or why not? - The citizens of the Brave New World do not have the individual desire to search for truth because the World State has taken away that opportunity for the desire to

exist. It is clear that Mond believes that concealing the truth and giving the people happiness through consumer items is key to a perfect utopia. He explains to John that the truth is “the price [they] pay for stability, [and they must choose] between happiness and [the truth]”. However, John contrasts the idea and argues that truth is important and has the potential to lead to happiness. Firstly, they do not want citizens to gain any type of scientific truth or truths based on experience. In addition, the World State seeks to destroy all ‘human’ truths. For example, love, friendship, family and personal connection. Despite the differences in the two main types of truth the World State conceals, they are still united by the passion an individual may feel for them....