PW #6 My Spring Break

Spring break is very soon, I have to package but I am so excited about this spring break because I am going to have unforgettable experiences, My grandparents are coming to pick me up so they going to know the school and then we are going on a trip for Canada, to know new places, have fun and of course eat deliciously, and the next step will have come back to Mexico to visit my parents, my brother, friends and people that I love, and I have a lot of plans to do in Mazatlán because it is hot, so I want to go to the beach, to Pilates class, to have fun with my friends, and the most important part to have fun and enjoy with my family and then I come back to Victoria for the last two months that I am going to have here and to enjoy everything.

Jose Tostado PW #6

In Guadalajara’s lively streets,

Where Mariachi melodies meet.

Underneath the Mexican sun,

A city’s tales have just begun.

On cobblestone paths, we stroll,

Where vibrant hues take control.

Tacos sizzle, tempting bites,

Filling streets with foodie delights.

Marketplaces with colors ablaze,

Crafts and spices, a vibrant maze.

Laughter echoing, oh so clear,

Guadalajara, hold it dear.

Chapels whisper stories old,

In the bricks, history unfolds.

Colonial charm, a timeless grace,

Capturing hearts in this warm embrace.

Tequila’s warmth in crystal glasses,

Echoes of joy, as time passes.

Plazas bustling with vibrant life,

Music and rhythm, erasing strife.

Hillsides adorned with scenic views,

A city that never quite snoozes.

Sunset hues paint the sky,

In Guadalajara, time slips by.

From Tlaquepaque’s artistic flair,

To the secrets the cathedrals share.

Guadalajara, in your embrace,

A lively dance, a warm embrace.

PW #6 – The Evil Plant Empire

George was his name. No one really knew why, but the king of the Evil Plant Empire fancied the language of the old two-legged ones. There had never been a George before him, so there was no need to use all those fancy numerals and titles. None the less, George liked to model the two-legs by being a tyrant who took pleasure in watching his subjects suffer. He was especially infamous for using the techniques of the two-legs to torture his subjects, and word spread quickly about how he would stuff peppers and have a daisy’s petals slowly plucked one by one, while an ominous chant was repeated: “eh-loes-mah, eh-loes-mah-knot”.

It was interesting, George thought as he skimmed through his favourite book of torture, “Larousse Gastronomique”, how plants always stopped at the most conventional methods of causing pain. Sure, it was fun to boil your subjects in hot water, but using the hum-boxes that the two-legs had left behind was far more effective. Watching the plants inside the box slowly spin round and round as they wilted and shrivelled was always entertaining. As George would argue, the plants that were sent to the hum-box would never even get the satisfaction of knowing they would taste good at the end of it all. Nothing ever came out tasting good from the hum-box.

Today however, George was not doing some light reading. He needed a solution to the uprising occurring in the East, where he had pressed a few too many grapes and recently the entire regional cabbage population had gone missing (although George had nothing to do with that). Ah yes, he had found what he was looking for. George carefully put the book aside and began rummaging through his cupboard, eventually finding a bottle full of transparent liquid with a pungent odour. It was time to do some pickling.

 

Thanks to my family for giving me the prompt “evil plants” and “George”.

PW #6 – Rockstar Made…?

Playboi Carti is one of the most influential rappers of this decade. From his flashy ‘opium fits’ to his record label Opium, Carti does not cease to entertain his fans. Here, I will be critiquing him as a rapper based on his most recent album, Whole Lotta Red. 

Although his lyrics do not carry much meaning, usually depicting hedonistic activities performed by rappers of the like, they are certainly very impressionable and effective at communicating his ideas and emotions. 

With this album, he introduces his unique ‘baby voice,’ in which he uses high pitched shrieks and intonations to express himself.

Carti uses a variety of frenzied synth-led beats which pair up quite nicely with his brash vocals and tie the album together cohesively. 

Overall, this album gets an 8/10 for its distinctive sound and consistency. It is an experimental and strikingly refreshing contrast to the mainstream melodies of the contemporary music scene.

PW# 6 – Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is Rubbing Off on Me…

Why are we here? How am I here, looking the way I do, talking the way I speak, dreaming the way I dream? What do Orca’s eat? Why do they prefer seals? How do seals know to run away? What makes a predator scary? Teeth? Why teeth? How do we know to run away? What did we wear as homo erectus? How long did it take to get how we are now? Why are we here? Ah, now this, THIS, is the circle of life.

A large splash of salty water prys me into consciousnesses. The first thing I see is my bright orange kayak. For a moment, I shock myself when I realize I am at the mercy of the water of the Gulf Islands. Right now, I can see she is calm. A few fun bumps every now and then, but mostly tame. I look around to see my group, broken land and rock, kelp, the odd otter, and trees. Lots, and lots, of trees. Beautiful, tall, old, and wise with the years it’s endured on these shores. The water’s attitude is not yet the most frightening thing out here. It’s the ferries. From them, we are named “speed bumps”. Something our guide so care-freely, matter-of-factly, remarked. For us, they are giant metal tanks driving at a fast pace on a route that does not change, kayakers, or no kayakers. Knowing this, we are in constant anxiety of the next ferry crossing. One comes up close. Upon starting it our guide makes a quick speech. Keep in mind, the six of us are fourteen to sixteen year-olds.

“Alright. I need y’all to paddle as fast as your little chicken arms can take you. When you feel like you can’t, keep going. It doesn’t matter because we have to cross anyways otherwise you’ll die. And I don’t want anyone dying because that is a lot of paperwork for me when I get home. Sound good?”

No, not good. We all line up and wait for the OK. He shouts go and it is literally a race for life and death. I feel the sweat building up underneath my jaw, behind my ears, under my legs. The constant splashes of extremely salty water demand entry into my kayak and, mouth. I can feel the build-up dragging me down, sloshing around inside the boat and mixing with the sand of our last stop. I choke on the water for a little while but it does not matter, keep paddling. Keep paddling I tell myself. It feels like I’ve been paddling for hours. It takes what feels like an eternity before he shouts “We’re halfway there!”. The only sign of support he’s shown since the start of the trip. I feel my arms burning and bruising and going lactic. No, no, no. That can’t happen. I take a three second break before my guide yells at me to keep paddling. Seeing the next island I get a burst of energy. Finding the stored energy within me, deep inside me, I paddle on and find the rest of the group at the end of the ferry crossing. Knowing I am in the middle of the ocean’s islands and have just defeated death, I feel free. Completely and utterly alive and free. I reached down and dip my fingertips to the water. It’s cold, really cold. Losing this enchanting feeling and connection I’m having with the ocean, our guide tells us to move on. I can tell he is also in a way, satisfied. Despite one’s love or hate, soft or hard attitude, the serene feeling of presence and zen within nature heals all and brings out our innate calling to not just be in nature, but to be natural

PW#6 Little Tommy and His Starfish Friend.

Once upon a time, in the depths of the ocean, there was a little green tomato named Tommy. He had a vibrant green colour and a friendly smile. Tommy lived in a cozy little house made entirely out of seaweed with other creatures village. He had a best friend named Sandy the Starfish, who lived right next door. They would spend their days exploring the colourful coral reefs, playing hide-and-seek with the mischievous seahorses, and having underwater picnics. Tommy loved making seaweed sandwiches, and Sandy always brought her famous sea cucumber salad. They would laugh and have a great time together. The ocean was their playground, and they cherished every moment of their underwater life. The little Tommy loves to sing! He started to sing “Under the Sea” by The Little Mermaid. 

“Under the sea darling, it’s better down where it’s wetter Take it from me..”

Since he felt like he didn’t belong there, Sandy always tried to make Tommy feel like he belonged there. After a while, Sandy decided to join Tommy in a little singing session. They both believed that friendship and fun could be found in the most unexpected places, even in a green tomato Tommy living under the sea with Sandy.

Getting to know Bohdan

Hi, I’m name is Bohdan. I am from Ukraine and I am 15 years old. I’ve been at Brookes for only a month so I am looking forward to my first year here. I love playing online games with my friends from Ukraine. Although I rarely went outside in Ukraine and mostly spent my time in front of the computer screen, I used to perform in a circus for 7 years before pandemic. I still remember some of the tricks and skills I was taught there and right now I’m open to do some physical activities. In Ukraine I used to hang out with my friends alot, especially during summer time. We used to ride bikes, explore our city, swim in the river. Wonderful times. All of that eventually stopped the moment Russia invaded Ukraine. Everything became serious, and everyone had to flee their homes since we lived in a city close to the russian border. Now the only way we communicated with each other was Internet. At some point everyone came back to the city and we were able to hang out again. But then due to some unfortunate events that happened in Ukraine I was given a once-in-lifetime chance to study at Brookes so I decided to use it wisely. Hopefully I wont regret it.

Getting to know Bohdan

Hi, my name is Bohdan. I am from Ukraine and I am 15 years old and I am a student in Brookes Westshore so I am looking forward to my first year here. I love playing online games with my friends from Ukraine. However beside online games I like to do some sports and activities for example: basketball, football  etc.. Before the war started I used to be a swimmer and was doing very good in it, but sadly right now all the pools in my home city are closed, that is why i stopped doing it. I used to hang out with my ukrainian friends a lot during summer time. In Brookes I look forward to study more and improve my ATL and sport skills.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚍’𝚜 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚎 – 𝙸𝚁𝙹𝙴 #𝟻

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚒𝚗 𝙰𝚕𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝙷𝚞𝚡𝚕𝚎𝚢’𝚜 “𝙰 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍” 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝙰𝚝𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍’𝚜 “𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚍’𝚜 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚎” 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚗. 𝙱𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 “𝚏𝚕𝚊𝚠𝚎𝚍” 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚖 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚊𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚠𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢.

𝙰𝚕𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝙷𝚞𝚡𝚕𝚎𝚢’𝚜 “𝙰 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍” 𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚍. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚜 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚜𝚎 𝚞𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚙𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚍𝚘𝚖 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗.

𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚜, 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚝 𝙰𝚝𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍’𝚜 “𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙷𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚍’𝚜 𝚃𝚊𝚕𝚎” 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚒𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚒𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚕𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚍𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚐𝚢𝚗𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 “𝙶𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚍” 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚒𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚞𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝 𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚍𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚎 𝚖𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚜. 𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢, 𝙰𝚝𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍’𝚜 𝚙𝚊𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚛𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚗; 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚢 𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖. 𝙸𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝙸 𝚊𝚖 𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚊𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚗.

IRJE #5 – “The Only Book You Need to Lead You to Success”

Currently I am reading the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Contrary to the popular belief that this book is teaching lonely people how to make friends, it’s not. It is much more to do with how to influence or alter the perspectives of friends you already have, as well as strangers you’ve never met. A quote that really that I highlighted whilst reading was:

First, arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him. He who cannot walks a lonely way.

I have read over the chapter, in which this quote is found, many times. “Arousing a want” sounded so simple when I read it on paper, so I have started to implement Carnegie’s words into my everyday life. I have started to see differences in how people to respond to things I ask of them using this technique.

IRJE #5: Pride & Prejudice

I have nearly finished reading “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. It’s been a unique experience for me, as I’m not used to reading books with such advanced vocabulary. However, it has also helped me learn new words and expand my vocabulary, which is fantastic. In the following quote, Elizabeth is introduced to Mr. Darcy’s magnificent estate at Pemberley.

They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound. It was a large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills;—and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place where nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in her admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something! (p. 163).

Elizabeth’s visit to Darcy’s house is a major milestone in her feelings towards him. While conversing with the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, Elizabeth catches the glowingly admiring word of Darcy’s generosity and kindness as a master. The change, however, comes when she meets Darcy himself, unexpectedly, while she is walking through the grounds of his estate, Pemberley. His former haughtiness appears to have decreased, and Elizabeth now perceives him in a different way. The elaborate description of Pemberley’s construction and grounds are a symbolic representation of Darcy’s personality. That stream is actually his pride, being natural it also represents his honesty. Elizabeth’s joy and quick realization about the pleasure of being the mistress of Pemberley foreshadow her subsequent bliss as devoted wife of Darcy.

IRJE #5 – The Hunger Games

I have been enjoying ‘The Hunger Games’ lately and I really like it because of it’s descriptions. I like how it can give me an clear imagery of the scene even though I have not watch the movie I hope to finish the book then watch the movie just to see if what I had imagined is similar to the movie

“Look what I shot.” Gale holds up a loaf of bread with an arrow stick in it, and I laugh. It’s real bakery bread, not the flat, dense loaves we make from our grain rations. I take it in my hands, pull out the arrow, and hold the puncture in the crust to my nose, inhaling the fragrance that makes my mouth flood with with saliva. Fine bread like this is for special occasions.

p.7

I am just very impressed when books can give me an imagery on what is actually happening so in the above example I think it had given me enough descriptions to think of an imagery.

IRJE #5

The book I’m reading is Icebreaker, and I found this quote and I really liked it

Falling in love with Nathan Hawkins was not something I could have planned. No planner, iPad, or freaking sticker chart could have prepared me for my future. My imagination isn’t capable of dreaming up this level of happiness.

this quote shows the main character’s surprising and deep love for Nathan Hawkins. It shows how unpredictable love can be and how it may exceed all preparations and expectations. It’s about the joy and surprise of discovering deep happiness in the most unexpected places. The character highlights the good parts of life and love when they come to the realization that no amount of planning could have brought them to the happiness she discovered with Nathan.

IRJE #5: Three shots

In White fangs, by Jack London, Bill and Henry are tasked in the middle of Winter, with transporting a person caucus. However, on the way, they are harassed by a group of Wolves. The Wolve pack have already eaten up 5 of their sled dogs. Name losses his nerves and goes with his revolver and the three bullets to kill the wolfs.

“He heard a shot, then two shots in rapid succession, and he knew that Bill’s ammunition was gone. Then he heard a great outcry of snarls and yelps. He recognized One Ear’s yell of pain and terror, and he heard a wolf-cry that bespoken a stricken animal. And that was all,” (p.108, l.15)

I really like this specific scene because, how jack London tells us indirectly to the reader that Bill is dead. It is also highly creative to tell someone died.

IRJE #5 Magnolia Parks

In the Novel Magnolia Parks, by Jessa Hastings, Magnolia and BJ are written in the stars, just suspended in a strange kind of love that looks like hurting each other a lot of the time. But at the end of each of their sad efforts to get over one another, it’s always each other that they crawl back to. As the “nanny” Marsaili reads the paper she sees BJ and Magnolia on the headline saying:

“On-again-off-again” couple Magnolia Parks and BJ Ballentine caused quite a scene last    night at Annabel’s as the pair ran into one of Park’s many ex-lovers—unnamed—“

[…]

“Jealous Ballentine appeared ready for fisticuffs, but the situation was diffused before it went any further.”

“Beej shrugs. “Not bad.”

“Fisticuffs,” I muse.”

“And then there are several photos where it looks like the two of you are together—“   (p.33)

When I read this scene I had to think about the author’s key question “How many Loves do you get in a lifetime”. The situation made clear that the two of them are drawn to each other but can’t properly show it, as they keep hurting each other but also care for each other at the same time. A complex chaos of feelings mixed up in wrong actions and bad timing. 

IRJE #5 Julieta

Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by Jim Kwik. The author, Jim Kwik, is discussing the power of mindset in achieving success and personal growth. “The truth is that we are all limitless. The only limits we have are the ones we impose on ourselves.” (Kwik, 2020, p. 27) This quotation shows the central theme of the book, emphasizing that our potential is not limited by external circumstances but by our own beliefs and mindset. It highlights the importance of overcoming self-imposed limitations to unlock our full potential and lead an exceptional life. The message is empowering and encourages readers to adopt a growth mindset, believing in their ability to learn, grow, and achieve their goals. Kwik’s assertion that our brains can be trained and improved is supported by scientific research on neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections. By emphasizing this point, Kwik challenges readers to take control of their own learning and cognitive abilities, empowering them to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. I like that this book is non fiction and provides facts to support the main idea. It challenges readers to rethink their capabilities, embrace a growth mindset, and unlock their full potential, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and exceptional life.

IRJE #5 – Purple Hibiscus

This quote is from the book I’m reading currently, Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and its a conversation between the narrator and her brother.

Did you tell Aunty Ifeoma about your finger?’ I asked. I should not have asked. I should have let it be. But there, it was out. It was only when I was alone with Jaja that the bubbles in my throat let my words come out. “She asked me, and I told her.” He was tapping his foot on the verandah floor in an energetic rhythm. I stared at my hands, at the short nails that Papa used to cut to a chaffing shortness, when I would sit between his legs and his cheeks would brush mine gently, until I was old enough to do it myself — and I always cut them to a chaffing shortness, too. Had Jaja forgotten that we never told, that there was so much that we never told? When people asked, he always said his finger was “something” that had happened at home. That way, it was not a lie and it let them imagine some accident, perhaps involving a heavy door. I wanted to ask Jaja why he had told Aunty Ifeoma, but I knew there was no need to, that this was one question he did not know the answer to. (p. 154)

This quote captures the weight of unspoken family secrets and the struggle between silence. The narrator’s internal conflict about confronting her brother, Jaja, regarding the revelation of a hidden family secret to Aunty Ifeoma reflects the tension between preserving appearances and the desire for emotional honesty. Jaja’s responses to questions about his finger reveal a desire to maintain control over his narrative, while his decision to confide in Aunty Ifeoma hints at a subconscious longing for understanding and validation outside the confines of their oppressive household.

IRJE #5 The Auschwitz Ballerina

The Auschwitz Ballerina is a book written by Edith Eger, this book isn’t a story, this book is an experience she had on WW2 times. Edith Eger is a jew and suffer through Hittler’s atrocities and managed to survive. It all started when she was 16 years old when the nazis took her family and her to Auschwitz. her parents were sent to a gas camera and she stayed with her sister waiting for death. but little did she knew that dancing “the blue danube” for Mengele saved her life.

“In the private darkness inside me, I hear my mother’s words, as if she were here, in the inhospitable room, whispering beneath the music. <<Remember that no one can take away what you put in your mind>> Dr. Mengele, my squalid companions in confinement, the rebels who will survive and those who would soon be dead, even my dear sister disappear, and the only world that exists is in my head.” (pg.69)

this phrase is said by the main character (the author) and I find it really interesting because it explains how she felt in the certain moment she knew that one false step she could get killed, who would’ve known that dancing would be the thing that made her stay alive and get out of Auschwitz.

IRJE#5 – The Strength in Vulnerability

One book that I have read whose message and quotes truly stuck with me was Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross. In the fantastical world of magic and intrigue, Ross creates a story that unfolds as you read, and she truly captured me from the start. The emotional depth of the characters and the plot points she diverged impacted me immensely, specifically, this one excerpt spoken by the protagonist in a moment of vulnerability. It goes as follows:

“It takes courage to let down your armour, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes I feel the same as you: I can’t risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, “You will miss so much by being so guarded.”

This quote was the catalyst that began the unfolding of the protagonist’s character. It is when she first lets down her guard and is honest with the other characters in the book, and it shows the truth behind the phrase “there is strength in vulnerability.” It touched me as a reader because I feel I can relate to the meaning Ross is trying to convey. There are times where we hide our true selves to impress, relate, or be liked by others. After all, it is too dangerous to show yourself and be open to the risk of failure, of disappointment. But that is why I think it is so special; bearing yourself for conviction and vulnerability also opens up opportunities that, as the protagonist also puts it, you would have missed otherwise. This quote conveys that to let down your armour is a strength, not a weakness, and that is something truly remarkable.

IRJE#5

Layla by Colleen Hoover is a thrilling and emotional novel that follows the story of Layla and Leeds, a couple who have been through a lot of ups and downs in their relationship. They decide to take a break from their busy lives and go on a romantic getaway to a bed and breakfast in the mountains. However, their peaceful trip takes a dark turn when they encounter a mysterious and eerie presence in the house, which seems to have a connection to Layla’s past. As the couple tries to unravel the secrets of the house and Layla’s past, they are forced to confront their fears and insecurities and make some difficult decisions that will change their lives forever. The novel is a perfect blend of romance, suspense, and psychological thriller, and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

“I want to be the best part of your worst day”

The quote is a statement made by Layla, one of the main characters in the novel “Layla” by Colleen Hoover. The quote means that Layla wants to be there for her partner, Leeds, even on his worst days. She wants to be the one who can make him smile, even when everything else seems to be going wrong. She wants to be his source of comfort and support, and she wants to be able to make a positive impact on his life. Essentially, the quote is about being there for someone you love, no matter what, and being the best part of their day, even when everything else is falling apart. I love this quote as it shows the importance of love and how you will love someone on their bad and good days. 

PR#3

I noticed a similarity between the books Brave New World and Amusing Ourselves to Death. They both show a future where people are controlled by technology and entertainment, making them lose their ability to think critically. In Brave New World, people are taught to accept their place in society and rely on a drug called “soma” and constant distractions to keep them content. In Amusing Ourselves to Death, it is argued that our focus on quick entertainment has made us less capable of thinking deeply about important matters. 

Both books warn about the dangers of blindly following authority and being too comfortable with the status quo. They have made me realize the importance of questioning information and being open to different viewpoints. These books also made me more aware of how technology and media influence our perceptions of the world. In summary, Brave New World and Amusing Ourselves to Death are thought-provoking books that have challenged me to think critically about the world I live in.

IRJE #5 – Well, Jane…

I recently began reading a book entitled Agatha Christie – Marple. The book is a collection of short stories written by different authors, using the Ms. Marple character to explore a variety of scenarios. At the end of one investigation, Ms. Marple’s friend, Emmy, says to her:

“Well, Jane, you’ve only been here for twenty-four hours and already you’ve discovered two murders that no one else even realised were murders. And in Fishbourne, of all places!”

“You have lived a sheltered life, Emmy. But there is wickedness everywhere.” (p. 332)

This quotation captures perfectly what I feel is wrong with the book: there is no build up. The murders are well constructed,  but there’s no time to analyze them and create theories before Ms. Marple has solved it, everyone cheers, and we move onto the next mystery. Additionally, evidence that could be used to solve the murder is either heavily emphasized or not mentioned at all. Multiple times throughout the book, Ms. Marple reminded the readers that there were, for example, two or three things that stuck out to her in a specific scene. This is unnecessary: anyone who started reading a murder mystery book would already be analyzing every sentence. It’s as if Ms. Marple turns towards the audience, sees they’re struggling to figure out the mystery, and decides she needs to slap them over the head with some evidence because they’re too stupid to figure it out.

One, two, three, four! 200 minimum words!

 

IRJE #5 – Adultery and Tolstoy

Just two weeks ago, I began reading a novel called, “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy. Even in such a short time, it has become one of my favourite novels from 19th Century Russian authors. This novel explores the themes of families,  death and love. Especially love, I don’t think I have ever read a book where such a multitude of protagonists who have so many troubles with love. The novel follows a woman named Anna Karenina, a married woman, who falls in love with the charming officer Vronsky. The quotation I chose is of Dolly, Anna’s sister-in-law telling Anna about her husband, Oblonsky’s recent affair with their governess,

“‘Everything is at an end and that’s all’ said Dolly. ‘And the worst of it is, you understand, that I can’t leave him: there are the children, and I am bound. Yet I can’t live with him; it is torture for me to see him.'” (Pg. 67).

I chose this quotation because it is an introduction to the ideas of adultery of married individuals and the societal norms of the time stopping women from getting divorced. As Anna is being sympathetic with Dolly in this scene it feels very hypocritical because as the reader we know Anna is not faithful to her husband. To me, this felt like a way for Tolstoy to try to share his idea of humans’ tendency to be contradictory in their values and desires.

IRJE #5: The stars

For my next IRJE, I chose a quotation in the next book in the “Emily of New Moon” series, Emily Climbs, by L.M. Montgomery. In the story, the protagonist Emily is on a trip with her best friend Ilse canvassing for subscriptions (visiting neighborhoods asking people to subscribe) to a newspaper from their town in which they are boarding for school. However, while walking they get lost and will not be able to get to the house in which they are to stay in time before dark. Instead, they decide to stay the night on a haystack near the road, and Emily stays awake gazing at the stars and the beauty of the night.

“She was glad Ilse was asleep. Any human companionship, even the dearest and most perfect, would have been alien to her then. She was sufficient unto herself, needing not love nor comradeship nor any human emotion to round out her felicity. Such moments come rarely in life, but when they do come they are inexpressibly wonderful – as if the finite were for a second divinity – as if humanity were for a space uplifted into divinity – as if all ugliness had vanished, leaving only flawless beauty” (p. 177).

This quotation highlights one of my favorite parts of both this series in particular and L.M. Montgomery’s writing in general – her descriptions of the world, even the smaller things in life. She often describes nature in very fantastical and vivid descriptions and accentuate small things such as the wind rustling through the trees or a clump of flowers. Even a simple thing such as laying and gazing at the stars can have great meaning, and be what make life interesting.

IRJE #5 Pride and Prejudice

In Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austin, Elizabeth is the main character. She is the second daughter of the Bennet family. Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth’s mother, is concerned about marrying her five daughters with wealthy escorts. When Mr. Bingley’s moves into the neighborhood, he develops a mutual affection with Jane Bennet, the oldest sister. When Mr. Darcy appears, Mr. Bingley’s close friend, his proud personality hurts Elizabeth’s feelings. Darcy starts to feel affection towards Elizabeth’s intelligence, and he finds it hard to express his feelings. When Mr. Darcy asks her father for his permission to marry her, you could clearly see her father’s love and preoccupation.

“Go with your father, he wants you in the library.” She was gone directly.
Her father was walking in the room, looking grave and anxious. “Lizzy” said he, “what are you doing? Are you out of your senses, to be accepting this man? Have you not always hated him?”
(p. 253)

This quotation reminded me of the relationship with my father, he is always worried about me and my feelings, and always goes out of the way to make my days better. That is why for me, this was the most lovely part throughout the whole book. Lizzy ‘s father was only worried about how her daughter feels and how she would feel. Mr. Bennet did not care about marrying her with a wealthy partner, or for her to have the expected future for her, he was only worried about her girl.

IRJE #5 – Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Not so long ago, I started reading the book “Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead” by Olga Tokarczuk. As a detective lover, this book got my full attention, even though I only finished the second chapter. I am not sure yet how the event will go, but the mysterious death of a man that everyone calls Big Foot is really interesting. There was also a short story about his dog. He locks her up in a shed, where she howls because of the cold. The woman rescues her and brings the dog home, where she gives her food and a warm place to sleep, but after a while, at night, the dog runs outside and goes back.

“And so she went back to her Prison” (p. 32).

I included this part because I liked how loyal the dog is. Despite how badly the owner treated her, the dog returned to him. When I told my sister about this book, she said that this situation reminded her of some people she knew.

PR – Brave New World & Amusing Ourselves to Death

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley has become one of the best English books that I have read so far. Despite the difficult use of language in the book, the plot, and events that got me thinking, not always, provided me with a need to continue reading the book. What I liked the most was that the characters I disliked and found annoying turned out to be interesting to read about. The book has a good amount of complexity in the language and narrative that has quite a few things in common with the world we live in now, which makes me a bit sad, and the image of naive characters made a huge impression on my liking of literature.

On the other hand, Amusing Our Selves to Death by Neil Postman did not make an impression on me. Most likely because of its style. As a book-length essay, the text’s format, rather than the content, made it somewhat boring, making it tiring to read.  Postman covered an interesting topic of the effect of TV on the human race, but for me, the stylistic choices reduced the overall enjoyment of the book.

IRJE #5 Someone Is Always Watching

I just finished the book, Someone Is Always Watching by Kelly Armstrong. As you may expect this is a horror book. I found an interesting horror scene that gave me goosebumps.

Dear Blythe,

You clicked the link, right? After making absolutely sure it seemed legit, of course. Did you check the URL? Type it in? Be certain I wasn’t scamming you?

I’m not scamming you. I wish I was, but I’m not.

So, you read the article, and tgen you went looking for more, didn’t you? And the only thing you found was that second article. WHiips, it’s all a mistake! Poor kid just accidentally died in a field, naked, with his throat slit!

Yes, none of that was in the article. But that’s what happened. I can send crime-scene photos, but I’ll spare you that. For now, you need to take my word for it.

It wasn’t an accident. Wasn’t a perv, either. The police dropped it because they couldn’t very well say that the murderer was an eight-year-old boy. Clearly, the kid didn’t know what he was doing.

How do you slit a boy’s throat, strip him to make it look like a perv, and not knowing what you’re doing?

You don’t.

He knew exactly what he was doing. Killing a kid who had the nerve to be nice to the guy’s little sister. That was the dead boy’s crime. His only crime. He was an eighth-grader who was mentoring a second-grade girl, and her brother killed him.

She saw it. The sister, that is. Got there after the kid was dead, and she saw what her brother had done.

Can you imagibe what that was like for her? How much it changed her? Damaged her?

Do you know any damaged girls, Blythe?

I think you do. (p63-65)

This whole part of horror kind of traumatized me and it can connect to the real world. This part makes me feel like the person who sent this email is some kind of stalker. Since there are more emails sent by an anonymous person. This connects to the title that the authors created.

IRJE #5 – Stop Giving a F***

I have just begun reading the book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a [Bleep] by Mark Manson (p. 5). I found this quotation to be quite meaningful, as it related to the book we were reading earlier by Neil Postman.

Everyone and their TV commercial wants you to believe that the key to a good life is a nicer job, or a more rugged car, or a prettier girlfriend, or a hot tub with an inflatable pool for the kids. The world is constantly telling you that the path to a better life is more, more, more–buy more, own more, make more, f*** more, be more. You are constantly bombarded with messages to give a f*** about everything, all the time. 

Manson explains how businesses use propaganda to seep your attention from you to better their business and sell more products. Later on in the book he explains how the key to living a more positive life is to narrow in on the things you actually care about and stop worrying about random things you see online.

IRJE #5 – Truth of Lies

I recently finished the fantasy novel “A Sadow in the Ember” written by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This novel in the complex “From Blood and Ash” series offers a different perspective from a character in the past. Similar to the protagonist Poppy in “From Blood and Ash”, Seraphena (Sera) Mierel’s future has never been her own, imprisoned behind a veil. She’s raised in a destructive environment, with many not even acknowledging her as a person, simply a failure. Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until her path crosses with the Primal of Death, whom she begins to trust. This relationship chases away Sera’s darkness, until his true intentions become clear, forcing her to reconsider the agony and consequences behind trust.

“It is far easier to be lied to than to acknowledge that you have been lied to.” (pg. 247).

This quote sparked a sense of sympathy and understanding from me, as it is an unknown concept that can be applied in many ordinary people’s lives. The quote reveals how harmless lying is until its consequences begin to configure. Once you begin to actually acknowledge the hurt and despair of lying as an action and the depth someone’s words can go, you begin to recognize the suffering of the victim. Typically lies are masked, mimicking a mental barrier of invisibility between each person. But as the wall breaks, it’s tempting to explore into that world of deception even if the outcome will only bring more hurt.

IRJE #5 Jose Tostado

“The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People”, by Stephen Covey, published in 1989, is a step-by-step guide to complete the development of your life and your career or profession, a highly recognized book in the zone of self-help and self-development. The path to achieving effectiveness is built from seven habits which start from mental self-control, learning to work as a team, knowing how to communicate, and reaching the habit of constant improvement. The book makes clear its opposition to the search for quick solutions to internal or serious problems, making us understand that they never work in the long term. Also, the book through anecdotes, from the author and from people he has worked with, and practical exercises, Covey guarantees and facilitates the creation of habits in our daily lives. The book offers wisdom through its quotes from the author himself, for example.

“Sow a thought, reap an action; Sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” (p. 46).

Stephen Covey’s book today remains a highly regarded book that provides lasting habits for a balanced and principled approach to success, inner happiness, creating and implementing good habits into our daily routine, and continued self-improvement.

PR – Brave New World & Amusing Ourselves to Death

It’s ironic that, when faced with the uncomfortable reality that the world I live in currently is so similar to a technology driven world predicted 90 years ago, my immediate reaction was to find something more interesting. That’s the challenge that so many people experience, because why would anyone want to consider how flawed their world is? It’s much easier to choose inaction and ignore the problem, especially if, for example, facing the problem leads to you being more socially isolated.

In Brave New World, written by Aldous Huxley (1932), this is the problem one of the protagonists, Bernard, faces. Community is heavily emphasized Bernard’s world, and having an individual identity is synonymous with isolation. At one point, Bernard asks his co-worker Lenina: “But wouldn’t you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example; not in everyone else’s way” (p. 79). This quotation struck me, as it made me consider how different the definition of freedom could be. Lenina considers herself free because she can choose, but due to conditioning and the way their society is constructed, people in this brave new world are given only a limited number of options . This gives them the comfort of knowing that they made these choices, without the realisation that there are other options. Another way to describe this is by using a chocolate box. If you were brought up from birth knowing you could pick any chocolate from a chocolate box, you would have the satisfaction of knowing you are free to pick whichever chocolate you want. However, you would never know about the options outside of that specific chocolate box, and, to take this metaphor even further, never experience the happiness someone can feel when eating something like a cake or pizza. There will always be restrictions on what choice one can make –sadly, I can’t choose to fly—, but intentionally limiting someone’s choices without their knowledge does not mean freedom, as it will control how we act based off that knowledge. When citizens in the World State witness John whipping himself, they find it amusing and actively seek it out and use it as entertainment. They are unable to grasp the meaning behind why John is whipping himself, and instead use it as a quick moment of excitement before returning to their dull, but completely happy, lives.

A similar sentiment is expressed by Neil Postman’s writing about  technology’s role in society in Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985). Just like soma and the feelies in Brave New World, Postman argued that we use social media and other forms of entertainment as an escape from our lives. However, the danger is not in the entertainment aspect, it’s dangerous because we like to use it as a substitute for things such as education,religion and human connection or emotion. Just like in a Brave New World, we are pacified by thinking we have a choice in what information we receive on television or social media. It is true that we can change the channel, but there will never be anything of value. We are comforted by disinformation. As Huxley states in Chapter 6 – The Age of Show Business: “The problem is not that television presents us with entertaining subject matter but that all subject matter is presented as entertaining” (p. 87). Simply put, television –and other forms of media— lack the nuances to be able to communicate relevant and important topics. We abbreviate subjects until they lose all their meaning and value. Huxley explains this problem by describing television as a smoke signal, as you can only communicate basic information. You won’t be able to have a coherent debate with your neighbour. As the television anchor Lawrence O’Donnell pointed out in his talk about how “the government will not be televised,” all important meetings when the president makes important decisions are never shown on television. In his words, “the presidency is a performance.” Governing a country now comes with the extra job of entertaining people to win their votes. We focus on the excitement of action without considering the meaning behind it. We are the citizens of the World State who only focused on the whipping, instead of what it symbolized.

 

PR #3 – Brave New World and Amusing Ourselves to Death

In Postman’s essay, “Amusing Ourselves to Death” he criticizes the American minds of the 1980s and how they have been consumed by the new developments of technology and their constant desire for entertainment. In Huxley’s dystopian novel “Brave New World”, he observes the change in the society around him in the 1930s and how they let their desires lead them instead of their brain. Postman wrote this essay novel based on the idea that Huxley predicted the future of humans letting technologies rule over us. Both fictional and essay novels have many similarities as they describe the world where entertainment and desires become a norm through the development of technology. For example, in “Amusing Ourselves to Death” Postman recalls back in multiple arguments to what he believes is the source, telegraphing which is a form of fast news or headliner information that began back in the 1830s. Leading people as Postman states, “The telegraph introduced a kind of public conversation whose form had startling characteristics: Its language was the language of headlines—sensational, fragmented, impersonal.” (Pg. 70). This demonstrates the observation that the people of America only had the shallow entertaining knowledge of worldly issues that should be discussed in greater detail. Compared to the current day this reminds me of being able to look something up on my phone as soon as I desire to know something without taking a minute to figure it out logically by myself. Another example of entertainment Postman mentions in his book is television, a new technology of the time, being a quick source of entertainment or performance from the people on screen. Postman states that within politics, religion, and worldwide issues the television needed to make the shows entertaining because if it were not, then the people watching would change the channel. The competition for the most entertaining channel was on the rise, causing the creators of these television series to make it more entertaining until entertainment was all the show needed to thrive. This explains Postman’s main point of the new technology (television) being able to give its viewers instant gratification. No need to analyze or discuss anything in detail. Postman’s criticisms of society in the 1980s line up with Aldous Huxley’s observations. One of the said observations was everyone’s desire to be gratified of their wants immediately by using a drug called soma. The drug soma instantly makes anyone’s negative emotions disappear leaving the individual with no time between the desire and the gratification. For example, Lenina begins doubting her happiness as John has rejected her offer to sleep with him. To fill this void, Lenina uses soma to stop the negative emotions and the doubt about her happiness. This connects a lot to the current where maybe I am feeling down on myself, I tend to avoid the issue and use one of the latest technologies, the internet. Scrolling on an app or playing a video takes away the stress of the moment making me ignorant to my true feelings. Overall, I believe that Huxley’s prediction of future society lies with Postman’s analysis of society and proves many of the ideas novel to be true. Because both novels highlight similar problems, it brought up a question which one did I feel more connected to and if either format, essay or fictional story, did I enjoy and understand more?

Aldous Huxley wrote a novel that uses a fictional storyline to demonstrate to the readers his ideas and the world he imagines for the future. I found Huxley’s novel a very disturbing read with many comments on society and human nature throughout. For example, Bernard constantly desires to fit into society but also hates them for outcasting him. As soon as he thinks of exploiting Linda and John to get praised by his co-workers, he does exactly that. But during his time at the reserve, he sympathizes with John as he is also cast out of society. This shows that Huxley was able to get his points across to the readers. Along with his strength came flaws as the novel did not have a super clear plot line and many parts needed editing, either to shorten or straighten out some scenes that were not as obvious. For example, at the beginning of the novel, the entire first chapter is a bunch of exposition of how Huxley’s dystopia functions through a tour of the director of the Central London Hatching and Conditioning Center with a bunch of students who we never meet again. I know the purpose of the storyline was to be able to convey his ideas but it threw me off when the plot line was unclear. On the other hand, Postman used a book-length essay using logic and specific examples to demonstrate his ideas. Because the book was a giant essay I felt that when it came to the topic it discussed the examples he gave were very persuasive. When Postman referred to how when debates or discussions are televised they are also in the form of entertainment and used the example of a discussion on ABC station where important leaders and politicians such as Elie Wiesel or Henry Kissinger would talk for about 5 minutes each not addressing each other points because of the short attention span of the audience. A lot of people I think would not have much criticism towards Postman’s essay novel. For the most part, I agree, the book was not only extremely well written every argument he made was logical and had examples as evidence. But I found it so dull to read, it could have been the amount of references to the 1980s that I did not understand. It could have been that it was my first time reading a book-length essay. But then, I realized that it was because I didn’t find the book entertaining, when I realized this I knew both Postman and Huxley were right. My young mind is consumed by the desire to be entertained. Overall, I think that both methods were equally effective at exploring their ideas and every author has their own of expressing these ideas.

IRJE #5: Fire Star

In the book I am reading: Fire Star by Chris D’ Lacey, one of the main characters- Lucy -has a dispute withe her mother -Liz. This dispute stuck out to me because it a dispute that I have had many times with my mother and probably most other people with their mothers. Previous to this argument, Lucy had mailed off and application that the previous tenant of the house -David- had trusted her to mail. So when Lucy saw the application still hidden in her Liz’s draw she decided to mail it off without telling her mother. When Liz finds out she confronts Lucy and scolds her because the application was dangerous and could put David in danger and it was not out of their hands.

“‘You did what?’ Liz lowered her shopping bags and threw her daughter such a look of deep shock that Lucy felt compelled to pull a tissue from her sleeve, and blow her nose to avoid eye contact. ‘It was in a drawer – with a stamp and everything.’ ‘Yes and that’s where it should have stayed.’. ‘But you promised me you would mail it and I thought you had. Instead you hid it and you didn’t even tell me. That’s sneaky, mom. David would go mad.” -( Chris D’ Lacey, Fire Star)

This is a perfect example of the consequences lies can have, especially in a household. Often times when parents don’t trust their children with the truth it will end up with disputes where the children will end up making an assumption on the basis that they don’t know what they are doing is wrong. This is the reason I chose this quote. Because the sheer amount of times when I see this in real life as well as books where all those problems could be solved with the truth

IRJE #5 “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”

“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is the last book of the Hunger Games saga by Suzanne Collins. In this book, she tells the story of the young Coriolanus Snow and the District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray. Lucy Gray is a young woman that her passion is to sing but her life changes drastically when she gets the bad luck of being selected as District 12 tribute to go and play for her life in the annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus Snow is a well known student from the capitol, his family has to keep the appearance even though they are broke and have no money at all. Each student of the Capitol needs to train a tribute from the different districts and make him or her win the Hunger Games and with that obtain money from the capitol for the rest of their lives. Lucy Gray is Coriolanus snow tribute to train, but eventually, they fall in love. Everyone feared the principal of the capitol, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, but Lucy Gray wasn’t going to accept this terrible killing games so she decides to say the next quote to the principal in live television.

“You’ve no right to starve people, to punish them for no reason. No right to take away their life and freedom. Those are things everyone is born with, and they’re not yours for the taking. Winning a war doesn’t give you that right. Having more weapons doesn’t give you that right. Being from the Capitol doesn’t give you that right. Nothing does.” (p. 311)

I chose this quote because I found incredible and very brave how Lucy Gray fought for her life and to defend her ideology in this movie. She didn’t agree with the fact that the government, in this case the Capitol, made all of the citizens participate in the Hunger Games just to control them or to treat them as less. What she says in this quote is very real and we get to see it in our own countries, in our daily life. People that have more privileges, more money, make people that don’t to feel inferior, to feel less, they made them think that they’re not worth anything. We have no right to treat people as objects or to punish them for no reason just because we think we are better than everyone else.  Just as her, I strongly think that we all should defend our ideologies and never think that we are better than someone else.

PR: Amusing Ourselves To Death & A Brave New World

The relationship between Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” and Huxley’s “Brave New World.” Although they take the idea of dystopia from different angles, both writers look at it. Huxley sees a society in which people are tied to their own happiness, made blind to the outside world by nonstop entertainment, and forced to find happiness. On the other hand, Postman cautions us about the dangers of living in an overly mediated culture, where entertainment takes the place of important discussions and the truth gets lost under an ocean of unimportant data.
In “Brave New World,” Huxley imagined a world where people get distracted from the real status of their lives by an obsession with material and temporary joy. Postman’s research supports this idea, arguing that media and television have shaped a culture in which the entertainment value of information exceeds its accuracy or significance. According to both authors, our preoccupation with enjoyment and fun may eventually cause us to lose the ability to discuss the complex, nuanced topics that are essential to a vibrant democracy. It serves as a terrifying warning to watch what media we consume and to value profundity above flashiness.

Personal response to “Brave New World” and “Amusing Ourselves to Death”

In my opinion, “Brave New World” and “Amusing Ourselves to Death” are like my wise grandparents who tell me stories about how the world works and how we should take advantage and enjoy our time. They’re not like other books or novels I’ve read; they’re like cautionary tales, warning us about where our society might be heading if we’re not careful with what we do, and how everything is evolving and not necessarily in a good way.

In “Brave New World,” it’s like we’re peeking into a future where everyone’s supposed to be happy all the time, but there’s a catch: people have to give up being themselves. It’s like trading freedom for comfort. It’s like the book is saying to us, “Hey, watch out! If we only chase pleasure and avoid thinking deeply, we might lose sight of what really makes life meaningful.” Nowadays, with all the social media and endless distractions, it’s easy to get swept away and forget about the things that truly matter, and I say this from my own experience.

Then there’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death.” For me, this one feels like sitting down with a favorite teacher telling us how TV and entertainment can shape and change our minds and opinions. It’s like saying, “Hey, pay attention! When we’re always chasing the next big thing to entertain us, we might forget to think critically and have real conversations.” With all the memes and news updates today, it’s easy to see how we might get caught up in the excitement without pausing to think about what it all means, and again, this comes from my own experiences.

Both books, in their own unique way, remind us to be mindful and careful of the choices we make. They encourage us to embrace our individuality and uniqueness, cherish deep thinking, and have meaningful connections. I think life isn’t just about the flash and fun; it’s about the depth and richness that comes from truly engaging with the world around us.

 

IRJE #5

“November 9” by Colleen Hoover, tells the story of Fallon and Ben, who meet on November 9th and decide to meet every year on the same date for five years. even with life’s challenges, their relationship grows stronger over time, but they must decide whether their love will survive the obstacles they face every day. p.168

“She’s not the kind of girl you choose your battles for. She’s the kind of girl you fight to the death for.”

In this situation one of the main characters Ben is talking about Fallon, he is expressing that she is a girl who is worth all the effort that you can put in, and if he has to do that he is going to do it because he is so falling in love of her and her sentiments.

Matteo Eden personal response to Brave new World & Amusing ourselves to death PR#3

The way I see it in “Brave New World” and “Amusing Ourselves to Death” shows us how society can be too focused on entertainment and pleasure and not enough on serious thinking. Both books warn about the dangers of living in a world where pleasure and entertainment are more important than individuality and critical thought. In today’s world, phones and computers are constant distractions. We should be more mindful of how much time we spend on mindless entertainment and focus on critical thinking to navigate our modern world.

These books relate to each other because they both talk about how we waste our time on little things that barely affect us. Both books also talk about how we let the media control the way we act and who we are. In both books, I noticed that Neil Postman and Aldous Huxley have similar writing styles. In conclusion, I believe that both Brave new World and Amusing ourselves to death share a connection.

IRJE #5 “but how do I know?”

This quote is from the book “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. Holden Caulfield, is annoyed by people, especially a psychoanalyst, who keep asking him if he’s going to try hard in school when he goes back next September.

A lot of people, especially this one psychoanalyst guy they have here, keeps asking me if I’m going to apply myself when I go back to school next September. It’s such a stupid question, in my opinion. I mean how do you know what you’re going to do till you do it? The answer is, you don’t. I think I am, but how do I know? I swear it’s a stupid question. (p. 234)

Holden thinks the question is dumb because he believes you can’t really know what you’re going to do until you actually do it. He says it’s a stupid question because life is unpredictable, and people can’t predict their own actions. Holden doesn’t like being pressured about his future plans, and he thinks that questions like these oversimplify the complexities of life and personal choices.

Personal Response Brave New World & Amusing Ourselves to Death

Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” both provide insightful analyses on the perils of contemporary information manipulation and cultural apathy. Although Huxley’s apocalyptic vision depicts a world ruled by technology and hedonistic desires, Postman’s criticism is on how mass media affects critical thinking and public conversation. Both pieces draw attention to the possible repercussions of forgoing intellectual curiosity and individual autonomy in favor of convenience and enjoyment, despite their different settings.

In “Brave New World,” Huxley presents a terrifying vision of a society in which consumption and uniformity are king, made possible by cutting-edge technology and the repression of individualism. This dystopian world’s populace has been socialized to value fleeting pleasures over true human connection, at all costs, and to accept superficial pleasures. Similar to this, Postman cautions against the damaging effects of sensationalism in the media and television in “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” contending that our capacity for critical thought has been undermined by the unrelenting pursuit of amusement. These pieces emphasize how crucial it is to maintain vigilance against the dehumanizing impacts of information manipulation and technological innovation. advising readers to actively seek out information and genuine connections in an increasingly distracted and surface-level culture, rather than settling for complacency.

 

IRJE #5 Every Summer After

In “Every Summer After” by Carley Fortune, Alice, the main character, is thinking about how hard it is for her to get along with her sister Charlie. Alice is thinking about how complicated sibling relationships can be and how their bond stays strong even though they are different. On page 135, Alice writes about what she thinks about being a sister.

“Sometimes, sisters feel like they’re made up of each other’s half-done sentences, whispered confessions in the dark, and shared secrets that bind them together like invisible threads, weaving through the fabric of their lives. It’s as though we’ve been mixed up in each other’s cells from the start, entangled in a tapestry of love, rivalry, and unspoken understanding.” (Fortune, p. 135).

This quote does a great job of catching the essence of sisterhood and the special bond that siblings share. It shows how close and understanding sisters can be with each other; they often seem to finish each other’s thoughts and keep each other’s secrets. The idea of being “made up of each other’s half-done sentences” makes me think of how close and united many sisterly relationships are. One thing I really like about this quote is how it uses vivid language to show how complicated and deep sisterly bonds are in a short but deep way. It hits home for me because it makes me think of how complicated my relationship with my sisters are and how strong our bond is, even when we disagree or have problems.

PR #3 – A Scary New World

Postman argues that television causes fragmented attention spans, and leads to a world of instant gratification and entertainment. He argues that entertainment is the main passageway of public discourse. His argument is still very much relevant till this date, and in my opinion, even more so than when he wrote Amusing Ourselves to Death due to the fact that social media is becoming increasingly popular, diminishing the mental health and clarity of millions of young adults and youth today by withering away their dopamine stores. Like Postman said, the television age is a new era from the age of typography. From the mere ages of three children start using iPads and such, which only feeds their entertainment and technology addiction. Postman’s cure for this illness he describes is known as “media consciousness,” where simply being inquisitive and conscious of one’s actions, in particular, how they relate to watching television and the epistemology (theory of knowledge) behind media and television, frees one from the “rat race” and allows one to actually think. Huxley wrote a novel, whereas Postman wrote a book length essay. Both of these formats are suitable for provoking the questions pertaining to a “Utopia” where entertainment can be found at the tip of one’s fingers, or in Postman’s case, the click of a button. Postman uses facts, evidence, and real world examples to get his point across, whereas Huxley uses imagery, allowing the reader to actually get a glimpse of the “New World” that we are entering.

Huxley’s vision somewhat describes the world we live in today, as the balance between freedom and stability is quite neutral, although technological advancements and increases in addictions in recent years are quite alarming. For example, thousands of cases of phone addictions in teens are the leading cause of depression worldwide. In my opinion, we are at a tipping point, where the “Brave New World” Huxley envisioned is on the Horizon. In Huxley’s world, the people have been brainwashed from a young age using the process known as hypnopaedia, where children are repetitively taught certain topics while sleeping, which helps them remember them. This is clearly different from how ideas are learned and how new knowledge is gained in our current world, where, our parents, teachers, and other institutions and religious groups instil a set of values upon us, and allow us to do the thinking. In other words, we acquire information from the world around us, and are allowed to interpret it in our own way, which gives us freedom, whereas in Huxley’s Brave New World, everybody has been given a set of values where it is irregular to go against the grain of society. In our world, people have a lot more respect for different opinions and such, but this is changing very rapidly, as if one goes too far, they will be cancelled for their claims. Examples of characters in Huxley’s novel that are abnormal are Bernard Marx, Helmholtz Watson, Lenina Crowne, and John the Savage. These characters represent freedom from the restraints and conditioning of society. For example, in the novel, Helmholtz, John, and Bernard were offered to go to an island where they could do whatever they pleased. To avoid a future as seen in Brave New World, like Postman advocated, we must be conscientious of our actions and thoughts, and what effects they have on the rest of society and the world as a whole.

IRJE #5: Whizzing In and Out of Consciousness

I just began reading the philosophical novel Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig. From raving reviews, this book is well written with its ability to weave in the beauty of riding and the author’s own philosophical ideas. This is my favourite quote right now.

On a motorcycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming. That concrete whizzing by five inches below your foot is the real thing, the same stuff you walk on, it’s right there, so blurred you can’t focus on it, yet you can put your foot down and touch it anytime, and the whole thing, the whole experience, is never removed from immediate consciousnesses.

I fell in love with this quote because it resonated with my feelings and thoughts when riding a motorcycle. My dad is really into motorcycles, and has been since he got his license, and so by default I am very familiar with riding. I cannot wait for the day I can ride alongside him. This quote pinpoints how it touches your soul to be one with the bike. Whether a passenger or the driver, being on the bike is to be completely free from anything holding you back. Especially with the addition of a helmet, you are in your own little world. I often find myself talking outloud to myself when I’m riding. In this space you can let your mind run wild. With the trees whizzing by you this serene heaven extends out past you into your entire surroundings. It is all too perfect until you’re pulled back into consciousness by the reve in the changing of gears.

The second aspect of this quote I noticed was his grammar. The fourth sentence has seven commas. I’d like to believe that Pirsig did this to give the reader a sense that he was so overwhelmed by the beauty of riding, that he can’t stop to take a breath.

PR#3

In “Amusing Ourselves To Death” Postman has written an essay and in “Brave New World” Huxley has written a story but do I see any connection from these 2? Yes I do! In Huxley’s “Brave New World” he had written a story type of book to talk about the situation or what he sees in the future. As for Postman he had just reflected what he sees now and in a near future on television, the period of time that Postman is writing this book television seemed to be a positive development in the United States. Audiences could access global news and experience spectacular entertainment. Later on, the television channels faced pressure to turn into show business to get audiences’ attentions and to make more money.  Postman suggests that television is an enemy, not a friend, to alert the public.

In these two books there are a very obvious similarity where citizens are so absorbed by fascinating technologies, they do not notice their freedom disappearing. Amusing Ourselves to Death urges readers to take all forms of media seriously, revealing the media’s ability to transform politics, education, culture, and history. So basically to me both of the books are alerting others to beware of the power of technology and TV.

PR-connection between brave new world and amusing ourselves to death

After reading the two books, I realized that they were more similar than I thought they would be. Amusing Ourselves to Death and Brave New World both warn against the dehumanizing effects of a culture fixated on pleasure and diversion. In Brave New World, a society where the pursuit of pleasure and r fulfillment takes place over individuality and critical thought is portrayed. In the same way, Postman believes that we no longer possess the capacity for meaningful conversation or critical thought since our culture has grown so dependent on entertainment. Both writers provide warnings that living in such a society can result in a decrease in one’s sense of personal independence and a loss of true human connection.

Neil Postman makes a valid connection between his work and Huxley’s novel. Both pieces draw attention to the perils of living in a culture where enjoyment and amusement come first. They operate as reminders of the value of striking a balance between learning and free time as well as the necessity of avoiding the temptation of mindless entertainment. Both Brave New World and Amusing Ourselves to Death call our attention to these problems, making us think critically about our own culture and the potential consequences of choosing light entertainment for deeper, worthwhile activities.

PR: Dystopian Societies

I recently finished reading Huxley’s Brave New World and Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death. Upon completing both, I had the overwhelming feeling that people today do not discuss these issues much and that more should be said about the problems they presented.

Huxley’s novel painted a dystopian world that sounded uncomfortably realistic; humans were now systemically conditioned through technology, bred to pursue the extreme delight of pleasure and promote consumerism. Such ideals made me think, “What if that happened in real life? It would probably be a disaster.” (After thinking about it for a while, I realized that it really wasn’t that far from reality). The plot was intriguing, but the cruel and confusing social engineering coupled with the lack of personal responsibility was uncomfortable and, at times, a little more than shocking. The idea of having artificially generated human beings, gestated in laboratory tubes, with assigned functions and without a normal birth, sounded terribly dystopian, but not impossible.

Postman’s book, “Amusing Yourself to Death,” was a strong critique of the influence of television on society. What the author said about the trivialization of data and the decline of critical thinking made me stop and analyze for a moment. The world we live in is not at all far from the world presented by Postman, there is quite a bit of superficial content, this and sensationalism seemed to rule the day. If I don’t like something about this, it is that when tragedies or controversial issues occur, the media works to create a smokescreen (using the resources mentioned previously) so that society downplays it. These books made me think about the possible implications of prioritizing entertainment instead of quality interaction and the consequences we can suffer if something is not done about it.

𝒟𝑜𝑒𝓈 𝒜 𝒯𝓇𝓊𝓁𝓎 𝒰𝓉𝑜𝓅𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝒮𝑜𝒸𝒾𝑒𝓉𝓎 𝐸𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉?-𝒫𝑅#𝟥

𝙰𝚕𝚍𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝙷𝚞𝚡𝚕𝚎𝚢’𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚢𝚊𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚢 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚌 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚒𝚗 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝙽𝚎𝚒𝚕 𝙿𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚗’𝚜 𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚚𝚞𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚞𝚙𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚞𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙾𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚋𝚒𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚎 𝚊𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚙𝚘𝚜𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝙰𝚜 𝙸 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜, 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎, “𝚝𝚘 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚎 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚌𝚎𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚘𝚛 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌?”. 𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗, 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚐𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜.

𝙰 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚠 𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚡𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚕𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚜𝚒𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚌 𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚕𝚍. 𝚂𝚒𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢, 𝚒𝚗 𝙰𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙾𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑, 𝙿𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚍𝚎𝚜𝚌𝚛𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚊𝚙𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚍𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚏𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚗 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚎𝚐𝚕𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚌𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚎𝚍𝚐𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚞𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚎𝚌𝚑𝚗𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚒𝚌𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚞𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚜 𝚎𝚖𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚣𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚕𝚝𝚒𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚙𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚗𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚑 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚒𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚌𝚝𝚞𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕’𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚟𝚊𝚕𝚞𝚎𝚜. 𝙸𝚏 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢 𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚘𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚍𝚜 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊, 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚖 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚞𝚊𝚕’𝚜 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚟𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚊. 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚣𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚍 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚋𝚘𝚝𝚑 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚔𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚍𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚛 𝚞𝚝𝚘𝚙𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚜𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚝𝚢.

Personal Response: “Brave New World” and “Amusing ourselves to Death”

Postman saw a connection with Huxley’s novel and so do I. Huxel’s novel Barve new world talk about a future of humanities where people are divided into Alphas, Betas, Deltas, and gamma. Alphas being the best which are on the top of the chain and gammas on the bottom, the worst. In this fictional world, if a person feels sadness or some other emotion that is not happiness, then they will take some Soma. A drug that doesn’t have any second effect. Postman’s essay Amusing us to death talks about today’s society that all things are made so that it is amusing.

The connection is the television and the soma. If we’re not happy or we don’t feel well, we watch television and in Brave new world say take the Soma. Even Postman says it “Television is the soma of Aldous Huxley’s Barve New World” (p. 111).

PR: 3# – Fish in a Bowl

 

When reading the book Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley and the book Amusing ourselves to Death by Neil postman, it raised the question for me: Is anything in the book we see as happiness, is that even real happiness or is it just something they were told to be by soma or television. Is constant amusement and happiness a good things, or is all this irrelevant happiness provided in these books eventually going to degrade us into shells of what we used to be and projections of what we want to be. I made a similar conclusion while in a heated debate a had with a classmate a few year ago. We were arguing about just this: infinite happiness. They argued that if we were happy all the time then all of our problems would be solved and there would be peace and agreement among everyone. Then I said something that very much relates to what both books are expressing. I said “Happiness all the time is the equivalent of not feeling anything at all: you might as well be a fish in a fish bowl!” What I had mean by saying this is that If you don’t feel any thing and are happy all the time, what is to become of you? without ambition, anger or pain to push you forward you might as well sit is a fish bowl, observing every eye-catching thing that amuses you.

In Brave new world this is exactly the case where there is an abundance of unconditional happiness in the for of soma. There was no more diseases or sadness because there was now no need for it with soma. But at the same time, with happiness being the only thing the characters in Brave New World felt, they had no anger or sadness in them to realize any of the oppression and control they were under. It was as Postman said when comparing Aldous Huxley’s Brave new world: “Huxley feared what we love will ruin us” (Postman N. Amusing Ourselves to Death). The people in Brave New World were literally hypnotised into doing what the government and the Controller wanted them to do and rewarded them with soma and feelies. This is eerily similar to how you give a pet a treat after completing a trick despite having kidnapped them, imprisoned them and control their lives. Despite this they love you, like the people is Brave New World “would come to love their oppression and adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think” – (Postman N. Amusing Ourselves to Death).

In Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death this is also the case when Postman describes his worries that the age of showmanship and television poses to the people of today. He described how the television and the age of showmanship is slowly rotating people’s beliefs to rather than trust the most trust worthy product, but the product with the prettiest people and the most amusing jingles. As Neil Postman described his concerns

“Although the constitution makes no mention of it, it would appear that fat people are now effectively excluded from running for high political office. Probably bald people as well. Almost certainly those whose looks are not significantly enhanced by the cosmetician’s art. Indeed we may have reached the point where cosmetics have replaced ideology in the field of expertise”

– Postman’s Amusing ourselves to death (p. 4)

Now people, much like brave new world are being conditioned to trust these smiling faces built on empty promises to lead a country. Much like Aldous Huxley’s Brave new world we are coming love their oppression and adore the technologies that undo our capacities to think.

Now as I look back at these two books do I realise how much they mirror the world we like in today. How kids in class today need constant in class entertainment or else they clock out. How politics showcased on the news is only ever about trivial high-stake things. And how even religions that are supposed to be full of sacrifice and honour have now accommodated to the media to become something its not. How everything we see is now a sea of irrelevance and we a fish in a bowl, watching it for our amusnment.