Myths and narratives serve as an ethical importance to a present society. It permits individuals to determine his or her beliefs without being told if it is true or not. A myth can ultimately be taken in as true or false by a person’s discourse, which in being said, can be passed on from generation to generation. Although, there is a difference between a myth and a true fact, a myth explains how a fact has come to be. This action can be contradicted because evidence is limited and is told in stories or wording. Also, narrative shapes the early stages of moral development. This action is not taken upon in Brave New World.
Myths and narratives are abolished in the society presented in the novel. Instead of designating moral development, the act of brain washing and technological use is in power. Natural and cultural (also can be stated as myths or narratives) ways are ignored and destroyed, such as when a simple scene in the novel states, "Till at last the child's mind is these suggestions, and the sum of the suggestions is the child's mind. And not the child's mind only. The adult's mind too-all his life long. The mind that judges and desire and decides-made up of these suggestions. But all these suggestions are our suggestions... Suggestions from the State." Instead of a mind growing up by moral standards and cultural/naturalistic ways, the brain is forced to act upon a certain way by technology and imperfect human beings. Choices are demolished, while demands are forced and unquestionable. These characteristics extinguish hearts’ desires and logical thinking. Although the novel has one grand narrative, in which being that the people can only follow certain criterias and actions to be labeled as correct and okay in society. This leads to ultimate repression.
Cultures allow stories to be brought upon in society. This is brought upon ultimately by the narratives and myths. Cultures were brought upon by narratives and myths in the beginning because technology was of no use back in the days. It was of great importance to share “thought that were assumed to be facts” to be spread from generation to generation. In one culture of today such as Christianity, it is a choice to follow it as a “fact or myth.” An individual is allowed to take the Bible as a reference or just a book (story). In Brave New World, culture beliefs are overall shattered. Cultures cannot allow stories to be brought upon because people are forced upon into functioning his or her mind in ways society desires them, instead of by nature. This rids of new ideas, facts, and knowledge to be stored because stories read cannot be relative in a normal way, but in a controlling one.
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Very good Blog Brooke! I think you had some really good ideas and provided some extra details that others did not think of. I like how, in your first paragraph, you talked about how a person can choose whether to take a myth as true or false. I completely agree with this but would also like to add that if an important figure or group, for example the government in 1984, labels the myth as false then the rest of society begins to also take the myth as a false idea also. I liked your example in the second paragraph and when you said, “Instead of a mind growing up by moral standards and cultural/naturalistic ways, the brain is forced to act upon a certain way by technology and imperfect human beings. Choices are demolished, while demands are forced and unquestionable”. People should not be conditioned, and life should not be undistinguished as it is in A Brave New World. They're idea of this being progress is truly a warning to our society.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting Brooke! I love how you used the word "moral." It really demonstartes the basis of a narrative by the way how something is folloed or the way that someone lives. It creates a clear feeling of the persons emotional and physical state by the way that maybe their parents or even their grandparents lived. When you startign stating how morals were wiped awya i think you really hit the point. People are supposed to be able to live off of their believes and freedoms and when you say that people were "brainwashed," it took all of those feelings away. The narratives that people will soon believe are those passed on by the government and what was been melted into their brains rather than what their realtives believe to be true. I love how you bring up the meaning of a culture also and how it falls in the same line as a narrative. Very good post Brooke and i am looking forward to reading more form you!
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