Brave New World- Final Reading

1.  How do you think that John's love for Shakespeare, his incredible lust for Lenina, and his tragic death all relate to one another?
2. How does Huxley truly feel about utopias? 
3. Orwell uses fear and Huxley happiness to create their dystopia/utopia. Neither of them work, so what is the perfect combination to make a utopia?

1. I believe that John's role as an outcast truly defines who he is. Not really belonging to anyone combined with the fact that his mother slept around with many different men made him who he is. Shakespeare was all he had, and John hangs on to that and the TRUE love within the plays. It is because of this that he seeks more than a sexual relationship with Lenina. He wants monogamy, a true and deep relationship that he can cherish forever. Sadly, in the world they live in, this cannot happen, and John becomes the outcast who is marveled and goggled at for his unnatural ways. These two things, John's love for Shakespeare and his mixed feelings about Lenina combine to push him over the edge and end his life in a hanging.
2. I do not think Huxley likes Utopias. In the beginning of the book, we get the sense that Huxley is trying to create a happy place with no worries, but the method behind it is not the best course of action. There are a few things wrong, and this is where Bernard comes in. Huxley uses Bernard to show that everything isn't perfect, and to show some unrest within the World State. This, coupled with John's situation at the end of the book makes the reader think that Huxley is using them to show that while Utopias might be wanted in some areas, there will never be a perfect society. This is how Huxley truly feels about Utopias.
3. I think what both Orwell and Huxley are trying to get at is that the perfect society can never be created. Orwell does this with a clear and blatant showing of what goes wrong with too much control, letting the audience know that a government like this, led by fear, will never work. However with Huxley, we see many positive things within the World State, but must understand what Bernard and John represent (see answer 2) before we can get Huxley's point. Both of these authors are trying to say that a perfect society, a Utopia, will never be created, but they do it two very different yet important ways.

"Communist Utopia"- Thomas Hornung

1. Communism is evident through the artist's use of dark colors, most noticeably. The gray skies and buildings show depression and similarity, which is what communism is all about. Also, the eyes give a sense that someone is watching you wherever you are, whatever you're doing.
2. The artist views communism as a dark, lonely, and sad place, as shown through the bleakness of the painting. He feels as if communism oppresses, which is evident through the wall. The gray surface shows that communism is attempting to make everyone the same, but the red bricks breaking through are the people that are fighting communism.
3. I think the title is sarcastic and satirical. The title is meant to show that communism is bad, and the darkness and horrible nature of the city is the best communism is going to get. Its as if the title is saying, "If this is the best communism gets, why is it here?"