Brave New World Seminar
Brave New World Seminar Pre-Write-
1. I think that the message Huxley was trying to portray in BNW, was that you can't substitute happiness, you can't block out real emotion. He was not happy with everything that was happening in his time, and he wanted people to know that when you are feeling something you can't block it, and you need to feel it with authenticity.
2. As I read Brave New World I realized that they don't appreciate happiness like people do now. Now we appreciate authenticity, we don't drug ourselves all the time to just to try and feel happiness, we appreciate it more, because we know that we can lose it, and we could go a long time without, so when we have real happiness we enjoy it, we appreciate it that much more.
3. I think that what he means when he says this is, everything comes so easily, everybody has everything they want, and they don't have to work for it, they are happy with everything and they didn't even have to do anything to get there, I think that when John was on the savage reservation he had to work for everything he had and there some costs for happiness, but in society there is no cost for happiness all you have to do is pop a pill and bam you're happy, I think that John wants people to have to work for somethings and not just everything they want at the drop of a hat.
4. I think that in our society today, there is many people who want comfort more than anything else, like the rich people want comfort, so they get butlers, and maids to do stuff for them so they don't have to do any work. I think that people worry too much about girls or boys being beautiful or hot, and even though they aren't nice to each other, they're like oh well at least they're hot, you know they don't look at natural beauty or they don't worry about someone's personality, They would rather have a comfort with how someone looks, than actually knowing them and being “happy” with who they are.
1. I think that the message Huxley was trying to portray in BNW, was that you can't substitute happiness, you can't block out real emotion. He was not happy with everything that was happening in his time, and he wanted people to know that when you are feeling something you can't block it, and you need to feel it with authenticity.
2. As I read Brave New World I realized that they don't appreciate happiness like people do now. Now we appreciate authenticity, we don't drug ourselves all the time to just to try and feel happiness, we appreciate it more, because we know that we can lose it, and we could go a long time without, so when we have real happiness we enjoy it, we appreciate it that much more.
3. I think that what he means when he says this is, everything comes so easily, everybody has everything they want, and they don't have to work for it, they are happy with everything and they didn't even have to do anything to get there, I think that when John was on the savage reservation he had to work for everything he had and there some costs for happiness, but in society there is no cost for happiness all you have to do is pop a pill and bam you're happy, I think that John wants people to have to work for somethings and not just everything they want at the drop of a hat.
4. I think that in our society today, there is many people who want comfort more than anything else, like the rich people want comfort, so they get butlers, and maids to do stuff for them so they don't have to do any work. I think that people worry too much about girls or boys being beautiful or hot, and even though they aren't nice to each other, they're like oh well at least they're hot, you know they don't look at natural beauty or they don't worry about someone's personality, They would rather have a comfort with how someone looks, than actually knowing them and being “happy” with who they are.
Brave New World Reflection-
- Reaction
- As I listened to everybody talk, I noticed that they seemed to have payed more attention to the little details. They all made valid points, and I don't have a specific saying from the seminar that struck me, because everything that everybody said struck me. I did not talk much because everybody said exactly what I was thinking. If I had to choose I think that what Ava said about Mustapha Mond making the choice to follow society even though he knew so much about the real world, but choose to hide everybody from it except himself. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for other people, and Mustapha Mond is making the sacrifice of keeping beautiful pieces of literature locked away.
- As I listened to everybody talk, I noticed that they seemed to have payed more attention to the little details. They all made valid points, and I don't have a specific saying from the seminar that struck me, because everything that everybody said struck me. I did not talk much because everybody said exactly what I was thinking. If I had to choose I think that what Ava said about Mustapha Mond making the choice to follow society even though he knew so much about the real world, but choose to hide everybody from it except himself. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for other people, and Mustapha Mond is making the sacrifice of keeping beautiful pieces of literature locked away.
- Self-Evaluation
- I think that I didn't do as well as I did during the last seminar. This seminar I kind of stayed quiet and observed everybody carefully, I tried to understand everything they were saying, and tried to understand where they were coming from, but I think that I did best in communicating my ideas when needed, I still had a hard time getting out what I wanted to say, but I feel that with a little bit more experience I will get better.
- I think that I didn't do as well as I did during the last seminar. This seminar I kind of stayed quiet and observed everybody carefully, I tried to understand everything they were saying, and tried to understand where they were coming from, but I think that I did best in communicating my ideas when needed, I still had a hard time getting out what I wanted to say, but I feel that with a little bit more experience I will get better.
- Key Take-away
- I think my biggest take away from the book would be how you can't hide feelings from people, and you should have feelings that are real, and aren't drug induced. Happiness, Sadness, and Love are feelings that need to be felt with sincerity, not something you feel when you chew gum, or take a pill. This book opened my eyes to believe that feelings need to be felt with sincerity, and I also realized that we have drugs that are like soma such as alcohol, we don't want to feel pain or we just want to forget the world, so we drink, and that is very similar to Soma. This is a dystopian novel, yes, but the real world can or could be very similar to a book like this.
Mexican White Boy
Seminar Prewrite
Danny’s Mask: throughout the whole book, Danny is kind of shy, and a little depressed, he thinks that everything that happens to him, happens for a reason.
Evidence: When Uno is beating up Danny, after Danny accidentally hit manny with a baseball bat, Danny just lets it happen he doesn't try to fight back at all.
Uno is aggressive and very protective of the people he cares about.
Evidence: when they are doing there last hustle and they have to fight for the money, Uno is constantly trying to protect Danny, and when they finally get on the bus, Uno yells at Danny and tells him that he is going places and that he needs to be careful.
Explain MWB: In this book it talks about race and how like black people own sports and how white people are big shots in the business.
I gained so much from this book, it helped me understand life from the view of a half white half Mexican boy, I felt glad for Danny at times, and i also felt sad.
Danny’s Mask: throughout the whole book, Danny is kind of shy, and a little depressed, he thinks that everything that happens to him, happens for a reason.
Evidence: When Uno is beating up Danny, after Danny accidentally hit manny with a baseball bat, Danny just lets it happen he doesn't try to fight back at all.
Uno is aggressive and very protective of the people he cares about.
Evidence: when they are doing there last hustle and they have to fight for the money, Uno is constantly trying to protect Danny, and when they finally get on the bus, Uno yells at Danny and tells him that he is going places and that he needs to be careful.
Explain MWB: In this book it talks about race and how like black people own sports and how white people are big shots in the business.
I gained so much from this book, it helped me understand life from the view of a half white half Mexican boy, I felt glad for Danny at times, and i also felt sad.
Baylee L. Beals
Mexican Whiteboy Reflection
When listening to everybody talk, during the seminar I realized that I have also felt what danny feels. I sometimes feel out of place, that i'm not good enough at a sport, or a topic at school. I have been homeschooled for seven years, and since this is my first year of high school, and first year of actually going to a public school, I have felt out of place, more times than not. Then we started reading Mexican Whiteboy, and I kind of felt a connection with how danny was feeling, and as I kept reading about how danny was starting to find his place, I too started finding my place, and I realized that nobody finds out where they belong as soon as they are born, some take a couple years or even a couple decades, but no matter how long it takes everybody finds their place.
I think that when I was doing the seminar I did best in understanding what everybody was talking about and what their point was. I also definitely tried my hardest to be nice when someone said something that I did not agree with, I think that this seminar was very productive when talking about MWB, but I also think that the seminar helped students gain skills, that can be very useful, when doing a seminar. I think that I need to work on knowing what I am going to say before I say it, I don't want to just start talking and then completely forget what I was going to say.
“But for now Danny’s happy right where he is. Sitting on the train tracks. With his best friend. Watching a sunrise.” I love this line, because It speaks volumes. In just this line you can read that danny has finally found where he belongs. He has found out, who will be there for him when he needs it, and he also found out that, he is mexican after all.
Mexican Whiteboy Reflection
When listening to everybody talk, during the seminar I realized that I have also felt what danny feels. I sometimes feel out of place, that i'm not good enough at a sport, or a topic at school. I have been homeschooled for seven years, and since this is my first year of high school, and first year of actually going to a public school, I have felt out of place, more times than not. Then we started reading Mexican Whiteboy, and I kind of felt a connection with how danny was feeling, and as I kept reading about how danny was starting to find his place, I too started finding my place, and I realized that nobody finds out where they belong as soon as they are born, some take a couple years or even a couple decades, but no matter how long it takes everybody finds their place.
I think that when I was doing the seminar I did best in understanding what everybody was talking about and what their point was. I also definitely tried my hardest to be nice when someone said something that I did not agree with, I think that this seminar was very productive when talking about MWB, but I also think that the seminar helped students gain skills, that can be very useful, when doing a seminar. I think that I need to work on knowing what I am going to say before I say it, I don't want to just start talking and then completely forget what I was going to say.
“But for now Danny’s happy right where he is. Sitting on the train tracks. With his best friend. Watching a sunrise.” I love this line, because It speaks volumes. In just this line you can read that danny has finally found where he belongs. He has found out, who will be there for him when he needs it, and he also found out that, he is mexican after all.