Monday, October 24, 2011
Brave new world Journal # 1
The use of sounds, or descriptive words were used in various places in the paragraph.In the Fertilizing room sounds were used to describe many things. "scarcely breathing silence"(4). Describes the students on tour through the labs. The author may have intended this to mean that the students were breath taken and cautiously listening to every word that the "great man" or Director spoke as to not miss a single word or note that would be taken down.There were quite a few words that made me think of music such as- instruments, notes, hum, whistle conducting, and mouth. They tie back to the Director who conducts all that is going on within the conditioning and hatcheries center. Every time the Director speaks it is considered "straight from the horses mouth"(4) and so by speaking he begins to control the sound in the room, the students become very silent and you begin to hear the other sounds in the room, such as the hum or whistle of the students concentration and the scribbling of the students in their notebooks "straight from the horses mouth"(4). This makes me wonder what the significance is of the horse to the paragraph. I thought of it as interesting how when i come to think of a horses noise, i immediately think of very low pitched, raspy, and almost a painful noise to hear. I did not see it as a sound to be considered great. But when you picture the actual horse, with grace, brilliance, and being noble you see other wise. Another sound that the great Director produces. The sounds seem to tie the paragraph together, they begin to get ready by "bending over their instruments"(4) then when the Director arrives there is pure silence before he begins. As he starts to conduct the music begins, the scribbling the hums and the sounds flow through. The Director leads the students by speaking and they respond by playing or scribbling in their note books. Then the paragraph concludes with " The D.H.C. for Central London always made a point of personally conducting his new students round the various departments"(4) to end the piece. I think through this passage the author is trying to send a message through music about how the setting of the center is controlled like it's being conducted.
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Hmmm I never really thought of the Director metaphorically as a "director" or "conductor". Now that you point it out, it does make a lot more sense -- all the sound words and such.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think is the significance of the center being "conducted"? Brave New World is a very hierarchical society, so I thought it might have to do with superiors dictating subordinates.
As for the horse thing, the Director is later described like a horse. Although why would Huxley choose him to look like a horse, I have no clue. I thought that horses were more noble animals. But that doesn't seem to make much sense. In a way I feel like the "horse" characteristic has to refer to something negative about the D.H.C. Something that is satirical or mocking his bombastic speech or gay attitude.
It's interesting how you made so many analogies to sounds. When you referred to the horse having a very low pitched, raspy, and almost a painful noise but at the same the horse is graceful and noble. Is the author trying to suggest that the director of D.H.C in possession of power but his intentions have a negative purpose? Lots of things to think about.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting how you pulled so many inferences out of Huxley's use of sounds. Sounds play a major part of the book. So I think that this passage is emphasizing and introducing that point.
ReplyDeleteThink about WHY the students would be "cautiously listening to every word" the D.H.C. says. Maybe that is Huxley's way of also establishing the D.H.C.'s power?