HUM_100_4-2_Project_Draft_Joshua_Minnick
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Southern New Hampshire University *
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100
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
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4
Uploaded by CommodoreWombatMaster597
Project Draft
Joshua Minnick
Information Technology Department, Southern New Hampshire University
HUM-100 Perspectives in the Humanities
Dr. Bob Studinger
November 19, 2023
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Creative expression can be the greatest insight available into the impact people and
situations have upon an individual. The imagery or ideas produced through creative expression
can tell us how a particular individual perceives the culture of their time and the fears or
excitement they receive as they watch the changes happening around them. A novel such as A
Brave New World can be simultaneously celebrated and condemned by separate groups of
people and have varying levels of impact on culture. Similarly, the impact of situations
surrounding the author can influence what the author chooses to write about, how they convey a
message, and what message they intend to convey to a reader.
There is a meaningful relationship between culture and expression. When looking at A
Brave New World with this in mind, a number of questions can be asked about how the culture
of the time influenced Aldous Huxley’s writing of this great novel. “How did Huxley being
raised by highly educated parents influence his opinion of science and technology?” “Is there
evidence to support the idea that A Brave New World was not considered dystopian by Huxley,
but rather as a possible Utopia of the future?” “What in the culture of the day inspired Huxley to
write about a totalitarian state before future totalitarians such as Hitler, Stalin, or Mao came to
power?” “What inspired Huxley to write about such a society that was controlled by a softer
form of totalitarianism than what is often discussed which is control by force?” “What inspired
Huxley to write about technologies that would not have been considered possible at the time he
was writing A Brave New World?”
When looking at my own values, I must wonder if any or all my values are influenced by
others and to what degree. “Do I have values that are completely based upon my own
experiences and situations?” “If I had been exposed to different manners of expression in my
younger years of life, would I hold different values?” “Do I take on the values of others simply
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because I like the person presenting them or think they are an ideal to strive for?” “Does the
expression of others make me doubt my own values?” “If someone expresses themselves in a
way I disagree with, does this have influence over my values?” “If I cannot embrace a particular
form of expression, do my values need to be reevaluated?”
The way I would begin to answer the questions I have posed is to begin with research
into the culture at the time of A Brave New World being written and what life was like for
Aldous Huxley during the years preceding his writing. I would look at what the governments of
the area or the world were focused on at the time of the novel being completed, and if any
changes occurred afterward that would show a reaction to his work. I would look at popular
culture and observe if any societal changes appeared to coincide with the publication of this
novel. I would look for evidence that similar works of expression began to come about at the
same time, indicating a cultural change occurring at the same time as the creative expression
process being exemplified in this novel. Finally, I would look for other novels that share similar
themes or ideas about what the future may hold for humanity and how this may have been a
cultural shift in the ideas of writers and other influential figures of the time.
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References
Atwood, M. (2007, November 17).
Everybody is happy now
. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/nov/17/classics.margaretatwood
Editor, M. (2022, February 9).
Aldous Huxley’s brave new world: A cautionary tale of
totalitarian ideology by Shahin Hossain
.
https://minnesotaenglishjournalonline.org/2020/05/05/aldous-huxleys-brave-new-world-a-
cautionary-tale-of-totalitarian-ideology-by-shahin-hossain/#:~:text=Brave%20New
%20World%2C%20in%20portraying,stability%2C%20happiness%2C%20and%20security.
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