HUM_100_2-2_Project_Proposal_Joshua_Minnick
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Dec 6, 2023
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Module One Short Answer: Cultural Objects and Their Culture
Joshua Minnick
Information Technology Department, Southern New Hampshire University
HUM-100 Perspectives in the Humanities
Dr. Bob Studinger
November 5, 2023
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The cultural work I have chosen to evaluate is the novel
A Brave New World
by Aldous
Huxley.
A Brave New World
is a dystopian novel written in 1931 which describes a futuristic
society where technology has advanced to a degree that the state can control every aspect of a
person’s life, including their birth and how they perceive and process death.
A
Brave New World
has been both praised as an amazing novel and work of fiction as well as despised and banned in
numerous settings.
The first thing that stood out to me about
A Brave New World
was how it is quite similar
and quite different from one of my favorite novels, 1984. They are both novels about a dystopian
society controlled by the state where citizens are controlled by actions of the state, but the two
novels have very different methods used for this control. While 1984 posits a society controlled
through fear and censorship,
A Brave New World
describes a society focused on happiness and
physical pleasure. This is an idea I had not previously considered, but really stood out to me
because it describes an alternative method that can achieve a very similar result. This stood out to
me because I have been fascinated with novels like 1984 and Animal Farm that discuss the
concept of control through fear, but the idea of control through pleasure had never been
introduced to me until now.
“At the core of this book is the horrific idea of eugenics and despite being written several
decades ago, its message remains valid for our generation”
(A., 2012). I think what Aldous
Huxley was trying to express two main themes in this novel, technology can be as destructive to
society and humanity as it is beneficial, and people can be manipulated through pleasure and
happiness just as easily and thoroughly as they can through fear or torture. The novel shows how
technology has advanced in ways that many people would find fascinating and positive because
it can remove the suffering of pain and death, allow people to achieve instantaneous happiness in
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any situation, and even allow the guarantee of the continuation of mankind using artificial
wombs for childbirth.
I believe Aldous Huxley was wildly successful in expressing these concerns. I have never
read the full novel but from excerpts and synopses I’ve read, this type of society terrifies me
because I believe it is quite possible and may be the society we are quickly approaching today.
This novel conveys just how easily human beings can be manipulated by authority figures and
the idea of a release from the natural human hardships of struggle and loss. I think Mr. Huxley
did an amazing job of presenting an alternative idea for a futuristic society that is just as
dystopian as that of a novel like 1984. Although it offers a society full of physical pleasure and
joy, the freedom to live life as an individual would prefer is completely subverted in the pursuit
of the desires of the group.
The cultural work I chose that is from a culture unfamiliar to me is the novel
The Kite
Runner
written by Khaled Hosseini centering around the story of a young boy from Kabul,
Afghanistan. This book involves a storyline centering around a young boy born in Afghanistan
and leaving the country during the time of the Afghanistan monarchy, the Soviet invasion, the
main character’s escape to America through Pakistan, and the life of citizens in Afghanistan after
the rise of the Taliban regime. This book tells a story from a culture I know very little about in
almost every way. The value of studying a cultural work like this is the gift of getting an idea of
how the people in this culture react to different situations and ideas, and what types of adversity
they have had to overcome to find success and happiness in their lives. Ultimately these cultural
works can help us bridge the gap between different groups of people and cultures.
Looking through the lens of the humanities can help me give a greater understanding of
different cultures, the works they create, and why they create them. Each culture has
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characteristics that will be similar and characteristics that will be different from other cultures.
By looking at the cultural works, we can get a greater understanding of our similarities and
differences and seek to understand one another’s differences by accepting our similarities and
building upon those bonds. By looking at different cultural works I have come to understand why
different cultures value items I may see as worthless and can give both the people and the
artifacts the respect and honor they deserve.
Learning more about cultural works can help me find new ways to connect with everyone
in my life. Although I have many differences from people I work with, people I pass by in my
daily life, and even my own family, learning more about each of these people and their unique
cultural ideals and artifacts can help me give them greater respect and understanding. By
learning more about their culture, I can speak to them with a more friendly and personable nature
and build stronger bonds of friendship which can help me to become a better person and better
serve my community. I think the greatest lesson I can learn is to not dismiss a different culture’s
beliefs simply because they are different but understand that their difference from me is what
makes them more interesting to befriend and relate to, because it expands my own knowledge
and understanding and allows me to form a greater appreciation for humanity.
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References
A., A. (2012, March 29).
Brave new world by Aldous Huxley - Review
. The Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/29/review-brave-new-world-huxley
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