I'll suggest another. Society is controlled in many ways. One is force ("1984"); BNW controls its citizens through initial "hatching" and programming, but one of the techniques it uses to reenforce their training is the control of language and literature. The (perhaps difficult to believe) example is John's experience with Shakespeare. Shakespeare provides John with a language to describe his experiences, words unavailable in the society of BNW. For example, what can "strumpet" mean in a society where "everyone belongs to everyone else." How different would their world be if the concept of "strumpt" existed? And how does making words like "mother" and "father" and "family" almost obscenities control their behavior.
Language is the way we interface with reality. If we take away the words that describe that realtionship, and if we take away the greatest examples of using language to interface/explain that reality, it is much easier to keep the people controlled. This same theme is evident in "1984" where the "Newspeak" dictionary limits their citizens view of the world.
In our world, we need to be vigilant about how words are used, because these shape reality. For example, why is something a "crisis" instead of a "problem"? Do we know when each should be used? Is "bailout" what's really going on? Would a different word change our perception of the reality.
Lots of things to think about; Huxley was aware of this a long time ago. You might want to read "Brave New World Revisited" to expand your view of the novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment