Never Let Me Go: 20

Never Let Me Go: 19

Never Let Me Go: 18

Never Let Me Go: 17

Never Let Me Go: 16

Never Let Me Go: 15

Never Let Me Go: 14

Never Let Me Go: 13

Never Let Me Go: 12

Never Let Me Go: 11

Never Let Me Go: 10

Never Let Me Go: 9

Never Let Me Go: 7

Never Let Me Go: 6

Never Let Me Go: 5

Never Let Me Go: 4

Never Let Me Go: 3

Never Let Me Go: 1

“My name is Kathy H. I’m thirty-one years old, and I’ve been a carer now for over eleven years." -pg. 6

I immediately took to this book more than the other. Firstly because I noticed the narrator is a character in the story. This makes it a lot more personal and emotion-filled. The first-person narration maks the story seem more real and coming from a reliable source. However it also means that what she's saying is probably a bit biased.

The diction is also less confusing: whereas Brave New World was talking about injecting with chemicals and all these procedures, this novel started with simple word choice. I also liked the start of this novel because it laid the setting for the whole novel, whereas parts in the other were brought different aspects, like characters and setting, at different periods of time. It was also kind of odd that the character here spent time talking about all the things she did in the past; normally, the point of the story is to go forward, but she's just talking about what's already happened. One benefit of this, though, is that she tells the events how she saw them, but now she also has insight on what really happened and how she learned from her experiences-that's something that everyone can relate to.

Never Let Me Go: 2

Brave New World: 6

"The mosten stone poured out in a stream of dazzling incandescence across the road; the asbestos rollers came and went; at the tail of an insulated watering cart the steam rose in white clouds." -pg. 62

Probably my favorite aspect of this book is the diction. Although sometimes the words are too complicated for me to comprehend, it makes reading a lot more interesting and challenging. Early on, in the factory, Huxley described the medical procedures applied to the embryos. Because of his usage of scientific "mumbo jumbo," he gains credibilty for talking about the medical realm. That subconsciously makes his idea of this utopia less far-fetched and more realistic to the reader.

Here, however, he's describing the city around London. This takes place when Lenina and Henry Foster fly to play Obstacle Golf. The colorful diction and creative use of words throughout the book adds imagery to the book (which always isn't about rosy subjects) and makes the book much moer enjoyable to read. It was also refreshing to read some prettier language than children playing erotic games and babies being tortured.

Brave New World: 5

'It only remained to conquer old age.' 'Damn you, damn you!' shouted Bernard Marx. 'Hoity-toity.'" -pg. 54

Coming to the part of the book that is three-way conversations, I really had to pay close attention, so as to not match up words with the wrong speaker. It makes an entirely different, illogical story when you read the lines together. =P One conversation is between Lenina and Fanny, in which they discuss Lenina's love life, particularly that she has been going out with Henry Foster for four months now- and only him. I thought it was really odd that, while words like "parents" or "mother" make citizens in this time cringe or blush, it is socially correct to "have" more than one person at a time.

And the one with Mustapha Mond, the controller, and the students. I thought this was really interesting to read. That entails a listing of all the world's problems before the utopia arose. Of course, having never achieved a utopia, we can't say whether those issues are really what we need to change, and whether or not a utopia would be the real outcome if we eliminated those issues.

I found the conversation with Bernard Marx, Henry Foster, and another man also very interesting and in a way, ironic. Henry Foster and another man are discussing "having" women, such as Lenina and Fanny. Disgusted by that, Bernard is mumbling his strong feelings of resentment and disapproval of their insensitive language. I think (whether or not the author meant it to be) the fact that Bernard "stood up" for Lenina, or at least is a decently respectful guy when it comes to women (thusfar, anyways) is extremely ironic since the conversation in the women's locker room is predominantly negative aspects about Bernard's character. So we think that, because of what Lenina and Fanny say earlier, Bernard will be an unsuitable, undesirable person. In reality, he's better than the guy Lenina's already with. I have to say this back-and-forth between the girls reminded me of "The Bachelor" or some other dramatic reality show.

Brave New World: 15

"'Benard's an Alpha Plus....' 'But his reputation?... They say he doesn't like Obstacle Golf... And then he spends most of his time by himself-- alone....They say soebdy made a mistake when he was still in the bottle--thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood-surrogate. That's why he's so stunted.'" -pg. 44-46

This sequence of quotes is an example of characterization. In this case, the author reveals the qualities, personality, and values of a character by using dialogue of two other characters. This quote is specifically describing Bernard Marx, a man that Lenina is interested in. Fanny, a close friend, tries to talk her out of pursuing him. By showcasing what other people say about Bernard and how others react to him, the author indirectly characterizes Bernard. In this way, the reader already knows background information on a character before they have spoken or appeared in a scene. Huxley is actively choosing to present a figure through others rather than just telling the audience outright. Doing so adds flavor to the book and creates a variety of ways to present new characters as they are being introduced.

 I find this choice of characterization refreshing, because it's sort of in the style of gossip, which is always appealing and relevant, regardless of the reader's age, status, or personal life. So I guess one could say teens gossipping is just preparation for becoming great novelists.

Brave New World: 10

"Old men in the bad old days used to renounce, retire, take to religion, spend their time reading, thinking--thinking!" -pg. 55

Once again, Huxley makes use of alliteration. Here, in this quote from the Controller, Mustapha Mond, he is describing what life was like before this new age. Because the author uses this device, he gains credibility in the mind of the reader and emphasizes the point he's trying to make.

I find it amusing that everyone in this society is so against the idea of free thought- or free anything actually. The Controller was appalled that men used to think before this system of embryos being "decanted" rather than born, and everything is regulated in a factory setting, rather than by chance in real life. In a way, the thought of humans not having the right to think for themselves is insulting and dehumanizing. On the other hand, I think a society without free thought- or maybe even restricted thought- has the potential to have a positive impact. As the D.H.C. brags, there is no war or unrest in the utopia. Whether that could or would happen in real life remains unknown until we try something new.

Brave New World: 18

"'Think of water under pressure in a pipe.' They thought of it. 'I pierce it once' said the Controller. 'What a jet!' He pierced it twenty times. There were twenty piddling little fountains." -pg. 41

In this quote, Aldous Huxley utilizes the rhetorical strategies of metaphor and imagery. The Controller, one of ten world leaders, is explaining the faults of the old family system before the utopia that is the "brave new world." This statement is used to compare a pipe with built-up water pressure and the previous system of society.

"'My baby. My baby...!' 'Mother!' The madness is infectious." -pg. 41

It expresses that the overwhelming need of affection and dependency creates a "domino effect" that quickly spirals out of control, creating an unstable society that falls greatly inferior to the utopia of modern London.

This further persuades the reader to "side" with the author, to realize that this new society is a great improvement compared to past generations that have failed miserably to create a harmonious environment.

Brave New World: 12

"'No civilization without social stability. No social stability without individual stability.'" -pg. 42

Here we see a triple-whammy of rhetorical devices: metaphor, alliteration, and repetition. First, the author presents this theme, or motto, at the factory-actually of this utopian society. He reinforces this theme multiple times throughout the book, as well as using words and phrases beginning with the same sounds.

Huxley also throws in a few metaphors. "His voice was a trumpet." -pg. 42

"The machine turns, turns and must keep on turning--for ever. It is death if it stands still." -pg. 42

By doing this, Huxley emphasizes his point, subconsciously persuading the reader to agree with him.

And altogether, the author gains credibility by utilizing countless rhetorical strategies throughout the novel.

Brave New World: 4

"Our Ford--or Our Freud, as, for some inscrutable reason, he chose to call himself whenver he spoke of psychologicl matters--Our Freud had been the first to reveal the appalling dangers of family life." -pg. 39

Here we have an allusion to the Austrian-born Sigmund Freud. Among many other things, Freud was known to have established sexual drives as the primary motivational force of human life. How perfect that the man who is the central inspiration for this utopia (a.k.a. Ford) was a master of psychology, a very important role in "prepping" these humans for society. Because Freud and his extraordinary contributions to science are world-renowned, this allusion persuades the audience to agree with Aldous Huxley's abnormal idea of a utopia and giving it more credibility (while implying that it is based on Freud's research).

The author also does this in order to strengthen his argument for a society against family: "the world was full of fathers--was therfore full of misery; full of mothers--therefore of every kind of perversion from sadism to chastityl full of brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts--full of madness and suicide."

Brave New World: 19

Brave New World: 17

Brave New World: 16

Brave New World: 14

Brave New World: 3

"He let out the amazing truth. For a very long period before the time of Our Ford, and even for some generations afterwards, erotic play between children had been regarded as abnormal (there was a roar of laughter); and not only abnormal, actually immoral (no!): and had therefore ben rigorously suppressed." -pg. 32

Awkward! As this quote shows, we see here one of the many bizarre differences between this new world and ours today: sexuality. Because of the advanced technology available in this time, men and women aren't obligated- or permitted (from what I've read so far)- to have children on their own- that is what the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre is for. Despite that, experimentation is practiced, in fact, encouraged, at the factory. And not just between adults, "a little boy of about seven and a little girl who might have been a year older, were playing, very gravely and with all the focussed attention of scientists intent on a labour of discovery, a rudimentary sexual game." Naturally, I found this chapter incredibly foreign and I thought for a second I had purchased the wrong book.

And then there was the word "parents" that embarassed the students. Ironic, isn't it, that people of this society are openly encouraging sexual freedom and yet are "grossed out" by words like "mother" and "father."

Brave New World: 2

"'The principle of sleep-teaching, or hypnopaedia, had been discovered.' The D. H. C. made an impressive pause." -pg 25

Last chapter I found myself wondering, "How can this book get any weirder?" Well, I found what I was looking for. First, I was astounded to see the experiments on the Delta babies. While the idea of teaching children to avoid negative things by scaring or harming them is affective, this procedure of sounding a deafening alarm in order to brainwash toddlers seems more like a brutal torture rather than a utopia to me.

As for my quote, I thought Reuben Rabinovitch's story was very intruiging. The idea of hypnopaedia, or teaching kids while they sleep by reciting quotes or facts, sounds like it could be a real practice in our world today. Another aspect of his story that was peculiar: in this time, the word "Polish" seems to be little-known, because it is now "a dead language. Like French and German..." (No German? How terrible!).

Brave New World: 1

"'The lower the caste,' said Mr. Foster, 'the shorter the oxygen.' The first organ affected was the brain. After that the skeleton. At seventy per cent of normal oxygen you got dwarfs. At less than seventy eyeless monsters."  -pg. 14

Ok, so this is definitely an interesting beginning to a book. We open on a factory with one purpose: artificially creating, fertilizing, and "prepping" embryos for their pre-destined caste in life. This concept of heating/cooling, depriving oxygen, transmitting diseases, or inflicting other conditions on these creatures is very creative and makes me wonder if this technology would actually be possible in the future-or tolerated. It is also a bit disturbing to me- which I think the author intended it to be. It's that kind of edgy, quirky start that makes the audience want to keep on reading. The idea that these embryos, before they are born- or "decanted"- are subjected to all kinds of conditioning in order to be properly suited for their environment as a human is a bit unsettling for me. Nevertheless, Huxley's medical termology and odd-yet-interesting thinking intrigues me.