Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is an example of a classic dystopia: a nightmarish world often run by an oppressive totalitarian regime. It is also science fiction—offering a version of the future that often reflects the issues of the contemporary period. In this paper you will choose one of the prompts below to build a 500 to 750-word essay.
General Directions:
Write an essay of at least 500 of your own words (not counting direct evidence) that has a clear, complex argumentative thesis, which addresses your chosen prompt. Your essay must contain multiple paragraphs with a clear introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. You will want to include both direct and indirect evidence that you have synthesized to support your thesis. Your essay must be in MLA format including MLA heading, works cited page, properly integrated quotes and paraphrases, etc. Moreover your essay needs to be double-spaced in Arial or Times New Roman 12 pt. font.
Prompts:
Characters as theme: In the dystopic world of Aldous Huxley, characters act as more than just 3dimensional people, Huxley also uses them to build theme within the novel. Analyze how Huxley uses character to achieve his theme. Questions you may want to consider: what is the role of the major characters within the book; how does Huxley construct each character in the book and how do those choice help create the theme? In order to be successful in this prompt you will not only have to analyze characters, but also assert a theme for the novel.
Dystopias Abound: The prevalence of dystopic fiction continues to permeate American culture. These projections of the future often say more about us at the present than what may happen one day.
Compare and contrast how Aldous Huxley in his 1932 novel, Brave New World, and Andrew Niccol in his
1997 film Gattaca, each use a dystopic view of the future to comment on the present through their use of theme. In order to be successful in this prompt, you must assert both a theme for Brave New World and
Gattaca, this may be a universal theme or one that is specific to each text. You will also need to compare and contrast as well as analyze how each text uses dystopia to comment on the present through your theme(s).
Insanity vs. Lunacy: In his Preface, written 15 years after the publication of Brave New World, Aldous
Huxley writes: “At the time the book was written this idea, that humans beings are given free will in order to choose between insanity on one hand and lunacy on the other, was one I found amusing and regarded as quite possibly true.” Analyze how Huxley illustrates this choice for his characters and how that choice creates theme within the novel. In order to be successful in this prompt, you must assert a theme as well as break down how Huxley’s characters choose between insanity and lunacy. You will then need to tie those choices to your asserted theme. You may also want to define lunacy and insanity for your audience.

Brave New World Response to Literature Rubric
Name
Ideas and
Explanation
25 points
Essay contains a clear and complex, argumentative thesis. At least three of its ideas and explanations are insightful, thorough, convincing, varied in strategy, and strongly supported by compelling evidence.
Organization Essay has a clear introduction, body and conclusion with topic sentences. Essay uses appropriate transitions between and within
Style paragraphs for consistently clear, smooth and logical relations among ideas.
Is a “pleasure to read” – graceful, uncluttered, rich, vivid. Uses rhetorical and stylistic devices to the writer’s advantage.
Errors are rare or absent Grammar,
Mechanics and MLA
21 points
Essay contains a clear thesis and at least two of its ideas and explanations are reasonable, substantial, and supported by wellchosen evidence.
Essay’s organization Is logical and appropriate for content, but not as smooth as 5.
19 points
Essay contains a clear thesis and/or ideas and explanation are mostly on topic and understandable but evidence may be limited and explanations are often too simple obvious, brief, vague or illogical. May contain some plot summary or evidence-to-inference.
Essays organization maintains one idea per paragraph, but is simplistic or idea relationships are sometime unclear
Is clear, show sentence variety, and using interesting and precise vocabulary.
Is functional, but sentence variety and vocabulary are limited or style is lively but wordy.
Errors are occasional Errors are frequent
Score
16 points
Essay’s thesis is unclear and/or ideas and explanation are too simple, very repetitious, hard to follow mostly irrelevant, inaccurate, and/or contain mostly plot summary.
Essay shows some minor skill but has major flaws—i.e. no controlling idea; poor paragraphing; redundant sections.
Has major flaws—i.e., simplistic, wordy, repetitious, monotonous, often unclear.
Errors exist in almost every sentence and may interfere with meaning
10 points
Essay’s thesis is unclear and/or absent.
Ideas and explanation may be or are absent, irrelevant, unsupported by evidence, or incomprehensible.
Essay lacks paragraphing and is illogical and confusing or essay is too short to have any organization
Has such severe flaws that sentences are hard to understand or essay is too short to judge
Errors are pervasive and obstruct meaning or essay is too short to judge grammar/mechanics/MLA