Name ___________________________________________
English 4
Brave New World: Chapters 5 & 6
Social Conditioning vs. The Individual Self
1. Explain the following quote: "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society”
― Jiddu Krishnamurti. What is your personal reaction to this quote?
2. How does this quote relate to Bernard and his feelings about the hypnopaedia and conditioning that he
witnesses all around him in Brave New World?
3. Find FOUR quotes that reveal the teachings of "hypnopaedia" and conditioning in Chapters 5 & 6 of
BNW. Next to each quote, briefly summarize the belief/s that have been conditioned in the individual it was
spoken by. What does each quote say about that individual?
Ex: "Ending is better than mending"- The individuals in BNW who believe this line do not value items that
are old or worn. This is extremely wasteful and shows a disregard for items of lesser value in comparison to
material items that are shiny and new.
Quote 1: page # _____ speaker: ________________
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Analysis
Quote 2: page # _____ speaker: ________________
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Analysis
Quote 3: page # _____ speaker: ________________
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Analysis
Quote 4: page # _____ speaker: ________________
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Analysis
4. Explain Bernard's dilemma with Lenina on p. 93-94. Why is he so upset after their "date"? What does this
tell you about Bernard's values vs. Lenina's values?
5. Think about the conditioning we have witnessed in Chapters 5 & 6 alone. Using three examples of the
conditioning you have observed, find three examples from our modern society that relate to each of them
and list them below. Ex- Lenina's desire to sleep with Bernard right away resembles the pressure that
young people feel in modern society to conform to society's expectations.
Ex. 1:
Ex. 2:
Ex. 3:
6. Analyze the conversation between Lenina and Bernard on p. 91. What does Lenina consider to be
"freedom" in comparison to Bernard? In your opinion, who is more "free", Lenina or Bernard? Why?
7. How does the following quote relate to Lenina's comments on p. 93? “Taught from their infancy that
beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks
to adorn its prison.” ― Mary Wollstonecraft