Brave New World
CHAPTER 1
Sharing Answers
With your table group, discuss the study
questions assigned to you to complete over
break. In answering them, refer to specific
page numbers and passages in your copy of
the novel. If you did not complete all the
questions, now is the time to get ideas from
your peers. This time is meant to be
collaborative, not copying. Use the time to
truly understand your reading and ask
questions of your peers.
Considering the StructureQuickwrite
Much of the first part of the novel
describes a tour of the Hatchery and
Conditioning Center by a group of
students led by the Director himself. What
are the advantages for the author of
setting up the novel in this way?
Cloning Discussion
What exactly is cloning?
Cloning is the creation of an organism that is an exact genetic copy of
another. This means that every single bit of DNA is the same between
the two. In your table groups have a general discussion of the ethical
and practical arguments both for and against cloning humans.
In favor: cloning would be a good source for blood, organ, and bone
marrow transplants; cloning livestock animals would be financially
beneficial to farmers.
Against: tampering with nature can create disastrous consequences
for the human race; for example, the technology could be used for
inhumane purposes such as creating human “guinea pigs” for scientific
experiments, slaves.
Each group will be assigned ONE prompt. Next, discuss your topic as a group.
Then, each student should decide for themselves what their opinion is and
should decide for themselves which side of the issue to support and discuss.
Finally, each student should then write a half page response in their classwork .
1: Medical advances save lives, but does technology go too far? Discuss
whether anything and everything should be done to save a person’s life.
2: Debate the ethics of cloning only the best and brightest of the human race. If
you were in charge of undertaking such a project, which qualities would you
look for when selecting your cloning subjects? Would you be doing a disservice
to the human race by undertaking this project? Why or why not?
3: Medical procedures that were once considered unethical, such as
transplanting hearts and fertilizing human eggs in laboratories, are now
relatively common. On the other hand, some scientific projects that appeared
clear-cut at first (the development of the nuclear bomb) are subject to ethical
debate now. Compare the ethics of cloning with the ethics of earlier scientific
developments.
4: Politicians around the world have begun to ban human cloning experiments.
Do you think it is a good or bad idea for politicians to decide what scientists can
and cannot do? How about religious authorities? Who should make such
decisions and why?
Brave New World
CHAPTER 2
In class writing 1
In a well thought out 3 paragraph response,
discuss the following prompt fully. Be sure to
respond to each part of the prompt.
What does the motto 'Community, Identity,
Stability' mean for all people in this society?
Why do they use this as their motto? Would
you want to live in this kind of futuristic
society? Why or why not?
“Social Predestination” Class
Activity
Groups will gather and answer these questions:
We are: (circle one) Alphas Betas Gammas Deltas Epsilons
In the book our job(s) are: _______________
The clothes we wear are this color: _______________
If we were alive in the year 2013 our job would most likely be
___________________
If we could feel and think, this is how we’d feel about being who we are:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Brave New World
CHAPTER 3
Analyzing Stylistic Choices
1. Chapter 3 begins with a scene of children playing in the sunshine. It
says, “The air was drowsy with the murmur of bees and helicopters.” Is
this sentence beautiful, funny, ironic, or strange? What effect does it
have on the reader?
2. The first part of Chapter 3 moves back and forth from Mustapha
Mond’s lecture to the students to the Henry Foster viewpoint. The last
part of Chapter 3 is mostly a series of disconnected thoughts and
phrases from the different conversations. What is the effect on the
reader of this stream of disconnected consciousness? Is it confusing?
Or is it a very efficient way of giving the reader a sense of the whole
society?
3. The characters in Brave New World have names like Benito Hoover
and Bernard Marx that echo famous political and historical figures. Why
does Huxley do this? What is the significance?
Writing a Summary
A summary serves to relay the reader’s
understanding of events in a story by
condensing them into a shorter version of
the work and successfully describing the
story’s major action.
Review chapters 1-3 of Brave New World.
Record the main events in chronological
order and write a 5-6 sentence summary.
Writing An Analysis
An analysis serves as an examination of the
events in a literary work, in which the reader
attempts to discover underlying meaning and
extract underlying ideas. An analysis
expresses the ideas and values of the author
or the characters an author has created.
Write a 5-6 sentence analysis of these (1-3)
chapters, using the What is an Analysis?
Handout to guide you.
Brave New World
CHAPTER 4
Imagery Chart
Authors use the vivid language of imagery
to trigger a reader’s memory of a sensory
experience in order to create a mental
image. Sensory experience refers to sight,
sound, taste, smell, touch, and action.
Complete the chart on imagery. The first
one has been done for you.
Setting
Authors use setting to portray realism in a literary work or to emphasize the
importance of place and time on a character’s ability to grow and change.
Write a paragraph describing the setting Aldous Huxley uses in Brave New
World. Make sure to answer the following questions:
During what time in history does the action take place?
Where does the action take place?
Is the setting realistic?
Does the setting allow characters to grow and change? If so, how?
Does the setting include places and objects from everyday life?
Does the author employ imagery to create the setting? If so, what type?
Brave New World
CHAPTER 5
In Class Writing 2
In a well thought out 3 paragraph response,
discuss the following prompt fully. Be sure to
respond to each part of the prompt.
How does this society mix sex and
religion? Why do they do this? What is your
opinion on how these two things are treated
in this society?
Character Chart
Use the character chart to document the
introduction of each character. Characters
may develop, and new characters will be
introduced. A few examples have been
done for you.
Brave New World
CHAPTER 6
Twilight Zone comparison
Female Representations in Dystopias: Viewing of
Twilight Zone episode from Season Five:
“Number Twelve Looks Just Like You”
We will be viewing an episode of the classic “Twilight
Zone” which has themes strikingly similar to those of
Brave New World, that of a future world in which citizens
have lost any and all sense of individuality yet must
succumb to a kind of “forced perfection.” The question
arises in this episode just as in BNW: is this a utopia or
a dystopia? After we watch the episode we will discuss
it, especially from a feminist perspective, and tie in
characters and themes from BNW.
Write a 1-page response which answers the
following questions:
1. What common themes does this episode share
with those of Brave New World?
2. How is Marilyn like Lenina? How is she different?
3. How are women treated in the Twilight Zone
dystopia as compared to the Brave New World
dystopia? Have these women of the future truly
been liberated?