Brave New World s1
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Walek 1
Name: ______
Brave New World Study Guide
DIRECTIONS: You are to answer ALL parts of EACH question in complete sentences, providing as detailed an explanation with support as the question requires. Use direct quotes as support when possible. Any that you have difficulty with should be asked in class as the basis for discussion.
CHAPTER 1 1. Describe the setting presented in the opening chapter. In what city and year does the novel take place?
2. What is the motto of the World State? What does it reveal about the goal of the World State?
3. What is happening in the Hatchery and Conditioning Center? Give a couple specific examples to illustrate what is happening. What is its goal?
4. Describe Bokanovsky’s process. What is its purpose?
5. What is Podsnap’s Technique? What is its purpose? What does this suggest about the World State?
Revised 08-16-10 Walek 2 6. What are the five castes of the World State? List them in order from highest to lowest on the back of this study guide. Describe any unique traits of each. Continue to add to this as you read the book.
CHAPTER 2 7. What are two objects babies are being conditioned to dislike? How?
8. Why does the State condition the masses to dislike the country?
9. Explain how hypnopaedia works.
10. What does the child’s mind and, later, the adult’s become? (higher-level question: consider the results of hypnopaedia)
CHAPTER 3: CHALLENGING NOTE: Most of this chapter, particularly pages 30-38, present a quick overview of the State’s way of life. Think of it as you would a rapid succession of TV images presented to make a single impression, or a split screen of several conversations occurring at one time.
11. What is the requirement for any new game? Why?
12. Explain the State’s attitude towards sex. How does the state view marriage? Why?
CHAPTER 4 13. Where do Bernard Marx and Lenina Crowe plan to visit?
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14. Explain Bernard Marx’s attitude toward the State and toward himself.
15. What is Helmholz Watson’s job? Explain his attitude toward the state.
CHAPTER 5 16. How are the recreation and social activities of the lower castes like and/or unlike the upper castes?
CHAPTER 6 17. Over the stormy water of the English Channel, what desire does Bernard express to Lenina? What is her reaction?
18. Describe Lenina’s personality. Give support for your response.
19. The Director (Tomakin) tells Bernard of a visit he made to the New Mexico Indian Reservation 20 years ago. What unusual thing happened there? What is implied through his telling?
20. Bernard learns that he is going to be deported to Iceland. Why?
CHAPTER 7 21. List three conditions that Lenina dislikes at the Reservation.
22. How are these conditions different from what she has been taught and conditioned?
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23. What is the purpose of the whipping ceremony that Bernard and Lenina witness?
24. John (“The Savage”) reveals he was born on the Reservation. Who are his parents? What are they doing now?
25. Linda describes ways in which her life is different from the Other Place. What bothers her most about the differences?
CHAPTER 8 26. Why does Linda suffer dislike and rejection on the Reservation? Why do the women especially dislike her?
27. What is mescal? Why does Linda take it?
28. How has John been educated?
29. When John was sixteen, he went with the Indian boys to a puberty ceremony. Describe what happened and explain how it affected John. What did he end up doing?
30. What do Bernard and John have in common?
CHAPTER 9 31. Explain why Bernard wishes to take John and Linda to London. Give both his "surface" reason as well as his "real" reason.
Revised 08-16-10 Walek 5 32. How does John feel about Lenina?
CHAPTER 10 33. Name three faults that the DHC finds with Bernard’s behavior. How does Bernard react to the DHC’s accusations?
34. What “obscenity” does Linda hurl at the DHC?
35. How do the workers react to John’s calling the DHC “My father”? Why?
CHAPTER 11 36. What happens to the DHC after the scene in the Fertilizing Room?
37. Why do people not want to see Linda?
38. Why does Dr. Shaw justify keeping Linda on a soma-holiday? What does it do to her?
39. Explain Bernard’s increased popularity.
40. Describe the Savage’s reaction to the sight of work being done by a single Bokanovsky group. What does he do?
Revised 08-16-10 Walek 6 41. Explain the phrase “civilized infantility.”
42. The savage says about the factory: “O brave new world that has such people in it.” What are his true feelings about the people? How do you know?
43. What kinds of books exist in the World State? Why?
CHAPTER 12 44. Helmholtz, the propaganda writer, and John have become friends. When John reads to him from Romeo and Juliet, Helmholtz laughs. State three things that amuse him.
45. Helmholtz calls Shakespeare a “marvelous propaganda technician.” How does he explain Shakespeare’s success?
CHAPTER 13 46. What happens when John wants to make love to Lenina?
47. Explain the essential difference in the natures of John and Lenina.
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CHAPTER 14-END For this part of the study guide, I am giving you ideas of what to pay attention to in each chapter and what to take notes on. The last chapters are extremely significant to the philosophies/beliefs being put forth and to the theme(s) of the novel. Use higher level thinking skills.
For each chapter you are to create AT LEAST TWO of your own discussion questions for the class. These are to be higher-level questions-not point to the answer fact-retrieval questions but actually open to be debated, explored, analyzed. Use additional paper and staple it to this study guide.
CHAPTER 14 48. What is the purpose and method of death conditioning?
49. Explain John’s reaction to both Linda and the children around her
50. How does John react to her death? How do the workers?
51. Discussion Question One:
52. Discussion Question Two:
CHAPTER 15 53. John’s purpose and actions at the hospital
54. Reactions of the people and the World State Police to John
55. Discussion Question One:
56. Discussion Question Two:
CHAPTER 16 57. What is the importance of Mond’s and John’s discussion about why Shakespeare isn’t permitted?
58. What is Mond’s explanation about the price the state pays for stability and what is/are your reaction(s)/thoughts?
59. What are the dangers to the World State and why are they dangerous?
60. What is the idea of fore-doomed
61. What is Iceland? Why does it exist as such? 62. Discussion Question One:
63. Discussion Question Two:
CHAPTER 17 64. The World State has sacrificed certain things for happiness. What are they and what are the reasons?
65. Explain the absence of God/religion-Why?
66. What is “Christianity without tears” and who states it?
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67. “Right to be unhappy”--What are Mond and John’s differing views about this?
68. Discussion Question One:
69. Discussion Question Two:
CHAPTER 18 70. Relate the conclusion of the novel in 6-8 sentences
71. Identify the most significant passage or event in the book. Be able to justify your choice
For the next four questions, explain FOUR things that are in the World State, that you can predict will come true in our near future and not so far out as the book predicts (AF 2532).
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73.
74.
75.
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