In the very first chapter of Brave New World things are already wild and weird. Various students are introduced to a new way of reproduction. From new techniques, man has made it possible to produce thousands of humans by tampering with a fertilized egg. Genetic copies of identical siblings that are destined to the identical type of work. Subjected to one of the five caste before birth these lab born people have no decision or say in what they plan to be in the future. One of the main points of the utopia's motto is IDENTITY; however, the citizens of this society cannot take any part in the forming of their life along with the fact that there are dozens of others with the same face, work, and genetic info.
It's contrast with our society is pretty drastic. Our capitalist idea encourages individual profit while socially people are embracing being themselves. Then again we aren't a perfect working utopia. From childhood and on from family members to strangers, the question of what one plans to be in the future is almost always asked. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Although the answer may change from time to time, we are always thinking about the possibilities and thinking about that "dream job." Is it easier if people were assigned jobs before their birth or should people be allowed to strive for their ideas and wants? What are classifying factors of identity and what role does it play in people's lives?
Raqsmey Kong
I don't agree that it's a good idea to assign people jobs way before their birth, it just doesn't make sense to me. Assigning someone their job before they're even born just tells us who they're going to become, without them ever experiencing the joy of finding out who they are, for themselves. As we grow up, our minds and opinions change as well. At first, yeah we may like our job, but what about in 10 years, maybe 20? Then what? We're given the liberty to choose what we get to do with our lives and that's okay. My mom's friend worked at Marvel Comics for three years, but gave that all up for face painting at parties. She was given that amazing opportunity to do something she likes, but what happens? It gets stressful, but she found something very simple, yet something that doesn't take much of her time from friends and family, her happiness. So no, I would not like to be given a job before birth because all in the end, I believe it just depends on our choices and wanting a great life for us.
ReplyDeleteIndividuality is an important factor to society. It allows us develop new techniques that would improve our lives. Being born for a certain occupation not only deprives the person of choice, but it also slows down man’s development.
ReplyDeleteThroughout history, many cultures have had a type of hierarchal structure. These structures were created to keep order in the land, but the more strict they were the more it seemed to harm rather than help society. As time passed, the small group who ruled would become too indulgent and began to neglect the wellbeing of the people. The people who served were around ninety percent of the population. With that many people, there had to be a few who would have been great leaders.
Now onto the genetics. Having a couple of people who look like you is not a bad thing. Being a twin, triplet, or quadruplet could be good when considering it socially and medically. However, being one of thousands of identical people is too much trouble for what it is actually worth. The people in Brave New World are genetically altered to serve certain functions, but the natural genetic code between siblings would still leave some similarities. If a new disease became present, the chances of having people who were actually immune to it would decrease. A cure could be found by other means; say plants or animals, but how many would died before it was found. If someone in your family has a disease such as diabetes or cancer, there is a higher chance of you getting it as well. Individuality is important for development and health of your society.
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ReplyDeleteTo answer the question of "is it easier if people were assigned jobs before their birth?" Yes, that does make it a lot easier because it would result in no unemployment, as well as everybody being happy with their jobs. However, I believe people should be allowed to strive for their ideas and wants. A world full of people that are born to do a certain task, has a lot of pros and cons compared to how we live today. The most positive aspect is that everybody would be happy, because from the moment they are born they would have their purpose in life, set out for them. Also, nobody would be unemployed. However, part of what makes us individuals is our identity. Everybody is different and chooses their lifestyle. This makes life interesting, fun, and full of excitement. However, in our world, there are many people that are unhappy with their jobs, and others who find it difficult to find a job in the first place. There are people with no jobs, that make other people’s jobs more difficult. In a world like ours there are many imperfections, but everybody has the choice to be who they want to be, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
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