April 9th

1. Taming of the Shrew "Ten Things" projects are due by the beginning of class.
2. Receive Brave New World.  Read chapter 1 by Wednesday/Thursday.

Utopia: A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics,
laws, customs, and conditions.

Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and
the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic,
technological, moral, or totalitarian control. Dystopias, through an exaggerated
worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or
political system. 

Characteristics of a Dystopian Society
• Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society.
• Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society.
• Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
• Citizens have a fear of the outside world.
• Citizens live in a dehumanized state.
• The natural world is banished and distrusted.
• Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad.
• The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

Questions to consider when reading Chapter 1: 

•      Who is the D.H.C.?
•       What is Bokanovsky's Process?
•        Explain why Bokanovsky's Process is one of the major instruments of social stability.
•       What is the point of conditioning?
•      Why does Huxley fill the first chapter with such complex scientific descriptions? What is the effect on the reader?