Brave New World #2

Sex and games are used as a method of control by keeping people from thinking and questioning the society. If they begin to question and think about things, they might want to rebel and bring down the society. By controlling the people, the society is stable, which is crucial to its survival. Sex is very impersonal and it's used as a way to keep people occupied. There isn't any real connection between people and people switch partners to avoid connection. Both sex and games are used to keep people happy. Also, things like hypnopaedic sayings brainwash people so that they can't think independently. Individuality is a threat to their society. The saying "ending is better than mending" means that it's better to just die or get rid of something than to try to fix it. People aren't scared of death in this society. World State doesn't want people to find truth because it poses a threat to society, so they keep people occupied, happy, and distracted to avoid potential rebellion. 

Brave New World #1

I think that some of Huxley's predictions are partially true, but are taken to the extremes. 

There are class differences, but in today's society, people are allowed to move up or down. Although they're born into a certain class, or caste in Huxley's book, they aren't brainwashed into thinking that's the only place they can be in society, even though some people in today's world may feel stuck. 

One of the most relevant aspects of Brave New World is the science that's used to create babies, but the way that they are used is less reasonable. People today have test tube babies, but the science isn't used like a factory. It isn't used as a way to produce people for a controlled society with no individuality. Also, people have mothers and fathers unlike in the book. Also, people are genetically modified to create desirable results, and a lot of work is being done in genetics to do similar things. 

The most far-fetched part of the book to me is the general idea of a utopian society, especially one run in that way. I don't think it's possible to take away all individuality and strip people of all knowledge with the end result being happiness for all. The U.S. is known for freedom and the society in Brave New World is the exact opposite of freedom.