People And Politics Flashcards
Need for competing political perspectives?
Humanity is inextricably linked with conflict. It is an inevitable feature of the human condition, a medium through which represent ourselves and our ideologies. Politics are the forum for our discourse.
How does it alienate its audience? (Topic sentence for integrated paragraph)
Huxley evokes revulsion with Pavlovian style conditioning and eugenics. Particularly for the bourgeois audience of the time, exploiting common anxieties of soviet communism and Fordist American capitalism.
Body of paragraph 1 for BNW
Huxley argues that the political act of removing discontent and other negative emotions from society will result in the loss of true happiness as the search for instant gratification reigns. Huxley uses satire to reveal that a hedonistic society such as his Brave New World is without true happiness. Huxley uses Mond to show this when he states; “being contented has none of the glamour of a good fight against misfortune, none of the picturesqueness of a struggle with temptation, or a fatal overthrow by passion or doubt.” Huxley’s use of sarcasm is designed to make the audience realise that Mond is correct, humanity cannot have happiness without suffering or freedom. Further enforcing the idea that a politically promoted campaign against discontent would result in the loss of true happiness is Huxley’s use of irony to create satire. The motto “No leisure from pleasure” is used by Huxley to evoke a feeling of unease through its sense of irony as leisure and happiness are often linked with one another. Through this use of satire Huxley spreads the message the true happiness cannot be found in a society where individuals are forced to accept instant gratification over spiritual contemplation and all other emotions.
Body of first paragraph for A modest proposal
Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal aims to shock with its representation of a society in which only the powerful have a political voice with which they may control society. Swift’s representation of a wealthy land owner is a direct parody of a wealthy individual living in Ireland. Throughout his essay Swift creates a satirical air, saying such things as “As to my own part, having turned my thoughts for many years, upon this important subject, and maturely weighed several schemes of our projectors” in which he creates a business like tone with his professional language. Swift uses this tone to convey the absurdity of the idea that a single individual could have such control over another’s life when he goes on to propose that “A child will make two dishes at an entertainment for friends”. He builds upon this absurdity by stating he has “no other motive than the publick good of my country” using high modality and exclusive language to make his audience realise the preposterousness
of his claim as his proposal would cause nothing but pain for his country. By doing this, Swift achieves his ultimate aim of shocking his audience with the realisation that similarly horrible things could happen if lower classes were robbed of their political voice.
Integrated paragraph
Huxley seeks to alienate his audience with Pavlovian style conditioning and eugenics. Particularly for the bourgeois audience of the time, exploiting common anxieties of soviet communism and Fordist American capitalism. Eliciting the same disturbing feelings within his audience which the society he depicts has seemingly vanquished. Similarly Swift also seeks to cause his audience to recoil from the society which he presents in A Modest Proposal where the poor have become the playthings of the rich landowners. In his novel, Huxley uses John to epitomise the individual, making him articulate and passionate so that he is both relatable a foil for the World State. Huxley uses John as the representative of his audience in Brave New World, and, by having him succumb to the homogeneity of the World State as he screams “Oh, my God, my God!”, Huxley evokes a feeling of unease within his audience through the plea to a higher power as they witness the symbolic death of individuality. Through this Huxley aims to bring his audience to the recognition that a society where civil liberty has been removed in the name of progress will always result in a universal loss of individuality. Swift similarly touches on the loss of individuality, but to a much greater extent. Swift’s A Modest proposal states that, if the poor lose there political voice, not only would they lose their individuality but also their humanity. To represent his views, Swift uses zoomorphism and symbolism to demonstrate them as he “rather recommends buying the children alive, and dressing them hot from the knife, as we do roasting pigs.” Swift uses the children as a symbol for the people of Ireland and all those without a political voice, representing the injustice that can be wrought as he suggests they be butchered like pigs. Swift intends for his audience to realise that, much like children, those without a political voice have no say in how they are treated within society and are thus dehumanised, stressing that everyone must be represented in society.
