"Perfect Chemistry" Pgs. 1-119 RR

Do you think the title of this book is a good one? Why or why not? What are some other possible titles?

"Perfect Chemistry" is a pretty clever title for this book. This is especially true because the "Romeo" and "Juliet" characters interact with each other mostly in the context of a chemistry class. They end up being paired together, against their will, for a project that lasts for the entirety of the semester. By page 76 they have not gotten together yet. However it's coming. I do think that the title is a little cheesy, although you must take into consideration that it is aimed at a young adult audience. If the title was more figurative or artistic it would narrow the readership pool tremendously. This also goes for the second and third books of this trilogy. It goes on from "Perfect Chemistry" to "Rules of Attraction" and ends with "Chain Reaction". They all have a very science-y tone, but they all fit the plot. I think that the titles work and they work well.

"BNW" Ch. 4 RR

What's the most important phrase in the text? Explain briefly why you think it's so important.

"Not quite. I'm thinking of a queer feeling I sometimes get, a feeling that I've got something important to say and the power to say it--only I don't know what it is, and I can't make any use of the power."

I don't think any other phrase in this chapter competes with this statement. It is so revealing about the kind of society that has been created and it's effects on it's citizens. Helmholtz and Bernard are close friends and they were in the middle of having a conversation. For the most part, this conversation was pretty surface level. However, near the end of the conversation we begin to see how Helmholtz's mind really processes his own desires. Unintentionally, he also reveals his thinking towards how the society has created mankind and the minds they are "issued". I don't think he meant to comment on Brave New World's brain-washing techniques, but he sheds some light for us readers.

As readers, we understand that this society determines the way certain groups of people think and behave. We get a glimpse of that in the very first chapter. We must take those details into consideration when we ponder this statement that Helmholtz utters. If society is telling people how to think and behave, essentially one cannot speak it's own, unique utterances. They also are barred from anything that enables independent thought and critical thinking. No matter how much society decides to control, they will never be able to control this underlying power that Helmholtz speaks of.

He acknowledges the power that his natural mind has: to think. However, he admits the struggle that he has with that idea and the action of thinking. This society is so in control that Helmholtz, and I presume the rest of society, has no clue what "thinking" is. This society is doing something right, in regards to control, because when you think about it, our thoughts are the most controlling factors in our lives. We make decisions through thinking, we create our own opinions through thinking and we figure out who we are as individuals through thinking.

Out of this entire phrase, I think the word "power" is the most important. I wonder if Helmholtz understood the implications of the word "power" when he uttered it. I find it fascinating that that was the word he used because everyone clearly understands that Ford is the only thing that truly has "power" in this society. How could Helmholtz believe that there was some kind of power residing within himself? Has he already participated in this thing called "thinking", but doesn't realize it? Also the word "power" implies that the act of "thinking" itself has power, and Helmholtz understands that somehow. Is it the queer feeling he grapples with that makes him think that? I wonder what tipped him off to understand that with thinking comes power.

"BNW" Ch. 3

Huxley, Aldous. "Chapter 3." Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros., 1946. 30-56. Print.

Discuss a scene you did not like in the book.

BNW is already a super challenging book to read and comprehend. I even have issues with comprehension while I read this book, and I have a B.A in English! One thing that makes this book unnecessarily challenging is the change in format that starts on page 35, and continues to the end of the chapter. The chapter begins following one, cohesive narrative, but then it takes the reader off-guard by introducing a few more different narratives. The narratives are not split up with a distinctive break, other than a space in between the writing. This makes it especially difficult to keep straight which scene we are reading and the next that will be experienced.

I have read a few books where this kind of format is used. However, those books had clearer distinctions between the different scenes. For instance, in Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan, the font and the way each character's narrative is written is very unique to that character. So, it is very easy to follow along and not get confused. They also switch between narratives every other chapter. So there is a pattern that a reader can easily follow.

I have not read any books, that I can recall, that have jumped from one scene to the next in the way that BNW has done. We are literally following three or four different scenes that are happening at different places but at the same time. I think it is a very advanced writing skill that most author's have not acquired. I just wish that Huxley had made it more comprehensible. I understand that it may have been a part of his plan to make this chapter a confusing one. If that's the case, he certainly succeeded.

Honestly, I didn't really care for the format that was chosen for the effect that Huxley was going for. I think there was a variety of different ways he could have accomplished the same thing, but at the same time clarifying things more for the reader.