Could It Be 200 Feet Tall And Made Of Foam Rubber?

Sir Ken Robinson is arguing against an educational paradigm built on two traditional pillars: economic and intellectual. These pillars were initially implemented due to the belief that they were the most efficient in advancing progress. Thus, these pillars became educational law, and the standardized movement began: standardized tests, standardized curricula. Robinson argues that education and its insatiable thirst for systemic efficiency has defined progress as a must-be-measured quantitative value for the child as a general homogenized entity, based on raising the bar “academically,” with no regard to children of different strengths and capabilities. In the same way, Brave New World illustrates a society in which efficiency, standardization, conformity are all held as sacred virtues. The progress of the population as a whole must usurp in importance the progress of individuals. In fact, the individual must be eliminated, and we must all work together in the same way for the same cause. “Ninety-six identical eggs working ninety-six identical machines!” (7), exclaims The Director while passionately preaching about Bokanovsky’s Process. The process of one bokanovskified egg producing ninety-six embryos signals “the principle of mass production at last applied to biology” (7). This directly parallels Robinson’s assertion that education is, “modeled on the interests of industrialization and in the image of it.” He describes how schools are “organized on factory lines, with ringing bells, separate facilities, specialized into separate subjects, and systemized by age group…as if the most important thing about them is their date of manufacture.” In Huxley’s futuristic society, the most important thing is the manufacturing of human beings. Individual countries race to be the first to mass produce the most. Mankind is given a few standard, simple goals, purposes, and desires, and conditioned to not want anything more. They are to desire orthodoxy, cheap, soma-induced, sex-crazed happiness, and an efficient work ethic. And this philosophy is applied to every individual equally. Bernard Marx epitomizes the problem Robinson claims exists in the education system. Bernard is not satisfied by this philosophy; he cannot adopt it unconsciously and religiously as the rest of his peers can. His mind rejects it because he is visibly different, and this physical difference has resulted in the shaping of a mental difference, causing a longing in him to value different things. In the same way, Robinson speaks for the children who are not what the institution classifies as “academic.” Maybe they are more right-brained, more artistic, and cannot keep up with educational standardizations. For this, they are penalized: failed, left behind, alienated. Similarly, Bernard is shunned, whispered about, alienated. 

Twenty Piddling Little Fountains

In Alduous Huxley’s Brave New World, the natural fulfillments of human satisfaction are manipulated and replaced by cheap substitutes. The concepts of family and monogamy are now disgusting. The complexity of the relationships, the emotion one must expend to maintain these relationships, it is all seen as too many limitations on mankind. How can one get what they want when they want if they are tied down to a relationship? Things must come easy and fluidly, with no hardships or obstacles. The students have never even heard of the term insurmountable obstacle. They have been specifically designed to know what they want, to want simple things, and to know the exact way they should achieve this. They have been told what to feel since early childhood through a constant stream of brainwashing tapes played in their sleep. They have been conditioned to believe that all the impulses, feelings, and desires they have are indeed natural, but even more, they are to be expended as much as possible in the most basic and easiest ways possible. “Everywhere exclusiveness, a narrow channeling of energy and impulse” (40). Feelings and desires should never be channeled towards one person, or one group of people. When we all belong to everyone else, individuality is erased, and the ability to build special connections with people is made impossible. All of this is achieved through the shaping of society’s values. A nice, virtuous young girl let’s as many men have her as she can, so as to not appear strange and immoral. The government establishes these standards in an effort to leave humanity in a constant state of cheap, surface level, but still effective, satisfaction. They are left in a constant state of euphoria so that they never realize the depth of what is missing in their lives as intellectual thought and meaningful relationships are made impossible.

In Discussions Of ____, They Say ____, And I Say Something Else

In discussions of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, one controversial issue has been whether or not Shakespeare meant to convey a particular message on colonialism. On the one hand, George Will argues that by, “politically decoding, or otherwise attacking the meaning of literary works, critics strip literature of its authority. Criticism displaces literature and critics displace authors as bestowers of meaning.” On the other hand, Stephen Greenblatt contends that the a exploration of, “the painful, messy struggles over rights and values, the political and sexual and ethical dilemmas that great art has taken upon itself to articulate and grapple with,” is the key to catalyzing progress and preventing cultural conformity. Poet, essayist, and playwright Aime Cesaire even maintains that The Tempest can be viewed as a direct parallel to his own experiences pertaining to France’s colonization of Africa. However, my own view is slightly less melodramatic and a bit more realistic. Great literature, that which withstands the test of time, is dynamic. It is valued for its beautiful and poignant construction, and for its daring attempt to convey a significantly relevant and impacting message. Many books present thought provoking messages, but they have been overlooked and forgotten because the way in which their message was presented did not affect society to the point of alteration. In the same way, Shakespeare’s The Tempest hints at imperialistic influences but also expresses commentary on many more slightly uncomfortable topics. Prospero is not merely symbolic of a slave owner, but a man in possession of unlimited power, the ability to manipulate anyone and anything. Thus, the ethics of his situation are expanded to encompass a broad range of societal topics. Additionally, Shakespeare’s plays are priceless examples of the success of the art of writing due to the complex yet fascinating plot structures and eloquent language he employs. To emphasize any one of these aspects while simultaneously abandoning the rest constitutes the real definition of devaluing literature.