Brave New World Study Guide Chapters 1-3 Name:pshs.psd202.org/documents/hedwards/1509390504.pdf ·...

Brave New World Study Guide – Chapters 1-3 Name: _________________________________________

Essential Questions (These questions should guide your thinking throughout the novel, and you will focus your essay on one of these topics.)

Tech/Science: To what extent is society controlled by technology and science? How is this control both good and bad?

Consumerism: How is consumerism both beneficial and harmful in society?

Truth/Happiness: Are truth and happiness incompatible? (Is ignorance truly bliss?)

Self/Family: What roles do individuality and family have in society? Are they necessary?

Helpful Vocabulary (for your information)

Pallid (adj.): pale; lackluster (ch. 1)

Deft (adj.): neatly skillful and quick in one’s movements (ch.1)

Florid (adj.): excessively intricate or complicated (ch.1)

Viviparous (adj.): producing living young instead of eggs from within the body (all mammals, many reptiles, and a few fishes) (ch.1)

Inculcate (v.): instill an attitude, idea, or habit by repeated instruction. (ch. 2)

Words and definitions (to be memorized)

Memory Cue (picture or words)

Sentence (definition of word should be clear by your sentence)

Posthumous (adj.): happening, done, or published after someone's death (ch. 2)

Gratuitous (adj.): being without apparent reason, cause, or justification (ch. 2)

Surreptitious (adj.): kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of. (ch.3)

Derision (n.): the use of ridicule to show dislike (ch.3)

Squalid (adj.): extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect. (ch. 3)

Find details and examples in the text to support your answers to these questions.

1. Why do you think Huxley opens the book with a tour of a “hatchery” instead of by introducing the main characters? How does the hatchery relate to the society of the “brave new world”?

2. Satirical works use irony to make an argument. The narrator (satirical voice) expresses ideas that

are the opposite of what the author (Huxley) truly believes. For example, on page 7, the narrator says, “But one of the students was fool enough to ask where the advantage lay” referring to standardizing the production of humans (the Bokanovsky Process).

a. By calling the student a “fool,” what can you infer the narrator think about this process?

b. Now think about your reaction as a reader to the student being called a “fool.” What can you infer that Huxley thinks about this process?

3. Describe the way this society functions. In what ways is it different from our society (in terms of the

people’s values, the way they live, the organization of society, etc.)? Why do you think the author chose Ford to be the “God” of this society?

4. What methods does this society employ to ensure social stability? What is the main goal of these methods?

5. Analyze the Director and Mr. Foster’s behavior toward Lenina (Chapter 3). What does it indicate

about this society? Why is the Director called just “the Director” and not given a name—what effects does this have, and how does this relate to the author’s presentation of this society?

6. How would you describe the mood and tone of the novel, and how does the author establish these? 7. Contrast the way the characters speak and the setting’s atmosphere (mood) with what you can infer

about the author’s actual attitude toward these things. The first page should give you a good indication of how the reader is supposed to react to these descriptions of this futuristic society.

Thematic Topic

(Essential Questions)

Quotation/paraphrased information and

citation (include source and page #)

Why it’s Important

(Discussion and analysis – what is the significance

of this statement?)





Brave New World Study Guide – Chapters 4-6 Name: ________________________________________






Word and definition Memory Cue (picture or words)


Atonement (n.): reparation for a wrong or injury. (Ch.5)

Imminence (adj.): the state or condition that something is about to happen at any moment (ch.5)

Imperiously (adj.): something done in an overbearing way, or with a feeling of superiority. (Ch.4)

Manifest (adj.): display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate. (Ch.4)

Plaintive (adj.): sounding sad and mournful (Ch.4)

Prone (adj.): likely to or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something, typically something regrettable or unwelcome (Ch.5)

Rapture (n.): a feeling of intense pleasure or joy (Ch.5)

Ruminating (v.): compulsively focusing attention on the symptoms of one's distress, and on its possible causes and consequences, as opposed to its solutions. (Ch. 4)

Stoicism (n.): the endurance of pain or hardship without a display of feelings and without complaint. (Ch.6)

Unabashed (adj.): not embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed (Ch. 6)


Chapter 4

1. What does the narrator suggest is the source of Bernard’s self-consciousness and dissatisfaction with society?

2. How is Bernard different from other Alphas? What is rumored to have caused his differences? What do his differences tell you about the society’s values?

3. What thoughts have been recently plaguing Helmholtz? How does the author use those differences to point out the work’s themes?

Chapter 5

4. What is the crematorium and for what is it used? What is the point of this process? What observation does Lenina make about it?

5. Huxley uses alliteration to describe Lenina’s childhood discovery of the hypnopeadia devices. Examine the structure of the passage. What makes Huxley’s use of language especially effective?

6. After Henry and Lenina leave the cabaret, Huxley comments that they remain in “happy ignorance of the night” and describes the stars as “depressing.” What social commentary does he make by using his description of nature?

Chapter 6

7. Why do you think the Reservations are maintained? What is shown about the people of this society by their attitude toward and treatment of the “savages”?

8. What does Bernard believe about the effects of conditioning? Does Lenina agree with him?

9. a. Explain the meaning of Lenina’s phrase: “Was and will make me ill, I take a gramme and only am” (104).

b. After Lenina’s comment, the narrator states “…roots and fruits were abolished; the flower of the present rosily blossomed.” How does this relate to the theme of truth and happiness?

Thematic Topic






of this statement?)

Brave New World Study Guide – Chapters 7-9 Name: ________________________________________








Sullen (adj): bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy (ch. 7)

Indignant (adj): feeling or showing anger at what is perceived as unfair treatment (ch.7)

unorthodox (adj): unusual, untraditional; not orthodox (ch. 7)

Inconceivable (adj): unbelievable (ch. 8)

Lecherous (adj): having or showing excessive sexual desire (ch. 8)

Patronizing (v): treat with an apparent kindness that reveals a feeling of superiority (ch. 8)

Cordial (adj): warm, friendly; cordiality (n) noun form of cordial (ch. 8)

Pensive (adj): engaged in deep or serious thought (ch. 9)

Resonant (adj): echoing (ch. 9)

Deferential (adj): respectful (ch. 9)


Chapters 7

1. What things do Bernard and Lenina find disturbing about the Indians’ way of life and environment? Describe some of the scenes they witness.

2. What is the significance of the steady beat of the drums used in the Indians’ ritual? What similarities are there between some aspects of the Indians’ way of life and the way people in the “brave new world” live?

3. What do Lenina and Linda’s comments show about the culture of consumerism in the modern world?

Chapter 8

4. How is Linda’s behavior different from the women on the reservation? How does this lead to Linda’s conflict with John?

5. Describe the childhood experiences that influenced John’s personality. Why does he have such a peculiar way of speaking? In what important ways are John and Bernard similar?

6. Why is Bernard so eager to take John and Linda to London – what plan does he have? What is ironic about John’s proclamation that he is going to a “brave new world?” What foreshadowing is there in Bernard’s response to this proclamation?

Chapter Nine

7. Who does Bernard appeal to for permission to bring Linda and John back into civilization? Why does this person grant Bernard permission?

8. Explain how the works of William Shakespeare influence the way that John frames his experience of seeing the sleeping Lenina. What is ironic about the way that he perceives her? Do you think that John is noble or naïve? Explain your answer.

Thematic Topic






of this statement?)





Brave New World Study Guide – Chapters 10-12 Name: _______________________________________








Heinous (adj.): utterly repulsive or wicked (ch. 10)

Coquet (v.) Coquettishly (adv.): to behave flirtatiously; flirt (ch. 10)

Impropriety (n.): improper behavior or character (ch. 10)

Subvert (v.): undermine the authority of an established system or institution (ch. 10)

Demurred (v.): raise objections or show reluctance (ch. 11)

Recoil (v.): to spring suddenly or flinch in fear (ch. 11)

Ignoble (adj.): not honorable in character or purpose (ch. 11)

Mollified (v.): reduce anxiety or anger for something or someone (ch. 12)

Magnanimity (n.): the condition of being generous or forgiving (ch. 12)

Latent (adj.): lying dormant or hidden until development is possible; existing yet not fully developed (ch. 12)

Chapters 10 1. Why do you think Huxley chooses to juxtaposition (place close together in order to contrast) the

description of the process of human fertilization in labs at the Bloomsbury Centre at the beginning of Chapter 10 with the scene between John and the sleeping Lenina at the end of Chapter 9?

2. Why does the Director make the argument that unorthodox behavior is worse than murder? Why is unorthodoxy so dangerous?

3. Why do you think the word “mother” is considered more obscene than “father?”

Chapter 11

4. How does Linda react to being back in “civilization?” How does John feel about this? What does this indicate about John’s view of what it means to live a truly human life?

5. How is Bernard transformed as a result of his association with John? How is social status like soma to him? In what way(s) are Bernard’s unorthodoxy and dissatisfaction with society more superficial than Helmholtz’s?

6. Why do you think the author chose to have John called “the Savage?” Why does John quote the Shakespeare line about the “brave new world” when he visits the lighting – set factory? What is the reason for his reaction?

Chapter 12

7. Has Bernard’s newfound popularity changed him in any way? What does the way that the people that Bernard invited to his party treat him reveal about their attitude towards Bernard?

8. Contrast John’s admiration of Lenina with the Arch-Community-Songster’s attitude towards her. What detail(s) suggest that Lenina is beginning to mind being treated like a “piece of meat?”

9. Describe Helmholtz’s reaction to Shakespeare. What does he admire about his work, and what does he dislike? What do you think he means when he says, “We need some other kind of madness and violence?”

Thematic Topic






of this statement?)









Contempt (n), Contemptuously (adj): the state of being despised; dishonor (ch.13)

Persevere (v): to persist in anything despite difficulty (ch.13)

Rakish (adj): displaying a self-confident appearance (ch.13)

Aghast (adj): filled with horror; shock (ch.13)

Reproach (v): expressing disapproval or disappointment (ch.14)

Imploring (v): beg someone to do something (ch.14)

Undefiled (adj): pure (ch.14)

Sublime (adj): so excellent that it inspires admiration (ch.14)

Wanton (adj): of a cruel or violent action (ch.15)

Menial (adj): not requiring much skill (ch.15)

Chapter 13

1. What does Henry suggest Lenina do for her bad mood? What is the overall purpose of this incident at the beginning of Chapter 13? How is it ironic?

2. After Fanny advises Lenina to go after John aggressively, where does she find the courage to follow her advice? What does this indicate about the character of people in this society? Why do you think the author includes the paragraph that begins, “Twenty-two years, eight months, and four days from that moment…?”

3. Describe the philosophical differences regarding romance that cause conflict between John and Lenina. How does Lenina handle her feelings, and how does John think he should handle his?

Chapter 14

4. Why do you think the society has instituted death conditioning? How is it done? What are the possible benefits?

5. Examine Huxley’s use of descriptive language and imagery in the section describing the arrival of the children at the hospital. Which descriptions are especially effective or evocative?

Chapter 15

6. What reaction does John have to the groups of identical workers waiting for their Soma distribution? Why does he have this reaction? What quality of this society is epitomized by them?

7. What do Miranda’s words come to mean to John (“O, Brave New World!”)? What do the

reactions of the Deputy Sub-Bursar and the workers indicate about why his effort is doomed to fail? According to John, in what way are the people of this society “slaves?” What does it mean to John “to be free and men?”

8. What reaction does Helmholtz have to the scene at the hospital and why? What is ironic about his and Bernard’s use of expressions like “Ford helps those who help themselves” and “Ford be praised?”

Thematic Topic






of this statement?)













Gesticulating (v.):Making deliberate movements (ch. 16)

Impunity (n.): exemption from punishment (ch. 16)

Wrath (n.) : extreme anger (ch. 16)

Superfluous (adj): unnecessary (ch. 17)

Obscured (v.) : Keep from being seen

Lulling (v.): calm or send to sleep (ch. 17)

Pacified (v.): to lessen anger, agitation, or excitement (ch. 18)

Flagrant (adj): deliberate offense (ch. 18)

Vermin (n.): wild animals that are believed to be harmful and carry disease (ch. 18)

importune (v.): asking persistently (ch. 18)

Chapter 16

1. Describe Mustapha Mond. What is ironic about his being a World Controller, and how did he end up in this position? What did he give up in order to become a World Controller, and why? How does he treat these “rebels” (John, Helmholtz, and Bernard) that is different from how they expected to be treated?

2. How is science a threat to the stability of this society? Why are technological advances kept to a minimum? What change brought about by Ford instigated a shift away from truth and beauty, and why?

3. What does Mond plan to do with Helmholtz and Marx? How does each man respond to his punishment? What do their responses reveal about their characters? Why does Mond say their punishment is actually a reward?

Chapter 17

4. According to John, in what way are the people of this society being “punished” for their “sins?” What arguments does Mond give against the value of endurance, self-denial, and chastity? Why are nobility and heroism outdated?

5. What is the outcome of Mond and John’s discussion? What does Mond show John that he actually wants? Why do you think Mond ends their conversation with the words, “You’re welcome?”

Chapter 18

6. What is the symbolic significance of John’s chosen home – both its nature and its location? Why is the area so empty of people despite its beauty? What kind of life does he have planned for himself and why?

7. Why does John feel guilty? How does he seek to purify himself? Initially, what is life like for him?

8. Consider the decision John makes for himself at the end of the novel. Why does he make this decision? Besides the uproar and breach of his privacy, what factors do you think led to his decision?

Thematic Topic






of this statement?)





Brave New World Study Guide Chapters 1-3 Name:pshs.psd202.org/documents/hedwards/1509390504.pdf ·...

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