Soma In Brave New World Vs Modern Day Drugs

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First written 79 years ago by Aldous Huxley, Brave New World still remains a classic dystopian novel. He portrayed a futuristic world where human values are eliminated. The characters are all part of a totalitarian state ruled and conditioned by the world controllers. They are free from disease, pain, war, poverty and they never experience anything ‘bad’. They enjoy material wealth, physical pleasures and their leisure time. A main paradox in the novel deals with happiness and sadness which are both such large extremes. It is impossible for the characters to feel sad unless they have been happy before. Because there is no such thing as sadness in the World State it shows that none of the characters have experienced real happiness. In modern society many people live off of prescription drugs and many more take them for no other reason but to have a good time. In Brave New World the most popular form of pleasure is a drug called soma, which is the only for anyone to believe they are experiencing real feelings. Taking soma is the most common recreational activity for the citizens of the world state. However they don’t just take it for recreation but they also take it because their society depends on it to provide stability. As with soma, prescription drugs (where prescribed or otherwise) provide a quick fix for physical or mental problems and/or a way to get high. But these drugs also hurt the users, with addiction, bodily functions failing and making them be violent. The use of drugs has severe effects on the users and not only in reality but also in Brave New World. Usually people turn to drugs for relief and contentment, they want to be in a state of mind where they can feel things which they usually can’t and to be in a state of pleasure so they turn to them. Most do not realise the harsh long term effects these drugs can

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