Delbanco’s interpretation that Thoreau creates world that we both need and fear is basically saying that Thoreau creates the perfect world that we would need to best survive and would strive the best in; however this world is something that we as people are not used to and have never experienced so we would be skeptical and scared when it is presented to us. I definitely agree with Delbanco’s statement about Thoreau’s world. Although it would be nice to love in a world where things were based on a man’s conscience rather than government, and the people played a bigger part in how things were ran; it would be something nobody is used to therefore no one would really know what they were doing and who is to say we can trust everyone’s conscience because there are some people in the world with bad consciences. In my opinion Thoreau’s world would only work in
Imperfection in Perfection in the Brave New World In the dystopic novel Brave New World sacrifices are made to obtain a perfect society based on ignorance and conformity rather than acceptance and freedom. From the passage in chapter 16: “Because our world is not the same” to “Happiness is never grand” (193-195), Aldous Huxley exploits the different views on happiness regarding one of the world controllers: Mustapha Mond, and John the savage. This is done in order to show that a perfect world cannot exist without using imperfect methods, art becomes imperfect in a perfect world, and no matter how perfect a society appears to be, in reality it is different. In this passage Huxley explains how perfection must co-exist with imperfection, through the theme development of perfection. Mustapha Mond tries to make John realize that society in the World State is better off without changes.
He means that if the venture needs you to be anyone else but yourself, it will lead to no good. This reveals to me that Thoreau believes strongly in the individual, being yourself, and seeking your own path. This quote is also applicable to modern life because many ventures nowadays require you to conform for some purpose. The second aphorism I remembered is “Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplicity, simplicity.” Thoreau means that our focus and attention to detail now in society and culture do nothing but to waste our lives away needlessly. He believes simplicity is the better choice.
Equality 7-2521 says that “the guiding star is within me” and that it points to just one direction, and that direction is “me”. What is a guiding star supposed to do? It is told that it leads the way to the right direction. That right direction does not necessarily have to be used as in a driving direction or walking, but the roadmap to a successful life. Something I like to say when I have a new goal is that “We can accomplish anything, as long as we set our my mind to do
Brave New World Essay A perfect life, there no such thing as a perfect life, in Brave New world the ultimate goal is to achieve efficient, productivity and safety. These are thing that are very reasonable for a society to have but, to sacrifice ones freedoms and individuality for all of this is more or less, unimaginable. Brave New World pushes the limits of mans quest for perfection, it brings to light a side of human behavior which is considered now as “taboo”. The Brave New World explains a sort of utopia which is self destructive, it rules itself around perfection and promiscuity and also vanity. The create human to where they can conform only to the order in which their world requires and if any less they are removed and segregated to another part of their world and called savages.
Epictetus would look down on modern Western civilization for its rampant materialism -- nowadays, it seems that it requires vast amounts of money to be happy. Epictetus, however, suggested that we don't need money to be happy. In fact, he stated that we don't need any external things to be happy. He concluded that happiness results from attaining virtue and valuing only that which we can control. Happiness Follows from Virtue Epictetus asserted that while there is no inherent problem in seeking material comfort, the only true good thing is virtue because only virtue can be beneficial in all situations; thus virtue would not ever fail to bring happiness.
They view any inequalities, whether in income or educational attainment, as a sign of injustice. Such claims are misguided. Because we are all different, inequalities are the natural result of living in a free society. Whether through luck, skill, or determination, some men and women will always succeed more than others. And others will fail.
How many times have we fantasized about having a perfect life, and in that fantasy, we dreamt that we are extremely happy living that life? According to Daniel Gilbert, in his essay “Immune to Reality”, “because we ignore how our psychological immune system works, we cannot predict how happy our choices will make us”. Therefore, it gets us away from the perfect life that we wish so much. At the end, can we learn how to control the Psychological Immune System to achieve happiness in our life? We would be in a better standing position if we can take advantage of the knowledge how our psychological immune system works, identify what kind of happiness we want to experience, and recognize that we cannot be always happy.
“To be one’s self, and unafraid whether right or wrong, is more admirable than the easy cowardice of surrender to conformity” said American author Irving Wallace. This quote is stating that being an individual is better than following everyone else. The Book Thief and Fahrenheit 451 together share the theme regarding individuality versus conformity. The societies in both books are very different then how we live today. People are not speaking up for themselves and for what they think is right.
There are however cracks in the perceived happiness of this seemingly perfect society. Helmholtz, Bernard, and Lenina are examples of the cracks in what was a seemingly perfect society. Helmholtz was a model example of his caste. Yet, he felt he had a job that was empty and meaningless. He wanted to start writing to do something more significant.