The Road, Part 1 I guess? Sure.

The Road starts off by already giving you that post apocalyptic type feel to it. The way the man reacts when he wakes, automatically reaching for the boy, just to know he's there. By their relationship so far, you can most certainly tell that this is his son. The world they live in now, desolate and scorched. Nothing but ash and death, lingering in the air. From what I have read so far, it seems that if doubt plays a big role in the son and man's relationship. The boy asking his father, "If I died, what would you do?". "I'd want to die too." He responds. Conveys a sense of bond between them. The man claiming that only the boy is his warrant and that he's the only object in between him and death.

 The post apocalyptic genre describes a world after a terrible tragedy, such as a nuclear war or "the end of the world" as some may suggest. Where civilization is either completely wiped from the face of the earth or significantly reduced.  Some works that might include this genre would be: Children Of Men, The Road, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, On The Beach, and, 28 Days Later. Some video games that also feature a post apocalyptic type world would be: Fallout, Gears Of War, Left 4 Dead, and, Burntime. The sub-genre of sci fi fits into dystopian fiction by being placed in the future and describing the advancing technology, which in term is our downfall. Movies that could possibly combine the post apocalyptic sub-genre with dystopian fiction would be: The Matrix, The Terminator, and, Dark City. 

As For McCarthy's particular prose style, I'd have to say it's rather suspenseful. I tend to find myself getting lost in the book, even with the fragmented sentences and lack of punctuation. It definitely makes me feel as if it is very desolate, like the world they live in.

End of the "Brave New World"?

As the novel comes to an end, I have to say that I wasn't rather surprised. Not to imply that I expected John to commit suicide but what more was there for a savage to do? To him, society was corrupt and immoral and knowing he had been apart of it, death would have been the only luxury in a time so fraudulent. He simply asked for was seclusion. A part of not being a part of their society but reporters kept rushing to exploit this savages actions. Whipping himself for his wrong doings, he becomes angry at the amount of people showing up. He whips Lenina in front of everybody while the other mimic his actions, encouraging  him to keep going. Maybe this is a start in straying away from their regular conformity and into something more "uncivilized"? On the amount of soma they were probably strung out on, I doubt it.

I believe that Huxley did a remarkable thing in capturing the hypocrisy of society, being related to the 1920's, right around the time of the assembly line and Ford motor cars. Largely criticizing consumerism. His tone is at times satirical and also awkward. Displaying the characters emotions of uncertainty to new situations. His aspects on sex, religion, society, all seems to satirize the peoples way of being so quickly taken advantage of and changed, all for a cost greater than what they could offer. Their life.

Is Science Ethical?

In response the Freeman Dyson's, Can Science Be Ethical?, Brave New World, and, Harrison Bergeron, the topic of advancing technology and ethics has been brought forth. Dyson gives numbers of examples of technology, merely describing them as toys for the rich. Do these advancements merely serve no other purpose than to make the rich richer and widen the gap between rich and poor? It's arguable but Dyson refers to it as an "evil" amongst our technology. But unfortunately, only nuclear energy has been recognized as the true evil here. In Brave New World, genetical engineering might be recognized to some such as John and other savages as the true evil. For Harrison Bergeron, the governments way of using technology to suppress the individual is viewed as evil to Harrison. Being a young man of above average looks, height, muscle mass, oh no, the government simply cannot have it. Although equality is in place through this use of technology, does it necessarily make people happy? Anyway. In Dyson's article, he mentions another form of technology which exists that lessens the gap between higher and lower classes.  He gives credit to the motorcycle, which was developed in Europe during the first decade of the twentieth century. Although these advances in technology offer humanity a way to reach immeasurable heights, is it worth the cost of your morality? Not to mention it destroying the little hope that is left for the lower classes.  He ends his article with words of hope for our future, "Knowledge of physical science will not console me for ignorance of morality in time of affliction, but knowledge of morality will always console me for ignorance of physical science."

BNW/ Gamer

"Brave New World" exemplifies the dystopian genre by seemingly creating a stable, sane, none chaotic world controlled by leaders and closely monitored in order to maintain their own sense of a "utopia". In many ways this is a dystopia because of the way the humans are engineered to feel certain feelings and think certain thoughts. If they feel anything out of the ordinary, they are prescribed to take soma, to do away with those feelings which are considered abnormal in their society. Those who do not coincide with those regulations are in term exiled. In ways, their "perfect" society is morally correct to them. Having children participate in sexual behavior. Making them do it, actually. Synthesizing the perfect embryo's to ripen and blossom into what they want them to be, all for a sense of a stable world? I couldn't abide in that form of a world. I'd rather live a life that's chaotic, erratic, unstable, and have my own free will. Be able to make mistakes and not be perfect and precise like most expect it to be. This piece of literature mostly reminds me of a movie that I've seen a few years back. Entitled, Gamer, where participants control humans online in a game, but the bargain is that persons life. This very eccentric leader of this dystopia, Ken Castle, has seemingly designed a way to control people's minds fully. Revolutionizing the gaming industry with self replicating nanites that replace existing brain cells and allow full control of motor skills by the third party, the person controlling the gamer. Since the story is set in the future, there are different versions to play this game. Society, in which a person gets to control another person in pseudo society. All in all, it revolves around a convict, being controlled and put through 30 levels, in which he will be released if he manages to stay alive through it all. He somehow finds a way out of this demented game and back into the real world, not previously knowing that there was an underground society secretly plotting against the world under siege by the technological industry. He goes after Ken Castle, eventually killing him and restoring some type of order and free will to their world. This work of literature and film mostly have in common the dystopian genre. Wanting more out of society. Wondering what else is out there other than what is expected of them and wanting to pursue their own sense of free will. The filmmakers most likely chose to go with this type of genre because most people in our society conform to it just because they feel as if they have no other choice. That everyone expects something out of you all in place of what the world has set out in front of them. For them to be scholars and athletes. Mathematicians, scientists, doctors or any other high end career that so overly stereo typical of what America expects out of it's society just because they believe it will convey a sense of peace or morality to others aspiring to be those things.  In my opinion, we don't necessarily live in a dystopia but it's far from being a utopia.