When entering into an academic conversation about Brave New World, the most interesting area to me would have to start at the points made about how Brave New World relates to education today. I think this is because I want to be a teacher when I finally decide it is time to grow up, but none the less, I think this topic is to say the least very interesting and thought provoking.
Ken Robinson's video draws very interesting points throughout his speech about education today. The main one that sticks out to me is the topic of ADD and ADHD. Many children have been diagnosed with these "diseases" or "disorders" just because they simply do not like to pay attention in class. So, instead of teachers finding interesting ways to engage the children in class, they drug them. Many medications simply make the students very passive and they will sit and seem to pay attention, but are they really learning everything they are supposed to learn?
This can be compared to Brave New World with the government's use of soma, which is very well described by Ricky Gehlhaus in his piece called "Brave New World: The Cost of Stability". He says that "the main reason for [the government encouraging the use of soma] is that soma puts the person into a deep numbness, void of all feeling". He also points out that this drug use is even more encouraged when the citizens are getting creative and thinking on their own.
So basically, my essay will revolve around the argument that educators should learn from the 'mistakes' of the government in Brave New World and get creative with engaging kids instead of drugging them into a stupor.
