Fairy Tale

Two exquisitely curious juveniles were once dropped in the center of an immense thicket. Before being left by their abominable progenitors, one of the children left a pathway in hopes that it would lead them back to their household. Being dragged out into the boscage once again, the children instead assembled a different kind of path to lead them back. But, to their dismay, an unsolicited visitor consumed their avenue; one who knew nothing about their dire situation. Wandering aimlessly, the two juveniles stumbled upon a beautiful cream-colored bird and followed it to a clearing in the boscage. Soon, they discovered a magnificent home, rather a cottage, built of tasteful gingerbread and cakes, with windowpanes of sparkling sugar. They could resist anything but temptation. Famished, the children began to eat the rooftops of the candy-coated home. They couldn’t help but feel slightly selfish, but, then again, selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. A decrepit woman soon emerged from the woods, luring them inside and promising them soft, pillow-covered beds and exquisite meals. They comply, the wise fools, completely unaware that the hostess is really not only decrepit, but wicked and plans to cook and devour the children.

            The following morning, the conjurer sealed one of the adolescent’s in a rigid iron cage in the garden and forced the other into slavery. Feeding the trapped child constantly, in hopes to augment their weight, the witch prepares to indulge in the growing child. As the witch prepares the blazing oven for the plump juvenile, she decides she is ravenous enough to devour both children. The witch coaxes one of the children to open the oven and prods her to lean over in front of the blazing inferno. Knowing what the corrupt woman plans to execute, the child acts befuddled in hopes to get the witch to demonstrate her intentions. As the woman leans over the flame, the child thrusts her into the oven, slams, and bolts the door shut. The children emerge free, finding vases full of exquisite treasures and precious stones. With riches beyond compare, the children set off for their home.

            In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. Coming to the realization that their father’s wife had passed from unknown causes, and joyously finding out that he had spent all his days lamenting the loss of his children, they return to their home and the lives they once knew. With the witch’s wealth, they all live jubilantly for the rest of their days.

Bernard Marx

I

            I wish I were more confident. Approaching Lenina was hard enough, and you wouldn’t believe the amount of happiness that rushed through my body – like a huge dose of soma – when she agreed. Although, you couldn’t imagine the embarrassment I had when she publicly discussed her sexual life. I wish she kept herself more private, but I didn’t let myself think about it too deeply. The rumors going around about me are absolutely repulsive: “…somebody made a mistake when he was still in the bottle–thought he was a Gamma and put alcohol into his blood-surrogate. That's why he's so stunted…” they say (Huxley 46). These ridiculous stories are probably why I apparently am lacking so much on my confidence. Hopefully visiting the reservation soon should be interesting. I hope the Director lets us. And I really hope Lenina likes it. She says she interested. She also thinks I’m sweet. I appreciate that. She fixes my lonely feelings; she makes me feel wanted. She wants me to go to some sort of wrestling match. I agreed, but really have not much interest in what she wants to do. I feel hugely disconnected. It feels as if there is a rainstorm above my head, dark and gloomy.

II

She wanted me to take it. Over and over again, “Take the soma! Take the soma!” No. No. As we returned, I hovered the helicopter over the Channel. The silence makes me feel individual, I told her. She begged me to take her away from the water and the emptiness that comes with it. She eventually got me to take soma, way, way too much soma. We had sex. I didn’t want to. I want to act mature. I wanted to act like an adult.

            The Director said yes! I was almost positive he would disapprove. He told me how he lost a woman he went up there with in a storm. It scared me; I could only imagine how much shock he suffered from that. Then, something weird happened. He threatened to exile me to Iceland due to my “antisocial behavior.” Why? Regardless, I was pretty proud. I felt rebellious. I felt confident. More importantly, I felt ready to be with Lenina.

III

Today was an especially important day. It was the day we travelled to the reservation. It all seems like a blur, to be quite honest. One thing that keeps playing back in my mind is Helmholtz’s news. This whole “exiled to Iceland” thing seems to be becoming more and more real. It seems unreal. I can’t be exiled! I belong here. All that I felt, my proudness, my confidence, was gone. I was scared. I was scared until I took soma, of course. We met John, a blond boy from the reservation. He could be one of my greatest discoveries. He told us some shocking news: that The Director was his father. Linda, John’s mother, a particularly frightening woman, furthered the story and told us she had problems with her contraceptives. Why would someone lie about this? It had to be true. I think John will help me. He said he would come to London with me. John could change my life in the World State. And, perhaps, help me embarrass the Director. I have plans to expose him as John’s father, but I don’t plan on telling John about those. I was happy I could make John happy to finally see the World State. I’m not sure why he is excited, though. The World State is full of such hatred and disgust. I feel like a misfit there. I hope he doesn’t have some type of false hope that London will be some type of Shangri La. I fear he does…

IV

I went to visit Mond today. He agreed that John was important in the World States’ scientific interest. When I returned to the Director, he had the nerve to call me a heretic. I was in shock. What gave him the right to speak to me, let alone anyone like this! I’m not an infant. And I will not be sent to Iceland or Greenland or any land besides my land, the World State. I was so angry that I presented John and Linda to the entire room. The look on the Director’s face was truly priceless. The laughter that ensued as he ran out of the room was the cherry on top of an unforgettable moment!

V

The unforgettable moments continued. I was a hit. I was popular, all thanks to John. Being his guardian gave me what felt like some type of immunity. As if his popularity rubbed off onto me. Nobody could stop me. Nobody could hurt my confidence or me. The amount of sex I was having was amazing. Off the charts, I swear. I wish this wouldn’t end. I owed everything to John. And I didn’t care about what Helmholtz thought about me, he was simply jealous. These had to be some of the best moments I’ve had in years. I refused to let them end. 

Works Cited

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper & Bros., 1946. Print.

Froonkoonstoon :D

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein represents interplay of Enlightenment rationalism and Romantic irrationality. Essentially, Victor Frankenstein represents the Enlightenment’s ideas of rationalism, while his creation, the monster, represents the irrationality of romanticism. The Enlightenment and its rationality were focused on science, and all things that are physical. Victor represented these ideals through his constant work in his laboratory, and creation of the monster through research in chemistry and other sciences. Essentially, his fall into a life with no social skills and obsession with the monster represents a condemnation of rationalism. Shelley showed the problems with thinking completely rationally and like an Enlightenment thinker, but also showed the issues with thinking like a Romantic: irrationally. Romantics argued that “the complexity of human experience could not be explained by an inhuman rationalism,” and that is exactly what Victor attempted to do (Smith 2). By creating life and attempting to bend the rules of nature and religion, he tried to explain the complexity of human experience, such as creation, rationally. This essentially caused his downfall, as he could care less about Romantic ventures and was solely focused on rational thought.

            On the other hand, the monster represented the Romantic Movement. By relying on his feelings, for example begging Victor to make him a female companion so he can be happy. Essentially, he lets emotions take over his life: “I will revenge my injuries; if I cannot inspire love, I will cause fear, and chiefly towards you my archenemy, because my creator, do I swear inextinguishable hatred” (Shelley 182). The monster even takes it so far to say he will ruin Victor’s life if he does not create someone for him to love. Through this, it’s clear that the monster had a very Romantic way of thought which also caused his downfall, due to his lack of rationality. Overall, Frankenstein still has resonance for our culture as it poses questions that are still relevant today. It questions, initially, the question of technology and science versus morality. Just because we can do something, does that mean we should? It brings up questions of the moral consequences of things such as cloning, which is, in a way, done in Frankenstein. As science becomes more and more powerful in culture and society, the idea of Frankenstein and the monster becomes more and more powerful. We continue to question more and more, is this possible? Could something like this truly happen? These questions make Mary Shelley’s timeless piece live on today and continue to live on for years to come.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print

Smith, Andrew. Gothic Literature. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2013. Questia School. Web. 31 Oct. 2014.