"O,
wonder!
How
many goodly creatures are there here!
How
beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That
has such people in 't!"
(The
Tempest, V, i, 182-185)
The
term "Utopia" first appeared in the 1516 work Libellus de Optimo
Reipubicae statu deque nova insula Utopia by Sir Thomas More.
Literally meaning "nowhere," utopias represent the perfect
society. Through the centuries scientists, philosophers, and political
leaders have tried to create a model for just such a civilization, one which
would provide each individual with the opportunity to enjoy a happy and
productive life. But the idea is inherently ironic in that utopias can
never be achieved. For the "nowhere" place to exist,
individuality and personal choice must be done away with.
In
literature, the Utopian idea is often used as a satire of modern society.
As seen in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the individual
in power believes completely in the good of society over the choice of the
individual.
Future World
Controller
Huxley: BNW Architect
In the
year 2099, the world looks very different from today. The "Brave New
World," first founded on the fictional ideas of British author Aldous
Huxley and then translated into reality following the global catastrophe
arising from the multinational strife after the Second Gulf War (2003), has
collapsed. In the year 2029, a conglomerate of military leaders,
corporate multinational CEOs, Kyoto Accord activists, and mutant peace
malcontents (born to parents whose DNA had been damaged from the environmental
effects of pollution and from eating genetically modified food) took control of
the world through the United Nations. A climactic strike was the
assassination of Canamerican President George (Wally) Bush III by outlaw
activist Chelsea Clinton.
After a
bloody struggle, the New Fordian Guard established a New World Order.
Soon Huxley's "vision" was adopted - first through brutal force, then
through compliance won through minds numbed by soma-like drugs, endless reality
vid shows (over 13 million people died agonizing deaths in 2032 from
overexposure to Survivor 37 and The Bachelor Marries Hannibal
Lecter) and frantic promiscuous habits. A society bred and
nurtured by genetic and environmental manipulation was born and shaped.
We're all Morons and we're proud of it!
Societal
peace and prosperity blossomed for a generation. But the genetic
engineers, in their scientific manipulations, had failed to account for the
effects of the rogue M&M gene. This gene, artificially engineered by
a dissident scientist in 2031 after watching the underground transmission of a
feelie called "8 Mile," would cause all inhabitants of FordEarthie to
implode in the year 2081.
Hatchery
technicians spotted the fatal gene flaw in 2076. Working feverishly, they
attempted to defuse the M&M gene - but the inevitable could not be
postponed. Everyone would die in 2081.
Could they have avoided disaster if they had read books?
In
2079, a new plan was launched. Four aircraft would carry sets of
decanting bottles with M&M-less embryos to four separate remote
destinations - Borneo, the Falkland Islands, the Cape of Good Hope, and Fort
Erie. At those sites, automation would take over so that no humans could
possibly contaminate the process. Each set of embryos would automatically
mature to the point of hatching, then after hatching would grow in a state of
suspended animation, sustained on automated life support systems.
Hypnopaedia would be used only to teach language and to prepare the hatchlings
for their next task: to produce the base of future generations.
Each caste - Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilon Semi-Morons - would not be represented
in the hatchlings, but would be produced by them. The aircraft land and
start their operations in 2081.
At age
18 in the year 2099, the hatchlings awaken. There they find themselves
"alone"...in a world silent from an absence of humanoid sounds.
Only nature and the subdued sounds of automated machinery prevail.
However, the infrastructure of the Brave New World remains.
YOU are one of the
hatchlings. You have been deposited onto your geographical location along
with four or five others. Your group is one of four around the world -
hatched and placed not to save the world, but to remake it...a brand new Brave
New World.
This is
not an easy thing. For one thing, it is definitely "survival of the
fittest" in this scenario: only one group can succeed. Only
one group will be allowed to live - the group that does the best job of
reconstructing the data to recreate the world. The other three groups
will be exterminated.
Your
group will submit its findings to a central artificially intelligent
supercomputer named BaldStone, who will receive each group's findings and
decide which one best meets the world's needs. That group will go on to
rule and repopulate the world, becoming World Controllers. As for the
underachieving groups, BaldStone will first transform them all into Epsilon
Semi-Morons, then vaporize them with a flash of blinding superhot energy off
the top of its shiny cranium.
BaldStone Will Surely Love to Meet You...
There
is another difficulty ahead of you. All of you are Alpha-Pluses, since
all participants must be involved in the research and reporting phase.
You are all brilliant and physically attractive, the peak of your life
forms. However, as you surely remember from your Brave New World history, the
Cyprus Experiment showed that when there are no castes other than Alphas in an
environment for an extended period of time, then madness, violence and
destruction ensue. Therefore, you have only a limited time to achieve
your objectives before your team members destroy each other.
The
entire infrastructure of the Brave New World remains. In particular, all the
data remains through computer links on what used to be called the
"Internet." Begin your task by finding your necessary data
there on the listed links and then go further to finish the job and finish off
the other, more inferior teams; back it all up with references to your basic
blueprint...Huxley's novel Brave New World. If you
wish, you may also use documentation from other "books" (if you can
find them, that is - they have all been outlawed, of course). Citations
of your sources will of necessity be consistent with Ford's holy format, that
of the MLA.
You
May Wish to Investigate and Report Back on the Following Sites (minimum)
as part of your Report:
Aldous Huxley: Brave New World
Utopian States (Follow to links)
Do You See Your Cousin in This DNA?
You and
your fellow (hopeful) Survivors Team members have no more than two weeks.
Do not attempt to gain extra time from BaldStone, a horrid emotionally void
monster who is brutal and unmerciful.
BaldStone
requires your team to design and submit a web page that describes your
discoveries and plan. In your report, you will (at the very least)
address the following issues:
An investigation
/ report on your immediate
location
Where
to put your world headquarters
How to
meet immediate needs (e.g. food, water, waste removal, etc.)
What
design to impose on your world's society
What to
do about all the genetically inferior Savages who did not die in the worldwise
cataclysm
What
your underlying philosophies will be
What
structure you will construct to implement your philosophies
Exercise
of genetic quality control
Treatment
of any existing moral issues
Why
your group is superior to the other groups and should become World Controllers
Your
immediate plans following the two weeks' trial
Your
group leadership structure
Trustworthiness
of your team leaders
New
societal slogans
Be Sure
to List Ten More Web Links, Their Names, Descriptions, and Why You Included
These Links.
It's a Race to Survive!
Your
success will not only be evaluated by BaldStone, but by your teacher.
Criteria for evaluation are listed below.
BRAVE
NEW WORLD SURVIVOR TEAM PROJECT RUBRIC
|
Task |
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score |
|
Web Page Aesthetics |
Inadequate web
design elements, displeasing use of color, awkward navigation |
Functional web
design elements, use of color, navigation |
Good web design
elements, compatibility of color, easy for user to navigate |
Design pleasing to
eye; combines elegance of design with ease of usage |
|
|
Language Conventions |
Considerable number
of spelling and grammatical errors |
Various spelling
and grammatical errors |
Small number of
spelling and grammatical errors |
Slight to no
evidence of surface errors |
|
|
Depth of Insights |
Inadequate
understanding of issues in novel; social and scientific issues insufficiently
addressed |
Understanding of issues
in novel demonstrated; social and scientific issues addressed |
Considerable
understanding of issues in novel; social and scientific issues significantly
addressed |
Excellent
understanding of issues in novel; social and scientific issues
comprehensively addressed |
|
|
Depth of Research |
Inadequate research
effort evidenced by inferior web content, web links, references to novel and
secondary print material |
Research effort
evidenced by web content, web links, references to novel and secondary print
material |
Significant
research effort evidenced by web content, web links, references to novel and
secondary print material |
Masterful research
effort evidenced by excellent web content, web links, references to novel and
secondary print material |
|
|
Creativity |
Lack of creativity
in web design aspects, approaches to material, theoretical applications to
situation |
Evidence of
creativity by web design aspects, approaches to material, theoretical
applications to situation |
Good creativity
shown by web design aspects, approaches to material, theoretical applications
to situation |
Superior creativity
shown by innovative web design, approaches to material, theoretical
applications to situation |
|
TOTALÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.
/20
|
One small step from the Hatchery to Centrifugal
Bumble-Puppy!