Studying Brave New World in Mr. Myers’ class…

“Our 11th grade British Literature class confronts a lineup of pretty ponderous works in preparation for the AP exam. So when Brave New World rolls around in March, my students welcome Aldous Huxley’s offbeat, satirical tone. However, as much fun as this futuristic novel is, I assign it mainly because of its relevance to our own world. Our discussions hinge on clarifying our own values: How much individual passion and expression would we relinquish to achieve a world of utopian stability and safety?”—Scott Myers

“One issue in Brave New World that sparked my interest was the question of whether or not people could truly understand happiness without understanding sadness. The tragedy of loss and hardship emphasizes the joy of happy times, and without it, life as we know it would become tedious and mundane.”—Student

“In this class we learned to give the characters a chance to explain their actions. That really impacted me because if we are able to give fictitious characters the benefit of the doubt, why can’t we translate that capability to reality?”—Student

“I love that we are given the opportunity to think freely and voice our opinions because everyone has their own interpretation of the novels and hearing everyone’s opinion helps me shape my own opinion.”—Student