Ch. 5, Pt. 1
Summary:
Lenina and Henry return form their date at the obstacle golf course. Lenina is confused about four towers that are lit up to ensure flyers see them. Henry explains that they are there to collect Phosphorus from cremated bodies. This part in the story shows how non-feeling, but eco friendly this society is! I am not appalled by this because a body is a body, once the person inhabiting it is dead. In most people’s view, this would be horrible. Next, Lenina and Henry go to a club where Soma is plentiful and the music synthetic with saxophones. They take soma and then dance the night away. Later, they both take more soma and leave the club to go to Henry’s apartment where they enjoy an ancient game.
Lit. Elements:
The most obvious and important allusion in this .5 chapter is the song where the song “Bottle of Mine”. Bottle of mine is an allusion to an old gospel song that goes like, “this little light of mine/ I’m going to let it shine/ Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine”. This song talks about the need of soma. This is funny because they are listening to a song about addiction, yet the concept of addiction is unknown in their society. Irony also comes into play because of the fact that it was originally a song about a persons love for Jesus/God. The Bible is essentially against addiction, it counts addiction as one of the sins.
Vocabulary:
Ambergris –noun- a waxlike substance that originates as a secretion in the intestines of the sperm whale, found floating in tropical seas
Deturgesence –verb- The mechanism by which the stroma of the cornea remains relatively dehydrated
Great discussion of the allusion. Note in this society religion has be transformed - or changed to meet the ideology of the State (which states that religion is nonsense but admits that the energy used towards religion is important and therefore the ideas are lost but the ceremonies aren't).
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