Brave New World Speech Assignment

Speech Assignment After carefully reading Brave New World, and through our class discussions, you will of course have some opinions on the topics that Huxley raises in this controversial novel. In your 4 minute speech you will look at how this book compares with our own world and the costs and benefits of such a dystopian society. You will fully examine the topic and relate it to both the brave new world and our current society. You need to show understanding of all sides of the topic and discuss especially how it relates to the book. Choose one of the four topics listed below.

Speech Topics THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS THROUGH DRUGS Soma is a drug used by everyone in the brave new world. Huxley believed in the possibility of a drug that would enable people to escape from themselves, but he made soma a parody of that possibility. Is it possible for people to achieve true happiness through drugs like Soma? MINDLESS CONSUMPTION AND DIVERSIONS This society offers its members distractions that they must enjoy together; they are never allowed to be alone because solitude breeds instability. They also make their citizens constantly buy things and spend money. This leads to the citizens being constantly diverted from reality and consuming mindlessly. Is this a threat to society or is it stability?

Speech Topics SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS The combination of genetic engineering and bottle-birth seem to make the society stable in the fact that they know exactly who they are and where they fit into society. However these scientific advancements seem to bother readers. It seems as though these advancements seem to make us feel less human. Will continued interest in scientific advancement dehumanize a society? THE INCOMPATIBILITY OF HAPPINESS AND TRUTH Brave New World is full of characters that do everything they can to avoid facing the truth about their own situations. According to Mustapha Mond, the World State prioritizes happiness at the expense of truth by design: he believes that people are better off with happiness than with truth. The happiness they experience is the desire for food, sex, drugs, nice clothes, and other consumer items, and the truth that is covered up is scientific as well as “human” truths, such as love, friendship, and personal connection. Is this a problem or is ignorance bliss?

Speech Introduction You will begin with a general introduction that includes what your topic is and your general views on how it relates to our world. There is no need to introduce yourself in this speech, we all know who you are  Your first 30 seconds should have something interesting (a fact, a story, a statistic, etc.) to hook the listener in, give some background on the book and your topic in general. It should also give an overview of the points you will make in your speech. Your speech introduction should be very similar to an essay introduction.

The Body of a Speech The bulk of your speech will be explaining how your topic is revealed in BNW and how that compares and contrasts with our current world. If you focus too heavily on examples from the book or on real life examples you are not showing a complete understanding of the topic and therefore will be down graded. Provide evidence of the points you are trying to make. Use quotes or paraphrases from the book, and use statistics, stories, or facts to support your real life examples. Devote about 3 minutes to this section.

Speech Conclusion After examining each side of the issue and seeing how your points relate to the book and real life, sum up your points and end with a call to action. What should we learn from not only Huxley’s book, but your speech as well? Devote about 30 seconds to 1 minute for this final section.

Delivering a speech You will also be graded on speech mechanics such as: eye contact, voice volume, and posture. It should be evident that you have rehearsed this speech and that you have paid attention to timing and pacing. You should not only bring some insight into your topic you should entertain us as well; you may consider bringing props or visual aids to enhance your presentation. Happy speaking!