Letters About Literature Home >> 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions >> Level 3 National Winner: Maggie Tighe
LETTERS ABOUT LITERATURE
Letters of 2008 National Winners and Honorable Mentions
Level 3 National Winner: Maggie Tighe
Dear Mr. Huxley,
Half of the students in my school no longer understand how to
use a reference book. I hear them ask over and over, "Why
can't we just use Wikipedia?" They've all become accustomed
to simply typing a few key words into a search engine and having
a neat, clean summary of the topic, complete with pictures and
subtitles, hurled back. I've watched as the librarian patiently
explains, yet again, why they need to learn the skill of using
reference books instead of relying on possibly-fabricated evidence
constructed by anonymous authors on the Internet. She presents
the students with some incredibly valid points, yet the students
still groan and mutter and shuffle off to the reference shelves
to drag themselves through what they consider to be an archaic
medium of learning--paper.
I've watched this epidemic of indifference spread slowly throughout
my town. My friends don't bother to use the telephone anymore;
I simply get badly-structured messages via Facebook. Classmates
in my English class rely on Sparknotes to understand Shakespeare
instead of actually reading and thinking about his plays. My
generation is learning to take the easy way out. To me, it feels
as if it is only a matter of time until society disintegrates
into what your novel, Brave New World, presented--a mass of soulless
bodies that have become lethargic and who are disinterested in
individuality, spirituality, or progress.
I first read Brave New World in middle school. I tore through
it, fascinated by how otherworldly this utopia seemed. I concentrated
only on the ingenuity of manufactured humanity, on the ignorance
of religion, and on the frank talk about sex and birth control.
These were, at the time, interesting ideas to me. I had never
thought of a world such as that, and that was how I first fell
in love with your novel--superficially. I picked up Brave New
World again, a few years after that first reading, thinking I
would simply kill some time by rereading about that futuristic
world. Once again, Mr. Huxley, your novel managed to astound
me. This time, however, it wasn't because of my fascination with
what you imagined. This time I was chilled. I finally saw the
root of the mindless world you had created in Brave New World.
and I was startled to realize it was excessive sensuality and
indulgence--in short, happiness.
It's clear to me now: excess had ruined the minds and lives
of every character you created. There was no love . . . only
meaningless sex. Mothers were self-absorbed, caring only about
drugging themselves to alleviate any kind of misery, even at
the expense of their own sons. There was an overriding lack of
spirituality. The utopia produced people according to class,
with and their lives determined so they could avoid the pain
of thought. I was in a whirlwind of thought after rereading your
novel. I took a second look at my life. I saw the struggling
students, my unresponsive English classmates, and my rapidly-lengthening
Facebook page in a new light. The students were no longer just
victims of an undeveloped work ethic; they were victims of instant
gratification, offered like candy by lecherous Internet search
engines. The students in my English class were reinforcing their
downward academic spiral and were no longer just victims of early
senioritis. My Facebook, once a gauge of my popularity, was suddenly
indicative of my friends' growing penchant for avoiding personal,
meaningful contact.
Mr. Huxley, your book opened my eyes to a new way of looking
at my world. I've learned to appreciate every aspect of my life--good
and bad. I've come to recognize that tedium is a necessary part
of my journey. Your book was devoid of true happiness in that
it was devoid of struggle. I now appreciate that my generation
can take the "easy way out" of nearly everything, but
I'm not going to let that privilege consume me. With Brave New
World, you have shown me that my circle of friends, my community,
and my world require the personal sacrifice of time and energy
to achieve meaningful happiness. Thank you for this gift.
Maggie Tighe
Letters About Literature Home >> 2008
National Winners and Honorable Mentions >> Level 3 National Winner: Maggie Tighe |