Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Henry Ford
Henry Ford perfected the technique of the assembly line which allowed him to mass produce the first automobiles during the twenties. Now, he didn't invent the assembly line or the automobile; however, he changed America forever in that he came up with the means to mass produce the automobile so it could be sold at a reasonably low price to middle class America. His "Model T Automobile" produced from 1908 to 1927 was his most revolutionary automobile; it was the car that made transportation by the middle class much more practical. I believe in Brave New World, Huxley actually chooses the creation of the Model T as the start of his new world. So instead of using christ's resurrection as the turning point of the world, Huxley uses the creation of the Model T. For example, a year in the novel might be 50 A.F. or 50 years After Ford.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
It's crazy to think how much the automobile changed society. Recent innovations have also seemed to have major effects on our society. Texting, Facebook, Instagram, Eharmony, SnapChat, etc.. have all made us less personal and have enabled many people to create false identities. I wonder if someone in the future will look back on the 21st century and claim that such innovations marked a turning point in society. If not, maybe in a few years everyone will have autonomous cars, that will definitely mark a turning point in our society. I think they are already legal in California.... Imagine no one ever needing to drive a car again... it's a little scary.. There wouldn't be taxi, bus, truck drivers etc... eventually there wouldn't be a market for such professions. However, there would be a dramatic decline in the amount of deaths due to automobile accidents... I feel like one day the only job left will be engineering..
It's crazy to think how much the automobile changed society. Recent innovations have also seemed to have major effects on our society. Texting, Facebook, Instagram, Eharmony, SnapChat, etc.. have all made us less personal and have enabled many people to create false identities. I wonder if someone in the future will look back on the 21st century and claim that such innovations marked a turning point in society. If not, maybe in a few years everyone will have autonomous cars, that will definitely mark a turning point in our society. I think they are already legal in California.... Imagine no one ever needing to drive a car again... it's a little scary.. There wouldn't be taxi, bus, truck drivers etc... eventually there wouldn't be a market for such professions. However, there would be a dramatic decline in the amount of deaths due to automobile accidents... I feel like one day the only job left will be engineering..
Huxley does use Henry Ford in Brave New World. Ford is basically their God. The characters literally say, "My Ford," and do many sexual er experiences in dedication to him while they get high. His assembly line technique is what allows their entire society to operate efficiently from the embryos to young children. Since there's no such thing as "parents" but genetically designed beings, Ford is essentially their savior.
The mass production of cars really has changed our society quite a bit. I wouldn't go so far as to say we worship them, but they certainly make things a lot easier. Just going from Kenner to New Orleans would take a few hours, though I doubt there would be as much traffic. On another note, if Megan is right, and there are only engineering jobs one, I might just be okay with that.
The creation of the assembly line also contributed to the loss of identy that happened in that time of industrialization. Workers became faceless/nameless modes of production who mindlessly carried out the same task repeatedly. Like we saw in the Metamorphosis, they were almost like bugs and worker ants.
Post a Comment