Robbie Lewis

Watanabe

English 12/ P. 6

25 October 2021

We’re all Conditioned

Did you ever think that you were taught to view things in a certain way? We have all

been conditioned whether we know it or not.Our parents have conditioned us as well as our

teachers. The biggest way we have been conditioned is by our teachers all throughout school

from the very beginning. The book,” Brave New World” shows that conditioning has changed

people and its effects on people and how it works.

In “Brave New World”, people are made in factories and conditioned, or trained. They’re

conditioned to hate books and flowers and to act a certain way at a very young age. We were also

conditioned at young ages, just in different ways. When we are growing up we spend a lot of

time at school and with our teachers, some even with day care after school. The rest of the time

is spent with our parents. Most of the conditioning that happens is from teachers or day care.

When in school as young children, we don't know how we want to see things and don't really

have our own opinion on things. Teachers’ point of views and how they see things and they’re

opinion often is rubbed off onto the children as so much time is spent together. Therefore, we are

being conditioned to view things in this certain way.

 Whether or not this conditioning in schools is meant to happen, it still takes place. If it’s

meant to happen then a very good job is being done. The book we read in class,”Brave New

World” satires this by having people be completely conditioned and thinking everything is

absolutely perfect then there are problems after problems and the truth comes out. The political

views of the teacher could set a student's political views whether they know it or not. For

example, once a teacher voices their opinion on something political that happened then the

students will start to think and then believe that what the teacher said is the only right way.

Therefore they’d be conditioned to see things this way.

In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave '', people are kept and chained up inside a cave and all

they know and see in the shadows of people outside walking by. Then one person is set free and

realizes what the real world is, then comes back to tell the others and they do not believe him and

he can no longer see the shadows. Thi shows conditioning as they are conditioned to think what

they are living is the only way then refuse to see things different or believe that there's another

way. This is similar to conditioning that happens at home and in schools because students and

children can act the same way once the parents and teachers have got them to think and act a

certain way.

Students being conditioned in school is similar to how “Brave New World” and

“Allegory of the Cave” is very similar to what happens in school. It has made fun of society and

how this takes place in many ways and that we are all conditioned.
 Work Cited
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. Harper Perennial, 2006.