"I taste a liquor never brewed"

"Inebriate of Air- am I-

And Debauchee of Dew-

Reeling- thro endless summer days-

From inns of Molten Blue" (5-9).

In "I taste a liquor never brewed" by Emily Dickinson, the speaker seems to contrast the rural definition of drunkenness with the more common urban definition through an extended metaphor.  If you asked anyone on the streets of down town Indianapolis, then they would say that drunkenness is directly related to how much alcohol one consumes, yet the speaker in the poem is talking about being drunk off air in the above excerpt.  The speaker goes on to show that not only human's suffer from a summertime intoxication, but even the "bees and butterflies" (symbols for the different types of people) become addicted by summer.  I do not actually understand the first stanza, but I think that it is an allusion (?) to Germany's stereotype of being big on drinking beer.  Maybe it is hyperbolizing the amount of beer that Germany manufactures in an effort to show the magnitude and ease with which summer than cause an intoxication effect on the victim?

The last stanza goes back to the city definition of intoxication, but with a twist.  In this scene, even the seraphs and saints are eager to learn where the town drunkard got tipsy.  When the "tippler" is leaning against the sun, I think that represents a street light, but I really cannot figure that last line out.

I am started to understand Dickinson's style of poetry.  All three of poems of hers that we have read have had a literal meaning that is very obvious and a deeper meaning that takes a little more digging, but is usually easy to figure out based on her very helpful titles.

Brave New World - Six

"The group was now complete, the solidarity circle perfect and without flaw.  Man, woman, man, in a ring of endless alternation round the table.  Twelve of them ready to be made one, waiting to come together, to be fused, to lose their separate identities in a larger being" (pg 80).

In an apostrophe to Ford, twelve humans from the society ask for unity.  Ford is like their version of God, and this "ring of endless alternation" seems to be what reminds me of a ritual calling for the spirits with some old lady in a really long dress - all that is missing seems to be a glass ball to see through.  Another small detail is that they make the sign of the T, which represents our version of the Sign of the Cross, only is used to represent the Ford T Model - which is when this societies time system became effective.  The ritual is very feasible with the chants, dancing, and prayer leading up to the tangible feeling of an out-of-this-world spirit.  This could allude to the Last Supper, where the twelve (possibly conveying the Twelve Apostles) followers pass the cup.  Ironically, one is doubtful.  Bernard Marx could still become the Judas of the story who undoubtedly ends the cycle of the caste system.  Marx is further portrayed in this ceremony as a blushing fool who is not fully convinced on the necessity of the World's ethics and values.  The personality traits so far displayed in Marx (e.g. doubtful, timid, and judgmental) seem to characterize him as an outcast who could very likely be a foil characer, but I cannot tell with whom yet.  If I had to guess (I like to predict things as you may be able to tell), Henry Foster would be his opposite since he seems so confident and he also is very active in the science and manufacturing of the embyos.

Brave New World - Five

"Contact with members of the lower castes always reminded him painfully of this physical inadequacy.  'I am I, and wish I wasn't;' his self-consciousness was acute and distressing.  Each time he found himself looking on the level, instead of downward, into a Delta's face, he felt humiliated" (pg 64).

This stream of conciousness late chapter four seems to well characterize Bernard Marx.  From his previous appearances in the plot, it seems as though Bernard Marx could be one of the predicted individuals who will ultimately rise against the world ethics.  He is an Alpha (or possibly Beta?), but his physical stature has left him not feeling the power this title entails.  This feeling of a lack of power is exemplified by his colleague Helmholtz Watson who has had many lovers recently.  Also, Watson has the ability to speak to others which Marx apparently lacks.

Further imploring the realm of allusions sprinkled throughout the novel, Bernard Marx seems to be a clear clink to philosopher Karl Marx.  According to the Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Karl Marx believed "that human beings are essentially productive, in that they must produce their means of subsistence in order to satisfy their material needs."  This further confirms the possibility of a link between Karl and Bernard Marx, because Bernard's principles would show that he does not the robotic nature of the world he lives.  They also both seemed to have outlandish theories which were unaccepted by the mainstream public, though in the case of Brave New World, I do not really believe those creations have any real thinking process, but I really cannot tell for certain.

Brave New World - Three

"Our Ford - or Our Freud, as, for some inscrutable reason, he chose to call himself whenever he spoke of psychological matter - Our Freud had been the first to reveal the appalling dangers of family life" (pg 39).

Here, Huxley (whom I recently learned was the author, not the main character... I think) alerts the reader about what to expect.  Ford is the origin of A.F. which is what they use instead of A.D. for years.  Freud, on the other hand, is a famous psychologist who is most well known for his theory of infantile sexuality.  This chapter discusses the pros of "erotic play" in childhood - I am quoting the book on this.  This slightly confused me since the true humans (or so I think) are manufacturing the babies anyways.  After some research into the Freud Theory of Infantile Sexuality, I actually think I have realized the reason behind this allusion.  According to the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy's article on Freud, without the proper progression of discovering oneself at a young age, the human, or in this case "human," mind can suffer from a multitude of mental illness's such as hysteria or obsessive concerns.  These problems could force the former progress to become fundamentally useless as the prototypes begin to stray from unity and stability.

Note: Sigmond Freud is not the same person as Sigfried and Roy; I had to ask my brother for clarification.

Note 2:  All the information on Freudism is from the above link.