Brave New World #2

1. In the eyes of the government, what does a good citizen consist of?
Throughout reading Brave New World, you understand that there are many ideas of what the good characteristics of a citizen are in this society. I would say that someone who is consistently happy is the perfect idea of a great citizen. The goal of a utopia is to promote happiness and coercion among the people involved in the society. If happiness and equality is already promoted within the government, then the idea of a perfect person is someone who’s happy and eager to go along with the government. This also includes someone who’s perfectly conditioned to do what the government wishes, never rebelling against anything, which includes taking soma. All of this shows the main goal of the government, as shown, "And that," put in the Director sententiously, "that is the secret of happiness and virtue-liking what you've got to do. All conditioning aims at that: making people like their inescapable social destiny.""
2. Why do they let people go out on the reservation?
I would assume that the reason they let the people go out on the reservation is that it reinforces the happiness that the government has created for them. They only let the very smart, top Alphas go out there, and it's a matter of ethos. If these people go out and see the savages on the reservation, they're going to know that they were grateful for the life that was created for them in their utopia. If the most credible come back and tell the rest of the people and castes how bad of a place it was, they're just going to believe them. Also, the government allows them to go out on the reservation not only to let them look at how happy they really are, but to reinforce the power to the government and encourage more support than before.
3. Why does the story put such a great emphasis on sex and the relationships?
I believe that the author really wanted to show the differences between cultures. Like discussed in the novel, there was confusion as to what sex really meant: was it to reproduce, enjoy, or just have? It's something that doesn't just die down, it's a constant motif throughout the book. I think that the author included all of this discussion and debate to show his own views. Many cultures don't have the same values on sex as American society, especially at the time written, and his views were supposed to help enlighten others about other perspectives.