Introduction
Aldous Leonard Huxley was born in the year 1824 and died in the year 1963 at the age of 69 years. He was born in England but spent several years in United States in his latter life from 1937 till his death. He was a humanist and in later years was into philosophy and religion. He is also known as an author of several novels and various essays including Time and Machine which he wrote in 1936. He was recognized by various parties including prominent people as key contributor to academic issues. He has a way of putting down ideas in the novels and essays in an interesting way and putting down facts in away that some people feel that some issues should not be discussed directly as they violate cultural beliefs such as sexual issues. He uses descriptive way to derive his ideas, and uses a pleasant way to communicate serious issues to the readers.
In the Time and the Machine essay, Huxley has made the essay unique through picking on a topic that everyone knows but has never taken time to think the importance or how critical it could be and has been to the life of human beings. He has communicated facts that we are all aware but in such a way it appears as a new technology that we are learning. He has shown the significance of having a keen interest on time and the differences it has created since the discovery of machine. He shows how things that seem insignificance to a particular group can be of importance to another group (Huxley 97). He has been able to use various stylistic devices in his writing such as use of paradox, descriptive writing among others and come up with various themes in the short essay he has written such as transition, industrialization and modernization among others.
Writing Techniques
Some of the key techniques Huxley uses id the use of descriptive writing. For example he has convincingly been able to explain how the time machine operates with the minute hand and the seconds hand move and with the move changes are made which are consequently explained in the fraction of time spent. He has also been able to show the difference between the period we are living and the period before it was discovered and how much the machine has changed the world in general thus describing it at dictatorial.
Another technique he uses in the essay is the use of paradox whereby he is trying to show how something that seems so insignificant in human life and as little as a second controls great things or the world in general such as with the counting of seconds we are able to come up with years after which elections or other political and important events are conducted, there is also controlling of movement of big things such as trains from one destination to another which was initially not done. It’s a paradox that during pre-industrialization era as time machine is a product of industrialization, people used to live and be controlled by natural timing which appears insignificant nowadays. Things such as sun moon and the seasonal changes were used to guide individual on events, however, there were no small divisions that could account of a specific period spent on a particular thing.
Flash back is another writing technique that he has effectively used in the essay; he is able to bring the period before industrialization into focus of those who were there and those who were not there. For example he is able to show how those who lived before industrialization are able to comfortably live without being bothered by such factors as passing minutes. In their case, time moves at a slower pace than in the modern society. He also says that even the traders of the time were not influenced greatly by time and the clients waited till the ordered products were finished to have them but not moved by time. Therefore to them time had little impact as long as the intended projects were completed.
Use of comparison has also been used. Throughout the essay, Huxley tries to show similarities and differences that are found between the periods before and after invention of time machine. It shows that although time was moving since time in memorial, there is a very big difference in the way today’s people and preindustrial people reacted to time. To this day there is different reaction of people from different people from all parts of the world and the way they treat time for example if various people from different areas of the world are told to exercise patience. Some groups may wait for a very long time while other people’s patience such as Americans and Britons runs out very fast (Meckier and Nugel 487).
This is because time to them dictates so many things and hence they feel you should account for every second of your day. A similarity is that although the natural methods of determining time are no longer at work, they are still significant and recognized for various reasons all over the world. There are cases where there is specified time when meals are taken and in case the time passes u will find that u will have to wait for the next meal. Other things such as transport lines in most cases have a schedule that dictates everyday movements and that are totally adhered to. Today any click of second has a very crucial impact in the lives of people whereas in the old times no one cared how a day was spent so long as all the routine jobs are carried out effectively (Huxley1). Sun and moon determined what was to be done during the day and a t night while today, the artificial means dictates since all activities can be practiced any time of the day as especially in urban areas where electric technology has taken over almost all things.
Huxley is able to narrate without clearly identifying the narrator or the narrative itself. He brings about the story like a revelation of a dream which has so many episodes signified by discontinuous timings. Although the key idea in the essay is time, he has incorporated so many other aspects of life in it to show that time will only act as a guide to accomplishment of those other major factor that make living comfortable. Huxley brings the idea of industrialization, the cosmic features, traditional people, and attitudes towards time among different people across geographical borders among other things.
Symbolism has been used in various areas, time when referred as a dictator. Just as the tyrant leaders in some nations or in any group, who do not have a room to listen to the views of other people and who are the final decision makers. This is because time rules the world in the recent times and not only does it guides, but it leaves no option when a stated or agreed time on event is set. For example on the daily trains that follow fixed schedule, they do not give allowance to the people who may be late and once it leaves, the next person has to wait for the next train (Meckier and Nugel 489). Flight schedules are also the same among other timely schedules that man has implemented such as in events or occasions. It has reached a time that time dictates not just things outside us but psychological or internal issues such as time when meals are supposed to be taken, for how long should and individual give allowance for patience among other factors.
Major Arguments
One of the main points of the author is that although time has been moving since time in memorial, it only became significant during the period of industrialization after the invention of a time machine which clearly divides time into small fragments and which directs people into managing their days to be more productive. Most of the things that were invented through industrialization are usually controlled through the time machine. He argues that before then people were not worried about the passing time as long as life was comfortable and even in industries the clients waited till the ordered were completed without realizing that they were being delayed. It also brings to the view how people were less concerned on the happenings for they were guided by nature therefore would attend to the activities as long as the weather allowed.
The other argument is that the introduction of time machine has brought a big transition in the lives of people. Any click of the minute or second watch dictate change of something or start of something. It has reached a point that we are so dependent on the watch to a point that change of geographical position and especially to locations where people are not time conscious brings us to a lot of difficulties in accommodating the changes (Huxley1). We may find that the way we have fixed schedules even in our minds and body affects u greatly such as in the feeding program or the travel time among other areas. There have been formed specified durations and fixed schedules of national events and in other critical areas such as in hospitals where timing can cost a live of a human being.
The writer also tries to show how industrialization has brought about the insignificance of the natural means of telling the time changes such as moon and stars and the other heavenly bodies as a result of the improved lifestyle where people don’t rely on them. Seasons are having a little impact especially to the town dwellers where people have air conditioners and other means of neutralizing the atmosphere all round the year. Most of the states in the developed countries have a twenty four hour working system thus will comfortably work without realizing the changes. Also most of the jobs tend to be indoors unlike before industrialization when most of the working used to be outdoors especially agriculture which was a primary source of living and the welding which were the cheap means of producing the industrial products.
Themes in the Essay
Industrialization is a major theme in the essay. Time machine in itself is a product of it and hence bringing about the changes in the timing system. In the essay, the writer clearly says that time and time system was discovered in the recent times when nations such as United States were coming to be. During this period, other than the time machine, there was the coming up of transport lines that followed time schedule unlike the previous methods where animals were the main source of transport. There also came up factories that followed fixed time frames unlike the traditional means whereby the artisans worked at their own pace and the customers accepted it with satisfaction. There were also improved ways of coming up wit products at a faster and efficient means. There are also offices which were not there before where the workers have fixed time frames of doing things.
The other theme is the theme of transition. There is a clear difference between the time of pre-industrialization and the time after industrialization. One of the major transitions is the observance of time. Previously everybody seemed to be comfortable when time was dictated by nature thus it seemed to flow at a very slow pace unlike in the recent times. Like today, there were no fixed schedules in the transport lines, events at specified times, fixed times of taking meals among other activities and things. People also moved from concentration of agriculture to office work and in other industries. Time became a major factor as it is divided to small fractions which did not exist before (Meckier and Nugel 486). Unlike traditionally the psychology of people was also affected as they do not have to have much patience which is evidenced across the geographical lines depending on the way emphasizes are put on time factor. There was also the coming up of urban centers which were not found before and where most of the people who live in there, work in industries. Therefore there was a great transition on so many factors especially related to time than it was previously found.
The theme of modernization also is communicated in the essay. There is a very big difference between the expectations of a traditional man and the expectations of the modern man. One of those is the feeding schedule, traditionally, people used to feed because they were in need of food whereas today there is a fixed schedule of when meals should be taken, if not offered at the time, we find that most people have been conditioned by time to wait for the next time irrespective of whether they are hungry (Huxley 123). The modern man has specified way of doing things which is controlled by time such as office hours, periods when certain jobs should be completed among others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, time has been made of significance due to invention of the time machine. This has come up due to industrialization and consequently most of the people who are very particular on time management find them doing very well in the job market. There is also an observation that the geographical location of people can be deduced through trying their time management skills. Therefore, time machine was one of the most important discoveries that were ever made in the universe.
Works Cited
Huxley, Aldous. The Olive Tree: And Other Essays. London: Chatto & Windus. 1936.
Huxley, Aldous. The Olive Tree: Time and the Machine, 1936. Web.
Meckier, Jerome and Nugel, Bernfried. Aldous Huxley Annual: Twentieth-Century Thought and Beyond. LIT Verlag Münster: Grevener. 2001.