Aldous Huxley's passage narrating a fertility rite conveys his reverence and awe for both the ritual and the people of the Old World. Huxley's passionate imagery is aided by inspired diction and precise narrative pacing to evoke the excitement and sanctity of the story. Through his voice comes the realization of ritual as genuine and crucial to a culture; this is in stark contrast to the unfounded practice of Solidarity Service held in the New World. The images in the passage are focused on people's participation in the fertility ritual: its effect portrays a ceremony of the utmost sacredness. In its opening, Huxley imagines, “hundreds of male voices shouting fiercely…then the drums again; and once again the profound and wild affirmation of men's virility." The beginning of the ritual features the shouting of the people and the beating of the drums – Huxley's language enlivens the atmosphere of the ritual and the people. As the ritual continues, Huxley introduces masked men, singing and dancing to which he comments: "the women had screamed... as if they had been killed." The excitement of the ritual reaches the point of deadly explosions and the people become passionate about the fervor. What follows is a plethora of spiritual and animalistic symbolism: snakes are thrown among the people and covered in “cornmeal,” performers appear from the “underworld” and dance and sing, decorated with masks of eagles and coyotes, and a man “ nailed to a cross” and an old man with the “sign of the cross” appears. The goal of the ritual is the fertility of the earth, so people must connect with nature to ensure the well-being of their environment. They invoke the animals and imitate their faces, and pay homage to the pagan and Christian faith with...... middle of paper ...... the intensity of the ritual and its admiring impressions.Huxley makes his astonished reaction to the ritual evident in its use of imagery, diction, and rhythm. The overwhelming excitement and appreciative mood inherited from his words illustrate the importance of fertility rights to the people of the Old World and their fanatical performance of the ritual – Huxley is shortly moved by the act. Compared to the New World, whose ritual is largely an erotic hoax, the Old World tradition is remarkable and invigorating. The dead machines of the New World are made even more evident when compared to the vital souls of the people of the Old World in revitalizing their beloved land. More abstractly, Huxley venerates society's preservation of meaningful traditions and values, which inspire genuine passion in people and promote greater social consciousness..