E221--Week 15
Post 53
I find it interesting that, in the novel The Man in the High Castle, the Japanese have gone nuts over collecting bits of America's past. When the book was written in 1962, the Japanese probably weren't too keen on Americans yet (I'm speculating here). By all intents and purposes, Japan was still occupied by the Allies. America had a definite military presence, at any rate. The war had only been over for seventeen years. So, although I have no first-hand knowledge, I would assume (it's not good to assume things) that there was no collector's market among the Japanese citizens concerning American artifacts at the time of the book's writing. If this is so, then Dick did a remarkable job of foretelling the future.
As someone who plays bass guitar (or tries to, anyway), I've noticed that the Japanese have, over the past several years, grown fanatical over American guitars. Their interest in the market has, in some cases, caused the value of American guitars produced in the 1950's, 60's, and 70's (particularly, Fender guitars and bases) to quadruple. Subsequently, as in the book, there exists a huge forgery market. I know of a guy in southern Illinois that can (and does) fake a 1962 "surf green" Fender Stratocaster right down to the cracked and yellowed nitro-cellulose lacquer. In this instrument, he has probably invested around $500. A prominent Japanese industrialist, however, would (and does) happily pay over $10,000 for it and never know the difference. Again, as in the book, they don't seem to care as much as they should about detecting fakes (a fake of this caliber takes an top notch expert to detect). Usually, they don't even play these instruments. Mostly, they are hung walls as the ultimate American pop-culture decor. --Erick Hubbard
Post 54
In the novel The Man in the High Castle, the pronounced lines between ethnic groups is startling. In the United States today, most people disapprove of racial and ethnic prejudices but they are still in existence. The fact that Philip Dick writes a novel that is based on Germany winning a war that was the cause of so much suffering by Jewish and other ethnic groups, shows us how much more pronounced racial bias could be. The strict class and ethnic struggles with some of the characters in the book are interesting to read. For example when Mr. Childan visits the Kasouras at their home, he is constantly aware that he is out of place in their neighborhood as well as their home. Mr. Childan thinks to himself, "How do I appear? There is no deceiving anyone; I do not belong here. On this land that white men cleared and built one of their finest cities. I am an outsider in my own country." (104) Most people don't think of what the United States would be like if Germany had won World War II, and this novel depicts the harsh possible reality of what might have happened if we had not acted the way that we did in the war. The effect of depicting once free Americans as lower-class citizens in their own country is a powerful tool that Philip Dick uses to make this novel interesting and poignant. --Deidra Dame
Post 55
On page 257 of The Man in the High Castle, Juliana and Abdenson have an argument. "He had now an almost savage expression. 'lt means, does it, that my book is true?' 'Yes," she said. With anger he said, 'Germany and Japan lost the war.' 'Yes.'" Of course to us, this exchange would never take place. We all know that Germany and Japan lost the war; most of us are glad. Germany was controlled by a dictator that most consider evil. Japan had many faults with, well.
But in the world created by Dick, the Axis powers never lost. Yet, even to the people living in that world, something seems *off*. Mr. Tagomi is transported to our world by meditating deeply on a piece of jewelry. The I Ching tells Hawthorne most of the details of our world (although I am pretty sure that we never had a president named Tugwell). The American characters mourn the loss, and often say that they or their families had wondered what the world would be like if the Allies had won.
Is Dick trying to imply that there are some "universes" so wrong, so unreal that even their inhabitants realize it? We never really get glimpses of what it would be like if America had lost. Is that because we are the "right" way the world should be.
I think the answer is yes. It is part of our cultural heritage to feel that it was right and good that the Allies had won. It would have been horribly wrong if the Axis powers had won. --Jennie Cisna
Post 56
In the book, The Man in the High Castle, on page 135, Ed says, "Got one of those marijuana cigarettes? One would calm me down right now." I think that this is interesting not only in this book but also because it seems to be a theme that appears quite often in science fiction novels. I believe that since at the present time and in the past, people have tried to get marijuana legalized arguing that it is a victimless crime, science fiction writers include this often in their works as legal in the future. Yet, in this book, the setting is in the past, in an alternate reality, therefore this theory cannot be used in regard to this book. It seems that drugs are often used in these books in situations that are tense, or full of action, which is often the case with science fiction. Therefore, this could be another reason for the prevalence of drugs in science fiction novels. It seems that themes are often present in science fiction novels, including an alternate reality, play on religion, and the appearance of drugs. These themes make science fiction easier to classify, but also make it possible develop one's own theories about why science fiction writers write the way they do. --Misty Dillow
Response to Post 50
Response to Post 50: Erick,I agree that crime seems to have gotten worse. Emphasis on the seems. Haldeman was slightly exaggerating the future, I think. Homicide rates have been sinking since the early 1980s. Rapes have gone up, but that may be more a factor of better, or more, reporting in recent years.
What we are seeing, as a society, is the increase of juvenile offenders. However, this probably results in the "mini baby-boom" kids reaching their adolescence. Adolscents have a tendency to exhibit more criminal behavior. They seem to have less successfully integrated society's mandates at this stage of moral development.
Your older people who say they don't remember crime like this? They probably don't. We tend to develop nostalgia for our youth - nothing bad happened then, not like it does now. Also, we have to remember that the media has changed. Crimes weren't reported with as much frequency or as loudly as now (on a side note, with our President's current problems, it may be helpful to remember that one of our presidents was quite likely gay, one had an illegitimate child, and quite a few had mistresses). I doubt that I will ever see the day that I feel like I have to hire a personal bodyguard. This is not meant to make light of victims of crimes; my deepest sympathy goes to your friend who was raped. --Jennie Cisna
Post 57
"'I don't know. You might say what I am is basically defined by the fact that I don't know. I am that which knoweth not the word. If you knew, man, and told me, I couldn't know. It's hardwired in. Someone else has to learn it and bring it here, just when you and the Flatline punch through that ice and scramble the cores.'
'What happens then?'
'I don't exist, after that. I cease"' (Gibson 173).
I know that this is sort of out of the order of the reading list, but I just got done writing my paper on the same issues that this quote addresses. In fact I used this quote in my paper. First off I guess that I should explain for you who haven't read the novel yet this is from Neuromancer, our last book. So If you haven't read it you may not want to read on. I really don't think that I am really going to spoil the novel for you, but just to be safe you might want to respond to this after you've read the novel.
I thought this quote was particularly interesting because it dealt with the issue of what it means to be human. The dialog takes place between the characters of Case and Wintermute. Wintermute is longing for something that is beyond his reach, some thing that it is explained latter in the novel is hardwired in his program as the desire to merge with Neuromancer. He has the drive built in to him to transcend his existence of the now. I think that even though Wintermute is an AI that in some ways he is very human. Gibson dose a wonderful job throughout the novel of contrasting what he calls 'meat" or flesh with not only technological implants in humans, but also that which seems to be beyond anything physical such as cyberspace. In this instance Wintermute is on a journey into oblivion, and I can't help think that every human is on the same journey. In Wintermute's experience it takes the form of a sort of spiritual journey, but I also think that anyone who prescribes to any sort of religion or philosophy of any kind is on the same journey as Wintermute. For me this makes Wintermute very human.
But despite what I think, Wintermute seem to think that he is in no way human as is illustrated in the quote. However, I still think that Wintermute is very human. He seems to think that because he is an AI program that he can't understand what it means to be human. I think in a way Gibson is illustrating the notion that no one really knows what it means to be human. In a way then, Wintermute is struggling with another part of the human experience, which is isolation from your fellow human. This question that Gibson brings up in Wintermute's quote is struggling with is the same question that human philosophers have been trying to explain sense the dawn of time. Gibson also points out through Wintermute another human quality that Neuromancer also latter addresses, and that is the notion that no one can really know what it means to be human. I could tell you all, what I thought it meant to be human; which I am sort of. However even the fact that you are reading this takes something from it because I can only use words to describe it to you. I will never understand what it means to be you, and will never understand what it means to be me. Wintermute feels this same sort of isolation, that he will never be able to know another perspective. I think this above all makes him most human. That he is unable to relate to anything else. Just like I will live my whole life as me. I can't know anything else it's inherent in my being human, just as it was "hardwired" in Wintermute. And that is Case's job to allow Wintermute transcendence from his isolated sate, but that's another post. --Joshua Primm
Response to Post 51
Response to Post 51: I too found the quote Jason brought up in his post (no. 51) interesting. In particular, the part reading, "music was dominated by nostalgic revivals of earlier forms." I think we're in that boat today. When the book was published in 1974, popular music was booming. The Rolling Stones and The Who were breaking all kinds of sonic ground. The Beatles' (at that time broken up by only four years) influence was giving rise to the likes of T-Rex. Led Zeppelin was huge. David Bowie was in his prime. It was all new. In the late 70's, punk rock reared its ugly head to counter stagnation and disco. The likes of The Sex Pistols, Stiff Little Fingers, Dead Kennedys, et al. sent a shock wave still felt today. Even the 1980's (gasp) produced incredibly original music (usually not heard on the radio at the time) ie. early U2 and REM, The Replacements, and XTC. Now, realizing that, at 29, I'm an old fart as far as students go, I'm probably showing my non-comprehending geriatric side by bashing today's music (If I were living in the 60's right now, I'd probably be a drunken Dean Martin fan bashing The Beatles), but most music of the 90's (by no means all) is a re-hash of older rock. Green Day? Total early 80's punk rock rip-off. Sound just like the Descendants, except The Descendants were much better. All this Ska music is a nice thought, but it was done in the late 70's and early 80's in England by The Specials, English Beat, et al. Yup, it was even called Ska back then. Radiohead I actually like, but their 70's influence is heavy (listen to old David Bowie if you don't believe it. Also, listen to old 70's "art rock"). A perfect example of the 90's ripping off the past? Sampling. The stealing of other's music, incorporating a nifty beat (damn drum machines), and marketing as original music. For Christ's sake. Haldeman didn't even go as far as dreaming up that one. --Erick Hubbard
Post 58
On page 22, as Shevek is being driven around Urras he sees a face, "It was not like any human face. It was as long as his arm, and ghastly white. Breath jetted in vapor from what must be nostrils, and terrible, unmistakable, there was an eye. A large, dark eye, mournful, perhaps cynical, gone in the flash of the car's lights.
"What was that?"
"Donkey, wasn't it?"
"An animal?"
"Yes, an animal. By God, that's right! You have no large animals on Annarres, have you?"
This exchange is interesting to me because Anarres is the Utopia in this novel, the perfect world. It is the world the reader is meant to identify with. However, it is Urras that supports the most life. The humans on Annarres have to struggle to maintain life on the moon. Shevek, at one point, replants trees. The power on Annarres doesn't supply artifical light during the daytime, and won't provide heat if the temperature is higher than 55 degrees.
This doesn't sound like a world that I would like to live on (I like power and lights), but I think it shows LeGuin is trying to show that Utopias don't come without struggle and hard work. Many of the Utopias on earth died out for lack of interest - the Oneida and Shaker communities come to mind. Nothing "perfect" comes easy. It would not be easy for the original colonists to give up their "propertarian" ways. It also would not be easy to struggle to set up a new life on the moon, especially when life would be easier if they stayed on Urras. --Jennifer Cisna
Post 59
This has happened to me before. I read an entire book, only to be stumped at the ending (damn this feeble brain). The ending of The Man in the High Castle is a healthy example of this.
"It means, does it, that my book is true?" laments Hawthorne Abendsen on page 257.
"Yes," replies Juliana.
"What the hell is this?" Says me. My stinging mind reels.
The last time this happened to me was when I read a short story by H.P. Lovecraft (I forgot the title). In this story, an unfortunate fellow keeps falling asleep and ending up in some sort of odd dimension with funny looking beasties running around everywhere. It eventually drives him nuts. The lines between dimensions grows progressively fuzzy to the reader. At the story's end, I was trying to figure out which reality was real and whether or not the character was truly insane. It made me think for a long time afterwards.
Likewise, the ending of The Man in the High Castle kept me thinking. I re-read the last several pages a couple of times. I'm still thinking. . . .
Interestingly, Dick was a fan of Lovecraft. Possible evidence of Lovecraft's influence lies on page 258 when Dick has Abendsen refer to Juliana as a "daemon." Lovecraft frequently used this otherwise archaic spelling of demon in his works. Tagomi's parallel universe-jumping episode is further reminiscent of Lovecraft.
Oddly, the more time that elapses between finishing a book with a puzzling ending, the better the effect. The lack of a tidy ending keeps the reader thinking, re-reading, taking different angles, and generally exercising the mind. God knows my feeble brain can use it. --Erick Hubbard
Post 60
In the novel, The Dispossessed, Shevek as a young boy is discussing the way that life is on Anarres compared to life on Urras. The message that had been told to the boys all their lives was to hate and detest Urras. In this quote the boys were talking about Urras and how they treated the Odonians.
"They gave us their Moon, didn't they?" "Yes, to keep us from wrecking their profiteering states and setting up the just society there. And as soon as they got rid of us, I'll bet they started building up governments and armies faster than ever, because nobody was left to stop them." (p44) In this quote the boys reveal the type of narrow-minded disgust for the people of Urras that had been taught to them since they were babies. The boys had always been taught that the people of Urras were profiteers because, for example, the people of Anarres did not use money and the people of Urras did. Therefore, the people of Urras were seen as evil souls that were greedy and worthy of contempt. This is an obvious parallel to the Earth today and the capitalism that sweeps the country. Ursula LeGuin creates a world of Anarres that does not believe in property. Even in the raising of children, the parents do not claim the children as "theirs" because they do not use the word 'my' in their language. Owning property is not right to them and when one feels the feelings of owning something, shame is often accompanied. LeGuin is trying to show that the capitalist greed is not healthy and that it is possible to create an environment that does not need it to survive. She also cites that women are equals on Anerres and that is not so on Urras. Since this book was written in 1974, at the height of the women's movement, this time period influenced her writing a great deal. What can her ideas tell us about our own world? Are there hopes in changing the way our world works, and do we want to? --Deidra Dame
Response to Post 42
In response to Misty Dillow in Post 42, I agree that the ending of Ender's Game was good. I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that Ender was given the power to start the race again. After feeling guilt his entire life because he was trained to kill over and over again, the fact that he was able at the end of the book to do something good for the race that he destroyed and to make his own life have some meaning gave the reader a peaceful feeling because the ending was right. It was not a happy ending pasted on the end of the story, however. It was appropriate and beneficial to the storyline. --Deidra Dame
Post 61
In the book, The Dispossed, I think that it is interesting to examine the relationship of the mother and father to the children on the planet Anarres. The only relationships we see are between Shevek and his parents, and we see relatively few references to them. On page 120, Shevek says, "Who are you?" She also smiled, "The mother." The woman to which he is talking is his mother, but she has never been involved in his life since he can remember. Also, she refers to herself as the mother, and he calls her Rulag. I believe the term my mother is not used because on Anarres the people do not use ownership. But regardless, Shevek refers to both his mother and father by their real names instead of mother and father. Also, when Rulag is explaining what happened to her earlier she makes it sound as though children are raised until they are old enough to make it on their own, and then they are set free. Parents have little impact on their lives except for when they are little children. Shevek seems to be an exception since his father stayed with him longer. I find this interesting since it seems as though the relationship between family is more similar to relationships that animals have with parents today than the relationships that we have with our parents. --Misty Dillow
Post 62
The first sentence of this book, I think, explains life. " There was a wall.
It did not look important. It was built of uncut rocks roughly mortated. An
adult could look right over it, and even a child could climb it. This wall
that is described is a boundary line that no one could cross. It was not made
out of barbwire nor was it very high. Who would have though that something so
small and simple could seperate people. To mean these lines represent the
walls we face everyday. These walls are racisim, prejudice, and sexism.
Something as simple as the color of your skin, where you live, or what gender
you are can seperate people and make them hate. We are all human beings, we
all bleed the same color of blood, yet simple things can seperate us for
generations. These walls we face can be broken down if we try. We know and
understand these problems (An adult could look right over it) yet most of
choose to do nothing. We don't take that first step over that boundary line.
We stay seperated and stuck in our ways because that brings us comfort. "Even
a child could climb right over it", symbolizes how children can look past such
differences and be friends but because they are not encouraged to do so they
stay off and away from the wall, even though they could conquer it so easily.
I find it amazing that even today, with our technology and wisdom, people
won't cross the walls of segregation. --Michelle Snoke
Response to Post 37
There was a similarity to the book and what happened Vietnam. There have been stories about soldiers that were given drugs while they were there. i do not think it is beneficial to do that. From hearing the horror stories about the soldiers that were given the drugs it just messes the mind up. They shouldn't mess with other people's minds. I do not necessisarly think it helped any either. I don't think they give soldiers any drugs today but then there really hasn't been a war of that scale either. I don't think it is right to do this and it is a violation to them.--wendy walton
Post 63
""You are a doctor," Shevek said after a pause. "I am not. I an called Shevek"" This quote from Dispossed stuck out to me. This quote reminded me of how different people talk and act. IN the book they are from different planets and they have very different cultures but is the same in real life. Many people don't have the same languages or meanings that we do. In some areas words have different meanings or they don't exist at all. In the book it is the same way. When it is like this it makes it hard to communicate. The quote from the book pointed that out to me. I don't know if it made anyone else think about that but I did.--wendy walton
Response to Post 51
I agree; it is interesting that Haldeman showed how the times influenced art. The time that Mandella returned to probably would have very different art than the art that we are now used to. Music might very well seem static and plotless, if you had been taken out of the time in which development had taken place. Literature quite probably did seem incomprehensible (to Mandella; probably not to anyone else). Think about it - he had lost all the developments and popular culture that had occurred. Slang and the language itself had probably changed. The only reason that we are easily able to go back and read older literature is that we are aware of the cultural context it occurred in, and the cultural context that we are now in. Mandella didn't have the luxury with the new literature.
I think Haldeman brought up an interesting point when he discussed art in his novel.
--Jennie Cisna
Response to Post 25
In response to Jenny Hakes post regarding the ages of the children in Ender's Game, I agree that the aspect of the commanders being children was very powerful in the book. The psychological aspects of the training and conditioning that the children endure at such a young age is reflected in the battles that Ender is involved in and the emotions that he displays as a result of being isolated at such a young age. The fact that the children are the ones doing the fighting and the adults are calling the shots also gives rise to the discussion about the present day practice of sending 18 year-old boys into battle with veterans calling the shots and what emotional impact that may have on them. --Deidra Dame
Post 64
Subject: Ender's Game
I thought that the final battle of enders game was another way for Mr. Card to question the use of superweapon warfare. In particular, Nuclear and chemical weapons. Think of the Japanese Empire as the planet which housed the buggers and the United States of America as the Federation. The U.S. used its newly created weapon to end the ongoing war with the Japanese just as the Dr. Device was used on the planet and the Bugger fleet. Now I am not saying that we should have not bombed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. What I am saying is that if a future conflict arises which is similar to our Japanese affair, will we resort to these desperate maesures whith nuclear or possibly more powerful weapons to defeat the aggressor. In future conflicts will we use our weapons only to find out that there was a lack of communication between our country (i.e., U.S.) Perhaps a good example of a conflict almost as powerful as in WWII, is the Iraq SCUD missle crisis. It seems that Saddam Hussein is reasoning with the United Nations and revealing the SCUD sites and taking apart the weapons. Therefore, maybe the country is advancing and using means of communication to promote peace rather than super weapons.
--Thomas Adney TADNEY@mail.Millikin.edu TKADNEY@aol.com
Post 65
Post : Stranger in a Strange Land
Of the Sci-Fi books I have read in this class, would be another one that I categorize as not very interesting. The first half of the book is an interesting because it has some Sci-Fi action adventure. In my opinion, this section of the book is meant to point out the flaws in human society, showing politicians, lawyers, reporters, and virtually everyone else trying to fight each other to get on top; where Mike doesn't understand this, and the human society as a whole.
The second half is basically a dime-store Harlequin romance
novel. This section shows what Heinlin believes would be a utopia. A communal, loving environment, absent of all forms of politics. It is not communism, but rather love for all in every way. Michael takes on a Christ figure role when the human world
fails to understand his ways. This is hardly a satire, as has been suggested. It may not be completely feasible, or something that can be enacted anytime soon, but it's a demonstration of what human interaction should, and perhaps, could, be like
Heinlin uses a very interesting science fiction idea - a man growing up on Mars and coming back to Earth, and uses it to portray very interesting ideas about the human psyche and ethics.--caroline pauleon
Post 66
Post: Ender's Game
Ender's Game is a book of stolen childhood and ultimate conquest. (that consisted of gruesome battle stories, an author's view of how the future would be and a little suspense at the end of the book).
One thing I did not think was fair was that they allowed Ender to begin a fight and not even know it. (not saying that the book wasn't good).--caroline pauleon
Post 67
Post: The Gods Themselves
This book contains something for everyone: interesting characters, outstanding science, and a sotto voce criticism of the current scientific and academic order.
I enjoyed the whole book, but one of my favorite sections was the second section of the book. The part where we were introduced to the para-universe. This second section kept me saying Oh's and Ah's. For example the last paragraph with the joining of the triad. I would have never thought, that the one who is trying to stop the p. 66 would be the one who started it. --caroline pauleon
Post 68
Post: The Man in the High Castle
Since I did my novel presentation on this book, I will discuss what I talked about.
The novel is the story of the world after the Japanese and Germans have WON World War II. It tells of a California which is strongly influenced by Japanese and their culture and the ancient oracle, the I Ching, the Book of Changes. Into this society move characters trying either to fit into this world or to somehow come to grips with morality and individuality under totalitarian governments. (As much as the book is about this new world, it is also about the creation of alternate histories, as a popular novel explores
what would have happened if Japan and Germany had lost).--caroline pauleon
I CHING, is a book of ancient Chinese wisdom, arranged under the index of eight trigrams, sets of lines made up of two types of lines. The broken and unbroken, yin and yang. This ancient text has been used in China for centuries. The user forms a 6 line hexagram by manipulating yarrow stalks or throwing coins in prescribed ways. It is only possible to get the numbers, 6,7,8,9 by either method. Each line may be solid (positive [7,9]) or broken (negative [6,8]).
The line may be a moving line (if the number gotten was a 6 or a 9) or a static line (if the number was a 7 or 8). When there are movable lines, after one reads the information for the first hexagram, one then changes the movable line(s) to the opposite form (positive to negative and vice versa) and then reads the resulting hexagram as well. There are a total of 64 hexagrams.
The I Ching is not considered a fortune telling device (despite being referred to as The Oracle), but rather a means to sample the tenor of the moment in the universe. One asks it a question before one uses the coins or stalks, so that the tenor of the moment has focus. The text helps one to assess this moment so that one can perform the "correct action".
The sampling of the moment comes from the concept of synchronically--all events in the universe are tied together. In contrast, western thought thinks linearly--that is, one event follows another.--caroline pauleon
Post 69
Post The Forever War
Since this was other novel presentation, I am going to briefly discuss my topic.
For my presentation, I briefly summarized the book discussing 4 major themes that Haldeman used within the book: substantial abuse, sexual mores, role of individual, and alienation which was all seen through the eyes of William Mandella.
In The Forever War, everything is worse. Ground fighting in clumsy combat suits on planets a few degrees kelvin in temperature, experimental weapons and tactics, and causalities in hideous numbers are just the beginning. Traveling relativistic distances through "collapsars" officer (black holes) also creates time dilation problems; a soldier can go on a subjective two year tour and come home an actual hundred years in the future.
And at the end of the book, we realized that the characters lost a great deal in life (most of life was on planets) and fought a war that was pointless because of the lack of communication. --caroline pauleon
Post 70
Post Dispossessed
I have not entirely finished the book so I will talk about what I know so far of the book.
The title refers to an anarchist society that lives on the moon who do not have possession. Far from one sided this book shows the problems of both societies through the eyes of Shevek, an Anarres Physicist.
This book seems to have a good introduction to the theories of Anarchism. Anarchism's principal target is the authoritarian State (capitalist or socialist); its principal moral-practical theme is cooperation (solidarity, mutual aid). It deals a lot with the idealistic political theories.
If you go over the study guide with the book, you would also see that LeGuin sees
"Odonianism as anarchism. Not the bomb-in-the-pocket stuff, which is terrorism, or whatever name it tries to dignify itself with; not the social-Darwinism economic 'libertarianism' of the far right; but anarchism, as pre-figured in early Taoist.
--caroline pauleon
[Index][Week1/5]
[Week6]
[Week7]
[Week8]
[Week9]
[Week10]
[Week11]
[Week12]
[Week13]
[Week14]
[Week15]
