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Final Goodbye

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I walked into this class thinking that I was going to read and analyze a bunch of stories from my favorite genres. I wanted to learn more about these genres, and expand my visual library and vocabulary for it. And I did, but I learned so much more than that. It’s fascinating to hear other people’s interpretations of story, and what experiences they had that led them to draw those conclusions. I didn’t expect to learn as much history in the genre as I did (in hindsight, a foolish expectation not to have), and how interesting the origins of these genres are. While I’m aware that early classes are the banes of many college students’ existence, this was a class I was more than excited to wake up early for. I absolutely adored the Neil Gaiman talk (unsurprising, since he’s my favorite author) and I was grateful to be exposed to movies I otherwise would have not seen without exposure in class. I can assure you that when I went to work in the labs on homework, I would finish whatever m
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Literary or Nah?

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The distinction between writing in genre versus writing that is literary but contains elements of genre is a discussion that has surprisingly come up in several classes I’ve taken. For me, personally, I have never thought of it as an important distinction to make. While I do believe that there is sufficient evidence to show that one can be made, I just never thought of it as a big deal. I think the book I read for this week, 1984, is a good jumping off point for a discussion about this question. If a distinction absolutely had to be made, then I think 1984 would be an example of a work using science-fiction (specifically futuristic dystopian) elements to better get across the themes of the book. However, it is definitely possible to tell the themes of the story in another way; the dangers of totalitarianism, the use of language as mind control, and the overall idea of independence and identity have all been told in different ways. But with the setting and characters Orwell has given us
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Fragments of a Hologram Rose: A Nonlinear Exploration of Memories

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“Fragments of a Hologram Rose” is an interesting cyberpunk story, as the structure itself seems to reflect the main theme of it: memory, and its fragmented nature. The structure of the story weaves in and out between Parker’s memories and his current state in the present Dystopian America, trying to get his sensory tapes to work. In this story, the structure and world are more of the highlight than Parker, who is really just a lens to see the world through. As readers, we understand clearly why the people in this society would want something like ASP tapes; in a society as chaotic as described, escapism into memories or the memories of someone else makes perfect sense. Since memories, especially good ones, are often idealized and exaggerated, why not travel somewhere like that? However, it’s as real as a hologram is: not at all. Characters like Parker rely so heavily on the memory tapes that they have no real way to connect with the world around them. When things go bad, like they co
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I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream: Mind Games

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The mind is an interesting subject to explore, after all we have spent much of our existence trying to figure out its functionings. Humans have done various experiments exploring its processes, and how it can be altered. Science-fiction stories provide a way for us to explore concepts about the mind without actually performing them on people, providing us with a variety of outcomes. One notable story that does this is the amazingly titled “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”. In the story, the last five humans in existence are tortured by the supercomputer AM, who regularly messes with their minds as a sick form of entertainment and punishment. Each character, even AM arguably, is suffering from some experimentation done to them psychologically, or physically in some cases. Each of the five main character’s take some notable aspect of their person and completely alters it, leaving them shadows of their former selves. While many could see this as a story discussing the dangers of arti
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The Nine Billion Definitions of Science-Fiction

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Science-fiction one of the most interesting genres to discuss, personally, as it’s probably one of the hardest genres to define. It covers such a broad range of topics, with some stories and tropes often finding their roots in other genres such as Western and Horror. I think, however, one of the best descriptors of the genre is that sci-fi is “the literature of ideas”. Typically the genre deals with the human reaction to various creative and futuristic concepts such as advanced technological processes, space exploration, time travel, alternate realities, and the like. To me, sci-fi is something that you look at and just know that it’s sci-fi. That’s a sentiment I definitely share with one of Arthur C. Clarke’s most famous short stories: “The Nine Billion Names of God”. The use of technology and the exploration of the nature of the universe within the short story evidently makes this a sci-fi tale, but the root of the story ultimately reminds me of something fantasy or even mytholog
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The Sandman's "The Kindly Ones" and the Modern Myth

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Through much of The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman, myths of varying cultures are used as inspiration for many of the issues, such as #50 “Ramadan”, which draws from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and the special “Song of Orpheus”, which is a retelling of the myth. However, the mythological reference reach their high point in the collection nine in the series, The Kindly Ones, which holds issues 57-69. The entire plot of the story is structured like a Greek tragedy; the protagonist, Morpheus is the ill-fated hero, and each interlude is narrated by the “chorus”, the Furies themselves. While this structure is intact and it bears many references to various mythologies (such as Lyta’s Medusa imagery and Loki’s role in the plot), the story itself is not based on any one particular myth. Rather, it serves as the climax of the main storyline of the Sandman comics. Throughout the series, the main theme has been change, as Dream of the Endless, or Morpheus as he’s commonly called, has be
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Bloodchild Assessment

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1.) What is your reaction to the text you just read? My reaction is a rather strange mix of empathy and visceral disgust. I feel pain for the protagonist, Gan, as he has been raised his whole life mislead about his fate as a host to the parasitic eggs that his family friend and partner, T’Gatoi. Personally, nothing strikes more terror into my heart than insects and the thought of being infested by parasitic insects such as the botfly (which I believe is an inspiration butler draws from). However, there does seem to be an emotional, symbiotic bond between Gan and T’Gatoi that can’t be denied. While Gan admits that he wants to protect Hoa from the same fate when he considers suicide over being infested, he almost admits that he wants “to keep [T’Gatoi] for [him]self”. However, I am also aware of the narcotic effect of that the sterile eggs produce in humans, or Terrans as they’re referred to. That effect makes me wonder how much of this love is a byproduct of being given the eggs, and ra
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