The Man in the High Castle

Blog 10
Week of 11/4/19

           This week's topic is on the Fiction of Ideas. In order to explore this topic, I read the novel, The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick. The idea that is examined by the author is about what life would be like if the Allies would not have won the war in World War Two. This creates an alternate perspective where the victors, Germany and Japan, share control over the United States. The story switches between multiple point of views to give the readers insight on this new world. I found it intriguing how Dick chose characters that are not the heroic type we usually see in books. The main characters are just regular people who are trying to survive new hardships they never thought they would ever face. 

            The novel also had some weird but interesting concepts, such as the I Ching - a type of oracle. This is a device that can be viewed as a high tech magic eight ball, where one would ask the eight ball a question and it gives you a cryptic answer for you to decipher. At first I did not realize the I Ching was a real thing. The Japanese and the Americans use this on a daily basis where they seem to take this oracle quite seriously. I found this quite intriguing due to the stereotyping that goes on with fortune telling. When it comes to fortune telling in today's society,  it is frowned upon or is seen as not reliable information. 

              The one take away from the book is the domino effect one event has and the consequences it leaves behind. Even years after the publication of the book, I find that this story still has significance today. It has the effect to get people thinking about the concerns in today's society and how things are not always as they seem. The saying goes that history can repeat itself if we are not careful. The promises Hitler gave to the German people about making their country great again, made them turn a blind eye to the atrocities during the war. Promises like this are slowly happening again today in the political realm. If we are not careful or start making changes I am afraid we might be repeating history in certain ways to what occurred during this war era. Luckily, the war's outcome for the United States was not what is portrayed in Dick's novel. 

Song in a Minor Key

Blog 9
Week of 10/28/19

      For this week's topic on Space Opera and the New Frontier, I chose the short story, Song in a Minor Key, by C.L Moore. The story takes place on a clover-filled hill as the main setting. Northwest Smith, the protagonist, reflects on how at peace he is in that moment. After years of transgressions and being banned from taking a step on Earth, Northwest was able to come back home. On the hill he soaks in all he's missed out on and taken for granted. 

         Northwest realizes in that moment, as he is laying in the grass on the hill, all the small things he's missed out on. When I was reading the part about how he missed the feeling of the grass I found this to be a very insightful scene in the story. It got me thinking, even though it seems silly to miss such a trivial topic like grass, we as humans take stuff like this for granted. The little things in life like this that don't seem that important until we least expect it. This is happening right now with people not altering their life to fix the effects they are creating on the global warming crisis. Sadly, we as humans don't do anything about problems until it's too late.

Another scene I came across while reading that I found quite of an impact was Northwest reviewing all the sorrowful events in his life. Even though he has a lot of unhappy memories he knows he would never go back and change the past. The bad things that Northwest did lead him to his ultimate punishment, being banish from his home. But,without this punishment he never would have learned a valuable lesson. Which is never regret your actions because these are the moments in life that change us for the better. I agree with this statement made by Northwest because even though we all experience horrible things, it guides us to the individual were meant to become. 

Assessment

What was your reaction to what you just read?

My reaction to Blood Child was a mixture of confusion and intrigue. I was a bit confused at what the relationship that was going on in the household in the story. I wish there was more explanation of the history between the Tlic and the Terran. The relationship with Tlics and Terrans seem to be a norm which I found really interesting but crazy at the same time. I would not be so relaxed with the idea of being a host to another species offspring.

What connections did you make with the story you just read? Discuss the elements of the work you were able to connect with.

A connection I  made with the story is how Gan was conflicted with the commitment he made with  Gatoi. In life we all deal with making life decisions that will directly effect our futures. For anyone its hard knowing whether we're making the right decision. So, when Gan experiences first hand what will happen to him once an egg is implanted in him, he has a moment of doubt. When threatened by Gatoi about moving on to his sister instead he steps up and does his duty. I have had similar experiences for example trying to figure out what major I wanted to go into. Though, not as intense and altering as the situation in this story.

What changes would you make if you were adapting it into another medium? What medium? Why?

Some changes I would make if I was to adapt this story into another medium would be the background information on the norms of the world in the story. There needs to be more development of the history between the two species as well There are diffidently some holes in understanding the differences between the eggs the characters eat and the ones that are implanted. If I could adapt this short story into another medium I would choose a novel. I would choose this medium because I think there is a lot of opportunities to delve deeper into Octavia Butler's story plot.

What is the future look like to you in 15 years?

In 15 years I will have the job of my dreams! Which is to design collectible pins for Disney. I see the world having major technological advances. Also, I am hopeful that the disease (SMA) I have will have a cure.

What is the future look like to you in 50 years?

I will have had a successful career and retired. I'll have travel many places around the world. Maybe even live somewhere in Europe for a bit. Also, I'm hoping for cars to be able to fly by this time! And people living on Mars. I think cable TV will be non-existence and platforms like Netflix will be king.

City of Bones

 Blog 8

Week of 10/21/19

             For this week’s topic on contemporary urban fantasy, I chose the book, City of Bones. This is the first installment of Cassandra Claire’s series, The Mortal Instruments. During a night of supposed fun, Clary’s - our main character - life has changed forever. After witnessing a brutal murder, Clary’s concerns of getting caught out late are the least of her worries. This is due to the fact that she can’t explain to the police what had happened because the murderers are invisible to everyone else but her. As if her life hasn’t been turned upside down already, Clary finds out that she is a shadow hunter - half angel and human - while adding to the fact that her mother, has been secretly taking her memories and lying about who Clary is. With a little help from Jace, her love interest, and his fellow shadow hunters, they help open Clary’s eyes to a new and unimaginable world. A world where what was once known as a myth is now Clary’s new reality.

            We discover along with Clary that all the spooky stories of our childhood are real and the mythical creatures of the under world walk are among us without us ever knowing. In Clary’s world, shadow hunters are able to see these creatures and are able to keep them in check. In both fantasy and reality, we as humans can’t tell the difference from creature to non-creature. I found this part of the story very insightful. In both worlds, monsters have the ability and skill to keep themselves hidden. Whether hidden by glamour or nothing magical at all, anyone we walk by could be a danger to us all.