The world in which we dwell is so complex that it would take a lifetime to grasp and comprehend, and that is why we are given a lifetime. What’s most fascinating about our world is the worlds within it, we are able to create and recreate what is around us and document it through writing. Andre Norton’s Daybreak 2250 A.D. is an excellent example of a textual work that was crafted under the influence of a world structured by the author’s experience and interpreted by the reader’s understanding of their world. We can examine our world, the worlds we read about, and the worlds of the authors of the works that we read, through the lenses of communication, resourcing, and relationship. Every world has a means of communication that is developed within a specific society in our world technology is an integral part of that, in Norton’s world the technology was different, and in the world of Daybreak 2250 A.D. communication was broken down through language and accents. Resources are obtained in different ways in different worlds, Norton’s world and our world is similar in that we have jobs to obtain money to buy ourselves food and water, in the world of Daybreak 2250 A.D. they must hunt for their resources. The last lense through which we will examine the similarities and differences of our worlds is relationship, specifically how our societies relate to each other. Fors was a mutant, he was not accepted by those in his tribe and he sought out to gain the approval of his people.
This quote represents the way that the author’s anti-utopian style further depicts the alienation between people and literature, as well as the isolation of people from other people, as a negative effect of the advancements of modern technology.
“It’s society’s fault!” many say as they encounter various issues in the world, whether it is talking about moral development, crime, or the influence of famous characters on people’s life. This, presumably, is a reflection of the worry people have for society’s evolution, and their interpretation of their own experiences and knowledge. Therefore, it could be argued that each individual would have completely different perspectives of the matters that oppress society, but it would unrealistic to draw this conclusion because it would deny the existence of a convergence point between cultures. Consequently, this convergence point would be reflected in works of art of different sorts, such as poetry, paintings, novels, and others where daily occurrences
This Fleeting World is a small summary of ‘big history’. David Christian’s book is a mere 92 pages long with an included 9-page prequel (on topics during the first years without humans such as Earth’s creation and more) and 16-page appendix on the book’s use in school, historical periodization, and a 4-page list of sources. With around 120 pages, this short book seems to be the perfect size to represent how our species’ history is only miniscule fraction compared to the history of that around us. In a world that has been around for over four and a half billion years old (6) in a universe that is 13.8 billion years old (1), homo sapiens have been around for only approximately 250,000 of those years (9). It seems impossible, though, to fit those hundreds of thousands of years into the modest text. However, Christian does the impossible and makes a well written short ‘big history’. Where many other historians before him have failed at making one, Christian’s book, This Fleeting World, summarizes history from the big-bang all
Furthermore, a significant part of The Works and Days deals with the relationships of people and families and the community. Hesiod perceives the end of his people, the people of the age of iron, as he says “Men will deprive their parents of all rights, as they grow old…men shall give their praise to violence” (Lattimore, Hesiod’s Works and days, 2010, p.41). Hesiod also gives advice on social behavior; he warns that the actions of a single man may adversely affect the whole community.
Environment plays a key role in how a group lives, works and develops. In The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, the author uses sharp imagery describing the Morlock’s harsh environment and shows how their isolated surroundings affect them.
You will hardly come upon your first view within the pages of this book without realizing that you have been brought into contact with something altogether new, something new and at variance with the traditions of other days. If you are like most of us, you will wonder if the future is to look like this, and, if it does, what your place is to be in it.
When texts are considered together, responders realise that texts are connected through their similar themes and ideas displayed in their textual forms. Texts are allegories of human existence which simultaneously examining contextual ideas. This is seen the two texts, the Wachowski brothers’ film The Matrix (1999) and Orson Scott Card’s novel Ender’s game (1985), through their
My first visit to Daybreak consisted mostly of learning about the facility and helping the girls work on their team building projects. When we first arrived, I begin to realize how serious the situation these girls are in is. I was told to put a lock on my phone and to not share too much information about myself. At first I was extremely nervous, but once we entered the common room with all the girls I started to feel more comfortable. These girls have been through more then I could ever imagine. I have been sheltered from drug abuse for most of my life and I never could have thought that girls so young could get caught up in hard drugs such as crack and heroin.
Through analyzing Beowulf, there is a common theme throughout the book of proximity and transgression of boundaries. The author creates the proximity of boundaries by having the Hall, (good), within walking distance of the forest, (bad), and the transgression of boundaries by having Beowulf enter the mere. These examples within the text correlate to boundaries that are seen within our modern world. Proximity of boundaries can be viewed by the closeness of industry and community, and the transgressions can be seen with foreign interference. These transgressions and proximities of boundaries illustrate how humans create and protect their own place in the world by controlling proximity and transgressing boundaries when necessary.
The world is advancing so rapidly today, it seems that it will never stop growing in knowledge and complexity. In the novel “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells, The Time Traveler, as Wells calls him, travels hundreds of thousands of years into the future through time. He arrives at a world that, at first glimpse, is peaceful and clear of any worries. As The Time Traveler explores the world, he discovers that the human race has evolved into 2 distinct forms. Although the world appeared to be the Garden of Eden, it was, in reality, the Garden of Evil. Wells uses three aspects of the futuristic world to illustrate this: the setting, the Eloi, and the Murlocks.
Forms of literature and storytelling have existed since the beginning of time, allowing people to gain knowledge, share ideas, and further advance society. Reading stimulates the intellectual thought that is necessary for both individual and societal growth, leaving one to question the implications that would occur if literature could not exist. The book Fahrenheit 451 explores a society where literature is banned, thus causing priorities to revolve around materialism and meaningless, superficial interaction. This book is a warning: it shows the reader how empty our lives could be without literature (Bradbury). All forms of literature have the power to advance an individual’s mind, as well as that of the entire society. The exploration of how progress is made is compelling; it can be analyzed through a variety of lenses. Progress begins with an idea, and ideas are often expressed in writing. How can literature, specifically poetry, play a role in progression?
In This Fleeting World, a nonfiction novel by David Christian, the ability to create, destroy, communicate, travel, and farm have all changed greatly over time, while the trends of life expectancies, equal rights, and competition have stayed the same.
Daniel Quinn’s novel Ishmael discusses the aspiration the character Ishmael has toward teaching his student known as the narrator to “save the world”. Ishmael teaches the narrator to understand and form ideas, based on examining the question “why are things are the way they are”? Ishmael 's teaching help the narrator and the reader explore culture and ourselves in a new light, helping the narrator and the reader understand the quote stating "It should be noted that what is crucial to your survival as a race is not the redistribution of power and wealth within the prison but rather the destruction of the prison itself."(255). In order to interpret the quote the narrator and ourselves first had to understand “why things are the way they are”.
In both Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett and Flashforward by Robert J Sawyer important plot points centre around the idea of seeing visions of the future. In Good Omens this comes in the form of “The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter”, and in Flashforward it presents itself in the form of the two minute and seventeen second glimpses into the year 2030. In both works language and communication are essential to the interpretations and understandings of the futures that are foreseen.
C. Wright Mills, presents us that modernity brought a sense of self-centeredness that makes the man sees himself as an isolated being, regardless of the social reality in which they live. Mills detracts from this idea by saying that neither the life of an individual, or the history of a society can be understood without understanding both, since history that now affects every man is world history. This means that every individual lives a life that is lived within a historical succession, and that the individual can understand his own existence, must be located himself at the time. Therefore, it is important that men can shed this egocentric modern