Week 12 - Bloodchild

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?

I was confused at first, and had to reread the story a couple times to understand the plot. The reader is thrown into the story without explanations as to who the characters are, where they live, and what’s to be expected. I was fascinated with the brief descriptions of the alien creatures, and wanted to know more about the planet they lived on and the history behind it all.

2. What connections did you make with the story Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?

After reading and discussing in class, I’ve discovered themes surrounding slavery between races/species and gender roles. Whether or not this is the intention of the author, I feel that there is an imbalance between the alien race and the humans. T’Gatoi was demanding early on, calling Gan’s family over to keep her warm, demanding he and his mother eat her egg, and impregnating Gan despite giving him a choice between using himself or his sister as a host. Actions like these lead me to believe that the Tlic have a higher role or importance over the humans, which could hint at the idea of slavery. The birthing scene switched the gender roles, having a man give birth to the young instead of a woman.

3. What changes would you make to adapt this story into another medium? What medium would you choose; what changes would you make?

I would love to see this adapted into a visual novel, or an audiobook similar to the original War of The Worlds broadcast by Orson Welles. With how little the environment is described, it’d be interesting to see how it’s portrayed in a comic book, with more visuals to give the reader an idea of how the characters live. And to hear the narrator speak as the voice of Gan would make the story all the more immersive. (I would avoid using film as a medium because I feel the story would be overshadowed by special effects and poor CGI.)

4. Are there elements of this work that you would consider afto-futurist?

After looking up the definitions of afro-futurism and diaspora, I can definitely see some connections. A diaspora is a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale. “Historically, the word diaspora was used to refer to the involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous territories, in particular the dispersion of Jews.” This could be compared to how the humans in this novel could have been transported from their home planet to the Tlic’s. As mentioned before, this story also has hints of slavery and overpowerment over a so-called “weaker” species.

Week 09 - The Martian

I was excited to read “The Martian” after already watching the film adaptation. Being a fan of sci-fi, I found it interesting to read a novel that places a character in a “realistic” situation. 

While other sci-fi novels include more fantastical elements such as aliens, inhabitable planets beyond our solar system, and other things we haven’t discovered yet to be true, Andy Weir’s “The Martian” strands a NASA astronaut on Mars with little to no chance of survival. There is no magical way to get home, no inhuman creatures lecturing him, and no Star Trek transporters. Mark Watney is forced to find a way to survive alone, going through many trials and errors to do so. 

The novel leaves the audience in suspense the longer he lasts. We are left unsure of whether or not he’ll survive, or if he’ll even make it back to Earth. “The Martian” could almost parody a documentary as well, with the main character describing his adventure through log entries, which also adds to the novel’s realistic-sounding tone. I loved reading through this book, and hope to read more of Andy Weir’s writings.

Week 08 - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Gaiman’s “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” reinvents myths, many of which consist of Greek mythology. One of the more obvious examples includes the triple goddess, the Maiden, Mother, and Crone, which are portrayed as Gran, Ginnie, and Lettie in this novel. 

At one point in the story, the main character wakes up choking on an old coin. This could possibly reference Charon’s obol, which is (defined by trusty old Wikipedia) an allusive term for a coin placed in or on the mouth of a dead person before burial, being used as a payment for the passage across the river Styx into the Underworld. 

I believe the hunger-birds, or “varmints,” can also be a homage to Stymphalian birds (although this might be stretching it a bit.) These creatures are described as pets of the goddess Artemis, which would destroy crops and eat humans with bronze beaks.

Week 05 - Akata Witch

When first reading about the witches in “Akata Witch,” I didn’t view them as witches. I used to believe that witches were women who wore black pointy hats, had green skin and big noses, and flew around on magic brooms, using their skills for evil purposes. When delving into my research, I discovered that there is a broader spectrum of witches, and that there isn’t really any defining physical, appearance-wise traits to them. Many, however, cast spells and possess some form of magic. 

Orlu, Chichi, and Sasha possess different forms of magical powers. Orlu can “undo bad things” or juju. Chichi can remember everything she reads, similar to Sasha’s ability. They call themselves “leopard people” rather than witches. They use their powers for good, teaming up with Sunny to catch the serial killer Black Hat Otokoto. Their teachings and culture are not what I expected either. They use chittim as a form of currency. Masquerades are not events where others wear masks, but are rather described as “dangerous symbolic manifestations of the ancestors or spirits.” Many other details in this novel are not what I used to believe were traits and attributes of stereotypical witches. 

Witches can be tied to how women were once objectified. Either a woman is sexualized and forced to “obey the man,” or they were “evil or feral witches” that could live in freedom. The characters in “Akata Witch” break this stereotype, using their powers for good to stop a force of evil. “Akata Witch” is, in my opinion, a fantastic new way of looking at witches and their culture that breaks the stereotype of “Harry Potter” or “Wizard of Oz,” and discourages the idea that witches are just women who refuse to live and serve men.

Week 04 - Annihilation

Jeff Vandermeer’s ‘Annihilation’ proves to be a very “weird” novel. The biggest example I believe is Area X, how the main characters act because of it and how they traverse through it, and how it remains a mystery throughout the story. In the book, technology isn’t allowed, which is already an unusual statement. The characters remain unnamed. Hypnosis that can only be reflected by inhaling spores, and even the monster “The Crawler” are all elements that can be considered odd. These are not normal when compared to the real world.

 What fascinates me about the “weird” in this novel is how it’s written. The author spoon-feeds information to the reader, giving us just enough to want more and continue reading. The monsters and creatures aren’t described in detail, and the film adaptation shows only brief glimpses of them. These creatures, and Area X, are not found in the real world, and there are no rules or hints given to the biologist and her team. They were sent to explore the area, having no idea how to survive in it. Annihilation demonstrates mystery and facing the unknown. “Weird” is compelling because things that can usually be explained by science cannot be answered.

 Being unable to answer supernatural occurrences can be equally intriguing and bone-chilling. The novel leaves the reader wanting to know more, and to have explanations for everything that happens. But when there is no logical way to respond to these events, the reader’s interpretations and theories can gradually become darker and more terrifying. “Weird” can lead to many conclusions without revealing what truly lies behind it.

Week 02 - Interview with the Vampire

In Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire,” Lestat, Louis, and Claudia’s relationship is proven to be complicated and forced upon by Lestat. He turns them into vampires, Louis first because he wanted the company, and Claudia to keep Louis with around after he shows thoughts of leaving. While Claudia becomes a child figure to the men, Lestat even claiming that she is their daughter, she grows to hate Lestat, while still caring for Louis. 

Vampires are presented today as romanticized, and more appealing than they really were back then. It is even mentioned at the end of the novel how the boy interviewing Louis wishes to be turned, believing that becoming a vampire and living forever is far greater than mortality. In the novel, however, Lestat is apathetic and even encouraging over the action of killing and feasting on human blood. He takes great joy in doing so, and tries to coax Louis into following in his footsteps. Louis, before raising Claudia, felt as if he was stuck with Lestat, quoting he was at “a great disadvantage,” and that there was much he didn’t know about being a vampire. He still cares for humans, and the idea of families. He chooses to feast on animals for as long as he can after Lestat explained to him how living off of animals was possible. Whether this is because he cares about him, or because he simply wants to keep him alive for his own gain, I am unsure. The relationship between them, as I see it, is rather toxic, where one being forced to stay with the other seemingly against his will.

As mentioned before, Claudia grows a hatred towards Lestat; despite having the power to live forever and the knowledge of a 70-year-old, she is stuck in a child’s body. Lestat threatened Louis with her life, yet “did not want to threaten her at all, but was loving to her, proud of her beauty, anxious to teach her that they must kill to live, and that they could never die.” This confuses me as a reader, yet intrigues me; Lestat is a difficult character to read. While he comes across as manipulative and selfish, turning her for his own gain, he has moments where he seems to truly care about Claudia, if not Louis as well. 

Week 01 - Frankenstein

After reading Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” I have discovered that the novel displays many Gothic elements. It begins with a compilation of letters from Robert Walton to his sister, his fourth letter explaining his discovery of Victor Frankenstein. This gives the story a sense of authenticity, while setting a mysterious tone. Death plays a prominent role throughout the novel as well. Victor speaks of his mother’s death, his obsession with bringing the dead to life, and how he created a being using various body parts stolen from graves. Frankenstein even describes the dream he has after running away from his creation; “…as I imprinted the first kiss on her (Elizabeth’s) lips, they became livid with the hue of death; her features appeared to change, and I thought that I held the corpse of my dead mother in my arms.” (Shelley, p. 75)

The monster that Frankenstein created shows high emotions, another element found in Gothic literature. He is distraught that he is shunned by society for his appearance, and furious at his creator for abandoning him, to the point of killing his child in an act of revenge. The monster is desperate for love, demanding that Victor must create a woman for him. At this moment of the story, Frankenstein’s monster can be considered a tyrant, even calling Victor his slave after going against his wishes. Death appears once again by the end of the novel, with Frankenstein dying in Robert Walton’s cabin. As the monster finds Victor’s body, he feels remorse for what he has done, and leaves to burn himself to death and end his suffering.