Midterm Post

Points from reading: 61

Points from movies: 12

Points from attendance: 6 (1 class missed)

Total points: 79

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bloodchild (2 Points)

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?  That was…a lot. There’s a lot to unpack with the relationship between the Tlic and the Terrans. It’s disgusting in a literal sense, but it also mirrors a lot of things going on in the real world. Their parasitic relationship, which the Tlic make out to seem mutually beneficial, reminds me of how some white people view Black people. In America, the whites are the ruling race, like the Tlic in the Preserve. They make it seems like Black people are just part of the “mutually beneficial” system of capitalism, but really, they are an oppressed class, being used to further the wealth of those in charge. This parallels how the Tlic use the Terrans as host bodies for their young, but make it seem like they’re doing the Terrans a favor by “protecting” them, when in reality they are putting them in harm’s way.  2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss what elements of the story with which you were able to connect?...
Read more

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (1 Point)

Image
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream is the evil A.I. story to end all evil A.I. stories. AM is a being of pure hatred who takes glee in psychological and physical torture. I have to give it to AM, he is creative in his torture; if you’re gonna be evil, might as well go all out. He’s the personification of cynicism and nihilism towards humanity. A being who saw both the best and worst of humanity and decided our best wasn’t even close to good enough.  We tend to think of advanced A.I. as overly rational, but I find that AM is closer to what a truly sentient A.I. can be. If it’s supposed to be so human, why would it be rational? Because it’s smart? Even the smartest of us give in to emotion. Our emotions and irrationality are what really make us human in the abstract sense. I wonder, is AM aware of how evil he is? Is he aware of the hypocrisy and just doesn’t care, or does he see it as a necessary evil? Or is he like Ted, the narrator, who sees himself as the best of them despite be...
Read more

The Terracotta Bride (5 points)

              The Terracotta Bride presents so many ideas and themes in such a short burst that it can be hard to process. One of the most important themes in the story is the perception/treatment of women. Junsheng has absolutely no respect for women, seeing them as possessions that he can use as he pleases. This is made literal with Yonghua, who is a test run for an artificial body he can use to be immortal. Him and his associates created a new form of life as just a way to see if they can further their own lives. Although Yonghua is naïve and barely alive, the rate at which she’s learning makes sentience entirely possible in her future. If she were modeled after a man, the characters would marvel at this and potentially treat her like a person and not an object. Siew Tsin is the only one who treats Yonghua like a person because she relates to her. Siew Tsin is also seen as a naïve object by those around her...
Read more