The ending of Neuromancer was somewhat of a disappointment for me. Not only is Case sent back to the Sprawl with no repercussions, but Molly, who had been the strong female figure in the novel, disappears without any reasonable explanation beyond “IT’S THE WAY I’M WIRED I GUESS” (267). The people of the Sprawl seem nonchalant about Case’s return. Ratz, one of the few people Case expected to recognize him, simply shrugs and says “Night City is not a place one returns to, artiste” (268).
In the last chapter, Case confronts the Matrix and proclaims that he does not need it (270). He uses the shuriken, a gift from Molly he had never used, on his wall screen. The shuriken, originally intended to use against humans, becomes a weapon against technology, a statement that Case had reformed. But despite the fact that this is Case’s revelation and point of growth, I can’t help but miss his cyberaddiction. His incessant link to cyberspace was one of the most prominent characteristics that made Case who he was. The destruction of this quality makes Case less interesting of a person (although, I note that in a world where everything is run by technology, an individual who says no to the Matrix is a rarity).
The relationship between Molly and Case was also something I had always expected and desired to see. After all, when two protagonists of the opposite sex spend an entire 300 pages working together, one expects some sort of growth in relationship. This seemed to happen gradually, as Molly opens up during the mission that Case was one good thing about her situation. However, at the very end of the novel, Gibson makes it clear that it was a failed romance with the line “[Case] never saw Molly again” (271). She, along with the technology that Case abandons, disappears.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Neuromancer Frameworks
In William Gibson’s Neuromancer, the reader is immersed in a world of cybernetic fantasy. Gibson uses extensive metaphor and imagery to create a place where the lines between cyberspace and reality are nonexistent. This represents the main character’s, Case, own psychological psychosis- his inability to tell the difference between what happens in the matrix and what happens tangibly.
Gibson frequently compares the city to the matrix, drawing the two together to insinuate that the two, one subsiding in reality and one subsiding in cyberspace, are virtually indistinguishable. The metaphor in “Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…” (51) liken “clusters and constellations of data” to “city lights”. Analogies like these meld the two worlds together.
Cyberspace is also set parallel to the mind; the cybernetic matrix an equivalent to the brain’s matrix. In the quote,
“He knew that the trodes he used and the little plastic tiara dangling from a simstim deck were basically the same, and that the cyberspace matrix was actually a drastic simplification of the human sensorium, at least in terms of presentation, but simstim itself struck him in a gratuitous multiplication of flesh input” (55)
Gibson makes the similarities of the cyberspace matrix and the human sensorium stark, even going as far to say that the matrix was a simplification of the mind instead of a separate entity.
While comparisons between cyberspace and reality are fine, the protagonist is plagued by one of the differences. Case initially found himself trapped in his flesh when his neurons are damaged by unhappy clients. He was, at least until his neurons are repaired by a later character, no longer able to be a cyberspace cowboy because of this. Gibson uses frequent references to “flesh” to capture Case’s helplessness. “A field of flesh” (46) and “flesh of lost summers” (48) were such quotes that exemplifies this reoccurring motif.
Gibson frequently compares the city to the matrix, drawing the two together to insinuate that the two, one subsiding in reality and one subsiding in cyberspace, are virtually indistinguishable. The metaphor in “Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…” (51) liken “clusters and constellations of data” to “city lights”. Analogies like these meld the two worlds together.
Cyberspace is also set parallel to the mind; the cybernetic matrix an equivalent to the brain’s matrix. In the quote,
“He knew that the trodes he used and the little plastic tiara dangling from a simstim deck were basically the same, and that the cyberspace matrix was actually a drastic simplification of the human sensorium, at least in terms of presentation, but simstim itself struck him in a gratuitous multiplication of flesh input” (55)
Gibson makes the similarities of the cyberspace matrix and the human sensorium stark, even going as far to say that the matrix was a simplification of the mind instead of a separate entity.
While comparisons between cyberspace and reality are fine, the protagonist is plagued by one of the differences. Case initially found himself trapped in his flesh when his neurons are damaged by unhappy clients. He was, at least until his neurons are repaired by a later character, no longer able to be a cyberspace cowboy because of this. Gibson uses frequent references to “flesh” to capture Case’s helplessness. “A field of flesh” (46) and “flesh of lost summers” (48) were such quotes that exemplifies this reoccurring motif.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Neuromancer Chapter 1
Gibson describes Ninsei as a dank, filthy city. It is the center for illegal activity and is located in Chiba City, known for technological advancements and commerce. Ninsei, nicknamed Night City, is described as “a deranged experiment in social Darwinism, designed by a bored researcher who kept one thumb permanently on the fast-forward button” (7). The main character, Case, shares that the city is somewhat unlivable in its pace. Things happen so helplessly quick that one often finds his or herself mad or dead. The word “deranged” captures the essence of Night City, which seems to be that of perpetual disorder and chaos while addressing that it was the heart of the darker deeds (ex. Drug dealing, prostitution, etc).
Gibson uses metaphors like “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel” (3) to link technology to the external setting. Case’s prior work is also referred to as “opening windows into rich fields of data” (5). These associations and others of the sort create an image of the matrix as a tangible grid of roads and buildings. This blurs the line between reality and cyberspace, representing Case’s own psychological disarray- something that is drug-induced but seems to also be due to Case’s loss of identity. After his nervous system was damaged by unhappy employers with wartime Russian mycotoxin (6), he is unable to cowboy the matrix. He loses his ability to maneuver cyberspace as he once could before. This loss chafes his mind to the point that his dreams are consumed by it (6).
Gibson uses metaphors like “The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel” (3) to link technology to the external setting. Case’s prior work is also referred to as “opening windows into rich fields of data” (5). These associations and others of the sort create an image of the matrix as a tangible grid of roads and buildings. This blurs the line between reality and cyberspace, representing Case’s own psychological disarray- something that is drug-induced but seems to also be due to Case’s loss of identity. After his nervous system was damaged by unhappy employers with wartime Russian mycotoxin (6), he is unable to cowboy the matrix. He loses his ability to maneuver cyberspace as he once could before. This loss chafes his mind to the point that his dreams are consumed by it (6).
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
In An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce tells a three part story about Peyton Farquhar, who was to be hung under Owl Creek bridge. The story starts out fairly straight-forward. In part I, the reader am immersed in imagery. Peyton Farquhar is identified beyond his physical appearance and pressing circumstance, that being his engagement with a noose above a river. Right before his demise, the reader is taken to part II, which gives the man’s name and assumed reason for his hanging. The third and final part of the story tells Peyton Farquhar’s wishful romance of escape. However, when he is finally reunited with his wife, the story is jolted back to reality; and with the final line “Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge” it is made quite clear that his flight was mere fantasy.
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In Part I of Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, the point of view is, for the most part, third person objective. The reader is given a simple account of the setting and character description. The reader is informed that the story takes place “upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama”. A man, who goes unnamed until the second Part, awaits his hanging. He is described to be a planter of good features. With the amount of meticulous detail included in Part I, the reader is pulled into Bierce’s world. This works efficiently as an introduction to the rest of the story because one is absorbed into the writing before the plot progresses.
With each Part, the story grows more limited in its perspective. In Part II, the reader is given some background. The man at the noose is named as Peyton Farquhar. He is described as being a slave owner from a “highly respected Alabama family” and an avid Southern advocate. Unfortunately, this leads him to his death. He, under a tip from a Federal scout disguised as a Confederate soldier, tries to get driftwood from a bridge that was under Yank supervision with the promise of hanging for anyone who interfered. This is assumed to be his reason for being put to the noose. With Part II, the reader feels more sentimentally drawn to Peyton Farquhar, who he or she now knows more about.
Part III is, until the very last sentence, a climatic account of Peyton Farquhar’s escape. He falls into the river after the noose snaps; and after struggling to get off the rope around his limbs, he avoids gunfire, finds his way home, and is reunited with his wife. His brushes with death were so frequent and his narrow successes so prominent that Part III becomes something like the American folk hero, someone who always gets into and out of death defying situations unscathed. At this point, the reader is supposed to feel somewhat of a sentimental bond with Peyton Farquhar, who is at the last line revealed to have been fantasizing his flight and actually killed at the noose.
=============================================
In Part I of Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, the point of view is, for the most part, third person objective. The reader is given a simple account of the setting and character description. The reader is informed that the story takes place “upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama”. A man, who goes unnamed until the second Part, awaits his hanging. He is described to be a planter of good features. With the amount of meticulous detail included in Part I, the reader is pulled into Bierce’s world. This works efficiently as an introduction to the rest of the story because one is absorbed into the writing before the plot progresses.
With each Part, the story grows more limited in its perspective. In Part II, the reader is given some background. The man at the noose is named as Peyton Farquhar. He is described as being a slave owner from a “highly respected Alabama family” and an avid Southern advocate. Unfortunately, this leads him to his death. He, under a tip from a Federal scout disguised as a Confederate soldier, tries to get driftwood from a bridge that was under Yank supervision with the promise of hanging for anyone who interfered. This is assumed to be his reason for being put to the noose. With Part II, the reader feels more sentimentally drawn to Peyton Farquhar, who he or she now knows more about.
Part III is, until the very last sentence, a climatic account of Peyton Farquhar’s escape. He falls into the river after the noose snaps; and after struggling to get off the rope around his limbs, he avoids gunfire, finds his way home, and is reunited with his wife. His brushes with death were so frequent and his narrow successes so prominent that Part III becomes something like the American folk hero, someone who always gets into and out of death defying situations unscathed. At this point, the reader is supposed to feel somewhat of a sentimental bond with Peyton Farquhar, who is at the last line revealed to have been fantasizing his flight and actually killed at the noose.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Poetry in Pop Culture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9_6IODy0mU&feature=PlayList&p=1F0C875A1B74AB07&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=9
I was introduced to this clip in 10th grade English while studying Edgar Allan Poe. I don't remember understanding it any better after the clip, I was too distracted by the animation. But knowing that the poem was referenced to in The Simpsons made it easier to study it in class.
http://britanick.com/videos.php
The parody pair, Brian and Nick, created a video that recites more excerpts from different literary works than I know of. Ranging from Shakespeare to Dr. Seuss, there is a motley of verses in the video. I can't say that the video peaked my interest or helped me understand any one poem; but it was fun watching something that I could say "Oh! I remember that quote!" to while still being entertained.
I was introduced to this clip in 10th grade English while studying Edgar Allan Poe. I don't remember understanding it any better after the clip, I was too distracted by the animation. But knowing that the poem was referenced to in The Simpsons made it easier to study it in class.
http://britanick.com/videos.php
The parody pair, Brian and Nick, created a video that recites more excerpts from different literary works than I know of. Ranging from Shakespeare to Dr. Seuss, there is a motley of verses in the video. I can't say that the video peaked my interest or helped me understand any one poem; but it was fun watching something that I could say "Oh! I remember that quote!" to while still being entertained.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
In “All Watched over by Machines of Loving Grace”, Richard Brautigan creates an account of what could potentially be should technology develop at the rate it is now. His bias, while on the surface very pro-technology, seems almost exaggerated, making it somewhat sarcastic and therefore less enthusiastic about technology than originally perceived.
Brautigan repeats at the beginning of each stanza that the sooner mankind is “watched over by machines of loving grace”, the better. The insistence of this sentiment overemphasizes its content and instead of advocating it makes it seem quite silly. The ending of the poem, a reiteration of the title, is a paradox. What differs man from machine is man’s innate ability to feel. Even if/when artificial intelligence becomes feasible, a machine can never do anything in “loving grace”. It simply does what it is programmed to do. By presenting what a machine can never do, Brautigan forces the reader to rethink the viability of machine and man coexisting in “mutually programming harmony”.
Alternatively, Brautigan is simply impatient for technology to develop to the point where it replaces the living workforce so that man can live life fulfilling his most primitive instincts like his “mammal brothers and sisters”. In this case, the author is very blatant about his desires.
I believe that Brautigan is trying to say that a society that relies too heavily on technology is detrimental. His enthusiasm seems too exaggerated to be taken literally and the impossibility of a machine doing something in loving grace makes me think that he means quite the opposite of the poem’s surface value.
Brautigan repeats at the beginning of each stanza that the sooner mankind is “watched over by machines of loving grace”, the better. The insistence of this sentiment overemphasizes its content and instead of advocating it makes it seem quite silly. The ending of the poem, a reiteration of the title, is a paradox. What differs man from machine is man’s innate ability to feel. Even if/when artificial intelligence becomes feasible, a machine can never do anything in “loving grace”. It simply does what it is programmed to do. By presenting what a machine can never do, Brautigan forces the reader to rethink the viability of machine and man coexisting in “mutually programming harmony”.
Alternatively, Brautigan is simply impatient for technology to develop to the point where it replaces the living workforce so that man can live life fulfilling his most primitive instincts like his “mammal brothers and sisters”. In this case, the author is very blatant about his desires.
I believe that Brautigan is trying to say that a society that relies too heavily on technology is detrimental. His enthusiasm seems too exaggerated to be taken literally and the impossibility of a machine doing something in loving grace makes me think that he means quite the opposite of the poem’s surface value.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Casabianca Images
List of Images:
A burning ship
A boy standing on a burning deck
His father dead
The boy desperately calling for his father’s orders
In Felicia Hermans poem, Casabianca, the reader is immersed in a powerful, chaotic scene where flames lick every crevice of a burning ship while a boy, faithful to his father, stands bravely on its deck. With each stanza, the boy’s death is made more inevitable. The reader is frequently reminded of the fire that grew with time. However, he is adamant to follow his father’s orders to stay on the ship. He calls three times for his father before the flames overcome the vessel and destroy it completely. At that point, only “the winds that far around” know what has become of him.
Hermans uses effective, visual imagery to depict the boy and his hapless situation. The most effective image created by the poem is that of the boy calling out while flames rage around him. He looks “in still, yet brave despair” for his father’s impossible response, unaware that his predecessor was dead. He is not devoid of fear. His words contain certain urgency. However, because he is too petrified to move or too loyal to stray (or perhaps both), he stays where he is and, with the ship, succumbs to the flames.
This image best captures the essence of Casabianca because, while death is a common motif, as expected of a poem of war, its existence or certainty does not seem to be the point that Hermans is trying to convey. Instead, the ballad is more about the boy’s bravery rather than his demise. He is described as “a creature of heroic blood”, someone “born to rule the storm”; and at the end of the poem, the reader is made not to dwindle on the boy’s death and is concluded with “the noblest thing that perished there was that young, faithful heart”. In his passing, he is immortalized.
A burning ship
A boy standing on a burning deck
His father dead
The boy desperately calling for his father’s orders
In Felicia Hermans poem, Casabianca, the reader is immersed in a powerful, chaotic scene where flames lick every crevice of a burning ship while a boy, faithful to his father, stands bravely on its deck. With each stanza, the boy’s death is made more inevitable. The reader is frequently reminded of the fire that grew with time. However, he is adamant to follow his father’s orders to stay on the ship. He calls three times for his father before the flames overcome the vessel and destroy it completely. At that point, only “the winds that far around” know what has become of him.
Hermans uses effective, visual imagery to depict the boy and his hapless situation. The most effective image created by the poem is that of the boy calling out while flames rage around him. He looks “in still, yet brave despair” for his father’s impossible response, unaware that his predecessor was dead. He is not devoid of fear. His words contain certain urgency. However, because he is too petrified to move or too loyal to stray (or perhaps both), he stays where he is and, with the ship, succumbs to the flames.
This image best captures the essence of Casabianca because, while death is a common motif, as expected of a poem of war, its existence or certainty does not seem to be the point that Hermans is trying to convey. Instead, the ballad is more about the boy’s bravery rather than his demise. He is described as “a creature of heroic blood”, someone “born to rule the storm”; and at the end of the poem, the reader is made not to dwindle on the boy’s death and is concluded with “the noblest thing that perished there was that young, faithful heart”. In his passing, he is immortalized.
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