October 29th: Butler and Nogha

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• Free eBooks from the Library on Moodle2

Today's Plan

We're going to go over the two stories and possibly see a clip from a movie. We'll be discussing William Gibson's Neuromancer next week, so you should already have started on that--it's 270+ pages. Gibson coined the term cyberspace in the 1980s, so he's important to contemporary understandings of reality and virtual reality (aka. augmented reality). But, wait! Don't we all live in the same reality?

Also, Test 2 is on Thursday (10/31). It's my Halloween Treat to you, so you're welcome.

Octavia Butler's "Speech Sounds" (1983)

Another post-apocalyptic vision of Los Angeles. Like our other recent stories, this one isn't about space exploration or hi-tech gadgets; instead, it's about humans. Butler projects American anti-intellectualism into an imagined dystopic world where literacy is almost wiped out for humans, and people resent others with abilities and literacies they themselves don't have. Let's look at the some key areas of the text before moving on to a historical-cultural reading.

• Family
• Status of Women
• Education and Literacy

Absent fathers not considered a social ill

In 1965, (future) Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action" (aka. The Moynihan Report). One of its positions was that the Black family (and African American progress overall) was in jeopardy because black fathers weren't sticking around to raise children. Moynihan even claimed that black men were being emasculated by black women and left to avoid the social stigma of not being the paterfamilias--male head of the household. There's a lot to the report, but it is consider a main source of (white America's) ideas concerning problems with Black families. Of course, that's not the whole story...is it ever? The prevailing idea that exists in the minds of many (black and white) to this day is that fatherless, single-mother families are a detriment to a child's success--meaning economic status. Ask your sociology professors for more detail, but this is the main legacy of the report, and it's often criticized for not looking at poverty closer.

Feminist critique. It's not that simple. The conclusion, viewed through a feminist lens, uncovers patriarchal bias, specifically, the notion that a man must be head of household. Thinking back to our critiques of heteronormativity, the two-parent imperative dominates American culture. Butler's story actually refutes that myth. Read the following closer:

• Neighbor across the street
• Obsidian--savior who dies
• Murdered mother teaching language
• Rye "adopting" the children

Language Constructing Thought and Action

The Anthology editors claim that Butler's story follows "the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis...one's language determines how one think and acts in the world" (p. 567). There's more to this, and I encourage you to take linguistics courses if you're interested in the science of language and theories of language and language usage. For our purposes, we need to consider how having a name for something, being able to communicate an idea, limits or expands our communication abilities. Without words (language) we don't have names for concepts or the ability to convey those concepts.

Language provides us with concepts that can be liberating: egalitarianism, equality, freedom, etc. Language also is limited in its ability to communicate specifics: egalitarianism, equality, freedom, etc. Notice the quandary of that contradiction? The word Liberalism is an important word to discuss. Its usage has changed over time, but it is important for Western Democracies because it espouses the belief that people aren't just subjects of the State. Before this concept, the idea of civil rights and freedom weren't consider; citizens were subject to the rule of the divinely ordained monarch. Isn't it funny how both main political parties in America argue over definitions of freedom?

Language is also limiting when it comes to gender. The long-standing usage of 'man' to refer to 'humanity' is a patriarchal construction--male dominance. Using 'he' as the default is a symptom of patriarchal culture because it identifies men as the standard; therefore, women are the secondary sex. Let's look at a word history that will help discuss gender. What word should we look up on the OED.com? (the searchable OED Online only opens up on campus or after you've logged on through Atkins Library's remote logon)

Misha Nogha's "Chippoke Na Gomi" (1989)

The Anthology Editors tell us the title is Japanese for "tiny, small, petty dust" (p. 631). The title is an understatement because the dust isn't a small, petty issue--it's actually a MAJOR concern. Authors sometimes use understatement for ironic effect to give the reader clues as to how to read/interpret the work.

Because the main character is a dust specialist--konologist (p. 632)--readers can assume by the title name that his work is unimportant or, at least, his approach isn't appropriate or humanist. There could be a comment that he's spending too much time on the minutia of dead things as opposed to paying attention to the living or the bigger picture of the effects of nuclear war. There's a theme that runs through American culture that science and the pursuit of scientific knowledge make scientists ignore human complexity and lose touch of more important matters (usually human connection). Does this contradict Butler's observation that America is anti-intellectual and that's harmful to humanity? How might we reconcile the two? As you reflect on the short story, consider the main character not as a hero to mimic but a warning.

Dream Sequence

The best way I can describe this story is as a dream with interruptions of instances that refer to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The woman the narrator meets in the train station is described as "all flat...like a shadow" after he sees "a shadow etched against the wall...a shadow of a missing person bent over in thought"(p. 631). At the end of the story, the shadow woman turns to ash, to dust, and "her shadow remains permanently scorched into the station wall" (p. 636). What other story had silhouettes on a wall? Sept. 24th's Page

In the next few weeks, we'll be getting into narratives about reality (what is real) and how authors represent altered realities using dream sequences or dream-like situations. This story's meaning is in the main character's dream. Consider the following:

• Dust is everywhere--it even delays the train (p. 633).
  • "The train roars in and pulls away while he is still kneeling in the station with a handful of crematory ash" (p. 636)
• Remnants of the dead all around him Memorial to the dead: "Boats of lantern fire" (p. 633)
  • Ohta River Memorial picture
  • Art Memorial
  • His shoes "covered with the victims of Nagasaki" (p. 635)
  • "In the cloud, thousands of faces, ancestors come for Bon mitsuri" (p. 635)
  • Isn't dust just human skin? Yes, but that's only part of it--dust myths.
• Charred (carbonized) wood and bones
  • "Carbonized timbers and beams..." (p. 632)
  • "A field of carbonated bone" (p. 635)

Bob Dylan: "Forget the dead you've left / they will not follow you." ("It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" [1965]). Actually, they surround you. They are dust that accumulates all around us. In this story, the dust is constantly swirling around, and, just like the dust in "The Heat Death of the Universe," it keeps coming back.

Japanification of American Culture

This story was published during a period when American manufacturing (especially automobile manufacturing) was surpassed by Japanese automakers. In terms of entertainment, video games were dominated by Japanese companies. The growth of the Japanese economy led many Americans to believe that the Japanese would continue to dominate trade and, thus, become a hegemonic power. Pop culture was full of examples (especially sci fi texts that projected contemporary America into the future) where the Japanese were calling the shots and heavily influencing American politics, entertainment, and industry. Of course, just as Americans lump the peoples from countries in East Asia and refer to them as "Asian" and don't take time to understand or just gloss over the differences among these cultures, the 1980s speculators about Japanese hegemony influencing America into the future were wrong...it's actually the Chinese who carry more influence in America.*

*Disclaimer: In order to understand the ironic tone in the above statement, you have to have been in class listening carefully. I'm being facetious and calling out ALL of us who lump groups together and stereotype. Going along with the anti-intellectualism of America, there was a popular song that made it a virtue of not knowing "the difference between Iraq and Iran." At least go to wikipedia and look it up!

Moodle2 Prompt--one day extension (11/01)

Education, Language, Intellectualism

You have until Friday (11/01) at Midnight because Test 2 is on Thursday (10/31). You certainly have a thing or two to say about your educational experience. This week's readings aren't directly about formal education, but they are about literacy (or literacies) among, of course, other themes. We talked in class about ways of knowing and cultural attitudes regarding intellectualism. Even though there is an attitude of anti-intellectualism in American culture, the value of Education is promoted. In a democracy (in theory), an enlightened, knowledgeable citizenry is important because the government is voted for by the People.

Even if you aren't inspired by this week's readings, you can certainly come up with a 250-word reflection about your experience with education.

Test 2 on Thursday (10/31)

You have Test 2 on Thursday (10/31)! It will open at 8:00 am and should only take 30 minutes, but you have 75 minutes. You won't come to class to take it because it'll be on Moodle2.

Make sure you have reliable access to a computer with an Internet connection. There won't be any extensions for easily avoidedable Moodle2 related issues. Sometimes, Moodle2 doesn't let you on, so you hit refresh or reopen your browser, and you can get on. I don't recommend waiting until 10:45 pm before you start the Test. Get on to Moodle2 early to make sure you can. If you have an issue, call the IT Help Desk. Don't wait until the last minute.

Additionally, the following excuses won't count: "there's no wifi in my building," "my laptop crashed," "my dog chewed the Ethernet cable," "I forgot," "I was studying for another test," "we were supposed to get online and take Test 2...," etc. You have plenty of time to find a place with reliable Internet access. However, choose wisely because once you start Test 2, you can't go back to it on another computer--you can't log back in. If you have issues, you can't expect me to be available to solve them immediately. I expect Test 2 will go according to plan just as Test 1 and the Midterm Exam did.

Test 2 is closed book, closed note, closed partner, closed Internet (except, of course, logging onto Moodle2). Obviously, I can't possibly watch every single one of you. However, if you spend time going through notes, the readings, the class Web site, or talking with another person, you'll most likely run out of time. For more information about Academic Integrity policy for UNCC Students, go to http://integrity.uncc.edu/.

Next Week

Keep up with your reading. Of course, Test 2 in on Thursday (10/31), but you should have started reading William Gibson's Neuromancer, which we'll discuss next week...Happy Halloween!

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