Introduction

Final Portfolio Introduction

This course provided me with various new learning experiences and understandings of society, the Cold War, and the science fiction genre. Entering this course my knowledge of the Cold War was minimal and only from the perspective of United States history. Science fiction literature, critical essays, and discussions helped develop my understanding of the Cold War in terms of the societal differences embedded throughout its duration. Science fiction was a genre I had virtually no experience with outside of mainstream movies and television series. This class sparked an interest for me. I plan on continuing long-term. 

I carefully selected my reading posts and guests’ reading posts to follow certain common themes and connections I observed throughout the readings and discussions we have had as a class. The common theme between each of the reading posts is their evaluation of how different stories and texts stress divisions and differences in society due to human nature and flaws. Throughout the course, I have gained the understanding that this is not just due to the fictional elements of the texts or even the division of the societies and culture of the United States and the Soviet Union in the Cold War, but one that has been embedded throughout the history of mankind. 

The reading posts I selected tend to derive from the readings that stressed societal differences the most such as Do Androids Dream of Sheep, Roadside Picnic, The Dispossessed, and Trouble on Triton.  I first began to observe the influence of differences within society as I read Do Androids Dream of Sheep as I came to understand that the “androids” on Earth were virtually human, yet, they were targeted and executed due to their slight genetic differences. Considering a test needed to be given to determine if one was an “android” or human represents how small the differences must be between the two and that they can live in a world in which they both peacefully coexist. Another interesting aspect of society on Earth in this novel is the fact that symbolism of wealth and humanity revolves around humans attempting to show empathy by owning animals. Rick owns a sheep and after it dies he purchases a robotic sheep to create the image that he still has a pet and still is an empathetic and valuable member of society. Animals also show wealth as the cost is extremely high due to how they are viewed in society. I felt like outside of the empathy concept this relates to society today as people chase designers’ brands and overpriced items as symbolism of social status and wealth. One last aspect of Do Androids Dream of Sheep I felt relates to the common theme of societal differences was the discrimination of the less intelligent by classifying them as “chickenheads” who lack the knowledge necessary to leave Earth. Paige O’Connor had an outstanding insight on how the “pure” emigrants sit at the top and somewhere in the middle androids can blend in with the emigrants due to their human-like qualities. However, “chickenheads” are disbarred from society and despite being acknowledged as human, lack relevance or respect. This is symbolism of the cruel discrimination that exists in almost any society and discrimination that is still prominent today. 

In my opinion, the societal differences were similar to Do Androids Dream of Sheep in Roadside Picnic. The society in Roadside Picnic revolves around the “zones” where alien life has created destruction, danger, and highly desired valuable technologies that can only be found in the zones. The Institute for Interaction with Extraterrestrial Cultures is a scientific organization that studies the zone. On the other hand, “stalkers” are perceived as criminals and try to acquire valuable items from the zone for personal gain. The reason I felt as though discrimination exists similarly to the other novels from the reading posts is due to the fact that because of the “stalkers” past wrongdoings they are seen as less than human following their mistakes. For example, “I’m pushing my way through the crowd, almost past it, when I hear, “Hey Stalker!” Well, that has nothing to do with me, so I keep walking, pulling a cigarette from the pack. Someone catches up with me and grabs my sleeve. I shake his hand off, turn halfway toward him, and inquire politely, “What the hell are you grabbing my sleeve for, mister’” (Strugatsky 38). I selected this quote for my blog post because it is an excellent representation of how “stalker” is used almost as a derogatory term and it was one that was found offensive to Redrick. This is a clear representation of the discrimination and differences of humans by each other. Along with this, Vinh had a perspective I had not considered, but one that relates to the common theme I was searching for as he compared Andromeda, Solaris, and Roadside Picnic. This was accomplished by displaying how each has a similar crisis as humans interact with alien life. It is human nature to be curious which is a dominant factor in science fiction that I have observed. From my recent experience, I have begun to make the connection that a majority of science fiction revolves around the natural human desire of curiosity with the unknown. Humans’ desire to outline and discover all of the differences between varying forms of life, culture, or society is dominant throughout the genre. 

My blog post for The Dispossessed and Trouble on Triton demonstrates in my opinion the most dominant portrayal of differences in society and discrimination. In The Dispossessed Shevek is leaving his home of Anarres without popular support to get a better understanding of how virtually a different world functions. As soon as he boards the ship to leave the already is almost frustrated and confused by the cultural differences of those bringing him to A-lo and appears to have a similar confusion of the cultural differences Shevek brings from Anarres. His freedom in Anarres was above and beyond and when he entered the ship one of the first occurrences that troubled him was being locked in a room for his safety. He was beyond frustrated due to his inability to come and go as he wished. The people from A-lo were also more wasteful due to cost management which was something Shevek did not relate to as he was provided with his necessities and they were valued as opposed to being centered on the idea of currency. In Anarres men and women have full equality and can serve the same roles in society. Some of Shevek’s biggest mentors and colleagues were women, however, in A-Lo women have weak roles in society because they are seen as physically and mentally inferior. I referenced the quote “Can’t do the math; no head for abstract thought; don’t belong. You know how it is what women call thinking is done with the uterus” (Le Guin 73) because it shows the absurd ideologies of society in A-lo and discrimination due to gender. This was a shock to Shevek and why A-lo was such a discriminatory place with power rested in the hands of wealthy men. This is very similar to Trouble on Triton as life in Triton was free and people were provided for equally and successfully. In Triton, there was freedom of gender orientation, clothing, image, and acceptance of all. Triton provided its citizens with basic rights such as food and living situations, proper welfare, and lacks unjust taxation for goods or services not used by the people. In contrast, people on Earth have little freedom, men and women dressed to separate one from the other, the welfare system is broken and the culture as a whole is completely different. After reading these novels, I noticed how the works of science fiction consistently appear to favor some sort of socialist political system. The novels outline the variety of benefits the system has and ways in which it is and can be successful. A-lo is a very capitalist state and seems to have problems that exist in today’s society where the rich and powerful dominate and remain at the top of the social hierarchy. By outlining differences between the two societies it is apparent that the political, economic, and social layout of Triton is more favorable than A-lo. 

As I made various comparisons between different works of science fiction I was able to connect these readings to the Cold War often with the help of critical essays we evaluated as a class. Science fiction from the time period often has a goal to prove why the society, politics, and economy in the Soviet Union are superior. “SF and the Thaw” by Istvan Csicsery-Ronay does an excellent job displaying the progression of Soviet literature throughout the period of the Cold War. Stalin censored and limited the science fiction genre due to the power literature can hold on people’s minds. The “thaw” began following his reign as his successor Khrushchev took an opposing approach and used this power to his advantage. The Soviet Union was falling behind the United States intellectually and technologically due to the lack of creativity of the Soviets greatest minds likely due to restrictions. Khrushchev gave the writers back their freedom and valued their input as well as his own and used common determination to strengthen the uniformity of the Soviet Union. The thaw was important to creating literature that can draw people in and with the best minds working together more freely far more was accomplished. This is contrasting to the American approach described by Rana which outlined the Soviet’s as incorrect in order to expand their capitalist agenda. The United States had a desire to eliminate communism as they saw it as a threat similar to the way the Soviets wanted to portray communism as a utopian and superior form of life. These agendas can be seen in almost every piece of science fiction we have read since August. This has allowed me to gather a comprehension of the Soviet point of view of communism through readings such as Trouble on Triton which clearly shows a favorable approach to communism. This also relates to the common theme of the influences and discriminations of different societies and cultures. The different societies try to understand each other but fail to resulting in controversy, discrimination, and confusion. 

This course has developed my ability to connect different readings and strengthened my ability to notice common themes. I was able to enhance my knowledge of the Cold War through a variety of perspectives and connect them to the readings and discussions we have had as a class. I think there are endless possibilities on how to interpret and connect these readings to each other and the Cold War due to the complexity of different societies in each reading. The complexity of each novel along with the ability to discuss different insights and interpretations of each novel is primarily what created a new interest for me in the science fiction genre.