Blade Runner

Blade Runner, Frankenstein and R.U.R. are very similar in that they all create artificial life in human image only to exploit their life. Humans are made in God's image and man is copying that image in those stories. Why don't the scientists create a new life in their eyes, why is it always under God's image? Its because man is selfish so the human image is what is comfortable to us. There has to be a more efficient design than the human design, for example the uselessness of an appendix or other minor evolutionary errors. This is why the robots/creatures revolt, they look, act, and feel what humans do but are treated as lessors.

Roy let Deckard live because Deckard is a replicant himself. There are many suggestions through out the movie such as how emotionless Deckard can be or Roy's remark of them having the same eyes. He also developes more emotions through the length of the film such as love. Rachel the female replicant did not know she was a replicant either so that means Deckard could be a "special" replicant also. Deckards purpose could have been to fight rogue replicants in a fire versus fire manner since the replicants were faster and stronger than humans. Just as Frankenstein did not know that his science was impossible because no one told him, it allowed him to achieve the impossible. Deckard's strength and speed would look human only because he believed he was human so he acted human. By acting human and believing he was human it allowed him to have faith and love among many other human characteristics that the other replicants did not acquire.

ENG 3 Feb 16 + Frankenstein evidence

“Frankenstein” Evidence

Sorry its late. I did not see the post for this blog until tonight.

Victor attempts to play god and creature artificial life. A feat that has been said to be impossible is actually done by Victor. His creature is abandoned and left to survive on its own and thrust upon the world with no knowledge. The creature manages to survive and learn about humans on its own. Then the creature wants to hurt Victor for hurting him. By abandoning the creature, the creature wants to take revenge and make Victor feel as isolated and alone as he did.

The creature just is looking for Victor to approve of him and not think that he is an abomination. The creature goes through various ways to reach out to Victor after he was abandoned. The end result however was the creature killing Victor’s family because no matter what the creature did Victor would never approve.

Victor was not the only person to think that the creature was an abomination and should be destroyed. Most of the human society that the creature should be destroyed. The only reason they believed so was because of the way the creature looked. The blind old man could not see the creature and therefore believed he was a good-hearted friend. The creature acted just like a human but because he did not look exactly like one he was not accepted which made him want to hurt Victor even more.

Everything that the monster learned made him hate Victor even more because of the way he was treated especially after he felt companionship with the old man. Its almost like the monster hates Victor for creating him in the first place knowing that he wasn’t going to be accepted by society. This is why Victor could not tell anyone about the creature (before the creature killed Justine). His practices about creating the monster were looked down upon before he even started. Victor’s father didn’t even approve of higher learning in general. The rest of the science community was under the false knowledge that creating life was impossible so it wasn’t even attempted.

ENG 3 Feb 23 HW

In both books Humans play god and make successful attempts to create artificial intelligence. The creations learn about human society and try to imitate them. In “Frankenstein” the creature observes human which is how he learns to speak and feel more emotions. However the creature is shunned from human society because of his grotesque appearance. After always being hurt by humans he begins to feel anger and hatred killing humans in attempt to hurt his creator. In “R.U.R” the humans create robots to do their work. At first no emotions or free will seems apparent but the robots seem to develop emotions and free will down the line. Both creations just want to be equals in society. Humans still deny both creations free will and acceptance in society so the creations believe that they should be above humans because they are faster, smarter and stronger in everyway. This leads to the creations trying to take over by force, killing humans.

The outcomes of both creations in “Frankenstein” and “R.U.R” would have been completely different if the creators had just accepted them as equals. In “Frankenstein” Victor abandons the creature leaving it to survive on its own, causing the creature to resent Victor. In “R.U.R.” the robots are treated as slaves rather than equals to humans, which again causes resentment towards humans. Both creatures just want accepted by their creators as equals and not to be resented themselves.

The creators always try to create a human substitute but when they succeed they do not react with love and amazement. Instead they think of the creations as less than human even though they are human substitutes. Humans try and imitate themselves but every time they come close they are filled with resentment and never treat the creations as equals.

ENL 3 + Owl Creek Bridge

"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierces alternates between different points of view to give the reader details from the main point of views. The story begins with the 3rd person point of view depicting the overall setting and putting all of the characters in there designated places. By portraying this point of view the reader is given a background for what is to come in the story. This way the reader can use this setting as a building block for the rest of the story which allows the reader to become more enticed in the story. However this mode of presentation is very limited in the sense of how vague it is to the individual characters in this short story.
Towards the end of part one the view transits to Peyton Farquhar the man who is about to be hanged. This slowly builds a relationship to Farquhar by giving sympathy to man who is soon to be executed. The view stays remotely the same in part II and gives background to Farquhar in an attempt to reveal how he has plotted to burn down the bridge so his execution is justified. At the same time the glimpse of the past leaves the reader wondering how he was caught. The background that this builds is with the main character rather than a literal background, again relating more to the main character but still enough to leave the reader with questions. By leaving a bit of mystery the reader is allowed to offer there own opinion and changes what each reader obtains from the story.
The biggest shift is in part III where the reader almost becomes Farquhar following his every move and thought. This transition drastically improves the relationship between the reader and Farquhar by giving the reader empathy towards Farquhar. The reader wants to cheer on Farquhar's escape so he can go home to his family. Scared for him while he is being shot at and hoping he does not get shot. The reader then gets attached to Farquhar so when the dream comes to an end the reader finds out he was hanged they are actually upset. By giving the reader a false hope assuming he got away and then stripping them of that hope to find out he actually died. After getting the reader emotionally attached and then using those emotions to intensify the devastating the effect of his death upon the reader.

ENG 3 Jan 21 Homework + Machinima

Langston Hughes poem "Suicide Note" being Machinimized now gives a universal face to the poem. Now when people read the poem after having previously viewed the video the readers can all relate to the same imagery. In a sense this unifies the readers/viewers of this poem/video because they now can relate together instead of everyone having their own seperate images or outtakes on the poem. However, with this unification of the readers there is no sense of independence to where others can input their own ideas about the poem. The video was made under the vision of one person and now people would conform to that one persons interpretation of the poem. By adding a face to the poem the viewers of the video see and hear what the maker wants them to. Taking out the room for ones own interpretation of the poem is not what poetry is meant to do, it is meant to allow for people to interpret the poem in there own views and affect them in their own personal ways. For example, the tone in the poem is more of a tranquil or peaceful sense where the person in the poem is almost content with committing suicide. Where as the video seems to be sad because of the characters movements and the song added to the poem. The Machinima version of the poem differs from the true version of the poem in that it is just someones opinion of the poem not Hughes himself. This makes the machinima version just an interpretation of the poem instead of the intended meaning of the poem from Hughes.

References to poetry can be found in almost all pop culture. Many music groups have made songs based off of poems or televisions series been made from ideas from poems. The Simpsons, the longest running television show around has made several episodes that have contained references to poems. In one episode where the family gets a tour of a military base, one of the cadets is quoting the poem "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats. Lisa reconizes the quote and begins to talk of poetry and how her school never talks about it. By referencing a poem the episode has more depth because it can go beyond the television screen and into the poetry world. This also can allow for people who know of the poem to relate more to the episode and trigger ones interest even further. Making references to poetry seems to be a great technique to lure people into a series or a song just as poetry has always lured so many into its own world.

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ENG 3 Jan 14 Homework

ENG 3 Jan 14 Homework

Richard Brautigan’s poem “All watched over by machines of loving grace” is against technology. The three stanzas start with “I like to think…” followed by little remarks in parenthesis gives the poem a satirical tone. Brautigan uses this tone to give the sense of things seeming to be too good to be true. According to the poem machines have been given the power equivalent to a God in which is signified through the use of the word “grace.” Grace has been defined as a blessing to which a higher power gives favor to an inferior being. This would revert the human society to a simpler state of living in which the machines possess all control. On another note, being “free of our labors” and living in “harmony” is too good to be true. Machines cannot be programmed with love and if so, some one would still need to take care of the machines. If the machines fell then the society would also fall if no one were there to watch over the machines.

“All watched over by machines of loving grace” by Richard Brautigan is a poem of tranquility and peace. Most, if not all, of the imagery presented in the poem would be found in a state of utopia. In a perfect world where nothing goes awry, everyone is free of labors and the people have the liberty to “[Return] to our mammal brother and sisters.” People would be tended to by “machines of loving grace” freeing all people of their troubles. The tone of tranquility and the sense of all troubles being relieved from technological advancements produces a pro-technology message. This would be the ultimate goal set by humanity for machines.

The anti-technology interpretation is more convincing because when things seem to good to be true, they most commonly are. A utopian world where everything lives in harmony has yet to exist. The only way for machines to be capable of “watch[ing] over” people would be to have an artificial intelligence as to adapt to the changing world. However something that has the capability to think on its own would not be content with being a slave. Even if the machines did have artificial intelligence, someone would have to take care of the machine implying that humans will always be the dominant species. This person could possibly be bitter that he is not free of his labors or realize he has the power to control society. Eventually the utopia would collapse from a variety of reasons. The poem “All watched over by machines of loving grace” is mocking the thought of a utopian society and gives the impression of foreshadowing the imminent collapse of a utopia.