Science fiction is a very unique and significant/relevant/crucial/necessary genre in modern society. Science fiction, despite its specific predictions of contemporary society being “wildly inaccurate”, stands out almost exclusively as being a tool of social commentary/criticism. It is almost paradoxical that the genre that lends itself to ideas that are seemingly impossible and unrealistic ¬- bears the most social relevance in today’s society. The ideas, themes and representations portrayed in science fiction can be used to deconstruct, analyze and understand contemporary society. This essay will analyze three of Isaac Asimov’s science fiction texts, namely A Boys best friend; Sally and True Love, showcasing how this genre and specifically theses three texts speak to said contemporary concerns such as our own decadence, greed, quest for knowledge and control
This essay intends to prove that science fiction can be used for the purpose of social commentary on contemporary society, as exhibited in its depiction of the relationship between man and technology; its representation of gender roles and…, through the analysis of three of Isaac Asimov’s science fiction texts, namely A Boys best friend; Sally and True Love,
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According to Herbert Marcuse, a German-American Philosopher, technology is intended as a “social process (138)”, with the implication of “technological rationality”, involved in weakening individuality. Marcuse is concerned with the fate of the individual as technology removes the dignity of the individual by reducing the individual to a “standardized subject of brute self-preservation (150)”, i.e. technology creates a man concerned primarily with self-interest- who will eventually become a replaceable tool. Isaac Asimov’s A Boys Best Friend (1975), Sally (1975) and True love (1975) are three science fiction novels that demonstrate the relationship between man and
The article proposes the Rod Serling was a pioneer in the sci-fi genre and that his work would thrive in today’s film industry. The logos element of the rhetoric triangle stands out the most in the article, as the
Featured in the academic journal Science Fiction Studies, William J. Fanning Jr.’s article “The Historical Death Ray and Science Fiction in the 1920s and 1930s” discusses the prominence of death rays in the post-World War I era. Based on popular media records (i.e. Books, film, literature, news articles, etc.) Fanning makes claims that people at the time were preoccupied with ideas of the ‘next war’ and the potential destruction of humanity via ‘death ray’, defined in the article as any weapon that could cause such harm. Fanning uses the persuasive techniques ethos, logos, and pathos3 to convince the audience of the points he formulates within the article, and ultimately his overall claim that ‘death rays’ were a prominent part of the 1920s and 30s.
In this response paper I will discuss what it means for a something to be a “cultural work” and how Ender’s Game qualifies as one. In particular, that Ender’s Game qualifies as a cultural work for many reasons, but the two I will be specifically focusing on are how our culture values someone who rises above misfortune and the fear of the unknown. In her book, Science Fiction: A Guide for the Perplexed, Sherryl Vint defines a cultural work as “…their role in imagining a world that is in some way different from the one we take for granted and their power to create mythologies that help us grasp the experience of human life in a world dominated by scientific thinking.”
In what X considers to be transitional literature by ABV, ABV mixes science fiction with myth… The end result is a play that By virtue of complex technical devices, Antonio Buero Vallejo effectively portrayed the moral consequences of the Spanish civil war still present thirty years on in his drama El tragaluz. One of the most significant devices used by Buero Vallejo is the dramatization of time. This essay will examine Buero Vallejo’s use of temporality in unveiling the human condition and its demise, the impact of war on the family and what Buero considered the changing values of society in the wake of technological encroachment in the twentieth century.
Nonetheless, traditionally, science fiction had begun as a promotion of positive attitudes towards progress in science and technology. According to research, as the number of female authors in science fiction grows, this influx may not be a result of encouraging physical science and technology. Instead it seems to have a continual growth in social advocacy rather than technical competence. The new wave of feminist literature is a way to attack the traditional sex roles addressed in society. Feminist science fiction has helped women raise awareness and has created discussion in the public regarding the disadvantages of contemporary sex roles and consideration of options for the future (Bainbridge,
Both Neuromancer and Dawn are works of science fiction taking place in the future of our own world. In this way they both provide ways to look at our own society through a different lense. Both Gibson and Butler bring to light many of the problems of our own world through their literature. Two articles are highlighted as well: In her article, Razor Girls: Genre and Gender in Cyberpunk fiction, Lauraine Leblanc addresses the issue of gender as a dichotomous system.
Gender roles play an important role in A Raisin in the Sun. During the time A Raisin in the Sun was written the idea of set in stone positions in a household and society were common. Women were supposed to do house jobs, keep their mouths shut, and support their husbands’ decisions and men were seen as the headman or boss. A Raisin in the Sun shows readers a window into the world where those gender roles have a twist on them. Women in the time of A Raisin in the Sun were supposed to be subservient to men.
Food of the Gods, Starship Troopers, and A Legend of the Future all share common characteristics where the audience can attempt to redefine science fiction. In relation with the three books, there is a strive of perfection affected by human emotions, an idea of dissociation, and a relationship between technology and humankind. To begin with, Food of the Gods is able to express the idea of perfection through boomfood. Herakleophorbia was the next big thing, “a vista of enormous possibilities” as scientist Bensington remarked.
Evil Dead is a science fiction film and it was written and directed by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. It was release in 1981. The movie opens with five youngsters going on a road trip following a map. They are heading to an old abandoned cabin. The tension starts to build when they cross the weak bridge leading to the cabin because they almost had the car fall under the bridge.
I remembered when I was young, there were plenty of movie that has girls play dolls and boys play football. These movies were popular among children that day until now, girls were meant to be soft and boys were meant to be powerful and strong. Then one day, I’ve watched a movie that has a girl play in the football team and I were surprised because it’s the first time that I’ve seen a movie that shows girl can be both femininity and masculinity. This movie has a huge impact on young children behaviour and has influenced children in constructing gender roles in the society. ‘Little Giants’ has shown the characteristic of the main character to be abnormal and changing the gender stereotypes in young audiences’ perspective.
Therefore, Russ’s work is divisive amongst races and, furthermore, to many other feminists’ ideals, to be sure. However, Russ cavils the minimal that are both material feminist and science fiction enthusiasts. Ursula K. LeGuin’s and James Tiptree, celebrated as groundbreaking and revolutionary, in Russ’s eyes were no more than patriarchal works that focused on women instead of the deconstruction of women. Farah Mendelsohn states, “Russ argues that despite the close attention that women authors pay to women characters and to inventing worlds marked by gender equity, the gender stereotypes that pervade science fiction by men show up “just as often” in the science fiction written by women.” Mendelson attributes that some of the assailment could be attributed to competition.
Raisin in the Sun: Gender Roles Defied Following the event of World War Two, America during the 1950s was an era of economic prosperity. Male soldiers had just returned home from war to see America “at the summit of the world”(Churchill). Many Americans were confident that the future held nothing other than peace and prosperity, so they decided to start families. However, the 1950s was also a time of radical changes. Because most of the men in the family had departed to fight in the war, women were left at home to do the housework.
Though Brave New World and Player Piano were originally written in 1931 and 1952 respectively, they, along with dystopia as a genre, remain immensely well-read to this day as thought experiments of societies gone awry. These fictitious accounts continue to be relevant because of their foresightful warnings about the future of reality, each one distinct and thought-provoking. While the two authors formulate their warnings using similar plot structures and techniques, Aldous Huxley writes of societal conformity in Brave New World, and Kurt Vonnegut writes of the consequences of automation in Player Piano. Both warnings emphasize the loss of meaning and purpose in life when faced with the threats of society’s progress. Both Huxley and Vonnegut
In some stories, London highlights "social science fiction," the problems of society, particularly the misuse of workers and the greediness of capitalism. By
Abstract: In most parts of the world, females have always been the victim of oppressive patriarchy and male chauvinism since ages. This problem has been represented by many people through various forms of creations be it art, literature or films. Films are the most popular visual mediums of entertainment through which a large segment of people can be approached. Like literature, a film is also a work of art which mirrors the society, it also depicts the reality of the society though it has some fictionality in it.