Technology and Post-Technology

Hollywood, television, and popular modern literature are rife with themes regarding the end of the world by the machines that humanity creates in order to have a better life, but the most intriguing aspects of this "man vs. machine" relationship are not found in this physically destructive scenario, but in the way technology can destroy human relationships and a little bit of humanity itself.

I really started to think about how Lahiri addresses this issue after I read the post by Maggie Sully. I really liked the link Maggie makes between light and the barriers between Shoba and Shukumar. After I read her post I really started to think more about the things that were keeping them from restoring some sort of community. Shukumar hides himself in his study with his computer and Shoba watches TV while redlining her papers. Shukumar even cringes when his wife comes to see how is doing, and he longs for his computers during the first night of the power outage. It really seems that technology can partition our lives in such a way that it is difficult to relate to other human beings. I thought that this was briefly illustrated in the Interpreter of Maladies, for Mr. Das seems to only experience the world through books and this appears to greatly inhibit his ability to relate to his wife and children.

I see the dependance on technology as a very similar concept. I'm not sure how this ties into globalism, but I'm sure that many there are many scholars who focus on this relationship. This concept seems to tie into the words of Nipal in Mimic Men when Ralph states that,

"In a city already simplified to individual cells this order is a further simplification. It is rooted in nothing; it links to nothing. We talk of escaping to the simple life. But we do not mean what we say. It is from simplification such as this that we wish to escape, to return to a more elemental complexity."

I love that last line, "elemental complexity"; the complexity that comes with relationships with other human beings not the complexity of computer subroutines. Now don't get me wrong I love technology, but we haven't had computers very long and we clearly do not understand their effect on us. We have colonial and post-colonial literary theories, but is there a technology or post-technology theory? If there is could Lahiri also fit into that category?

Stranger than fiction

I am intrigued by the assertions made by Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak in her article "Wide Sargasso Sea and a Critique of Imperialism", for Spivak seems to suggest that the insanity of Antoinette/Bertha comes as a matter of choice base upon the fact that she realized her place as the crazy character in Emily Bronte Jane Eyre. I thought that this connection was fantastic and it adds relevance and freshness to the gothic literary format. As pointed out in the other assigned article "Modernist Crosscurrents" by Mary Lou Emery the struggle for colonized countries/peoples (this also seems to apply to emigrants) stems from "living between two cultures, [and] belonging to neither completely"(WSS 165). Emery continues by stating that this conflict is what "sociologist have called the 'marginal man': 'one who is poised in in psychological uncertainty between two (or more) social worlds; reflecting in his soul the discords and harmonies, repulsions and attractions of these worlds, one of which is often 'dominant' over the other...'"(WSS 165). This conflict is evident in the character of Antoinette as she struggles with her self and her "other" self. The example highlighted by both articles (the tears of Tia in contrast with the blood of Antoinette) really illustrates the doubling found in the novel. So, not only does Antoinette struggle with identity due to the conflict in cultures, but Spivak points out how Antoinette's out of character self assessment gives credence to another reason for her "lunacy". From her statement, "now at last I know why I was brought here and what I have to do", we can make the judgement that Antoinette is talking about being in England, but Spivak seems to suggest that the line describing the "cardboard house" is a metaphor for the Emily Bronte's novel, "a book between two cardboard covers". Spivak continues by saying that Antoinette's realization is the fact that "she must play out her role, act out the transformation of her "self" in to that fictive Other, set fire to the house and kill herself, so that Jane Eyre can become the feminist individualist heroine of British fiction" (WSS 243). Thus her mental collapse is an act of destiny spelled out by the hand of an author. Through this interpretation of Antoinette's words, her act can be seen as courageous; however, it also highlights her need to fit into some aspect of the world she sees, and her life can in a sense only be complete once she makes her decision and actually becomes a part of something instead of being caught between two cultures that do not really want to include her. This weird connection between Antoinette's life and the character Bertha in Bronte's novel kind of reminds me of the movie Stranger than Fiction where the main characte

r (played by Will Farrel) has to determine if his life is a comedy or a tragedy written by a popular author. At first he thought he was going crazy, but as he made the connection between his life and the narration of the author, he courageously faced his destiny. Fortunately for him he survives his decision to face his destiny whereas Antoinette burns in the house.

We had an interesting discussion on Tuesday about the Sargasso Sea, and it caused me to do a little digging of my own. I found a great picture online that shows the extent of the sea and the currents that border it. However, this picture makes it look like there it nothing but weeds filling this entire area. Here is a link that shows some of the sea life that is found in this area. There is a picture that shows the extent of the weeds found in the sea (notice while the patch is dense it doesn't extend for miles). Although that would be pretty cool. http://www.bigelow.org/bacteria/teach/data_orgs3.html

I was really interested in the article by Rachel L. Carson found in the back of our reader. I thought for sure the article was written with the novel in mind, but as we discovered in class Carson's article was published many years before the novel. I love it when ideas cross time and space. It seems to give them more validity than any research or modern explanation can offer to a subject. I remember learning about the philosophy of Confucius in another class and I was amazed at the similarities his philosophies shared with Plato/Socrates who were thousands of miles away at approximately the same time. Many chalk these coincidences up a the natural order of civilization, but there seems to be something more sublime in it than the idea that civilizations will come up with similar ideas at similar stages of there evolution. I am much more romantic and tend to take a more hermetic approach to such connections.

Well, I guess late is better than never. To steal the thunder from Shrek, Heart of Darkness is a good book that is constantly reanalyzed because it is like an onion (it's layered). Honestly the first time I read Heart of Darkness I was not a big fan. It may have been the fact that I was reading it from a Norton Anthology that had a 6 point font and wide pages which caused me to keep reading the same line over and over, or it may have been the fact that Conrad doesn't present his dialogue in nice broken lines. Whatever the reason was, I didn't start to really appreciate the greatness and complexity of this short piece until the second time through (it probably didn't hurt that I had read several other books in the mean time that got me more accustomed to literary allusions, and the ways in which good authors play off of other authors and ideas to form new possibilities). A problem that always arises in my mind as I read this book is the apparent lack of action from the character of Marlow. Instead of ever really doing anything that would have helped the "poor savages", he seems content enough to retell the story of his journey and the notable Mr. Kurtz and his gift of eloquence. Obviously it is Kurtz's character that contains most of the message behind the story, but non the less Marlow's attitude remains disturbing. During his oratory Marlow constantly gives accounts of the poor circumstances of the natives and he even seems to show some remorse for them, but he never does one thing about it.

Maybe this lack of action is just a product of his time and society. While it is a cop-out these factors do go a long way in describing a person. It was interesting to see the thoughts and opinions of Conrad's contemporaries, for they made Marlow's inaction look downright saintly in comparison. Many looked at Africa as a lost cause that would never be civilized and must therefore be exploited by the "civilized" portions of the world, while others tried to explain why the Europeans were superior to the "savages" around the globe. I was dumbfounded by a particular analysis of this, for I had just heard a similar argument on NPR about a month ago (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106697286). I distinctly remember rolling my eyes and thinking to my self what will they come up with next as I listened to the radio, but as the study was presented I was intrigued by their use of logic and reason (they had some interesting statistics to back up their claims); however, I was not one hundred percent convinced, so when I heard the summary for the article/excerpt "Are Humans one Race or Many" by Alfred Russel Wallace I was amazed by the similarities of the articles/studies. While the recent study had empirical data collected from the study, Wallace's article seems to stem from strict conjecture and opinion (based on scientific reason of course). I grinned as I reread the News article on NPR's website, for the comments posted after the article greatly resembled the thoughts and attitudes of our class in response to Wallace. So I guess the real question isn't the validity of the argument in either article, but whether or not the new study on warm weather and economy (as opposed to warm weather and race) will have any greater success.

I never imagined that I would be blogging. I continually make fun of my wife and her "blog stalking", but I am willing to give anything a chance. Along with being married I have 3 beautiful little girls. Our oldest is 5 and the two "babies" (our wonderful twin girls) are 2. They are the loves of my life. One of my favorite things to do is read with my girls. Hopefully my love of reading will continue with my kids. I love to read because it allows me to explore and experience the culture and perspective of people I probably would never have a chance to meet. I love the security I feel living here in the United States, but I also know that I live a very sheltered life. Reading is my attempt to broaden my horizons; along with reading I love classical music, fly fishing, cross country skiing and golf. There is another very long list of things I like to do, but who has time to pursue everything that peeks some interest.