(Kha's Reflection Blog #9) Tuesday - October 31st

 What Is The Meaning Behind The Dystopia of Oryx and Crake & How Does It Connect To The Real World?

Personal Interpretation: 😲💬😓

- The beginning of the story was calming and relaxing in a way that purposefully swayed the reader away from the fact that it is a story that takes place post-human extinction. The vivid imagery of the surroundings that "Snowman" sees and experiences gives off a very peaceful kind of vibe. However, as I got deeper into the story, it was clear that many unorthodox factors contributed to how Snowman, the last human male on Earth, ended up where he was in a world with many unique and dangerous creations that ended humankind. This book has a unique story plot because many stories or movies often focus on the journey before human extinction due to some kind of natural disaster, while Oryx and Crake is a story about reflecting and living in the post-extinction world while connecting to the ideas of the past and the present. Throughout the story, the reader can know the general overview of the circumstances regarding the ideas of how and why the story takes place. Based on the flashback of "Snowman," we were able to know that he was once a human male named "Jimmy." Coming from a somewhat wealthy family, Jimmy is quite oblivious to many aspects regarding himself and his family. This major factor would eventually serve as his demise because he had never taken action to shed light on many of his inner monologues or thought processes. Looking at the post-extinct world, it is clear that human inventions and beliefs had ultimately led to their own death: bringing birth to man unethical creations such as "pigoons" pig-like animals with organs growing within them, waiting to be harvested. This is just one of the many in this post-extinction world, Jimmy resides in. 

Class Discussion: 👀😞😱

- During the discussion regarding the dystopia concepts that surround this book, Dr. Morrison talks about how those who are pursuing a major in STEM have a somewhat unique linkage to the story of Oryx and Crake. This idea in itself is quite interesting because how can being in a STEM major directly link to the end of humankind? This was the question that I asked myself when that question was proposed. However, it is clear that whoever caused the extinction in the book to occur was most likely someone who is extremely knowledgeable about the world and every species that lives on it. This is really scary because human potential is limitless, so when it comes to having access to such knowledge, especially within the STEM department, who knows what can or will happen as time progresses? When it comes to information regarding "life" as a whole on this planet, it is very concerning to see how much information scientists and many other human beings have gained throughout history. This made me wonder if the process of learning and understanding the world around us would eventually end in "us" as knowledgable human beings destroying the thing that had made us in the first place: Earth. So, knowledge being the one element that evolves humans to where they are in the present day would ironically be the factor that also ends humanity itself? 

Thank you for reading ✌,

Kha