Final Blog!!!

I learned a ton of fun things about science fiction this semester. First, I actually learned what science fiction is, and now understand the difference between science fiction and fantasy! That was probably the most important thing I learned this semester. Along with that, I have now learned what extrapolation, xenophobia, paradox, and the frankenstein complex are! It was a fun class with fun readings and a lot of interesting learning.

My preconceptions of science fiction definitely changed a lot this semester. Originally, I thought there was very little, if no difference between science fiction and fantasy. However, after this semester, I now know that science fiction is intended to be more realistic than fantasy and people's problems are solved through science, not magic, like it is in fantasy stories. I also would have never guessed there were so many subcategories of science fiction! I definately underestimated how big science fiction really is!

I had lots of fun in science fiction this semester. I really enjoyed learning about all the different elements, from extrapolation to time travel. However, I think our most interesting and fun unit was the one on xenophobia. I really liked reading Ender's Game and doing the project that goes along with it. It made me wonder how humans would react if we did ever encounter aliens. Would we be able to stay calm and make peace with them? Would we fight them? Or would our technology not be superior enough to defeat them? I really enjoy the thought of there being life somewhere else in the universe. After xenophobia, I really liked the time travel unit, and I think the most relevant thing I learned in this class is that travel back in time is not possible, but travel forward in time may become possible.

I had a great time, and thought this was a great class! Thanks for an awesome semester!

The City on the Edge of Forever and Carl Sagan Interview

This two pieces of literature were very interesting. They both connected to our class definition of science fiction because they include time travel, a futuristic, but not totally irrational, idea.

The film clip, The City on the Edge of Forever, was very fun and I enjoyed watching it. It includes time travel through a sort of worm hole called "The Guardian". Through this portal, Captain Kirk and Spock go back in time to the time of the Great Depression, in hopes of stopping Dr. McCoy from doing whatever he did to mess up the entire future. Because Dr. McCoy did something as small as save a woman from a car accident, it changed the entire future, showing the butterfly effect of time travel. Even though this video was fun to watch, it was not very scientifically accurate. As discussed in the interview with Carl Sagan, the ability to travel backwards in time is pretty much out of the question. It would be too hard to break the time continuum and find a break in the 4th dimension.So even though the episode of Star Trek was interesting, it is not scientifically plausible. On the other hand, time travel into the future may become more possible in the years to come. In the NOVA article, Sagan discussed the twin theory and how travelling at a speed close to the speed of light may allow for someone to age slower than someone on Earth, so when they return, nothing is the same. This idea is very fascinating and seems like it may become possible, but first we must obtain the technology necessary to travel near the speed of light. I enjoyed reading Carl Sagan's interview because it was very interesting and explored some cool ideas.

Both the Star Trek episode and the interview with Carl Sagan were very fun to read. They discuss fascinating topics and were entertaining.

Sound of Thunder, All you Zombies, Into the Universe

All three stories are great examples of science fiction because they all include time travel and paradoxes and are very futuritic. Each story includes advanced technology that allows time travel.

The story Sound of Thunder is a great example of a paradox and the butterfly effect because it shows how the hunter did one small thing and messed up the entire future. He stepped on a little butterfly, which is ironic because it is the butterfly effect, and he ended up messing up the entire future. This story is science fiction because it also includes the technology required for travel into the future. Even though I really enjoyed this story, I was still left with a few questions, like: What did the sound of thunder represent?

The story All you Zombies is also a great example of a paradox and the uses of time travel. Even though it was really hard to follow and a confusing story, it still had great examples of science fiction. In the story, they had the technology to time travel multiple times and exist in multiple ways. It was a good story, but I had a really hard time understanding it.

The video Into the Universe was very interesting. It was really cool to hear from Stephen Hawking. I understand his thoughts about why we cannot travel to the past and why we can travel to the future. I think the ideas that he explored, like the mad scientist paradox, were really interesting and would be cool if they could happen later in life. However, watching this video made me think: What would people do if we were given the chance to time travel? Would people do that a lot? Why would people want to go into the future when everyone is here?

I Borg

The episode of Star Trek that we watched, I Borg, was very interesting. It connected well to our class defininition of science fiction because it involved robots, space travel and is set in a very futuristic time period.

I had a hard time connecting this episode of Star Trek to the Frankenstein Complex. I will say that is was obvious the crew of the starship was afraid of Hugh at first and he is part robot. But I didn't see the Frankenstein Complex because Hugh was not created by someone human. Generally, the Frankenstein Complex is being afraid of something that has been created by humans. However, in this episode, Hugh is not created by a human. We don't even know what he was created by! But he is a borg and naturally the people on board of the starship were afraid of him and tried to find a way to use him to destroy the rest of his kind.

Despite this lack of the Frankenstein Complex, I really liked this episode of Star Trek. It was a little different than all the others and was really interesting and fun to watch. I wish Hugh had stayed on the ship with them!

Reason

The short story Reason was a very interesting story. It can connect to our class definition of science fiction because it involves robots, space travel, and technologies that have not been created by humans yet. It is a futuristic story that is just outside the realm of reality.

Reason is a very good example of the Frankenstein Complex. The creations in question are the robots created by humans on the space station. The two humans on the ship build a new robot who they call QT-1. When they create this robot, they soon realize that it is too intelligent and it starts to rebel against the humans' orders. The commanders begin to develop a fear of their own creation because as it refuses to take orders, it starts treating the humans as lesser beings and doubting their knowledge and the origin of their existence. Another reason why the Frankenstein Complex is prevalent in this story is because QT turns all the robots against humans and makes them worship him and "the master". This provoked more fear in the commanders of the ship because they had ultimately lost control of the entire ship, and despite their best efforts, could not convince QT that they were superior to robots.

I did not like this story too much because the humans gave in to the robots. If it were me in that situation, as soon as I found him controlling the other robots, I would have destroyed him. It is a really scary concept that robots may have the ability to think they are better than humans. However, the story was very interesting and well written.

Measure of a Man

The Star Trek episode: Measure of a Man was a very interesting episode. This entire series can connect to our class definition of science fiction because it includes a robot, Data, space travel, and many technological advancements that are not yet available in our world.

The episode we watched did not really connect to the concept of the Frankenstein Complex because there was no fear of anything created by man. They are all fascinated by and really like Data the robot, who was wanted for testing. The only prominent fear in this episode of Star Trek came from the humans who were scared that Data was going to be tested on, or Data who was afraid he was going to be tested on. The only way I can see this episode of Star Trek connecting to the Frankenstein Complex is through the fear the main commander had for what may be created by the other commander. He was afraid he would build thousands of Datas just so they could be our slaves.

Overall, I really enjoyed this episode of Star Trek. It was really fun to watch, as always, and was very interesting. However, I did not see the clear connection between the episode and the Frankenstein Complex

EPICAC, Eyebem, Mimicry

The three short stories we read were very interesting. They connected to our class definition of science fiction because all three were futuristic and contained robots that are not available yet, but may be eventually in the future.

All three stories were very good examples of the Frankenstein complex. In EPICAC, a super computer has been created and can compute anything for the humans that run it. However, EPICAC begins to develop and compute emotion, which is were the fear of it starts to set in. It develops a love for one of the people who work with it, and in the end self-destructs. Eyebem is a good example of the Frankenstein complex because near the end of the story, while stranded in the snow with a man, Eyebem tells him that the robots, like Eyebem, are actually the superior race to the humans and will eventually take over the world because they are more powerful and more reliable. This would provoke fear because the robot believes it is better and more capable than human beings. The final story, Mimicry is an excellent example of the Frankenstein complex because the actual characters in the story are afraid of the robots. The main girl is afraid of her robot-double, and her fear is replenished when the robot tries to turn herself into the girl and the girl into a robot.

Overall, I kind of liked these stories. They were very well written and interesting stories, but they did scare me a little to think that one day, things like that may actually happen, and robots may actually become super-intelligent. And I say that as I have conversations with Siri.

The X Files

The X files episode that we watched connects to our definition of science fiction because it involves a scientific mistake that could potentially happen, but is not likely. The main question in this story is "What is the hideous creature that is attacking everyone?" You can tell it is a science fiction story because the answer is scientific, not magical.

The episode of X files that we watched showed the ideas found in the Frankenstein Complex because the child that the old farmer kept was something that was made by humans, then feared by humans. The farmers other son creates this monster and then it begins to terrorize the women in the town, causing all the people in the town to become afraid of this creature. It was a very ugly and unusual looking thing, which is another reason why everyone was afraid of it. However, he did not intend to hurt anyone, he simply wanted to be accepted. But when he shows himself, people react with fear and hatred because they are scared of him.

Personally, I liked this episode of the X Files, it was very suspenseful and interesting. It also definately showed the Frankenstein Complex.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

In the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers the theme of xenophobia is very prominent. The people of the small town become afraid of and angry at each other very quickly. The fear is of the pods that came from the sky and recreate people. The fear is very obvious is the two main characters as they run and try to destroy the pods and the people who have already been turned into pod people.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers can be related to Planet of the Apes  because both involve regular humans being the minority and being afraid of a more powerful race that controls the humans. In one of the movies, the humans show xenophobia toward the pod people, and in the other movie the xenophobia is towards the apes. However, both movies show xenophobia of the humans toward a different race.

I agree that the Invasion of the Body Snatchers may cross into different genres. A few of these genres would by mystery, because a lot of the film is spent with the characters following clues and trying to solve a puzzle, and fantasy, because the idea of the body snatchers absorbing the souls of people while they are sleeping seems to be magic.

Random Sample and King of the Beasts

The two stories we read today were both excellent examples of science fiction. Both are set in the future, involve a high level of scientific knowledge in one or a few of the characters, and both have aliens and the theme of xenophobia in them.

The first story, Random Sample, showed the theme of xenophobia because aliens visited Earth. They arrived and were unusual to the little children that found them. Even though the children did not show great fear toward the aliens when they arrived, they were will unsure and confused about them. Then, at the end of the story, the xenophobia is prominent when the little girl begins to be frightened by the enlarged sun and is referring to the creature watching over her at the moment as "billy goat". In the other story, The King of the Beasts, the theme of xenophobia is shown through the setting and plot of the story. The story is set on a planet we don't, maybe Earth or maybe somewhere else. What sparks the most xenophobia in the story is the fact that the biologist who talks in the story is growing a man, which shows us that the biologist is not a human, but is something else.

Overall, I enjoyed both stories, but both left me wondering. Where were they? What was going on? What year is it, how far into the future are they? What is their technology like? What are they? Even though the questions will remain unanswered, I still liked both stories because they were very imaginative and explored to different sides of xenophobia: If humans are scared of aliens, and if aliens are scared of humans.

Planet of the Apes Blog

In the film Planet of the Apes, the theme of xenophobia is very prominent in the humans and the apes. The humans show a little fear of the apes because they are different and unusual to them, but the apes show a lot more xenophobia toward the humans. When the American explorers arrive on Earth many years later, humans have been lowered to the level of beasts. When Taylor arrives and begins to show extreme intellegence, the apes become afraid of this alien human. A few of them even admit to being scared of Taylor because he is something they aren't used to.

Planet of the Apes has a lot to say about class warfare and discrimination. Throughout the entire film, there is an obvious class system. With the orangutans at the top, protecting the faith and being the most wise and intellectual, then gorillas, who are the violent brutes, and them chimpanzees who are gentle, scientific, open thinkers. In this society all apes are not created equal, the chimpanzees are suppressed and never listened to by the orangutans, who eventually send the gorillas after them if they become too free-thinking. However, in the film all men are created equal and are all the lowest rung of the ladder.

On the Planet of the Apes, ignorance is bliss. There is so much past from the humans and previous life forms, but everything is kept from the apes. If an ape starts to discover things from the past, they are accused of herecy. So if apes just live in ignorance about the past of their planet, they will be happy. Because of this, I do not think there is any hope for the ape society. They will suppress all knowledge and research and be forced to live in one area and not be able to advance their society. Eventually, more apes will begin to conduct research and the whole society, and the scrolls they live by, will fall out from under their feet.

Ender's Game Chapters 13-End

Overall, Ender's Game is one of the best books I have ever read! I really enjoyed reading it! It was a very unpredictable book and always kept me interested.

Ender's Game shows many characteristics of science fiction. The idea of the schools in space and being able to access other planets freely are science fiction. Also, inhabiting one of those new planets and all the technology used throughout the book seems as though one day it may be possible, but not any time soon. Along with the big science fiction characteristics, there is a lot of xenophobia. Because of the fear of aliens, the three invasions occurred. Throughout the entire book, they would refer to the "buggers" with hateful names and would always have intent to destroy them.

This book really wrapped the ideas of science fiction, xenophobia, and a great story all into one book. The writing was really fun and smooth, the ideas were interesting and engaging, and the story line was exciting and surprising. Ender's Game was a real page turner, and I loved reading it! 

Ender's Game Chapter 10-12

The book continues to keep me interested as I continue my reading. Some main events that happened in this section of reading are: Ender was assigned his own army, the Dragon Army. The Dragon Army rises out of nowhere and begins to beat all the other armies even when they are given a very heavy battle schedule and put into unfair scenarios. Ender begins to be disliked by many commanders, especially Bonzo, and ends up getting in a fight where he kills him. Ender is promoted to Command School.

During this section of reading, the theme of xenophobia is not as prominent as it has been in previous readings, but the fear of the buggers is still the most important factor of xenophobia in the text.

A few questions I have after reading this section are: Why did the teachers think it was a good idea to put the Dragon army through such a rough schedule? Why was Ender given the weakest soldiers for his army? Why did they want to bring the underdog Dragon army back to the school? What is going on behind the scenes with the teachers, what kind of plans are they coming up with?

So far, I am still enjoying the book very much and find that it is a major page-turner. I can't wait to finish it up!

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and Muse

The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and Muse and great examples of science fiction. Both stories include aliens from different planets and technologies that are not yet discovered by humans today. In Monsters, they had a space saucer and a pad that controlled all the electricity on Maple Street. In Muse they had other technologies used to transport them around.

Both stories show a lot of Xenophobia. In The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, the people who live on the street start experiencing weird things with their electricity. Then, a small boy mentions a story about aliens manipulating people like they do in the story. Because of this and an overpowering sense of xenophobia, the entire street turns on itself. The neighbors begin interrogating the other neighbors and become so frightened by the thought that aliens are among they. In the end, they end up killing one of their own and are sent into a scrambling frenzy as the foreign aliens sit peacefully on top of a hill. In Muse, the xenophobia is shown by the people's fear of the space slugs, the Ickys. Despite the benefits of the slugs, when people are carrying them, they are just different. Because different is scary, the father of the musician relatiates and kills the slug in fear that it is taking control over his son.

Personally, I enjoyed both The Monsters are Due on Maple Street and Muse because both had pretty unpredictable endings and I really like the topic of xenophobia. However, I would have liked a little more background on the aliens presented in both stories. Despite that, both of the stories kept me interested until the end and were fun to watch and read.

Ender's Game Chaper 6-9

So the intensity of Ender's Game picks up in the last few chapters. As Ender is exposed to life as a solider in Battle School, his mindset and purpose at the school changed dramatically. He is put into armies and begins his battles, showing great skill and determination to win his games. I found it interesting being inside Ender's mind the entire time.

A few questions that I had while reading these chapters were: Why did commander Bonzo get mad at Ender when he prevented another team from winning a game? Are the buggers really a myth or a fantasy? What is the point of the game Ender plays on his desk with the giants and the playground? Why did Peter appear on Ender's screen in the game he was playing?

Through the book, the idea of xenophobia still lives on in the talk and fear of buggers and the open space around the school.

So far, I am still enjoying Ender's Game. It is becoming more fun to read with each turn of the page. I really like how as you read you are put into Ender's mind, then pulled out of it. It seems as though the book switches between 1st person and 3rd person very often. Even though it gets kind of confusing at times, it keeps me on the edge of my seat!

Puppet Show

The short story Puppet Show is a great example of science fiction because it includes aliens, robots and futuristic concepts. The talking burro is very alien, the original extraterrestrial and the human were both robots, and there was a lot of technology mentioned that is very futuristic. It follows our definition of science fiction because many  of the elements in the story are not a part of our society yet, but may be in the years to come.

Puppet Show has many examples of xenophobia. The first and most obvious example is the unknown creature that "visits" Earth to talk with the people. The citizen's reactions to this creature was a good example of showing a slight fear of unknown beings, even though they say that it was a very minor form of xenophobia. The second big example of xenophobia was that the human who seemed to be controlling the alien was also a puppet, and was being controlled by the burro, who could talk. A talking burro is very alien to humans, so it makes me wonder how the humans would have reacted if the story continued after the burro revealed himself as the puppet master.

I enjoyed Puppet Show by Fredric Brown. I thought it was a very imaginative and suprising story. Despite the title, I will admit that I never saw it coming when the alien dropped down. On top of that, I would have never predicted the human to drop down as well... And be controlled by a talking burro! I liked the story because it was unpredictable and really made me think.

Ender's Game Chapters 1-5

Ender's Game is a very interesting novel that is a great example of science fiction. A few things that show that it is science fiction is the implication that it takes place in the future, their advanced technologies and their ways of life that do not seem realistic, at least for us in the 21st century.

So far, there are only a few small examples of xenophobia. They speak of "buggers" and how their interactions with them are violent and frightening. They talk about not knowing anything about these creatures as well. Along with a few small examples of xenophobia, there are many extrapolations. First of all, the children are taken to school by rocket and are learning in space. A few other extrapolations are their monitors, the guidelines on how many children each family should have, and eating through a needle.

As of chapter 5, I am enjoying Ender's Game very much. It is not a dull story, however it is fun and very easy to understand. It was hard for me to stop at Chapter 5!

Forbidden Planet

This movie clip connects to our definition of extrapolation because it contains many elements that are not real, but are very technological and could potentially be real in the future. There are robots, as well as space travel, which are also parts of our definition.

There are many extrapolations in this movie. The biggest one in my opinion is the use of the space travelling machines and how they arrive on another planet. Their flying saucer and all the equipment within it is very futuristic, but science based. Another large extrapolation is Robbie the Robot that is programmed to be able to make anything at anytime if he recognized the molecules. Also, the house of the people inhabiting the foreign planet is very technologically advanced and futuristic.

I really enjoyed this movie because it did an excellent job of wrapping up the extrapolation unit. However, I wish that we would have been able to watch more of it!

Repent, Harlequin!

This story connects to our class definition of science fiction because it includes many things that are not real, but may become real, and are based on science. This story is an author's projection of what the world may become  in the future, with new technologies and advancements that have not been achieved yet.

This story contains many extrapolations. The main extrapolation is the idea of the Timekeepers. You are given a certain amount of life and every time you are late to anything, time is docked off of your life. This is an extrapolation because the whole process is controlled by a master time system as well as cards used to represent everyone's lives. When the card is turned off, you die. A few other smaller extrapolations are the hover cars, high-tech houses, and the idea that jellybeans have not been produced for over 100 years.

I did not like this story very much because I can not imagine living a life that is ruled that tightly by a tyrant. It is kind of a scary idea that one man could choose to kill you at any moment. I also don't like the idea of conformity, much like the society in 1984 by George Orwell.

Sales Pitch

This story connects to our class definition of science fiction because it includes futuristic details that are based off of science and are potentially possible. The story also uses a lot of techno babble, which is a characteristic of science fiction. You need to be able to understand this talk to understand the story. Lastly, the story includes solutions based off of science, showing it is a piece of science fiction.

The story contains many extrapolations, or references to unreal, but possible things. The biggest extrapolation I found in the story was robots. Also, there were gadgets and new technologies that were common in the society. A final extrapolation was the intelligence of the technology, and the conversational voices.

I enjoyed this story because it is different than the stories we have read so far because it involves a different side, more fearful side of science fiction.

There Will Come Soft Rains

This story connects to our definition of science fiction because it includes things that haven't happened yet but are a possibility. The ideas in the story accurately show a vision that could potentially become real within the existence of humans.

This story can connect to the concept of extrapolation because it includes many things that are not yet part of our daily lives. A few of these things are, a fully automated house, equipped with cleaning mice, a stove that does all the cooking, voices and alarms that alert the inhabitants of deadlines, a bath that fills itself, a cigar that lights itself, a house that talks, and many more. Another large extrapolation is the idea of atomic warfare that was shown by the silhouettes burned into the sides of the house.

I did not enjoy this story as much as I have enjoyed the others because this story provides no closure or explanation of what happened or how the rest of the world is involved. It was too much of a cliff-hanger for me to really enjoy it.

Events Proceeding the Helvetican Renaissance

This story can connect to our definition of science fiction because it includes things that could happen, but haven't yet. It also includes futuristic technology that is not a part of real life.

This story is connected to the concept of extrapolation because it includes many things that are not real yet. Also, each of these things has a name that is complicated, but we would need to understand in order to understand the piece. The extrapolations give the piece a better sense of future.

I enjoyed this piece because it was very futuristic and exciting, I felt as though the extrapolations added into this work helped me understand the concept and enjoy the piece.

Homelanding and Cause and Effect

In these two pieces, I saw a lot of elements of science fictions. I saw time travel, references to aliens, futuristic machinery and language. These are elements of science fiction because they are all shown as being part of the future.

I feel like these pieces were chosen because they were good open ended pieces. They left us with a lot of questions about why and how. They gave us a little taste of everything and exposed us to the confusion that is present in this kind of literature. These pieces also acted as big hooks to get us excited to explore the world of science fiction!

Both pieces hold up to my definition of science fiction. I defined it as literature that included elements that may or may not be real. There were things like time travel and aliens presented in these pieces and to our knowledge on Earth, those things do not exist. But, they may exist without us knowing, which lines up with my definition of science fiction.

I really enjoyed these pieces because they are kind of like mysteries, and I am fascinated by other people's perception of the future. I think it's interesting how the views of authors who wrote books like Little Brother and 1984 are so much different than the writers of Star Trek. I also enjoy seeing things that aren't real, but may become real in the future!

Science Fiction Blog #1

My name is Maria Brock. My passion is with horses and this last year I rescued and rehabilitated a horse of my own. I swim for the school and do high school rodeo as well as 4-H.

My paramount experience with science fiction would have to be when I read the Hunger Games. I started them when my best friends made a huge stink about them, and fell in love. I have read all three of the Hunger Games books multiple times and own them in hardback, paperback, and digitally. Yes, I am a serious Hunger Games nerd with plans to go to the premiere of the movie dressed as one of the characters. After discovering science fiction through the Hunger Games, I started to enjoy it more and began watching the TV show, Terra Nova.

In my opinion, science fiction is any form of literature (books, movies, stories, etc) that includes things that are potentially possible in our world, but not discovered or created yet.