The Onyx: Life of the Niess

The poem “Facing It” by Yosef Komunyakaa has taken precedence in my mind since we were asked to recite it a couple class periods ago. The power struggle that is described between the viewer and the memorial was one that unnerved me despite the complete rationality of its presence. After all, was that not the purpose of a memorial? To make you remember? To initiate the process of reflecting? To remind us of how we got to where we are now?

(WARNING: Analyzing poetry is not my strong suit so proceed with caution)

Continue reading “The Onyx: Life of the Niess”

Power + Authority in Damaya’s Narrative

“Pick up your book”, “Be quiet!”, and “I told you to..” are all examples of commands, directives, and instructions that we in one way or another have encountered throughout our lifetime. But, what makes us obey them? Well, we obey our commands due to the idea that a figurehead or authority figure told us to do so. These individuals include, but are not limited to: our parents, teachers, family members, and many more. Continue reading “Power + Authority in Damaya’s Narrative”

Utopetroleum (and Cow Farts™)

Life is sacred in Syl Anagist — as it should be, for the city burns life as the fuel for its glory.

Syl Anagist at first seems a utopia, projecting image of surface-level perfection: a society built around life, around a pure and clean energy source, a source that, in lasting forever, will allow for unhindered progress of the  empire. Yet, Kelenli’s lessons to the tuners break any illusions of perfection in revealing the oppressive framework upon which the empire’s energy, and thus, the empire’s survival, depends.  Continue reading “Utopetroleum (and Cow Farts™)”

Fool’s Gold

Pyrite, also known as fool’s gold, contaminates fossils and destroys them. Fossils are important because they contain the history of the Earth. When fossils with the mineral pyrite become oxidized, the whole sample becomes corrupt and causes it to crumble. Pyrite disease in fossils is irreversible. In beautiful  Syl Anagist, the people believe that they have struck gold with their creation of the Plutonic Engine and geoarcanity, which would lead to a never-ending supply of magic. In their mind, their beloved city would soon become a real Eldorado (mythical city of gold). But to make this golden city a reality is the oppression of the Niess people.  The Niess people became the fossils, archaic remnants of a time gone by. The Syls Anagist community saw themselves as progressive and modern people. Using the Niess’ power to better their world was a brilliant, modern idea.  We know using and abusing people who are different is a timeless sin.  

Geoarcanity turned out to be the cause of the city’s destruction, not its savior. It was not gold.  Although the Neiss were gold; precious, using them as virtual slaves destroyed the whole culture of Niess people and like the fossil, crumbled and became obsolete as a result of this pyrite-like Geoarcanity.  The Syl Anagists won the gold medal in a rigged competition much like the sports of Ancient Rome.

 The people of Syl Anagist never discovered the evil of their ways. Without warning the tuners punished them. Their optimistic, Golden Age viewpoint was replaced with the pain of reality.  Their guaranty for everlasting comfort was fake and had expired.  “Syl Anagisst is built on delusions, and we are the products of lies”( Jemisin 212)  Their golden idea devoured an entire group of people, the Neiss.

This Plutonic Engine was meant to carry out the goal of Geoarcanity, but it became a weapon of mass destruction.  It corroded the golden city and ate away at everything in its way. They thought that it had to be done. In order to survive, Syl Anagist needed the magic that would come from the Plutonic Engine.  It was a way to preserve their quality of life. To them, Niess life was only valuable as a resource, but like fossil fuel, it could not be replenished

Sylangnistine’s search for perfection was greedy and evil.  The wise tuner, Kelenli supports this idea saying, “I’ve studied what I could of the Niess and their culture. There isn’t much left, and I have to sift the truth from all the lies.”(Jemisin 213) This is reminiscent of what European explorers did to the Native Americans.   Hoa says this in response, “You’ve decided to carry on the traditions of a dead people?” Many of us say this when we are bogged down with history lessons or consumed by analyzing work by “dead poets”. However, we need to do this in order to learn from past mistakes and try our best not to repeat them. Perhaps, Kelenli’s understated response, “Why not?”, just says this more concisely. There is no need to justify what is right to study. Nations, cultures, and people deserve this attention.

 

Legacy/History–How Is It Kept Alive?

“Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see. I wrote some notes at the beginning of a song someone will sing for me” (Hamilton,  The World Was Wide Enough). As Alexander Hamilton says this it provokes the thought of “how do we create history?” In N.K. Jemisin’s work she addresses how history is kept alive and what it means for us to remember it. Continue reading “Legacy/History–How Is It Kept Alive?”

Art as History (LIVE IN ART?????? part 2)

During the work on our collaborative blog post, my group really ruminated on the use of art as a medium for history. Sabrina Bramwell, specifically, had a lot of really good points about stone eaters as both artistic forms, and as retainers of history and knowledge. I thought I might just expand on the presence of art within Jemisin’s trilogy, as well as its relation to stone eaters, because everything truly blew my mind (LIVE IN ART??????).

Continue reading “Art as History (LIVE IN ART?????? part 2)”

“We Rise” I Rise

Over the summer, I took pleasure in reading the book “We Rise: The Earth Guardians Guide to Building a Movement that Restores the Planet” by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez. From the very beginning, I loved the book. It was inspiring, empowering, and insightful. Xiuhtezcatl (‘Shoe-Tez-Caht’) is an indigenous climate activist, hip-hop artist, and powerful voice on the front lines of a global youth-led environmental movement. Amazingly, at the early age of six Xiuhtezcatl began speaking around the world. He has also worked locally to get pesticides out of parks, coal ash contained, and a temporary prohibition on fracking in his state. He is currently a lead defendant in a youth-led lawsuit against the federal government for their failure to protect the atmosphere for future generations. This is in terms of CO2 emissions, greenhouse gasses release, and any other harmful discharges of chemicals. As many people describe it, that is truly iconic. Continue reading ““We Rise” I Rise”

Wildlife in the Stillness

I love animals. I constantly give into my dog’s wishes for constant attention (one of the major reasons why I procrastinate everything to do with any kind of work), I accidentally fall into watching videos about animals, and I volunteer at a couple different rescues and shelters. Some of my favorite animal videos to watch are the ones about dogs or cats getting picked up off the street and having an amazing transformation into adorable house-worthy pets. Continue reading “Wildlife in the Stillness”

In Response to Sarah Bracy’s “The Connection Between Rocks and Social Justice”

The Connection Between Rocks and Social Justice: First and foremost, this blog post is very insightful and beautifully written. It’s important to have an answer to the questions “Why should people who care about rocks care about social justice?” and visa versa because it connects two otherwise distinct ideas into one. I honestly love how Sarah introduced the concept of Environmental Racism because it is a prime example of how rocks and social justice intertwine. As she states, “Environmental racism is the inability of low-income and/or marginalized groups of people, generally racial and ethnic minorities, to leave a situation in which they are at risk of environmental hazards, often because of socioeconomic status.” This is prevalent to people of color in the United States. Continue reading “In Response to Sarah Bracy’s “The Connection Between Rocks and Social Justice””

The Art of Believably Smiling

I would like to start out with a nod to a post by Sabrina Bramwell entitled “Say Cheese!” There is indeed something quite eerie about the way the Guardians smile all the time and the connotations that accompany this. In fact, I would like to go even further by including one quote from The Fifth Season I find especially intriguing, plausibly in reference to Father Earth. It reads, “There is an art to smiling in a way that others believe. It is always important to include the eyes; otherwise, people will know you hate them.” (Jemisin 5) The way this quote is presented makes me uneasy, and I’m assuming others as well; this is most likely because it implies the subject of the quote must consciously remind himself to smile, as if it is never simply natural. Continue reading “The Art of Believably Smiling”