In The Broken Earth trilogy Jemisin tackles the idea of heroism in a very interesting way. For most of the trilogy I did not believe that there was a hero in this story. It seemed like The Stillness was too bleak for such ideas. Then in The Stone Sky, in a conversation between Danel and Essun, one of my favorite exchanges in the series occurred.
“‘I know when I see stories being written though.’
‘I… I don’t know anything about that.’
‘She shrugs. The hero of the story never does’” (Jemison, The Stone Sky, 222).
Palimpsest: CLICK HERE to learn more about this weird disease (just kidding, it’s just a word I didn’t know but, hey, since you’re here, read this post)
I often say that my main activity as an English major is looking up the meaning of words that I don’t know the meaning of — the other day, in doing writing for another class, I came across such a word:
Any takers on the meaning of that one? Yeah, I didn’t know it, maybe all of you do (literary theorist Paul Gilroy certainly does, let’s all give a warm round of applause to Mr. Gilroy for his contributions).
1. Palimpsest can first refer to writing material (such as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times after earlier writing has been erased. Continue reading “Palimpsest: CLICK HERE to learn more about this weird disease (just kidding, it’s just a word I didn’t know but, hey, since you’re here, read this post)”
Home
The other day I read about an Icelandic fishing village named Vestmannaeyjar and their fateful fight with their local volcano 1973. Immediately I thought of parallels with this event and the Broken Earth Trilogy. In both situations, homes are destroyed but with different outcomes.
The Aeta and Cultural Disaster
In the collaborative blog post I previously worked on about the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, I had the chance to look into older stories I have been told within my own family and cultural upbringing. While I would classify myself as culturally American, many parts of my own family come from the Philippines, specifically from a region very close to Mt. Pinatubo. I have grown up hearing stories about the eruption, however, my own research into the events of the eruption so many years later has revealed some interesting results. In many ways, the Pinatubo and Aeta situation contain strong reflections to Jemisin’s works. This blog post will likely take on a personal tone, as I speak about my own passed down cultural knowledge of the area, and expand upon the cultural disaster of Pinatubo on the Aeta people.
What’s the Harm in Learning?
At the end of The Obelisk Gate and leading into the beginning of The Stone Sky, we as readers are well aware of the power Essun holds: she is literally the most powerful orogene in The Stillness (now that Alabaster is dead, of course). For me, when reading The Obelisk Gate, I was very intrigued in Nassun’s story line, though, and her development as a skilled orogene. It is clear that she has an immense amount of power, and is surely unaware of just how truly powerful she is capable of becoming. I began to wonder if Nassun had the capability to surpass her mother in terms of ability (which at the time I had yet to read very far into The Stone Sky to investigate that more). However, as Nassun explored her orogeny more, I began questioning her strategy of practice. Continue reading “What’s the Harm in Learning?”
“Blockbusting” in the Stillness
In my midterm thinkING essay, I discussed the ways in which Jemisin has drawn upon other areas of my education, like topics from a class I’m currently taking about queer nineteenth-century literature. But, as I’m a sociology minor, the ways that her books drew upon sociological concepts really interested me. Last semester I took a course about race and ethnicity. Since Dr. McCoy told us very early in the semester that The Broken Earth is a giant allegory for racism and its consequences, I’ve been thinking about what I learned from sociology and how it applies. A concept that always seems to come to mind and that I didn’t give myself time enough to flesh out in my essay is “blockbusting.” Here is the definition from blackpast.org (I’ll try to sum up the idea, but the site has a nice outline of the concept and its consequences if you’re interested): “Blockbusting refers to the practice of introducing African American homeowners into previously all white neighborhoods in order to spark rapid white flight and housing price decline.”
Value in Degradation
Current culture attempts to reclaim detrimental terms and repurpose them into those with positive connotations. Today’s generations manage to find relevance in and even identify with the once constrictive labels. Throughout Jemisin’s work, we see the orogene race being categorized as a secondary race. They have continuously been bred as weapons, made instruments for the Fulcrum’s institutionalized agenda. The term ‘Rogga’ was imposed on them by the stills and guardians as a slur.
Weighing Father Earth’s Heart
The presence of Father Earth—over the commonly known Greek-originated Mother Earth—is one of the most pressing reminders of the influence of Ancient Egyptian mythology in the Broken Earth trilogy. I soon realized that other influences did exist but just required a bit more digging. I accepted this challenge and found evidence that links one of the core (pun intended) decisions made by Jemisin’s Father Earth to the role of the Egyptian parallel, the god Geb.
Nodes and The (Kind of) Real World Equivelent
I think that the most disturbing thing from The Broken Earth trilogy is the Node maintainers. Even as we have read the other two books, very few things have shocked me to my core as Syenite and Albastors journey into one. The concept of Node maintainers is very fascinating to me, the idea, however gruesome it may be, that they are at all times affecting the ground around them is a genuinely interesting thought. I tried to think of ways this could maybe be applied to our world and actually found something kind of similar. Continue reading “Nodes and The (Kind of) Real World Equivelent”
Essun as the Hero
One moment within The Stone Sky that really got me thinking about the series at large was on page 222, where Danel and Essun talk of the term “hero”. Heroes and heroism often find themselves within texts tackling adventure and exploration, and Essun undoubtedly fills the place a hero would be within The Broken Earth Series. But, to what extent? Especially within the turbulent times of the season casting shades of gray rather than black or white, Essun is not a hero in a traditional sense. So, is Essun a heroic character?