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?
Parental Figures as the Driving Force
Something that both interested and perplexed me while reading Jemisin’s novels was the way in which parenting was portrayed and approached by various characters. Alabaster, for example, comes off as quite aloof when we first learn that his Fulcrum-bred children have been used as node maintainers. He acts very different in Meov with Corundum, however. The way in which adults approach relationships with children does not seem to be static throughout the novels. Instead, it shifts in response to past experience and in response to situation or condition, and it also seems to be a major driving factor for the plot of the books.
Personal Granite
This may come off as a nonchalant rant, and I’m willing to accept the consequences of that (if any). I guess I could also say that due to the inevitable insanity I’ll feel when officially working on that particular essay that I’ll try not to talk about (muahaha), a little rant may be cathartic . This post primarily deals with the beginning of today’s class and the reaction I had when reading Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Facing It”.
The contrast between the blackness of a black man’s face disappearing through black granite is without a doubt poetic, and at least to me – purges racial intensity before fully becoming immersed within the memorial. That of course is my view of it (and a view that I hope is relatively close to Komunyakaa’s intention). Further imagery working within the lack of tears but instead a stone-like exterior, followed by a brief reprisal of eyes. Relating them to birds of prey seems rather appropriate when considering the time period for the memorial and that of the individual having seen granite. Then we’re revisited to the stone, thereby distancing the aforementioned intensity and refocuses to the primary intent behind this memorial – to be a memorial.
With all of that said, it may sound dangerously simple through face value, at least until the heavy number of names is provided for us. Even the idea of finding one’s own name is rather ominous. Although Komunyakaa himself is a Vietnam veteran, so I can (at least) try to imagine the weight that must be, having so many names listed – some of them likely friends or acquaintances, and that understandably shouldn’t require an explanation as to why. Of course, we are then given a conflicted image via Andrew Johnson, along with a rather violent yet-eloquent response to a lethal trap and those unfortunate enough to come across it. The following imagery of a woman’s blouse, the flashing brushstroke, and the wings of a red bird may very well be a light personification of the American flag as I see it, with Komunyakka’s eyes crossing paths with it. This idea is reinforced by the guise of a plane and a veteran sans one arm, whilst Komunyakka is essentially the window and the reflection of black granite leaves one perhaps overwhelmed, then shortly coming unto realization.
As for this relating back to class…I suppose it gives me a slight reprieve when being reminded of personal stories being valid in academic work. Admittedly, my thoughts on the matter have varied from empathetic to downright cynical. So in a way, I suppose this poem brings out the former in me, which is likely something I’ll need in regards to that particular essay.
Rock Odyssey
In geology, the rock cycle, specifically of a sedimentary rock, consists of weathering and erosion, transportation, deposition, and lithification. It takes a geologist to understand how a rock is formed; how each layer was created in different circumstances and time. So how are people formed? What makes them the way they are? How do we become a boulder, stuck in stubborn, close-mindedness? Perhaps we humans are seized by the pressures of the world in which life flattens out like a piece of metamorphic slate. I immediately think this happened to Essun, whose life literally and psychologically can be compared to the rock cycle.
The New Starbucks Cups DO NOT Need a Straw
Just the other day at Starbucks I noticed the new style of to- go cups that the baristas were serving. My immediate thought was, “these cups are so dumb, why is the straw hole so big, I’m going to spill my drink.” I didn’t even stop to consider why the “straw holes” would be so big and what that might mean for my utility of the cup. Later after I received my drink, I ventured off to dance practice where one of my peers confronted me jokingly and said, “what are you doing… why did you put a straw in that cup?” and my initial response, was to be defensive and insult the Starbucks corporation for the poor design of their new cups. It wasn’t until my peer pointed out the intentionally straw-less design of the new cups, that I realized my closed minded and habitual behaviors did not allow me to see the innovativeness in the new cup design. Continue reading “The New Starbucks Cups DO NOT Need a Straw”
The Research Behind Art
On Tuesday, November 20, my friend took me to Buffalo, New York to see the hit Broadway show Hamilton. I had been wanting to see this show for a long time; memorizing the lyrics, and reading about the writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s, process in creating the show. While geeking out after seeing Hamilton and reading as much as I could about it, I realized just how much time, effort, and research it must take artists like him to make some of the world’s most interesting art. Jemisin also uses her knowledge from other disciplines to create depth in her work. Continue reading “The Research Behind Art”
Extractivism: Syl Anagist, and Us
In a 2016 interview with WIRED, back when The Fifth Season was the only book in the Broken Earth Series on the shelves, N.K. Jemisin was asked if she had “deliberately set out to write a critique of our society,” and answered, “I didn’t set out to write big heavy themes.” The tuned-in sci-fi writer did so nonetheless–whether it was merely in the service of satisfactory world-building, or intended to generate actual change, we cannot know, though the response from the “Sad Puppies” and “Rabid Puppies” campaigns may be answer enough. As we have discussed, the implications regarding “slavery and caste oppression” are clear; Jemisin herself says that she “set out to write a world in which people who are powerful, who are valuable, are channeled into systems of self-supported and externally imposed oppression” (WIRED). Yet what we have not addressed quite as explicitly, though the topic came up significantly in our talks with Dr. Giorgis and Dr. Reitz, is the environmental commentary present throughout the trilogy. As the old adage goes: LIVE IN ROCK???
Who Can Help With This Burnout?
I’ve spent the last month trying to keep my life in order (e.g. homework, my own life problems, etc.) and failing. This is hard for me to admit because I’ve always been the person who knew what she was doing. If I didn’t, I was able to stumble along without anyone noticing. Now, here I am at the end of my first semester in college and I have no idea what I’m doing, how to get where I’m going, or even where that even is. I’m tired. I’m burned out. I’m almost done (for a little while.) And, here I am, trying to claw my way to end of this semester. Continue reading “Who Can Help With This Burnout?”
Geologic Time Scales and Goosebumps
One of the most impressive qualities that I read the Stillness’ humans to have was their consideration of time and legacy in their decision making. After all, the Sanzed Empire was only able to maintain its power and the oppression of orogenes because it had a referenceable past that was hundreds of years old. This past is uncontestable because they are able to dominate the Stillness as the victor and therefore the author of their origins. From this position they could squash opposition using their developed power structure. There is a perfection to this oppression despite it being so horrible and offensive to free speech sensibilities as well as the generally held belief that racism is bad. The length of this engineered past that is used to oppression orogenes is what I consider to be the most important aspect of Sanzed’s sustained power. Continue reading “Geologic Time Scales and Goosebumps”
The Second Person Perspective
Probably the most apparently strange aspects of The Fifth Season is in its perspective. Jemisin uses not only three different characters within the novel, but more than one perspective. I found this to be one of the most intriguing aspects to both the narrative and storytelling format itself. Jemisin’s usage of second person perspective was especially strange but in ways incredibly effective.