Neuromancer Conclusion

One of the most crucial plot developments is finally discovering the outcome of the mission set out towards the beginning of the novel. Case and Molly successfully complete their mission, which is explained in further detail in the last few chapters, but through this explanation even more questions are raised. Gibson reveals that Wintermute is only partially responsible for the crazy manipulations (like Linda Lee’s face in the stars) that Case has experienced, and that there is another big player involved in the mission. This other player shares the novel’s title of Neuromancer. This Neuromancer attempted to trap Case on an island through the temptation of Linda Lee. Wintermute could not attempt to help Case in escaping this trap because as the book constantly mentions it is only an AI, a computer, it is not human. In contrast to Wintermute, Gibson stresses how the Neuromancer plays more off emotions and the notion of immortality through this island between life and death. Case remains strong though and fights off the temptation of a carefree life with the ghost of Linda Lee. He returns to Molly, and together they complete their mission in joining Wintermute and the Neuromancer. However, the reasoning behind this joining is left hazy, along with why Case was picked off the streets to complete this merging. Another unresolved occurrence is why after everything they had been through, Molly felt that staying with Case was “taking the edge off her game.” (257) Her sudden departure is unexpected because she always said Case was the only one she trusted during their mission; so in the crazy futuristic society they live in, it would only make sense that if you finally found someone you could trust, you would stay with them. As a means of tying up his life, Case finally achieves his old dream of working in the sprawl. However, no where does it mention he is happy about how his life turned out. In fact, Case was actually hurt that no one remembered him from his life in Chiba, even if it was a pathetic life he was leading there. So maybe his life outside the sprawl was more important to him than he realized, because outside the sprawl he was free to lead a lifestyle primarily driven by human emotions as opposed to technology.

Fate Framework in Neuromancer

“This is the message. Wintermute.” He spelled it out.“From you?” Case took a step forward.“No,” Yonderboy said, “For you.” (pg 68)
This quote introduces a whole new complexity to the twisted world of cyberspace. As if this futuristic society of decks, jacking in, and societies in space was not advanced enough, Case and Molly spend days attempting to decipher what exactly Wintermute is. They finally conclude it is an artificial intelligence, but their discovery only further complicates things. Upon being asked, “Just thinking out loud…How smart’s an AI Case?”(pg 91), Case recalls that “…the real smart ones are as smart as the Turing heat is willing to let ‘em get.”(pg 91) In other words, with technology being as advanced as it has become, these artificial intelligences could be extreme and practically impossible to crack. A few pages later, Wintermute contacts Case via a series of payphones at a hotel. Upon answering the phone he hears, “Wintermute, Case. It’s time we talk.” (pg 95) This whole scenario ties in with the framework of fate and destiny. In a society with the ability to track people down to an exact location, especially someone like Case, who is constantly on the move, technology plays a prominent role in fate. It is almost as if these technologies are altering the destiny of the human race, without even giving them a fighting chance to resist this colossal alteration. Even though Wintermute is just “a simple cube of white light, [it] very simplicity suggesting extreme complexity.” (pg 112) Furthermore, the previous owner of the deck Case has been jacking into, admits that he flatlined attempting to break into an artificial intelligence, and he was known as one of the best out there. He claims that “It was the densest ice [he’d] ever seen.”( pg 111). The revealing of this fact makes the prospect of cracking into this artificial intelligence of Wintermute as a daunting, almost suicidal mission; this thought alone once again enforces the idea of technology altering fate.

Neuromancer Part 1: Chiba City Blues

William Gibson’s Neuromancer catapults one into a futuristic, technological driven world. In part one, in addition to introducing the main characters, Gibson focuses on the setting and atmosphere of this surrealistic sci-fi world. It is apparent that society is broken up into two extremes: the technological geniuses all competing to invent the latest programs and reap in the billions in profits, and the technology rejects who turn to drugs, alcohol, and cheap hotels to stay alive in a society far too advanced for them. A morbid twist in the cheap hotels is that instead of rooms, they sleep in coffins, hinting that those in the slums are destined for death. The key element in this world is how fast paced every aspect of society has to move in order to keep up with everything else. While Gibson is describing the Sprawl, it quickly becomes apparent that many businesses from present society have vanished. Places such as parks and bookstores are absent from this new world because they were simply too leisurely to survive in such a fast-paced society. Instead, this world is left with bars with drugs and pimps, street vendors renting out guns, and arcades churning out new games just as they are invented. The streets are packed with neon and holograms, causing people to grow accustomed to technology’s ever-growing presence. There is of course one other “activity” in this new world to help pass the time: the matrix.
Although Gibson does not physically enter the matrix in part one, he introduces it through the thoughts of the protagonist, Case. Case is trapped in the poorer half of society after double crossing his company with the matrix. In Chiba City, he became adapted to the misfortunate Ninsei Night life crowd. It is a pathetic place that he admitted allowed him to commit crimes he never would have believed that he could commit. At one point, when he was being tailed, he actually grew excited like he used to about the matrix. Clearly, his current settings were not acceptable to him if he had to be in a gun chase to get a rush of excitement. The geography of the city is clearly quite confined, since he walks everywhere, and that may be one of the main differences it has from the matrix. It can be inferred that the reason he is trying to kill himself through drugs is because he feels trapped in the city, where as in the matrix he had the liberty and freedom to explore. The matrix and cyberspace is portrayed as a fantasy land with its “bright lattices of logic unfolding across that colorless void.” Descriptions like these emphasize that life outside cyberspace is nothing in comparison and that the external world is just a way to catch your breath in between plugging in.

An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge POV

The story, “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce, begins with a third person narration. This narration immediately helps create a suspenseful situation and thereby draws interest to the setting. By revealing the grim circumstances as an opening, it creates a sort of morbid intrigue for the reader. This technique allows Bierce to set up all the necessary persons and props that are key to the storyline, without revealing the background information on the plot, or personal thoughts of any characters. The intrigue continues to build as Bierce describes the character about to be hanged as an innocent planter man, sparking curiosity as to how such a simple man came to be in such a fatal predicament.
Then in part two, he briefly introduces the man to be hanged, Peyton Farquhar, before switching to a slightly less limited viewpoint via dialogue. The dialogue section helps reveal the purpose of Farquhar’s rash action, while still maintaining a third person point of view. Bierce was very cautious by only revealing just enough information and fresh perspectives to keep the story interesting. Although it may seem frustrating to readers, this technique of switching around events is very common and usually logical in the literary world. For these reasons, it is not until partway through the first paragraph of part three that Bierce finally breaks through into the mind of Peyton Farquhar.
Once finally seeing the story through a first person point of view, the storyline becomes much more personal and realistic. Anyone in that position would be thinking similar, if not the exact same things, as Farquhar. Revisiting memories of loved ones is a given, as well as the will to survive through natural human instincts. This switch in viewpoints allows the reader to relate easier to Farquhar and intensifies the reader’s relationship to his heartbreaking story.

Poetry in Popular Culture

Donald Hall claimed poems make "the unsayable said.” Taking this quote into account, it is apparent why poetry is such a prominent resource in our past and present forms of expression. In recent popular culture poetry has made its debut in music, movies, and television shows. For instance, in the well-known movie The Notebook, Walt Whitman’s poetry is read on more than one occasion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODtVXpULPv4&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIpXCzX8hr0&feature=related
The links above are taken from part of the movie. At the end of the first link a scene opens with main character Noah reading Walt Whitman’s “Spontaneous Me,” and the scene continues through the beginning of the second clip. Poetry can influence pop culture in a variety of ways, however, in this movie poetry is represented as a key of sorts. Poetry unlocks some of Noah’s most inner feelings, as well as reveals an embarrassing childhood memory to his new love. The first night the lovers are reunited after many years, Noah reads poetry to her out on the porch. Here, poetry helped reunite the two and erase away all the years they spent apart.
Another example of poetry in pop culture would be in the hit movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Based off Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew, one of the less popular characters directly quotes Shakespeare to impress a girl who is a die-hard fan. A teacher in the movie also recites to the class Shakespeare’s sonnet 141 in a rapping manner. Evidently, Shakespeare’s poetry lyrics are still timeless in the minds of many. Personally, I find it refreshing that writers continue to find ways to incorporate past poetry and make it relevant to present generations. Poetry allusions and references like these help us to better understand our past by applying poetry to present situations.

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace"

In Richard Brautigan’s poem, “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace,” Brautigan presents a controversial argument on the effects of technology. Although Brautigan paints visually appealing analogies of nature interacting with technology, they are so exaggerated that they can easily be interpreted as sarcasm. For instance, when he compares “deer stroll[ing] peacefully past computers as if they were flowers” he is mocking the idea that animals will be able to continue to live in the same manner as they are now as technology advances. This anti-technology argument is further strengthened by the opening line of each stanza: “I like to think;” implying that everything following that statement is what the author would like to believe and desires to happen, but far from what will actually occur.
Furthermore, the author progresses from animals losing their current lifestyles, to the impacts on the human race. Brautigan claims that “we are free of our labors and joined back to nature” insinuating that we humans are as helpless as the animals against technology. Therefore, Brautigan is using this poem as a warning to be wary of how advanced we allow technology to become. In reality, we are dooming are own fate by creating technology powerful enough to control us.
However, one must take into account the beauty of this poem. Despite Brautigan’s pessimistic perspective on the fatal effects of technology, through his analogies it is apparent he hopes his predictions are wrong. With comparisons of, “like pure water touching clear sky” and “as if they were flowers with spinning blossoms,” Brautigan sheds some hope of serenity and compatibility between nature and technology.
Unfortunately, I have to agree with the pessimistic reality that technology may reach a point so advanced that we will lose control. The main reasoning behind my siding with the anti-technological viewpoint is because of how unrealistic Brautigan’s portrays the harmonious world of technology in nature. When I actually try to picture deer walking by computers, I find it very difficult to do. Computers do not belong out in the middle of fields; it would disrupt the pure and untouched aspect of nature. The human race has already destroyed and altered so much of nature’s original scenery that nature is already in a weakened state. If humans fail to preserve what is left of nature, and if they let technology gain control, then more than just a few deer will be lost forever.

Imagery through Poetry

CASABIANCA
by: Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793-1835)

List of Images:Fire(the sea), The Deck, A ship, A flag

In Heman’s poem, Casabianca, she employs the use of imagery through a collection of ordinary items symbolizing valiant nobleness. The poem’s core image is the ever-growing, merciless fire. The fire is personified as a ravenous sea raging war on a ship, which is representative of a young boy’s house. By giving the fire life, it contributes to the intensity of the boy’s struggle, or lack thereof, against it.
Although the fire in this story is portrayed as a murderer, when taking the symbol of fire itself out of this context, it could be viewed as a blessing. After a fire clears, it symbolizes rebirth; like a phoenix being reborn from its ashes, or newfound strength from a community rebuilding their homes and lives. Also, one must take into the account that many cremate their deceased love ones and release their ashes back into the world so that they may live again. Therefore, one can guess that only through this boy’s loyal obedience did he warrant to die such a powerful, yet passionate death. He was the second in command of his ship, and when his captain father failed to fulfill his duties, he devotedly stepped in his place and went down with his ship. Even though upon reaching the fifth and seventh stanzas it became apparent that the boy was nervous and terrified, those fears can be accredited to his lack of maturity, not of his lack in loyalty or strength. To face death straight in the eye must have taken a great deal of courage; courage that many full grown men would not have been able to accomplish if put in his situation. To reinforce the poem, Herman also includes the flag. The flag is a patriotic image, utilized to strengthen the boy’s loyalty to his father just as people honor their country loyalty through their flag. The imagery then comes full circle by expressing the idea that the wind and seas are now carrying the youth’s ashes across the universe. Evidently, through the imagery- enriched narration of this tragic youth’s tale, the story is delivered in a more powerful and meaningful manner.