LITR 4632: Literature of
the Future
Sample Student Midterms 2005
Class-wide Excerpts
Following are excerpts from midterm essays in alphabetical order of the author's last name.
. . . Literature of the future in many ways opens a forum for a more relaxed discussion of the unknown which we as humans fear. The presentation of Tank Girl brings about an interesting question: “This movie deals with foreseeable future problems, such as DNA altering and a lack of water, but they are covered up with a large amount of humor. Is comedy a way for people to deal with issues that are happening or that might happen in the future?” (Annie McCormick). Through discussion and interpretation we learn to at times predict and embrace the future in regards to today’s society. Literature of the Future gives students a better understanding of not what the future holds but how we as writers see the future and our views of how it affects us in a more realistic and naturalistic manner. The reality of the future however (i.e. waiting to take this course), was taking it. . . .
This method of thinking is very evolutionary in concept. Many of the stories of apocalyptic narratives seem to occur over a period of time intertwining the apocalyptic and evolutionary narratives. Michelle Glenn states, “I have learned, with the help of this class that the future does not have to be so concrete, and I can still keep my religious beliefs at the same time. I am just more open-minded. I was always taught that evolution wasn’t legit. I was taught not to believe in Darwin and the evolutionary ideas he offered. But with some studying, I realize that evolution occurs every day, in one form or another. We are constantly changing to mold to our environment, our peers, our new technological advances.” This excerpt definitely defines the ability of Literature to bridge gaps which would normally not be traveled. Depending upon how you view it, apocalyptic is either the end or the beginning, but to believe the latter, you would have to give credit to evolution and technically, since there must be a middle to beginning and ending, you have to place some belief in evolution. Nonetheless, these texts and others indirectly affect our thinking and in interpreting the future by means of the past gives us a better understanding of our standing in the present.
Confusing? Yes and this leads us directly to our next objective, the alternative future. In the alternative future narrative, you do not necessarily have the huge time gaps. Instead you have immediate decisions that affect a contemporary outcome. To play this out, you get a lot of psychological shifting back and forth between characters and shifting of a more recent past and present. This specific style of writing can be very confusing but the style lends itself well to the illustration of the human mind. The human mind does not work a linear fashion, instead we jump from thought to thought constantly laterally connecting one subject to another. In Better Be Ready ‘Bout Half Past Eight, Byron is constantly shifting is thoughts when looking in the mirror he talks to his mother, when changing his son’s diaper he makes a connection, and when he is sitting in the mall he fails to realize that they are judging him because of his appearance. I immediately thought the old women thought that it was a shame that a man was taking care of his child and a mother was not present. I began to laterally connect ideas, ties that were actually non-existent. It isn’t till later that the actual connection of the makeup being a factor is revealed. This gives one an understanding of what it must really be like to be made fun of with out being able to change who you are. It lends itself as a vessel to understanding an “alternative” lifestyle. Stylistically however, it shows that not all future writings are futuristic. In this case the future is close at hand and lies in the decision of a character of this story. It actually shows an evolution in someone’s life without the apocalyptic ending most Christians might deem necessary for his/her actions. The alternative story allows a connection to be made between present and future and helps to illustrate that yes each decision affects its own outcome, but in this case, the culturally “wrong” decision is not necessarily the wrong one. Sandy Murphy states in her midterm assignment, “His (Byron’s) reality is completely shaken. His future relationship with Zach will be different. His present relationship has been altered, and he finds himself even questioning the years of friendship with Zach that are long in the past.” . . .
In respect, The Garden of Forking Paths shows the many different paths a life may take and in the end there may be one way out of a labyrinth or many. The point being that our decisions though at times final may lead to other choices which will eventually lead to their own forking paths. It is a future of choice that we do not always see. Other opportunities present themselves leading to other possibilities. This is the what if narrative. What if this occurred instead of that…who knows until the future arrives. Precisely the way I felt about this class. I was a bit cynical since I am not a science fiction fan, but have since grown to the love sci-fi simply for the sheer satisfaction of possible classifications and interpretations. It is no longer robots and droids, programs and functions but a humanistic view of futuristic events.
As individuals we each have different thoughts on where our world is heading. Whether we are going into the direction of the end of the world as we know it (apocalyptic), changes in the world which will enable us to continue on a slightly different path (evolutionary), or possibly a totally new way of living in another time or place (alternative). Regardless of the main idea of a story each of these three ideas intertwines with each other, so that no idea stand totally by itself (SG). This is well stated by a Futurian of the past. Did his writing predict my outcome, not necessarily but what it did do is reassure the fact that we are both human with similar interpretive skills. When looking into the future we must remember what we know (or think we know), acknowledge the current forces at work and realize that we really have no control over what the future holds until we live it. Then it is the past. Once it (the future) has passed us it is no longer scary. It is concrete and that is what we as humans like. But the understanding of the apocalyptic, evolutionary, and alternative narratives help to better understand our world’s intertwining nature and its ultimately unknown future. [MC]
. . . This is a very different, but yet intriguing class and I would recommend it to anyone interested in science fiction, or a literature major planning on teaching school. The reason I feel teachers should take this course is I think it would allow the teachers to be well rounded in their teaching. Knowing about science fiction could also open doors and minds for other very quiet students who may not get involved in class participation, but when and if there is instruction for science fiction this could be the door which opens and allows all of the students to communicate and relate to literature more. . . .
This class is not the class to make you feel as if you are going to be angry all the time because you cannot understand what is going on. The only thing you might get upset about is how some of the stories end. They do not work out to the way you had thought or they were just crazy, or even the ending left it open for a sequel. This class allows the students to open their minds and discover new ideas and thoughts outside the traditional literature classes which is a great break from tradition and possibly the start of new traditions with the more current stories. The stories are the type you cannot put the book down for long before you have to come back and read more immediately. . . .
The insight this class has given to me is I make my own destiny and I am the only one who can create and change my own future. I am in control of my own surroundings and I make the changes when I feel it is necessary. . . .
The one idea or insight I have found to be the most interesting is we have no idea what the future will being it is constantly changing and we are the ones who are in control. We are the ones who make our own future our own destiny and the hope one day we will finally be happy with the world in which we live. . . .
All in all I have to say I will be excited when I become a teacher so I will have knowledge to discuss and share thoughts of not only Shakespeare, but thoughts and ideas with the students of our futures and what kind of impact they will have on the future generations after us. . . . [MKC]
Coming into a class like Literature of the Future, I was unsure of what to expect, but I assumed it would be a lot of Science Fiction, which I have never had much experience with. I imagined killer robots and colonies on Mars, but, at least so far, that is not what the class has been about at all. Instead, the texts covered in class have been human stories about people dealing with situations that are difficult to comprehend, like the end of the world, the destruction of community, the shock of finding oneself in a time where he or she does not belong, or the surprisingly unsurprising knowledge that bears have discovered fire. In each of the texts covered thus far, it is the human element that shines through, making Literature of the Future much more relatable than I had first expected. Yet, at the same time, the texts are about the future, which makes the class different from other literature classes. While, like in other literature classes, it is important to understand the circumstances under which a piece is being written to fully understand its meaning, it also takes on another form of meaning because texts dealing with the future remain open-ended. . . .
Alternative futures do not have to have parallel universes or alternate realities, however. In “Better Be Ready ‘Bout Half Past Eight,” Zach decides the future that has been written for him needs revision, so he decides to change into a woman. His best friend, Byron, is left with two realities, the one where his friend is a man, and the one where his friend is a woman. Both realities are being dealt with simultaneously, but there is no time travel or dimension jumping involved. The narrative shifts as Zach becomes, and is accepted as, Zoe. . . .
So, back to the original question—is the future written, or is it being written? The answer lies in the text being considered. In Revelation, the future is written. The 144,000 are sealed and their names are written in the book of life. There is little room for revision, only interpretation. In fact, the end of Revelation says, “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophesy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Rev. 22.18-19). That sounds like a strong endorsement for finality. In “The Garden of Forking Paths,” the future is also written because every possible future has been written already, waiting to be experienced. No possibility has been left out. However, in The Parable of the Sower, the future is being written because to Lauren, God is Change, and with change being such a prevalent sentiment in the book, the possibilities are endless. Also, with the way the book ends, with Earthseed starting a community with no certainty of safety or security, there is left an endless number of ways for it to end. Also, in “Better Be Ready ‘Bout Half Past Eight,” the future is changeable. Zach is unhappy as a man, so he decides to change and become a woman. Zach’s, or rather Zoe’s, future is being written and changed as she decides it needs to be. So, the answer to the question is as uncertain the future that is in store for each of us, regardless of whether that future is written, or being written. [BH]
Narratives are stories that often times are embedded with deeper issues about humanity. The three aforementioned narratives are useful ways of categorizing literature of the future. They all have their own specific characteristics. However, in some readings, it is found that two of the narratives will combine within the action of the story. For example a story might be primarily apocalyptic but will have some evolutionary qualities, as found in Parable of the Sower. Lauren is surrounded by a world that is completely falling apart. While she is struggling in this apocalyptic world, she formulates the notion that “God is change” and that is how she is able to survive. She learns to adapt to her surroundings, which is a key point with evolution. In the case of The Time Machine, the text is mainly evolutionary but has some apocalyptic events. When the Time Traveller travels very deeply into time, the world is basically nothing except a beach with a few giant crustaceans. It can be taken that something apocalyptic happened to bring about the destruction of almost all life on earth and the giant crab-like creatures were only adapting to their surroundings. Yet another example is found in Bryan Hyde’s presentation from this semester on Galapagos. Bacteria is destroying the ability of women to have children, which would eventually wipe out the population of earth. The only place to escape these apocalyptic events is on the island of Galapagos. The people on the island eventually evolve into having beaks and flippers, which is what is useful to them on the island. The combination of these narratives is useful in emphasizing the more important aspects of the stories.
I was intrigued when we started the semester with the reading of Revelation. I am familiar with the text and that is what I personally believe the future will be like. Even though I am locked into my own beliefs, I now have the resources to evaluate and understand other visions of the future outside of my own. I think being open-minded is one of the most important concepts in and out of academia. The discussions and lectures provide us with ways of sharing our own thoughts and beliefs and hearing those of our peers in a way that is constructive and informative. From this class I have started to appreciate the views that are different from my own. While I do not subscribe to them, I am able to see the qualities in them that make them someone else’s truth. [AM]
A former student once said, “This reality, my reality, has come knocking on my door, forcing its way into my life…so whether I am ready for it or not, literature of the future is now a part of my reality” (JD 2003). I could not have said it better myself. The future is constantly overcoming our present one second at a time. Before we know it, we are older and with more history in our buckles to tell someone about it. But I guess the question that comes up is, “Who really cares about the future?” I know that we all prepare for what is to come and for what is to happen to our families by purchasing life insurance and/or we save money for our children. Yet, no one really considers the fact that maybe, just maybe, even the next generation would not even get to see the light of day, I mean “Things are really getting bad out there”. This course has made me think about my future ahead and about what I want to teach my future generation. Whether it is the last one or not, they must be prepared to face reality; the reality that says that the future holds its own way of life and its own way of dealing with society in general. What I mean is that tomorrow will hold its own problems and solutions for the world. Tomorrow someone might discover the cure for cancer, or the cure for AIDS, but no one knows until we get to tomorrow. I would gladly recommend this class to any student to take it because it serves as a reality check of what you believe it is going to take place tomorrow. . . .
The final narrative that we talked about is the weirdest one…the alternative. Talk about your average bedtime story. If you really wanted to tell interesting stories that will catch your children’s attention, especially boys, this is the way to go. . . .
Literature of the Future has helped me to look back at what I believe the future hold for me and my future generation. I can’t see the alternative narrative being the one to hold all the answers to what a future I will have in the next 10 or 20 years from now. Such a narrative could take many decades to take place and become a reality, I don’t plan to live that long and so I don’t take it to heart. The evolutionary narrative is one that will take millions of years to take place. If Darwin is right about such theory, I will still not be alive to prove it. The apocalyptic narrative is already written and I see the events happening today. I’m not saying that Christ is coming back now, but that it is the narrative that holds more believable grown in my personal life style. Mainly because of the sacrifice that took place for my life when the Son of God, Jesus, gave his life for humanity to be ‘redeemed’ to unite with God again. For me, it takes more faith to believe the other narratives, and it just takes a daily walk with God to know that He has our future in His hands. [IP]