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(2015
midterm assignment) Model Student Midterm answers 2015 (Index) Essay 1: Compare, contrast, and evaluate Narratives of the Future |
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Holly Williams
Narratives of the Future: Alike or Different?
Literature of the future consists of three fundamental models of time
such as; creation/apocalypse, evolution,
and alternative. Each mode of
time is interpreted individually, yet all three intertwine with each other in
literature. Each model of time is
identified through the narratives and the short stories read and analyzed in
class. Creation/apocalypse is
represented linearly from beginning to end. This is seen in the bible with the
book of Genesis representing the beginning and the book of Revelation
representing the end of time. Evolution
is a cyclical representation of time involving continuity plus change
(White, 2015). This model of time is seen in the narrative
Parable of the Sower by Octavia
Butler in a manner of declination, where the world is in desolation and
declining rapidly and Lauren, the main character, must evolve to make a new life
out of the old life she had been used to.
Alternative futures are seen as time through the process of branching, or
better known as forking paths that lead to numerous realities. This depiction of
time is seen in the novel The Time
Machine by H.G. Wells through the development of time travel where different
realities are occurring simultaneously. This represents multiple strands of time
in which there is not one linear basis of time, rather numerous depictions of
time.
Creation is depicted in
Genesis when God creates the earth and all that lives in it. This is a symbol of
life or the beginning of time. This model of time follows a linear path that
ultimately leads to destruction, or the end of time that God characterizes as
the Revelation referred to as an
apocalypse or the end. “I am Alpha
and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Rev. 22.13).
Creation/apocalypse
is portrayed in a time scale of 6,000 to 10,000 years, give or take, which
is an easier concept of time that the human mind can comprehend. Katherine
Fellows mentions in her midterm Narrative
Forms for Future Visions of the Future that time specified in a linear path
follows the theme where “when an apocalypse fails to arrive, the
creation/apocalypse narrative is passed to the next generation, creating a
general perception of moral decline towards an assured destruction” (Fellows,
2011). This explanation expresses time in a declination, where we start with
God’s creation and decline into destruction until he comes again in Revelations.
The apocalypse has yet to happen, but is un-falsifiable and will always be
directed for the last generation (White, 2015).
Creation/apocalypse has literary
appeal because it conveys an overall theme that good will conquer evil in the
end.
Evolution is a model of time
that is a constant continuity that will keep changing over time. There is not an
end, but rather a continuum in which the species of the earth adapt and evolve.
This can be interwoven into time as
apocalyptic, as seen in Parable of
the Sower, where the world is deteriorating and Lauren’s theory that “God is
change” is an evolutionary trait that she tries to instill into others to follow
her newfound religion. Lauren and her group are forced to survive outside the
walls that served as protection and evolve and adapt to be able to make it in a
world where the weak get wiped out. This portrays Charles Darwin’s concept of
“survival of the fittest” where basically all things change, will continue to
change and if you are not fit, then you will not survive. Laurens orchestrates
her new religion that “God is change” and shares it with other people trying to
mold them to adapt to the change that is happening. She quotes “when
civilization fails to serve, it must disintegrate unless it is acted upon by
unifying internal or external forces” (Butler, 1993). Lauren is trying to get
back to civilization through spreading her beliefs changing the world for the
better.
Butler intertwines both
creation/apocalypse and
evolution models of time in
Parable of the Sower even though each
is individually depicted differently. But when each are brought together in
literature something else entirely happens and they complement each other.
Another depiction of evolution is in
the story Bears Discover Fire where
bears adapt and evolve due to environmental changes where they discover fire
instead of hibernating for the winter. The story
Somebody Up There Likes Me has
elements of creation-apocalypse, as well as evolutionary. The elements of
evolution is the technological advances that have evolved in their world where
they are able to implant digital watches into their skin and tattoo themselves
to where they no longer look human. Also, creation aspects are shown through the
symbolism of the abundant garden that Boyce and his wife had reflecting the
Garden of Eden in the bible. Elements of apocalypse are shown through symbolism
of the high tech computer called the Revelation 2000 symbolizing Revelations and
the end of times. Also, the symbol depicted through the Sockeye Salmon that is
extinct in the narrative. Extinction foreshadows the future of the narrative and
the direction the world is headed.
Evolution
is
seen in a cyclical pattern and is portrayed in a time scale that is
incomprehensible. Dr. White refers to this in biblical times relating to
thousands of years + “last generation” perpetually extended + human history
bookended by eternity (White, 2015). Evolution has less literary appeal than
creation/apocalypse because it does
not line with the beliefs of the bible. Evolution is a harder concept to grasp
because it raises the question of what is going to happen in the future? People
find comfort in predicting or knowing what will eventually happen, but how much
do we really know about the future in terms of evolution?
Alternative future is an
abstract model of time compared to
creation/apocalypse and evolution.
Creativity stems from this mode of time through parallel futures, time
travelling, and multiple strands of time rather than one linear path. An
occurring theme in this model of time is quantum physics or relativity, in which
very few humans are equipped with the knowledge of time through this theme and
it can seem abstract or exotic to those who are not aware of this concept. An
example of this is seen in The Time
Machine by H.G. Wells with the concept of quantum physics playing a huge
part in the invention of travelling through time and having multiple realities
occur simultaneously. This novel also incorporated elements of evolutionary in
terms of the growing gap between the adaptations of the Morlocks and the Eloi.
The world evolved into two species, one depicted as the working class (Morlocks)
and the other as the wealthy (Eloi). This is a social issue in today’s time that
has evolved into something other than humanity.
Apocalypse is also a mode of time in
the story The Time Machine when the
time traveller arrives in the future; he creates an apocalypse and sets things
out of order for this world of the Morlocks and the Eloi. His journey to find
his time machine turns him against the Morlocks and causes destruction within
their species, which causes an imbalance in the living arrangements between the
two species.
Alternative Future
can
also be construed as branching or forking paths, parallel worlds, or as a
maze/labyrinth symbol. In Garden of
Forking Paths, we come across Ts’ui Pen’s theory where all possible outcomes
occur, instead of just one and the narrator describes it as “…each one is the
point of departure for other forkings” (Borges, 1941). This theory is depicted
in multiple realities happening together simultaneously. By choosing all of the
alternatives, “he creates, in this way, diverse futures, diverse times which
themselves also proliferate and fork” (Borges, 1941). This offers the
opportunity of each scenario happening concurrently, one where he is a friend
another where he is an enemy of Albert’s. Tsu Pen’s unfinished book and mystery
of his lost labyrinth are one in the same where the book is the labyrinth. Jenn
Tullos explains that this type of narrative has literary appeal because of the
freedom it offers- “if you do not want to be destroyed in an apocalypse, there
is a paralleling reality in which you survive and evolve. And yet another where
the world does not end at all” (Tullos, 2011).This type of narrative instills
hope into the reader that gives the reader a sense of comfort in knowing that
there is not one destined end and that we get to choose our path. Tullos also
mentions that no matter the circumstance, you get a second chance and people can
relate to this type of feeling and find comfort in it.
All
of these models of time are separate yet intertwined with each other through
literature to capture literary appeal. These types of narratives stand the test
of time and are classic stories that never die because of the strong connections
between creation/apocalypse, evolution,
and alternative futures. Getting the readers to connect to the story and
relate it to their own lives is a classic example of a great literary piece.
Depending on the narrative, some stories write off each model of time
separately, as well as combining them to complement each other as I depicted
about some of the narratives I read that intertwined two or more modes of time.
I agree with Jen Tullos when she talks about how the past is in the past and the
future may already be written, but our present choices affect the path we take
to get there (Tullos, 2011).
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