will the future change us
Will the future change us?
In many short stories, we have the element of the supernatural or the extraordinary. These stories interest us because of the fact that most of these things are not real and it lets us imagine a completely different world. A world that might exist in the future. The Indifference Engine and Tourists have opposing themes on the subject. Firstly, Project Itoh, author of the Indifference Engine, is trying to show us how futuristic advances in technology will not help stop fix our societal problems. We can see how the main character, a Xema soldier, does not lose his hatred for the Hoa when given “the shot to the heart”. Secondly, Lisa Goldstein, author of Tourists, shows us a completely different side. She shows us how a little magic can change everything about a person. Charles goes from being a normal traveller to a card seller, just because his face was seen on one of the cards. We can see how even though both these stories follow a supernatural element, one says it does change us and one says it does not. I think the Indifference Engine is more convincing because of the fact that it seems more realistic.
The purpose of the supernatural element is different for each of the stories. In the Indifference Engine, the shot to the heart is given to the young soldiers. After the war has finished, these soldiers still contain the hatred towards the opposers. However, there are technological advances that can help change the situation. The doctors can give the soldiers a shot which will prevent them from distinguishing between the Hoa and the Xema, even though they look quite different. The purpose was therefor to quick-fix a societal problem. Instead of working with the soldiers and teach them not to hate one-another, they thought that by taking away their ability to recognize each other, the hate will go away. It was there to fix the soldiers post-war. The use of imagery from the author really helps us understand what this technology
In many short stories, we have the element of the supernatural or the extraordinary. These stories interest us because of the fact that most of these things are not real and it lets us imagine a completely different world. A world that might exist in the future. The Indifference Engine and Tourists have opposing themes on the subject. Firstly, Project Itoh, author of the Indifference Engine, is trying to show us how futuristic advances in technology will not help stop fix our societal problems. We can see how the main character, a Xema soldier, does not lose his hatred for the Hoa when given “the shot to the heart”. Secondly, Lisa Goldstein, author of Tourists, shows us a completely different side. She shows us how a little magic can change everything about a person. Charles goes from being a normal traveller to a card seller, just because his face was seen on one of the cards. We can see how even though both these stories follow a supernatural element, one says it does change us and one says it does not. I think the Indifference Engine is more convincing because of the fact that it seems more realistic.
The purpose of the supernatural element is different for each of the stories. In the Indifference Engine, the shot to the heart is given to the young soldiers. After the war has finished, these soldiers still contain the hatred towards the opposers. However, there are technological advances that can help change the situation. The doctors can give the soldiers a shot which will prevent them from distinguishing between the Hoa and the Xema, even though they look quite different. The purpose was therefor to quick-fix a societal problem. Instead of working with the soldiers and teach them not to hate one-another, they thought that by taking away their ability to recognize each other, the hate will go away. It was there to fix the soldiers post-war. The use of imagery from the author really helps us understand what this technology