LOH themes, characters, role of psychology & philosophy Flashcards
what’s one theory about the origin of George Orr’s name?
a nod to dystopian novelist George Orwell
what machine “mediates” George & Haber’s relationship?
the augmentor
what two motifs in LOH do the
Aldebaranians represent?
the jellyfish and the sea turtle
what possibility about the Alderbaranians is kept ambiguous?
that the Alderbaranians were always benign, even before George dreamed they were, and that their first attempt at contact was misinterpreted as an invasion
why is a dream not a reliable tool for humanitarian improvement?
they’re not rational, they conjure up “radical dreamland solutions” instead of feasible improvements
why does humanity dissolve to nonexistence when Haber dreams?
He is empty and without compassion
what famous SF tropes does Lelache jokingly compare Haber and the augmentor to?
The quintessential mad scientists with his infernal machine
examples of infernal machine trope
the submarine Nautilus in Jule Verne’s One Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Time Machine in H.G Well’s 1896 novel
where was the word “robot” first used?
Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)
what is arguably the most famous depiction of a robot in the early twentieth century?
in the 1927 film Metropolis. Set in a dystopian future, the film features a stylized, female
robot who is transformed into the likeness of a human
woman with terrible consequences.
what two nineteenth century stories are famously about technology?
“The Paradise of
Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids” and Ambrose
Bierce’s 1899 story “Moxon’s Master.”
what is among the most sophisticated technological advancements in the 21st century?
self-driving cars
what story inspired Issac Asimov’s novel I, Robot (1950)
a 1939 short story of the same title by Eando Binder
code of conduct for robots (created by Issac Asimov)
- a robot may not injure a human being or allow them harm via inaction
- robots must obey human commands unless they go against the first law
- a robot must protect itself so long as it doesn’t go against 1st or 2nd law
what novel was later made into the film Bladerunner?
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick
what is a common end to the infernal machine?
destroyed by its creator, or self-destruction
what is rare about Leguin’s attitude toward the augmentor and other technology in LOH?
she views technology as blameless. tech is merely tools that reflect the intention of human creator
what Eastern philosophies does George Orr embody?
Buddhism and Taoism
what Western philosophy does Haber embody?
cartesian philosophy
in what way does Leguin represent the intertwined duality of nature (yin & yang)?
through Haber’s activity and Orr’s passivity
what does Orr’s well balanced kitchenware represent?
Leguin’s view that all technology should be made with balance and care, instead of for malicious intents
in what way is George Orr an unreliable narrator?
we only have his word for the nuclear destruction of the whole world in 1998
in what way is George Orr an anti-hero?
he lacks the common attributes of a western hero, yet he saves the world
in what way is Mannie Ahrens an anachronism?
he’s a representation of the hippie past and the 1960s youth countercultural movement
how does Leguin show us that Mannie Ahrens is an emblem of friendship?
through the image of mutual support when Lelache observes him ““leaning morose against the peeling frame of the front door, he and the old house lending each other mutual support.”
what are the central themes in LOH?
1) shifting versions of reality; 2) philosophical viewpoints 3) humanity and technology; 4) warfare; 5) racism, immigration, and xenophobia; 6) the power of
friendship and love; and 7) patterns of
dominance and control.
what is the state of reality in LOH?
it is subject to fantastical change because it is tied to Orr’s subconscious mind
what question does the theme of shifting realities pose?
how do we determine what is the real and what is the unreal?
what current events made the question of reality pressing in LOH’s time?
the vietnam war, different generations had opposing views on what was “True” about the war. Also watergate, a major political scandal, which happened shortly after LOH’s publication
what makes LOH’s question of reality relevant today?
today’s readers are navigating a more complex world of misinformation, and the novel simply asks us to question what we believe is true and why.
