When It Changed

I perceived "When It Changed" to have been an excerpt about a community that rose from an epidemic to a prosperous and bolstering city. I didn't realize that it was talking about a whole woman planet called "Whileaway." To me, Whileaway sounds depressing and in need of something. The men of that planet had long been extinct for 6 centuries, but the name Whileaway seems like it still hopes and wishes for men to inhabit the planet. Their organization of government, they have no central government, in fact they rely on town caucuses when a consensus can not be achieved with the city caucuses.
Katharina, Katy and their daughters are an interesting bunch. Yuki, a very curious child wonders and questions everything that she can. They are like any other average family, except that they have two mothers that are able to conceive without any insemination. Instead, they perform parthenogenensis, which is the tying of the "ovs." I suppose parthenogenensis is like knotting two ovaries together to make a baby, which I think is physically impossible.
Whileaway people are all women, I suppose that there are only women on that planet, because 6 centuries ago there was an epidemic that only affected the men. When the earth men came and tried to assert themselves to bringing men up to the planet, I thought that they had no right and it was definately degrading to the people of the Whileaway. Katy and Katharina should have shot the volitile men when they had the chance. I feel that if someone had come to my home and tried to change everything to best benefit what they think is better for the home, I would have smacked that person silly. I feel that just because women are considered more fragile and dainty people that women are subjected to taking orders from men. This story definitely proves my claim that women are considered inferior to men. However, Katy and Katharina are nothing near inferior. The scar that stretched from temple to chin on Katharina's face shows that she can withstand a blow and fight back, Katy's adventurous hiking in the woods without a weapon or driving in the night with absolute confidence shows that she is not afraid to take risks. Their daughter, Yuriko, a curious young individual questions everything and wants to know about everything. Yuriko isn't afraid to approach an object she deems interesting, which shows that she is courageous.
The Madam President, is apparently the one that makes decisions for the people of Whileaway. That is a very big and very burdensome role. These women, strong and able to find confidence and order in themselves have been capable of maintaining Whileaway for 6 centuries without men, if men from earth suddenly decide that they want to inhabit the planet, I feel that the women of Whileaway should rebel and fight back. They have a population of 30 million - with numbers like that, nothing is impossible for them. They are technologically advanced like Earth people and are capable of building empires and cities. These women don't need men from Earth to complete their way of living.

social constricts

I, personally think that today's lesson on personal constricts was interesting because I know that people at school do separate and divide themselves from other people for many different reasons, but I never mentally processed the things we separate ourselves from. I find that age is a big social constrict for me because I see that my friends separate themselves from some of the older upperclassmen. I see that adults and parents underestimate adolescents because they are simply "too young to understand" as Ashley had stated in class. I know that my family treats me as though I am still a child. I also see that people separate themselves by the way they dress, what kind of music they listen to and their personality. In today's society there are many people that judge you right off the bat on what you wear, what music you could be listening to and how you act, like what DiMarco said today in class. I believe that not only age plays a factor, but how someone else perceives you when they first meet you. I remember that some of my friends did not really like me or appreciate me until they really got to know who i am as a person and they got to know and understand where i come from for acting the way I do. LeGuin also uses some social constricts in her book, but I think she may have tried to avoid doing so. In her book I feel as though that gender is a huge role in where you will get in life, she uses he as the main pronoun for many of the characters and I feel as though it is a sign that the male race will always dominate over females. I feel as though the female role in the book is a shortcoming, that females are not appreciated and in society there are still some people that are sexist and stereotypical that women can't do things that most men can do. I understand that girls are born with more fat than muscles but it doesn't mean that women can't be successful body builders and i know that girls are supposed to be "dainty" and "fragile" but there are tough, strong, intelligent and outstanding women that are no where near dainty and fragile. Overall, I have learned through the left hand of darkness that darkness and light complement each other. Without one, you can not have the other, without good there is no bad. I also have learned that gender plays a role in what you are expected of and what a person can really accimplish. LeGuin is a really good writer and at times it was difficult to understand, but in the end, I can understand the message that she was trying to send. I understand that she not only teaches us that the male role is unjustifiably dominant, but there are other factors that make people in our society divide and isolate themselves.

Best Friends and Buddies

It seems now since Estraven and Ai have been together for days now that estraven and genly have made some kind of bond with each other. They consider each other as closer friends and they have a stronger friendship bond to each other. It is also clear to see that chapter 17 is definately from estraven's point of view and how he perceives whats going on. Estraven is a kind person, he does not speak back to genly and does not put him down even when he knows he can and genly does not hesitate to speak his mind. I think that both genly and estraven are becoming amazing best friends because they are both cautious of one another. They may trust each other and consider them friends, but it is also for the fact that they put each other under scrutiny at all times. I know that if genly and estraven were to do something that was out of the ordinary, the other would judge one another without saying anything verbally. I do wonder how sometimes estraven can stand genly when genly makes fun of estraven. I know that estraven is trying to reach out and let genly believe in him more, but how can he believe in genly if genly constantly puts him down.

Obedience is Confomity

"...Orgota, people trained from birth in a disciple of cooperation, obedience, submission to a group purpose ordered from above. The qualities of independence and decision were weakened in them. They had not much capacity for anger."Pg.173

I think that if the Orgotas are so subservient to others and themselves, then their society is just going to collapse. What if another opposing nation decides to attack them? What will the people do? How will the people of Orgota defend themselves? When in the truck taken for jail time, you notice that they are all obedient in staying inside the truck and do not request to leave. In fact, they want to remain in the truck. They are filled with morals so being good and well behaved comes naturally to them. The only thing that i can think of that was rebellious was to get the dead man out of the truck and to get the sick man another truck so that the others will not become infected. Orgotas must have a lot of patience and the ability to be very understanding in order to be well behaved. I dont think our society is filled with people that can be that obedient and understanding, I am sure that there are plenty of people in our society now that are super obedient like the Orgotas, but humans are not all perfect. They crack, and can be easily swayed. I wonder of Orgotas, if they were pushed to a ccertain limit will be able to be forced to crack and tell others of their probelms. This reminds me of the story Driftglass, because the people in Driftglass as i read, were all nice people and i dont remember reading anything about the characters having hatred in them. I know that the characters were all kind like the Orgotas probably. Sometimes, i wonder how people can be kind to people that do not deserve to be treated fairly. I think it is unjust that those that help the ones that need it do not get the help they should get in return. The Orgotas are amazing for being so obedient and are amazing for being so well behaved. I admire them and hope that someday in our society, everyone can try to be a bit more like the Orgotas.

the left hand of darkness- chapter 9 and 10

" 'This is absolutely fascinating Mr. Ai,' said the host Commensal Yegey, a delicate, dapper, drawling fellow with keen eyes. ' But I can't see what'd they'd want with us. I mean to say, what particular good is an eighty-fourth world to them? And not, I take it, a very clever world, for we dont have Star Ships and so on, as they all do.' " pg. 137-138

In Yegey's words, i believe that his tone seems to be a little resentful. I'm not sure if he wants to obtain star ships or make a point that their eighty-fourth world can be just as superior and civilized as the one that Genly Ai had observed. I think that commensal felt resentful and jealous. He probably wants a star ship for his people and for his planet, but they probably do not have the resources to either build one or obtain one. I feel that Genly Ai's interepretation of obtaining a star ship to trade not only goods but to trade knowledge and new information for his people and thousands of others to share is important to him. I wonder if for Yegey, he wants to gain the star ship for purposes that are for personal gains. I wonder if Genly is able to accomplish his goals, that Yegey will turn around and disestablish everything that Genly had worked to gain. I feel that if Yegey was to gain control of a star ship that he would use it for the power of fascism and not to help to gain knowledge of his people. If Genly were leader, I know that he would spread his knowledge to the people and share all that he knows so that his people and his land would be most intelligent.
image from: www-cs.stanford.edu/.../Immagini/rocketship.gif

and

: cs.stanford.edu/.../manips/iarp/howtotravel.html

The Left Hand Of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Chapter 5 The Domestication of Hunch

In this chapter, i thought that right off the bat, when the narrator explains that his landlady was a man, i quickly got confused, but i remembered in the end that there is no specific gender. "I thought of him as my landlady, for he had fat buttocks that wagged as he walked, and a soft fat face, and a prying, spying, ignoble, kindly nature." pg. 48. I think this quite shows that the narrator has a slight attraction to his landlady Mr.Ai. I think this is what Jessey meant during the discussion today. I can tell that Genrie has an attraction to his landlady because he also claims to have a spark when he talks to him.
I also find it interesting that in the land that they live in, Gethen, there are no wars. Even though they may fight and quarrel all the time, there are no wars. It seems even though they are peace, they have many arguments with one another. I think it shows that fights sometimes maintain the peace. I dont understand the transition of why Genry is commuting to a Karhiders if he liked Getheren so much. Estraven mus really want to connect the two cities together and like we discussed today i believe that estraven wanted to connect the two cities to make it one place of intelligent higher beings than all others. I believe that he was genuine in wanting to make a community in which there were no different men and women, and everyone was distinguished for their personalities and their behaviors. Estraven may also have an alterior motive to try and make all people stay one sex. He may have wanted to experience what it would be like to have all people be of one kind and to experience what it would be like to live in a society of different sexes and not one person is either male or female.

I found that Faxe's transformation from a woman to a man could be scarring because being a woman for so long, you get accustomed to having a certain mindset. So if you are used to thinking a certain way, then how are you going to become a full man if you still think like a woman. Can the people of Getheren really change their people completely?