Annihilation Discussion Q's Part 2

1) In physics, the term observer effect refers to changes that the act of observation will make on a phenomenon being observed. This is often the result of instruments that, by necessity, alter the state of what they measure in some manner. A commonplace example is checking the pressure in an automobile tire; this is difficult to do without letting out some of the air, thus changing the pressure. Furthermore, it is not possible to see any object without light hitting the object, and causing it to emit light; while this may seem negligible, the object still experiences a change. This effect can be observed in many domains of physics and can often be reduced to insignificance by using different instruments or observation techniques. 

How do people "affect" Area X? How does it affect them?

2) Why doesn't the map work? How might this be a metaphor for climate change?

3) How does our understanding of the book shift once we discover, on page 106, that there have been many more expeditions into Area X than previously thought? What about the fact that we are actually reading the biologists' journal, and that she is addressing us directly?

4)  "I was no longer the biologist but the crest of a wave building and building but never crashing to shore. I saw with such new eyes the transition to the marsh, the salt flats."

Discuss the biologists' "change" that overtakes her, the "brightening." If this book is a metaphor for climate change, what might this change in the biologist represent? And why might it be the case that it didn't happen to the others in Area X, such as the surveyor, psychologist, etc? What is meaningful about the fact that she sees "with new eyes"?

5) Discuss the section on page 94 where the biologist explains how Area X entered the cultural consciousness. Can you think of any similar phenomenon or "situations" in our world that we also "do not want to think about too closely, if at all"?

6) What is meaningful about the title of the novel, and its implications given that the psychologist attempts to use it on the biologist as a hypnotic code word? 

7) What is significant about the fact that the animals in Area X have human cells? Again, thinking about this as a novel about climate change, why might Vandermeer have mixed humans and animals together in this manner?

Area X Journaling Activity

When the biologist stumbles upon the journals, we come to realize we are not casually reading a book, but rather that we are a part of a future expedition, and are discovering these journals just as she did.   

As a member of this future expedition, write your journal entry upon discovering the pile of journals and tell us how Area X has continued to evolve. Consider particularly how the environment has continued to change and how it has continued to change the people who come to visit it. All the main elements are there: the lighthouse, the tower, the village. But what else is there? Fill in some of the spaces not currently "on the map."  

You may choose to use some of your climate change research as inspiration, particularly if you are seeing this place as the result of "The Event."  

Annihilation Discussion Q's

1) What is potentially relevant about the fact that this is Florida?

 

2) What do you make of the fact that the characters are known only by their "titles," not their individual names?   

3) What do you make of the fact that the biologist is the one telling the story? Why not the surveyor, for example, or the psychologist? What does this tell us about what is possibly most important to pay attention to in the novel?  

4) What might be significant about the fact that the Biologist keeps calling the Tunnel a "Tower"? What does this perceptual anomaly tell us about the nature of Area X? What other perceptual shifts or changes do you notice as you read through the novel? What do these tell us about the type of place that this is?

Report from the Future Pre-Drafting Activity

OVERALL QUESTIONS:

Tell us about your character. Give as many details about them as you can in one paragraph (no more than 200 words). Who are they? Age, gender, species, race, home, goals, personality, family, vocation/job, skills, etc.

Will your Report from the Future be a warning, or more of a snapshot (window into the time period)? Why did you choose this method?

What is your version of our world in 100-200 years like? What is its economic system, its environment, its politics, its technologies, etc? Describe it in as much detail as possible.

How does your future connect to our world today? What is your primary issue (social problem, invention, etc) that you have projected into the future? Why do you think this is the most pressing idea facing humanity today?

What other aspects of our world have you projected into this future? As a reminder, say you are creating a dystopian future--perhaps your world is ravaged by climate change in some way, as climate change is currently documented by scientists to be creating rapidly, increasingly negative effects for our environment. Perhaps you've projected current politics in the US toward a totalitarian regime ruled only by reality TV stars. Perhaps scientists have created brains in jars to solve all our problems for us (yes, test tube brains are a thing scientists are working on). Here is where you may need to do some preliminary research to get some good ideas. Don't get bogged down in research, but do make sure you can connect your world to our world in a research-based way.

CREATIVE COMPONENT QUESTIONS:

What format will the assignment be in? (Digital comic, short story, video). Why did you choose this format?

What technical challenges will you face using this format? Have you used it before?

What are some practical planning tools you need to do to get up to speed with this assignment? (Make appointment with tech liason in the library; rent equipment, read a tutorial, etc).

*Important note: please remember that I have made particular requirements for each of your creative components, that you should go back and re-read them before working on your assignment. For example, your digital comic has a certain number of frames required, should be in color, etc. I will be grading very strictly along these requirements, so make sure you understand them and ask me any questions you have about them before beginning your project.

Brainstorming Ideas for your Report from the Future

As promised in class today, if you are brainstorming topics for your Report from the Future, here are some innovations and current cultural issues you might want to project into a speculative future. Please note that the news articles listed here are not to be used as your scholarly sources, as they are not peer-reviewed research from the library's databases. Rather, these are just brainstorming topics to get you thinking in a certain direction.

Designer babies: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jan/08/designer-babies-ethical-horror-waiting-to-happen

Internet brain implant: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609232/the-surgeon-who-wants-to-connect-you-to-the-internet-with-a-brain-implant/

Nanotechology: https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-11/7-amazing-ways-nanotechnology-changing-world

Drones: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2018-02-15/why-drones-are-still-future-war

Robot companions: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/japanese-companies-introduce-new-companion-robots/4240141.html

Transhumanism: http://whatistranshumanism.org/

Income inequality: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/12/us-states-with-the-highest-levels-of-income-inequality.html

Animal extinction: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140529-conservation-science-animals-species-endangered-extinction/

Sea level rise: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2018/feb/27/scientists-have-detected-an-acceleration-in-sea-level-rise

Automation/Jobs: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/26/jobs-future-automation-robots-skills-creative-health  

Bringing back extinct animals: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/02/16/harvard-scientists-pledge-bring-back-woolly-mammoth-extinction/

Presentation Schedule

Please note that there are no makeups for missed presentations! If a true emergency occurs as per the guidelines on the syllabus, then please contact me immediately.


1:30 class

4/26

Lauryn
Oscar
Manuel
Olivia
MB

5/1

Jasmine
Louie
Catherine
Davis
Carson

5/3

Kallysta
Celeste
Eric
Rachel
Ashley


5/8

Cynthia
Trey
Christian
Jordan
Nicole

3:00 class

426

Michael
Chandler
Mackenzie
Sabrina
Kyle

5/1

Bella C
John-Paul
Adam
Alejandro
Alan

5/3

Anthony
Bella M
Victoria
Danielle
Chad

5/8

Antonio
Chelsea
Hakim
Ben
Kasey

DIRECTIONS: Please answer in complete sentences and take time and care in responding, as you will be graded on your answers. You do not need to write down the questions. Do not write any yes or no answers--give details and examples from the reading.
 
You should address all questions within a given section. 

Give the notes to the Paper Author when finished. They will hand it in to me at the beginning of class on the day your final paper is due, and you will both get credit for the assignment.

Last but not least, do not rush through this assignment. I will give full credit only to those pairs who took their time working through the assignment carefully, using the entire class period to do so.

1) Is the essay's thesis clear? Point out any areas where it could be clearer. Is it arguable? Is it well-qualified (specific)? Even if the thesis seems to be specific enough, suggest a way for the writer to make it even more specific and narrow (i.e. do they list the topics they plan to discuss in the body paragraphs?). *Importantly, does the thesis address one of the prompts given for class? (It should not mix them together).

2) Does the writer incorporate research from three scholarly* sources into the essay? Do the sources seem to be strong and relevant for the thesis at hand? Do not ask the writer to tell you about them, but judge them based solely on what is in the paper. Write what you know about the sources below and give any suggestions for what you need to know more about. Also please note if they seem to be forcing irrelevant sources onto their paper.

*Scholarly sources are sources written by active scholars in a relevant field such as English literature (in the last 10 years--no older) that have been peer reviewed, and that the paper author found through the Whittier College library's databases. They do not include things like: interviews with the author, .com or other websites, news articles or encyclopedias.

3) Does the writer incorporate plenty of quotes/paraphrases from the novel(s) and the outside sources examples in the essay? They should! Are those quotes strong enough to use? Which quote is the strongest and which is the weakest? Why? 

4) Does the writer provide convincing, sufficient analysis for each and every one of their quotations/paraphrases? Remember, analysis is as important than the quote itself. Make suggestions for improvement below, and be specific. The analysis should of course connect back to the thesis.

5) Is the paper organized? Do the main topics of the body paragraphs seem to build logically upon one another? Are the quotations logically organized? Give at least one suggestion for improvement.

6) What are some ways in which the author might expand their ideas further? Are there any logical connections they could be making that are missing from the essay? Is their critical thinking going deep enough, or are they staying at a surface level with their interpretations of the text? Give suggestions for at least two places in the essay where they can go deeper.