Dystopian Music

Pink Floyd "Animals"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ft7QMuliH2M


   When searching for some dystopian music, i did come across a good deal of dark, depressing songs, then this little number came along. Of course dystopia is a dark dreary place, but the way they intrepreted it really interested me. In a doomed future, this is a song of hope and survival, yet manages to catch the underlining tones of the evils of this society, being the cries of dogs in the night, and the gluttonus squeals of the pigs. In both the fictional world, 'Animal Farm' for which the song is based and named , and 'The Ship Breaker' the power of corporations overwhelms and enslaves the common man.
   Now if you haven't read 'Animal Farm', and I suggest you do so, I'll give you a quick rundown. In the countryside of England some farm animals find new freedom as they overthrow their owner. Based on the ideals of a pig passed away, they set out to create their own society. They face a good deal of hardship, yet eventually make good process. Unfortunatly the pigs then give into the power given to them, rewriting the laws to their own gain, and in the end one wonders if this revolution was worth it in the first place.

Animoto- The Ship Breaker

Letters about Literature

Dear Paulo Bacigalupi,

I write to you after just having read 'The Ship Breaker' as preempted by the Read for a Lifetime program at our school. I must say that 'The Ship Breaker' was a very entertaining read, and the characters and relationships between said characters really made it shine for me. The bleak dystopian world that you portrayed as evidenced by the fallen skyscrapers and the multitudes of beached ships, drew me in, and the trials that Nailer had to undergo, while he being about the lowest rung of this future society, hooked me.

I feel that the book follows in the of many that successfully paint a picture of a world that could be our future that is not all sunshine and butterflies. I know that humanity is not the perfect society unlike others would make it out to be, and I feel it is important to show the young mind that, without those who constantly fight for good, where would we be today and where will we be tomorrow? This is why dystopian sci-fi interests me. The book manages to often remind you how different this world is, from the apparent poverty to fallen cities, and yet to prevent completely alienating the reader, there are these interesting characters we can connect to.

Nailer of course is a very intriguing case, as he seems to be a lucky one of the populace to have a heightened sense of morality, in a place where survival has overcome such thoughts. An important part of literature I find is the challenge of creating a varied character and having that character connect with the reader in some way, if you would pardon the pun Nailer pretty much hit that by the nail. Everyone else seen in this world is focused on their own survival, and occasionally the survival of friends and family. That Nailer was willing to rescue someone he didn't know, and risk giving up a very lucky 'strike' he had come across, and go on a grand adventure to return her home, abandoning all his friends in the process really speaks to me. Even with morality being as it is in the story, now compare this to real life, would you go out of your way to rescue someone you didn't know and risk leaving all you know behind? I doubt that I could. Yet what really fuels his desire, is it his selflessness, blind love, hope for a new future, or just fear spurned by his father? Nevertheless Nailer manages to make all the right decisions in tough situations, and is really a character that I said is very easy to relate to.

How I most connect to the book is really based on morality. I may not be the biggest samaritan in the world, yet I try my best to help those around me, friends, family, and strangers alike. I can see where Nailer is coming from when he deals with these issues, for once and awhile my view of morality can conflict with my friends, yet I always strive to do what's best. So in a final word, thank you Bacigalupi for this great read, it really touched me on multiple levels. Should I ever get into writing, I can call you one of my inspirations.

Sincerely,

Nick Moreno

The Modern English Classroom

    I personally feel quite privilegded to be living in a day and age where one can express their thoughts throughout the world by as simply as typing a series of words via a keyboard. My experiences with this before now have been quite limited, as I never really took a liking to the idea of sharing my thoughts to the world before now. This blogging assignment that we have undertaken these past quarters have really grown on me. I personally prefer writing these blog entries to long analytical essays, which usually bore me and I become very turned off by any books that I write analytical essays for. Blogging remains an interesting way to explore book concepts that works in an English class.

    Blogging forces one to take a closer look at the chosen novel, yet manages not to be a bore. By posting about book concepts, one can greater understand said concepts.

Life in Dystopia

Ship Breaker, a story about friendship surviving in a dystopian time.

Dystopia, aka the grim future that likely awaits us as the planet can no longer the amount of people living on it.

Nailer's dream is to venture upon the sea, unfortunatly he is stuck in a dead end job on the island he inhabits.

Shipbreaking, a very real occupation, and the type of labor Nailer is forced into at a young age.

Ship breaking is a back breaking labor.

In this future it is common for genetic monstrocities based on human DNA to be kept as slaves.

The land is dominated by broken down, and scrapped cities.

In these broken down cities, the law doesn't exist.

In the future, corporate fat cats still manage to take advantage of others for their own profit.

Without a group to call your own, you are pretty much dead. Loyalty is an important theme in the book, for there are plenty of examples of those without it, and they all end up in terrible situations.

Nailer has a form of almost blind loyalty, he finds this girl broken and washed up, and is willing to risk his life and everything he knows for her.

The fellow ship breakers have a tight relationship.