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`A Quaint Conversation on a Moonlit Terrace

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     This is the alternate title I am choosing for Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever". While I do like the title of the story well already, it does not age well. Roman Fever is no longer of any concern to people in contemporary times, so while this may seem like a mysterious and intriguing title to some, it could be offputting and confusing to others. Roman Fever just doesn't live in the minds of people anymore. I know that personally when I heard the title, I thought it was going to be a story about some obsession with Rome or Roman culture, unaware of the genuine ailment that was a threat at the time. I think a title that doesn't rely heavily on the time is helpful for future readers. I know it would have been helpful for me, so I can only imagine the helpfulness for other readers.       Another aspect of my title that I prefer over the original is the slight foreshadowing. Obviously, the true insidious nature of the women's relationship and conversation ...
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Gaze

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      I step into the yoga studio, a wave of humid heat washing over me. I am dressed in baggy clothes, sweatpants, and a tee that is too large, even for a woman of my stature. I unroll the loose mat out in front of me, take off my shoes, and scan the room quickly. There is only one other black woman. There is a small gaggle of white women, congregated on the other end of the room from me and this other black woman. They seem far too preoccupied with talking to the yoga instructor, infatuated with the loose curls of his hair and his striking accent to pay much notice to me. On my side, I look at the room-length mirror next to me. My reflection looks back. I spend a few moments admiring the changes I've made. I can see that there are noticeably fewer fat rolls, and my face slimmer. In the corner of the mirror, I catch the eye of the other black woman, staring at me with fiery intensity. I smile at her, and she averts her gaze almost immediately, wanting nothing to do ...
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Is the world of 'Bloodchild' Immoral?

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     In Octavia Butler's Bloodchild, we are put into a world that at first glance would seem to be an incredibly unfortunate circumstance. Humans are no longer the creators of their own destiny, but rather a lower class that only exists in preserves and as hosts for the Tlic. The Tlic control the government and all positions of power, and put into place laws that control and weaken the remaining Terrans (humans) on the planet. However, this is the only way for peace between the two species to exist. Throughout this blog, I will explain both halves of the argument before giving my own thoughts on the morality of the situation.     To begin, let us set the scene. We know that humans came to the planet of the Tlic at some point in the past, and fought against them. However, as the Tlic are by far the dominant species, it is clear that humanity lost this battle. Despite this, the Terrans do not seem to be living in terrible conditions. The Terrans are given eggs, wh...
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What is so compelling about the technological horror of "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

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 In Ray Bradburry's short story "There Will Come Soft Rains," by far the most immediately compelling detail is that of the setting. Anybody who would pick up this book would immediately think about what exactly caused this doomsday scenario. Through this post, I hope to convey to you what stood out to me, particularly about this story's doomsday setting which resonated with me so profoundly.  The story opens with a device called a 'voice-clock'. To us as readers in 2023, this is not at all something that we find surprising. Many of us likely already have devices that can do this and more sitting in our pockets at any given moment. This may seem like a nitpick, however I think this is important to contextualize the story. This was written in 1950, only a few years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and furthermore World War two. On every reader's mind was a fear that a third World War may break out, with every country being armed with these unfath...
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