...The Past Impact on the Expected Future Society or people always bring up the question “what if” in practical situations. Especially in society today when hindsight plays such a large role in the world. The Science Fiction genre gives society an outlet to see how some large issues affecting society and the world today could unfold in the future. Isaac Amisov wrote about how robots or robotic like being could exist in the future. For example what if robots could replace people in the real world. Jonathan Mostow addressed this in his film Surrogate, where people live their lives through an idealized android version of themselves, an android that is customizable and completely replaces all human interaction in society. While robots becoming common existence in the world are one topic ablaze through conversation in the world, there are numerous more topics just as popular. Many others will be touched upon in this paper because science fiction is a channel in which people can speculate about the future and how people will impact it. Science fiction is a form of time travel where the mind and imagination can travel into the future and catch a glimpse of what life might me be in the near or far future. While the far future speculations are often romanticized with amazing technology and alien life, the near future is often peppered with a crumbling dystopian society. A future in which the world suffered through a cataclysmic event and society is held together by barely a thread....
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...thinking of science fiction television programs, one usually thinks of aliens, space ships, and laser blasters, this tends to shed a more childish light on the genre and most people tend to dismiss it as being no more than mindless entertainment. While there has certainly been a surplus of the campy science fiction shows on the air, some shows have used the science fiction genre to tackle serious social issues as well. This essay will take a look at two shows 54 years apart and will analyze how both use social concerns of the time period and create memorable narratives that speculate about human behavior and interactions. The first show this essay will look at is the generation defining classic The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), and the second show is a modern cult hit from the United Kingdom Utopia (2013-2014). //Through a comparative analysis of the episode “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street” from The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) and “Episode 5” of the British cult hit, Utopia (2013-2014) this essay illustrates how the science fiction genre can be and has been used generation after generation to highlight certain social issues. Whereas The Twilight Zone uses America’s anxieties of communism and consumer culture to cause paranoia in the early sixties, Utopia uses big business, government conspiracies, and overpopulation in a plot that stirs up concern for the environment. Ultimately this essay will illustrate how social issues lay the foundation for a compelling science fiction narrative...
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...Joanna Russ argues that science fiction is didactic and that it focuses on the collective rather than the individual hero while, Samuel R. Delany argues that science fiction is a distortion of the present. However, they both argue that science fiction must be learned, interpreted, and critiqued differently than other literary texts because it has its own unique conventions. Joanna Russ’s argument that science fiction in didactic and that it focuses on the collective rather than the hero is in a plethora of works from Delany to H.G Wells. When specifically focusing on the idea that science fiction is didactic we can look at Einstein Intersection which, like most of Delany’s works, teaches us about racial/ethnic differences but, within this novel...
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...літератури XX століття 4 Розділ ІІ. Айзек Азімов як представник жанру наукової фантастики 14 2.1. Життєвий і творчий шлях письменника 14 2.2. Особливості творчості письменника 18 Висновки 21 Список використаної літератури 22 Вступ Рей Бредбері стверджував: «Фантастика — це реальність, що нас оточує», вона «вчить мислити, а отже, приймати рішення, виявляти альтернативи й закладати основи майбутнього прогресу». Наукова фантастика стала одним з найпопулярніших жанрів XX ст. Історії про космічних прибульців і відроджених динозаврів з’являються на кіно- і телеекранах ймовірно частіше, ніж історії з реального життя, рекордними тиражами видаються книжки з поміткою SF (science fiction). Наукова фантастика у XX ст. – це не тільки різновид літератури, але й цілий рух, з періодичними виданнями, з’їздами любителів, бурхливими обговореннями новин. У чому ж секрет успіху фантастики, які струни в душі людини вона торкає? Розділ І. Наукова фантастика як жанр літератури XX століття Наукова фантастика (також НФ, англ. варіант sci-fi) (грец. phantastikos — той, що стосується уяви) — жанр у літературі й кіно; фантастика, в основі якої полягають роздуми на теми науки та нових технологій. Досить часто, вживаючи термін «фантастика», мають на увазі саме наукову фантастику. Термін «наукова вигадка» або «наукова белетристика», виник у 1926 році в Америці і був вперше впроваджений письменником...
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...C O V E R S T O R I E S R O U N D TA B L E C O M M E N TA R Y Transatlantic Divergence in GE/Honeywell: Causes and Lessons BY DONNA E. PATTERSON AND CARL SHAPIRO welcome, even when they are predicted to cause leading firms to gain market share. Second, the procedures in place in Europe contributed to the ability of the Competition Commissioner to block the proposed merger of GE and Honeywell based on dubious economic grounds and very weak evidence. In particular, the absence of timely and independent judicial review of the Commissioner’s decision that a combination is incompatible with the Common Market gives enormous discretion to the Competition Commissioner and to the Commission’s Merger Task Force. We discuss below how the interplay of these two trans-Atlantic differences led to the divergent results in GE/Honeywell. The EU’s Conglomerate Case A key driver of the proposed merger was the desire of GE and Honeywell to combine their complementary product lines in the civil aerospace industry.2 GE makes, sells, and services large aircraft engines. Honeywell, itself the result of a 1999 merger between Allied Signal and Honeywell, makes small aircraft engines, various avionics components, and other “non-avionics” components, such as environmental control systems, wheels and brakes, and auxiliary power units. At its heart, the merger was neither horizontal nor vertical, but conglomerate. In fact, the GE/Honeywell merger was remarkably “clean” in terms of horizontal...
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...E. O. Wilson is quoted saying “Science and religion are the two most powerful forces in the world. Having them at odds is not productive.” Religion is found everywhere. Religion is defined as “a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe” (“religion”). Everyone puts their faith and trust into something. Most people would not put the idea of religion and the genre of science fiction in the same category, but these two ideas are intertwined. In Charles Darwin’s book The Origin of Species, he stated that creation was “originally breathed [to life] by the Creator” (Connor 368). Even a well-known scientist such as Darwin included ideas of religion in his theories. Science fiction has elements within that can...
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...Genre classifies movies, novels, music and literature of similar style in the same category. Genre acts as a navigation tool to guide the audience and readers to select literature according to their preference. Science fiction is the most relevant genre of the 21st century because it contains a message regarding the advances society is making in the fields of science and technology. It is a genre that has its roots in the 19th century where new inventions made the audience curious about the future and new technology. The elements of the science fiction genre are an alternate setting, alienated characters and scientific technology. An excellent example of this prominent genre, science fiction, is the Hugo and Nebula award winning novel, The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K....
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...think alike. They differ in the way they use the depths of their imagination in creating movies. America-based films are more insightful, clever, and charismatic to the audience, for it is being distributed across the world. The universal motion-picture industry of America is called Hollywood (Wikipedia.org). And having been able to reach a wide array of audiences, it has an immense power to influence them. There are a lot of film categories that are being specialized by Hollywood. One of the most popular is fiction. According to Wikipedia.org, “Fiction is a form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather imaginary”. People have embraced fiction films maybe because it seems like a new taste to the tongues of the audiences from different parts of the world. As time went by, Hollywood film makers tried incorporating fiction with science, and have clearly succeeded. Today, Science-Fiction films have become a massive hit to cinemagoers. Commonly known as “Sci-Fi”, this type of movie genre deals with depictions of phenomena that are not really accepted as truths, such as sorcery, alien worlds and extraterrestrial forms of life, extrasensory perception, and time travel. It also features spacecrafts, space travels, robots, and other forms of technology with a more futuristic element. One...
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...thriller, Science Fiction seems to fit it all in but still have its own unique identity. Is this why it appeals to so many? As Reported By ReJohnson. Looking around at movie advertisements shown on billboards, bus stands and television, it’s hard to miss the growing popularity of science fiction movies and books in modern society. Though still not as popular as genres such as Action and romance, many people have found an interest and love for science fiction. Over the past decade, there have been over 300 Science Fiction movies released. Statistics show that 5 in every 10 movies released in today’s society is science fiction. Many of them hitting the top ten list and have been nominated or have won major awards (e.g. Avatar which won 3 Oscars, the Golden Globe etc.). So why does it appeal to modern day audiences? It seems that in modern society, no matter how you look at it, Science fiction is a genre that can appeal to each individuals taste making it appealing to almost anyone. Though it is mainly based around an imagined future and scientific and technological advances, directors and producers have created a scale as to how ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ the science fiction movie is. While Hard Science Fiction focuses mostly on the speculation of the future as seen in the award- winning Matrix, Soft science Fiction focuses more on the entertainment of the audience and allowing them to escape from reality as seen in the X-Men series. One of the main reasons science Fiction appeals to...
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...over power the machines and regain our world. (The Terminator, 1984) The year today is 2015. We are all living outside of enslavement from machines and our world has not been destroyed by nuclear weapons. What you just read was the basis for the 1984 movie, The Terminator. Technology had been made too powerful, gained self-awareness, and took over the world. Thankfully, that is not our world. However, will it be in the future? Technology may not have progressed as fast and as far as the movie thought that it would by now, but it’s getting better by the day and it’s still possible that we could reach that point where machines become self-aware. With help from the Cambridge Companion to Science Fiction and the Cambridge Companion to Fantasy books, we will explore the connection between science fiction and the real world, analyze the uses of modern day technology, like that of the MonsterMind, and find the events in this movie may await us...
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...It [science fiction] is untrustworthy as a source of "facts," since these may be wrong, or at least out of date. There is nothing wrong, however, with science fiction as a way of arousing interest in science...it doesn't matter whether the scientific background of a science fiction story is accidentally wrong through ignorance, deliberately wrong through the exigencies of the plot, or simply out-of-date through the progress of science. If the story is interesting, it can be used...that's the educational value of science fiction; that is what makes it a learning device. It stimulates curiosity and the desire to know. "Learning Device," IASFM, August 1979 Asimov on Science Fiction, pg.37 It is change, continuing change inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the word as it will be - and naturally this means that there must be an accurate perception of the world as it will be. This, in turn, means that our statesmen, our businessmen, our Everyman, must take on a science fictional way of thinking, whether he likes it or not or even whether he knows it or not. Only so can the deadly problems of today be solved. "My Own View," The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Holdstock, ed., 1978 Asimov on Science Fiction, pg 5. What's importance about science fiction, even crucial, is the very thing that gave it birth-the perception of change through...
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...Isaac Asimov has distinguished himself as one of the most intellectual figure of science fiction for over five decades. Asimov was capable of stimulating generations of people to criticize and question science mysteries. He is also one of the most prolific writers of science fiction or any other genre. Young writers today still immolate his writing style and ideas. Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Ozimov in Petrovichi, Russia in 1920. In 1923, when he was three years old, he immigrated to the USA and settled in Brooklyn, New York with his parents, Anna and Judah and siblings, Veronica and Stanley. None of the resources shows why the family immigrated, but they were Orthodox Jews and there was great prejudice against Orthodox Jews in Russia, which led me to believe that this is the reason for their immigration. While Isaac’s parents continued to grow in their own faith, they didn’t force their beliefs upon their children, and in later years Asimov would claim he was an Atheist. Upon arriving, his parents opened a candy shop in Brooklyn, New York where young Asimov worked and where he became interested in the science fiction magazines that were sold in his parents store. Isaac was taught to speak English and only knew a few words in Russian. While Asimov was born on January 2, 1920 he started school when he was only five years old because his parents lied and said he was born in 1919, so he could start school a year early. The reason why his parents wanted him to start school early...
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...For many years, authors like H.G Wells and Jules Verne have blown readers away with their creative predictions of the future. Science fiction is a genre that includes fictional books about technology and science in a future setting. Popular science fiction novels are 2,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Hunger Games, and The War of the Worlds. But science fiction is also seen in short stories."Old Glory" is a dystopian short story about a future United States. Unlike in The Hunger Games, the narrator does not feel like the setting is dystopian. In the future United States, people cannot say anything they want. If they speak out, they are killed. "Harrison Bergeron" is also dystopian and is a society where everyone must be equal. While reading the story, readers find out that equality in fact is not always right if used...
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...Why did Jules Vernes wrote the book Journey to the Center of the Earth? According to the book, “Jules Vernes was born in Nantes, France in February 1828’’ (Vernes 4). Vernes is considered the father of science fiction. The reason he was known as the father of science fiction is because he wrote books based on science fiction. One of the book is the Journey to the Center of the Earth. The reason he wrote the book which is due to his interest in traveling and science fiction. Jules Verne always wanted to travel around the world. Though he always wanted to travel he could not. Verne did tried to travel to India on a ship but ended up getting into trouble with his father. According to the book, “But his father pulled him off the ship and gave him a severe beating. Jules, however vowed to continue to travel from then on- but only in his imagination”(Verne 4). This shows that though Verne could not travel, he could use imagination as a way to travel....
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...previously appeared in magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Ladies Home Journal, Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, Collier’s Magazine, Saturday Evening Post, The New York Times, Esquire, Venture, and Cosmopolitan. The title story appeared in Playboy magazine the same year the collection was released. Eleven of the stories were reprinted from Vonnegut’s 1961 short story collection Canary in a Cat House (Vonnegut). This paper will focus on four futuristic science fiction stories from the collection. These stories, “Welcome to the Monkey House”, “Harrison Bergeron”, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”, and “Unready to Wear” all share a dystopian science fiction theme. Science and technology are supposed to make the world a better place, but instead, Vonnegut concludes they only create a new set of problems (Farrell, “Science and Technology in the Works of Kurt Vonnegut”). Television is often a target of satire in much of his fiction from the 1950’s. He describes it as desensitizing and numbing while deceiving the masses (Werlock). Vonnegut uses satire and pessimism throughout these dystopian stories. Satire is a special form of literature that seeks to uncover ridiculous ideas and customs in a society (Mowery). Each story portrays a totalitarian government that proposes an irrational solution to genuine problems. Vonnegut uses dystopian fiction and his aversion to science, technology, and television to expose what he feels are foolish ideas and weaknesses in our society...
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