I have two questions to ponder:
1. Benny, one of the five characters, has been robbed of intellect and indentity by AM. How far is this true?
2. Why would the men rather face whatever AM creates to make them suffer physically and mentally than lose or let something happen to Ellen?
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In this story, tu run his plan AM has turnes Benny into something 'new', which is a half- human and half- simian. Thus, it also changes Benny's identity as a human. Sometimes Benny acts like an ape rather than a human, like the way he walks and thinks. Benny used to be a brilliant theorist and also a professor, but his condition make him cannot control himself as a full human. He always acts unrational, and acting like an animal. Surely, this remind me of theory of evolution by Darwin, that human once an ape. How tragic is that when something who creates you once was an animal? That is why AM wants to have his revenge to human kind for creating him.
ReplyDeleteFor the second question, i think the reason why Ellen is important for them, is because Ellen is a reflection of their sanity. Ellen is the one who cared and worried about them. When there is trouble, Ellen is the one who shows the emotion between them. So then, Ellen's life is become very important for them.
From my point of view, this story is so undescribeable. We as a reader convorted with the issue of humanity that really stroke our awarness as a human being, when reality has become an illusion.
AM has turnes Benny into something else. Benny was no longer a full fledge human. Maybe it is because AM wants to take revenge to human by changing one of the most intelegent person. AM was angry about how can someone who actually not smarter than me(AM) who can handle the third world war is created by a inferior being? In this point AM consider himself as superior beings.
ReplyDeleteI think because Ellen is their source of pleasure, because all those time, they have been tortured by AM and the only pleasure that they can get was from Ellen
1. At first Benny is a brilliant theorist, but he has been robbed of intellect, he has a child mind, it can be seen in the page 435 that Benny is drooling and Ellen wiped it, and AM make Benny's apparance looks like a monkey 'it was not merely Benny's face the computer had made like a giant ape's'
ReplyDelete2. Because AM has a revenge to the human, AM which the machine that was created by human to kill human but AM make only 5 person survive to torture them..to express AM feeling of satisfication of revenge(this is how i think, maybe I'm wrong -_-a)
the author's description of Benny's appearance and also the comparison is clear enough to show that he has been robbed of intellect.the interesting part is even though it is said that he has lost his intellect, he gain more masculinity, possible Benny lost his intellectual but he doesn't loose or gets his identity as a man.
ReplyDeleteEllen is a object of pleasure for those men, clearly that Ellen is used to give satisfaction for the men. there are a lot of lines in the story saying that they often treat Ellen bad and consider her as slut, weak, and useless but they keep her, in order to give them satisfaction.
The story is very complex, it has the issue of humanity and also issue of feminism.
SaRi said...
ReplyDeleteNUMBER 1
Benny's Intellect
In my opinion, Benny's intellect somehow has been robbed by AM. As it is written in the short story that 'Benny is a briliant theorist, and a college professor'. He also had been lucid. However, AM has turned him into no more than a semi-human, semi-semian and a mad person.
'AM has done a job on Benny', I think it shows how Benny's intellect has been robbed by AM. I can say that Benny is no longer can think rationally and brightly as he was. It can be seen from several quotations below:
- I heard Ellen saying frantically, "No, Benny! Don't, come on, Benny, don't please!"
He was saying, "I'm gonna get out, I'm gonna get out..." over and over.
Both above quotations show how Benny to some extent no longer reveal that he is terribly desperate and cannot endure that situation any longer. Without reconsidering it, he dares himself to escape but fails.
- He squatted there for a moment, looking like the chimpanzee AM had intended him to resemble.
From the above quotation, I think it again shows that Benny's intellect has been robbed by AM through how Benny is being compared to chimpanzee. To some extent I don't think chimpanzee is truly smart like human beings. I believe that chimpanzee can play such good tricks, but it isn't as intelectual as human beings. The state that Benny is being compared to an animal, in this case 'chimpanzee', shows that somehow Benny's has lost his intellect.
Benny's Identity
Throughout the story, I feel that Benny's identity has changed. He suddenly becomes like a small child.
- "Then the light beat its way back inside his head, the sound spiraled down, and he was left lying there, crying piteously."
- "AM provided punk and we burned it, sitting huddled around the wan and pathetic fire, telling stories to keep Benny from crying in his permanent night."
--> It seems that Benny characteristics are like a small child. His true identity, whatever it is, is no longer there. I think Benny has become different person with different identity as well; a smart professor who turns into a small child who cries.
- "Benny was beating on the floorplates with a large, hard fist. He was not happy."
- "Benny was smiling gladly. He was also drooling again."
--> Both above quotations again show Benny's identity, which is reflected through his childish behavior, is like two different polars. After Gorrister is talking aout Chinese AM and so on, at first Benny doesn't like it. However, after Gorrister changes the way of saying it, Benny likes it. I think Benny has lost his tru identity as an intellectual and as a grown-up person.
- "Benny was eating Gorrister's face. Benny wrapped around him with powerful monkey legs crushing Gorrister's waist, his hands locked around Gorrister's head like a nutcracker, and his mouth ripping at the tender skin of Gorrister's cheek."
--> This above quotation I think it also shows that Benny's identity has been robbed by AM. Benny no longer acts like he is supposed to be; a smart person. He becomes such a monster and no longer has the humanity side because he eats his own friend because of hunger. Only animal would do that.
AM has changed Benny a lot, not only his intellect but also his identity as what have been explained above.
NUMBER 2
ReplyDeleteI think Ellen plays an important role in this short story. As can be seen clearly that Ellen is a woman. I believe that there is an interdependency between Ellen and the four men. I think there are certain times when men need women by their sides and the other way around. The four men need Ellen as a woman to take care of them, and so on. On the other hand, Ellen needs them to protect and keep her safe.
- "What is it?" Ellen cried. There was terror in her voice.
- "Ted, I'm hungry," she said.
- "She serviced us, as a matter of course, but she loved it from him. Oh Ellen, pedestal Ellen, pristine-pure Ellen, oh Ellen the clean!
Another possibility why those four men are willing to do anything for Ellen is perhaps because of the state of being a woman. It is common that men are gifted the higher position compare to women. However, men are also given the responsibility to protect women. It might also happen in this novel. Since Ellen is the only woman in that place, the men may feel responsible to make sure that Ellen is safe.
So, in my opinion the interdependency and the state of being a woman that have made those four men in this short story rather face whatever AM creates to make them suffer physically and mentally than lose or let something happen to Ellen.
Irenne, Liman, Juanta, Erdina and Sari : You have given great answers. Good Jobs. Yes Benny's intellect has been robbed. He has changed from human (of intellect) to animal (of instinct)...
ReplyDeleteI agree that somehow there is a contradictive fact in the story to Darwin's theory.
About Ellen? yes, she has been the target of their sexual desire.So, she has to live.