• Religion- over the course of the story, the Machine shifts from what seems to be a purely technological living solution to a kind of religion. The book is basically an operating manual- But is worshipped like a god or handled like a sacred text. It is a sacrilege to let it fall to the ground. How else is Machine godlike, or treated as if it was a god? What does "religion" do for this society?
• Nature and nature metaphors- The room described at the very beginning is hexagonal and alludes to the cell of a bee. What do you know about bees? Why does he use this animal as a metaphor for the living circumstances of the people in this future world? In what other ways does this short story refer to nature? How does our culture today see nature? What situations describe some relationships between nature and technology today? What about attitudes?
• Love, family and relations- This is an emotional story about a family, isn't it? But are there even families? What is love and family in this story? What can we imagine from Kuno's adventure in the outside world?
• Matters of scale- Kuno uses the phrase, "Man is the Measure," when he speaks about his first experience moving out of his room to the outer world. This is a quote from Protogoras of Thrace (5th C), and is used still to describe how the human scale is tied to agency-- or to the sense of having control over something. Perhaps you can think about this in relation to the world we live in now- How are human relations different that take place in big buildings versus little buildings? (big houses v little houses? Cities? etc.) Do you know anyone who actually had a hand in building a road or a house or village? At one time, people built the villages they lived in. Today business people called "developers" buy land and materials, hire workers (often from other cities), and build mini-cities to be inhabited by who ever can pay the money. Why does Kuno cites the phrase 'man is the measure'? How does this phrase reflect upon the structures described in the book, or the architectures or experiences you have encountered in your own life? "What" is the measure of the internet?
• History and Knowledge- They never say how the machine develops, or what catastrophe overtook the planet, but likely it was also another overly forceful set of technologies. What can be guessed, imagined? What about first hand experience versus second hand knowledge? What about the internet? Is it an analogous system-- one that only makes possible the exchange of second hand knowledge?
• space and distance: what is "near" and what is "far" How is the sense of the globe as earth both enlivened and diminished. what happens to sense of space?
• Materiality: What happens if people lose the ability to touch, feel weight, handle mechanical things?
• the "mechanical"-- the "mechanical" is derogatory in this story. describe! what are they talking about?
Do we live in a machine today? What fuels it? What would make it stop?
You can also start by describing your approach to making images and interpreting the story.
This whole story reminded me of life. It seems like most of us do everything from home. Order things, talk to people, even work from home. Pretty soon, life could be like The Machine. Does that scare anyone else besides me?
ReplyDeleteI think that the most disturbing part about "the machine stops" and the eerie likeness to our present day technologies is the way in which people become physically and spatially avoidant of one another.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain aspects of our communication and body language (eye contact, the way one stands, etc.) that would be lost in a society like this.
People already isolate themselves via MP3 players. I almost see things progressing more in that model: people engaging in a mobile lifestyle that is devoid of direct contact with others. We've pushed hard for mobility in technology and i don't see that going away.
I agree! I am new to the US, and I am surprised to see many people listening to MP3 players even when they are having lunch. This scenario is not frequently seen in Macau, my hometown; but I think sooner or later people in Macau would also isolate themselves with MP3 players and other technological stuffs.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean that Asian people are less affected by "machines". In Japan, there is a group of people called "otaku", who stay at home and play computers all the time. They are afraid of real-life social contact; they immerse themselves in the computer world.
I would say that I am sometimes afraid of direct contact with others. When I have gatherings with my friends, I usually play with my cell phone when I have nothing to talk about. When I come across with embarrassing situations, I will not face them directly; instead, I would pretend texting a message or making a phone call. I would say that I have some symptoms of sociophobia.
I think the story has amazing insight for a story written in 1909! The machine sounds communist! Kuno can't even speak in a negative manner towards the machine! I hope that the implications of the story won't come true in real life, for example, how it indicates that our communication skills, in some instances, are extremely advanced, however, on the same token "isolation" seems to be the most preferred circumstance to communicate.
ReplyDeleteThe scary part to me is the lack of socialization that could/would occur in this type of society. If the machine broke, we wouldn't know our societal norms. Would a stop sign mean stop?
I am the machine.
ReplyDeleteIf you are the machine, expect people to use you for their own benefit. It's not real love.
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