***THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL TOPIC ***

Black history month is now at its end, and we’ve lost Rosa Parks who I could write volumes on as for my respect towards her. But I’d like to try and give my props to her by expanded my post here to more than just black struggle. I want to bring attention to the struggle of all the oppressed. Ursula K. Le Guin’s famouse short story, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is often referred to as a martyr story.
For those of you who didn’t pay attention in college, I shall quickly explain the story, (or you can read it yourself http://teacherweb.ftl.pin...Omelas.htm .
Omelas is a Utopian society. Its citizens are beautiful, healthy, prosperous, and happy. Its streets are lined with performers and merriment. In almost ever corner of the city, there is joy to be had. Almost every corner.
I say “almost” becuase in a filthy little basement underneath one of the city’s buildings is a child who is kept in a room and not spoken to; who is fed only enough to keep it alive. Though, at one time it remembered the sound of it’s mother’s voice, and cried for her when originally taken away and locked up in this room, years of neglect and torment have taken away it’s ability to communicate effectively outside of wordless mumbling and whimpers.
Some say this child represents a martyr and the reader is invited to make up his/her mind as to whether this child represent Jesus or something else.
To me this child represents the oppressed. The very description of this child reminds me of the images and descriptions I’ve seen and read of children in third world countries begging for food. Their poverty helps to drive our economy. The Indians in Bhopal raped by DOW chemicals, the farmers losing land in Brazil, and on and on. These are the people that allow our products to be so cheap, our cloths to be so conveniently affordable.
Indeed not too long ago, our very existence as a nation relied heavily on slave labor, and the effects of this atrocity still lives with us today. How many black men and women inherited anything more than dept or stories of oppression from their mothers and fathters? Surely, less than whites. This of course is bigger than black and white. It’s a total defacto case system in which the poor are worked into submission to put food on the tables of the rich.
You see, I am that happy citizen who’s happiness relies on the misery of that pitiful child in the basement, and though I want to reach my arms out to it and pull it out of its cell, I have no clue how to do it. It exposes my cowardice and weakness.

If you haven’t before, read this story and really really try and see what it means to you. To your life.




what Stories or books affect you?

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[Edited 2/26/06 17:40pm]

You've reminded me of a Paul Auster story (one of the New York trilogy?) where the dad keeps his son locked up in the dark from very early childhood, and never speaks to him because he is convinced his son will come up with a language of his own and it will be the language of God. All he does is make his son into a nutcase.

charlottegelin said:

Well, this thread isn't going to be a good pick-me-up for any of our other orgers will it?

I love this story. (And I bet Drew and Cheryl love it too! )

I especially like how she sets it up and asks us (as she is telling us about Omelas) what we imagine our own personal utopias to be like. And what it would take to set aside our own visions of a perfect society.

The things we tell ourselves...

2the9s said:

Lefty-wing hippy!

That story creeped me out.

AsianBomb777 said:

Commie pimp-rag!!

I guess everyone is walking away from this thread!

2the9s said:

But walking away thinking.

2the9s said:

the autobiography of malcom x is a book that has always stuck with me. the importance of equal rights for blacks is important to me but what has drawn my attention was how mr. shabazz was a man of principle. when he saw that the nation of islam's leader elijah muhamad was doing things that were opposite his teachings, he left. when he went to the middle east and saw the being a muslim consisted of people of all races-he changed his way of thinking. when he saw that not all white people were not like the ones he encountered while growing up in the United States-he changed. i admire that. i think that the hardest thing a person can do is change what is wrong in their way of thinking and practice it in life. Besides my father, he is among the very few who i'm sure knew what it takes to be a real man.

ab that book sounds good. i'm gonna check up on it.

when i was younger, 'the color purple' had a huge effect on me...in fact, to this day i don't think i've read any other book as many times as i've read that book. i don't usually re-read novels, but i've read that one at least five times.

'the tao of pooh' is a book that means a lot to me. it's very helpful for me when i'm going through tough times. it snaps me back into shape and reminds me how to be happy and uncomplicated.

'shock value' by john waters is another shot-in-the-arm book, and not just because it makes me laugh. it's a real-life guide on how to be a badass.

and of course, the latest issue of Uncle Pornie's Amish Inches moves me in profound ways in which the english language has yet to create suitable descriptors.

That's the first time I read that story.
It's about as thought provoking as The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.

By contrast the Lottery paints the picture of an ordinary farming community, doing an average ordinary thing, until you find out what the lottery is for.
[Edited 2/27/06 10:08am]

littlemissG said:

This story reminded me of The Lottery, too. It definitely stuck with me and, never having read it before, I've been thinking about it all day. I feel like this story is about how all human beings have an underlying need to be cruel. The only way that the reader can find this place believable is by knowing about this child. The child is the cruelty that lives inside all of us.

Anx said:[quote]when i was younger, 'the color purple' had a huge effect on me...in fact, to this day i don't think i've read any other book as many times as i've read that book. i don't usually re-read novels, but i've read that one at least five times.

I've read The Color Purple numerous times too Anx. It's on my top 10 list of favourite books. It had a profound affect on me from the first time I read it. I recommend it to all my friends and they movie is great too!!

Another book that really affected me deeply was Roots! What a great book.

OMG I do believe I've just posted a shit hot thread.

littlemissG said:

The lottery is another good one. It was too Salem Witch Trials feeling for me. I couldn't read it too often. But, yes--the are simular.
THe difference between the "victims" is that in the Lottery the unlucky winners actually partook in previous lotto's, so I found them less innoccent.
In Omelas, I'm assuming that child was completely innoccent.

AsianBomb777 said:

Relatively speaking, yes, yes you have.

Fauxie said:

I'll make up for it with the arsenal of bullshit threads I got planned this week.

charlottegelin said:

I just googled it. Disturbing stuff.