Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show

        I managed to listen to a few episodes of the radio show, and the only words I can use to describe my impression of it is… intelligently absurd. If that even makes sense. In a similar way, the radio show is filled with things that don’t make sense, yet they do. It’s a very odd story which, admittedly, took some getting used to. Previously, I was not familiar at all with the Hitchhikers's Guide to the Galaxy in any way. I found myself pausing and going back to re-listen to it to fully grasp what was going on; yet, the more I listened to it, the less I needed to do that as I had gotten used to the absurdities. 

The story uses humorous situations and commentary to present the unpredictability and frequent absurdities of life. Throughout the novel, things seem to happen randomly, without cause or meaning. Some are highly improbable, while others simply stand reason on its head. These shifts in point of view often take the seemingly normal and show it in a new, thought-provoking light, which makes it not so “random” after all. An example of this would be the small yellow fish that serves as a translator and is used as a metaphor by some to spark debate revolving God’s existence. The absurdity is also used to spoof the general silliness of society, like the bureaucratic nightmare of Arthur finding that the demolition plans were "on display" in the unlit cellar of the local planning office, at the bottom of a locked filing cabinet, in an unused lavatory hung with a sign warning "Beware of the Leopard." The novel also takes aim at politics, using Zaphod to highlight the absurdity of political systems. Basically, he is incompetent and wields no power whatsoever. His job is to draw attention away from whoever is really running things.

I found the narrator to be very comedic with his observations on humanity as well. My favorite being when he mentioned that people are unhappy and “more concerned with the movements of small green pieces of paper” than they should be. His line of “one man had been nailed to a tree for saying how great it would be to be nice to people for a change,” (clearly alluding to Jesus) had me laughing out loud as well. Overall, I feel like the story is filled with a lot of social commentary that is still relevant today and presents it with a humorous sci-fi adventure.

The Distance of the Moon

I don’t think that the distinction between genre and literary fiction is entirely necessary. Genres are basically a “promise” made to the audience that a work will contain certain elements similar to others in its category. It is simply a label used to better market the work and give the reader an idea of what to expect; and depending on the work, that can either be a good thing or not. Personally, I really like going into a reading blind, with no expectations. I feel like it opens up my mind and allows me to enjoy it for what it is.

In the case of this short story, I’m glad I went in blind. It had elements of fantasy or magical realism with the moon, but the way that the story explained the moon trips and the purpose/logic behind them is something that is very much like Sci-Fi. However, the focus of the story is not why they were making the moon trips, but rather the relationships between the characters. I didn’t even make the connection that it had Sci-Fi elements until after I read and absorbed it, so was able to read it without any preconceptions limiting my expectations.

I enjoyed the reading because it had a lot of sensory details that made it easy to immerse myself in what was going on. The dramatic mood left me pondering about what the author was trying to say towards the end. The story is basically about change, and the characters demonstrate different ways of handling it. I like that the author uses the moon as a character to show that change is inevitable, just as it was inevitable that the moon separated itself further from the Earth. The deaf cousin accepts and even encourages that change, in contrast to other characters who go through many stages until finally settling. The story is also about different kinds of love. The protagonist goes from simply lusting after Mrs. Vhd Vhd, to having an unrequited love for her, to loving her almost unconditionally. His love for Mrs. Vhd Vhd was constantly changing, but since she never reciprocated, he eventually had to give up. Even though he gave up on trying to get Mrs. Vhd Vhd to love him back, his love for her didn’t diminish completely. This feeling of heartache is very common after being rejected. Overall, I found the reading to be very interesting, and I enjoyed the mood of the piece.

Bloodchild Assesment

1. What is your reaction to the text you just read?
- I'm not sure how to describe how I feel about it. It was definitively intriguing, and offered a point of view I had never thought of before. So in that respect, I liked it a lot. I'm still unnerved by the premise though. It was interesting to learn about what was actually happening in this society slowly as you read, especially since our first introduction to T'Gatoi was that of a caretaker, having almost a motherly, familial bond with the main character. That perception of T'Gatoi changed as we found out more about this unifying "birth" process between the two species, and how in a way the humans can be seen as cattle or simply "vessels" to carry out the young of these aliens.

2. What connections did you make with the story? Discuss the elements of the story with which you were able to connect.
- I personally connected to that feeling of trusting a caretaker at the beginning. But, I definitively feel like there is a lot at play here. Viewing the relationships and roles between people in your life in different angles is one of the things. What started as a caretaker, towards the end became basically a partner who you would carry offspring for. The text also offers a view on how we treat animals in captivity and use them to continue our existence and survival. Here, the humans are the animals; and although the characters have convinced themselves that their treatment is no longer as barbaric as how they used to treat the humans, no one in the text really has a choice. That is the way things are, and the main character can't run away from it during his life. This brings the moral ambiguity to light when comparing it to how we use animals in a similar way today.

3. What changes would you make to adopt this story into another medium? What medium would you use? What changes would you make?
- If I were to adopt this story into another medium, be it a movie or a comic book, one of the most important things I'd like to keep is the set up of T'Gatoi interacting with the family at the beginning should be as inviting and harmless as possible. I want to keep it that way so that the contrast of the reveal towards the end is still as strong. To keep that contrast, I wouldn't want to put off viewers right off the bat with T'Gatoi's intimidating appearance, so I would cast her as still-alien but more aesthetically pleasing to viewers so that they "trust" her more, much like the main character does. The scene should feel more familiar and pleasant, with bizarre, slightly off-putting elements in the background.

I Live with You

        This week’s reading made me feel a little unsettled, yet intrigued. Even after reading it twice, I still almost feel like I’m missing something. Needless to say, this work definitively does not reflect what people would generally consider “traditional” sci-fi. It is an unconventional fiction in every sense, which is not a bad thing at all. I found it to be very refreshing; and the style in which it was written was unique and interesting, but not so alien to me that I would get confused. I enjoyed reading it a lot.

I like how the author isn’t bound by the constraints of what Sci-Fi stories generally cover, and she chooses instead to tell stories that are “weird” in a different kind of way. She uses such chilling, almost painfully realistic observations about life through the most simple descriptors and sentences. One that struck me while reading was "people never notice when things are cleaner, only when they are dirtier." I felt like this story was about fragmented people who search for wholeness or reconciliation in their lives. They want to be seen and heard to be able to connect. Although, I still feel like I should read it a few more times to be able to fully grasp its meaning. Or, I might never be able to understand it fully, who knows? It was definitively an interesting story that will probably stay on my subconscious for a while.