- What do you believe is the main conflict in The Blade Runner novel? The paranoia that everyone(thing) feels throughout the book, or the android issue?
- Do you think, at the beginning, that Deckard is right in his "job" to retire androids? Would you do Rick's job?
- Describe the conflicts between Deckard and the androids.
- Deckard's job is "retiring" androids, and throughout the book it never truly states that he, himself, is not an android. Give evidence for your choice, is Deckard an Android or isn't he?
- If Deckard is an android, state the ethical conflicts that he would face while "retiring" other androids.
- If Deckard isn't an android, state the ethical conflicts that he would face while "retiring" androids
- At the beginning of the book we meet Iran (Rick's wife), she states that she had ordered 6 hours of depression, why do you believe Rick has such an issue with her choice? Would you order depression? Why or Why not?
- When Rick goes to see his "sheep" he talks to his neighbour, who finds out that the sheep is electronic and tells Rick that he won't tell anyone else. Why do you believe that other people knowing that Rick's sheep is electronic is an issue? Would you be as embarrassed to own an electronic animal? Why?
- Rick believes that having an electronic animal is embarrassing, why do you think that he thinks that?
- Do you feel that, with the different conflicts, the mood changes often? Does each conflict carry the same mood?
Tuesday 9 June 2015
Conflict Questions
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Question #7
ReplyDeleteI believe Rick has an issue with her choice because he assumes that in a mood like that “you’re apt to stay in it, not dial your way out. Despair like that, about total reality, is self perpetuating.” He’s afraid that his wife will remain in a depressed state, and who wants a depressed wife?
I would never order depression because I enjoy feeling happy and content with what is going on. Feeling high, is so much hardier than feeling down about yourself. What goes up must come down. This classic saying relates the issue of how easily a happy moment can turn sour. It’s not easy to see the bright side of everything. For that reason, a Penfield Mood Organ Dial was created, so that you can feel happy and optimistic about everything. Even though your feelings are not genuine.
#4 Deckard is not an android, even though the book does not specifically state that he is human, there are many times where we can assume the book is saying he is. A Penfield Mood Organ dial would not work on a android as it is already programmed to feel. The Penfield affects the brain, by causing an artificial brain stimulation, which means it only works on humans or animals. Miss Luft also questions Rick if he’s an android by asking if he’s taken the test.. “Yes.” He nodded. “A long time ago; when I first started with the department.” This quote tells us that Rick has taken the test and wasn’t an android. In the book, Rick also states in the novel that he isn’t an android to the android police officer, “ I’m not an android. you can administer the Voigt-Kampff test to me; I’ve taken it before and I don’t mind taking it again. But I know what the results will be.”
ReplyDelete10- I feel that the overall mood of the story doesn't change with every conflict. However, the characters change drastically as well as the themes of the story. The mass amount of conflicts throughout the novel act to change Deckard while, the story stays stagnant. I feel as if each conflict acts to slightly alter Deckard. From his elevator ride with Luba Luft, to finding the toad in the sand. Each other this scenes slightly alter Deckard and thus, alters how we see the novel.
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ReplyDelete9- He believes that because he lives in a world where life is valued above all else. All the animals are extinct thus, animals become rare. Animals are treasured not because of love or compassion, but rather because they are a symbol of status. It easily compared to a child who doesn't have an Iphone or a new pair of shoes. Its embarrassing because greed is a part of human nature and everyone wants to have the newest product.
ReplyDelete8- Other people knowing that Rick’s sheep is electronic is an issue because their society expects everyone to own a real animal. Their society most likely expects this because after World War Terminus, many species of animals went extinct and the value of living animals went up. Just like anything else in society, if there is something that everyone has or does, you are expected to do the same and if you don’t, it could be seen as embarrassing. For example, our society expects people to get married and have children at a certain age because that is ‘normal’. Another example could be buying a fake watch that looks very expensive. You obviously wouldn’t want anyone to know that the watch is fake, otherwise it would be embarrassing. I think that owning a fake animal or not having a real animal could be seen this way as well in their society only more important. I think that I too would be embarrassed by owning a fake animal in that society for the reasons I already alluded to. I think that I personally would be embarrassed if I didn’t meet the expectations set by society.
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ReplyDelete2- I do believe that Deckard is right about his ‘job’ to retire androids. Even though his wife called him a murderer, what Deckard does is a completely legal and needed job. If in our society a police officer killed an armed and dangerous person, they would not be considered murderers because they are just doing their jobs. This can be related to Rick’s job even though he doesn’t call himself a police officer. Also, Deckard doesn’t seem to have any enjoyment over killing androids; instead he treats it as a job and only a job. I personally wouldn’t do Rick’s job for many reasons. Firstly, it seems rather dangerous because he could have been killed many times in the book. Secondly, the job seems extremely stressful when he is trying to find the androids and lastly, Deckard does not get paid tremendously well for his job and his payment is determined by how many androids he kills which means that the payment is unstable.
ReplyDelete#5- If Deckard is an android, it wouldn't be an ethical dilemma for him to "retire" other androids. In the novels, "replicant" (androids) don't have feeling of their own, they have to program what they want to feel. "when I had the TV sound off, I was in a 382 mood; I had just dialed it. So although I heard the emptiness intellectually, I didn't feel it." If a replicant has to program their moods into the Penfield mood organ, how can they possibly feel guilt or remorse? How could Deckard?
ReplyDelete#8- No matter how much we try to deny it, social status has always been and will always be important to humans. In terms of Blade Runner, those who are higher on the social ladder have enough money to buy a real animal. This is one of the reasons why Rick tries to buy a horse from his neighbor. After world war Terminus, animals became a rare. treasure, something that both androids and humans long for. People knowing that Rick has and electronic sheep is an issue of embarrassment and social status. In today's world having an electronic pet is cool, like FurReal Friends, but we're fortunate enough to have an abundance of real animals. I wouldn't be embarrassed to have and electric pet toady, because I would feel like I was participating in the future. But if I were in a world after world war Terminus, I would feel at a loss, like I wasn't living a real life, that everything around me was electronic.
ReplyDelete#6 - If Deckard isn't an android, it would be harder for him to kill the androids, because his empathy, shown as a humans weakness in the story, would take over and he would feel empathetic towards the androids. He would definitely be able to kill the replicant's but as we read in the book he started to hesitate because he started to get close to the androids, especially Rachael.
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