Things Fall Apart, a postcolonial text

           “For the most part, postcolonial studies exclude literature that represents either British or American viewpoints and concentrates or writings from colonized or formerly colonized cultures…” For centuries, colonizing was of major economic importance to many nations, and often the colonizers believed that they were superior to the “savage and backwards” colonized people. Often only the mother nation’s views were publicized, but recently postcolonialism has brought about literature from the other point of view. Things Fall Apart is one such book that describes the colonization of Niger from the perspective of the colonized individuals.

            When the Englishmen come, they wipe out one of the villages, Abame. This greatly angers Okonkwo, but the native tribes do not wish to fight. The white men then set up a Christian church to begin converting the natives. These two cultures have very different values, and each culture believes they are correct. The Christians believe that all men should be accepted in to the church and society, and that worshipping multiple gods is incorrect and “savage.” The Ibo culture however is entirely different. In this culture it is common to worship several different gods and spirits. The judicial body of the villages is composed of spirits known as Egwugwu, not a single corrupt body like the white man’s judge. The Ibo culture also kills twins, outcasts many people for various crimes, dismembers bodies, and has a designated evil burial ground. In the end, the people of the Ibo culture become the marginalized other.

            With the theoretical text on postcolonialism I plan to explore the process of marginalization utilized by the Europeans to dominate and colonize people of the Ibo culture in Niger. Eventually, “in its interaction with the conquering culture, the [Ibo] culture is forced to go underground or to be obliterated.” Above, I have answered several of the “Questions for Analysis” to get the thinking process started for our future essay.

Postman argues that the concepts of capitalism and the “instinct” of the profit motive drove our society to become a technocracy by the late eighteenth century with Arkwright’s development of the modern factory for increased efficiency. Capitalism rewards such technocratic behavior and efficiency with higher profits and greater success and punishes the “incompetents.” By 1860, machines were making machines in the well developed machine-tool industry. Along with many of these inventions in the 1800s came the ideals of objectiveness, efficiency, standardization, and maybe most importantly progress. People were thought of not as children of God but as markets, as consumers, who would shape demand and industry. Postman argues that “technocracies brought into being an increased respect for the average person” as in Brave New World the saying goes “even epsilons are useful.” Qualities such as risk taking and intelligence became more important than whose family had wealth and political clout. Postman continues on to posit that America has become a young technopoly, or totalitarian technocracy. In this type of system, everything is redefined including religion, democracy, rule, law, art, history, truth, privacy, and intelligence. Huxley obviously believes that this shift occurred with the advent of Ford and the assembly line by his time system AF and BF meaning “After Ford” and “Before Ford.” Postman, on the contrary, believes that the scopes trial marks the initiation of this technopolistic society. This trial demonstrated that religion’s “strength” was faltering in the more modern and intellectual society. Huxley in his novel goes as far to say that Ford will be the new messiah. Every citizen of the World State has replaced the God with Ford completely. But if America truly arrives at a world like the one Huxley describes what will still exist of the world as we know it now in values, morals, and satisfaction?

As with most things in the world, how one thinks about the Singularity depends on his or her definition or view of this concept. Ever since the Renaissance occurred in Europe, technology has been improving. At first, these advances were things like running water, steel creation, and better agricultural methods. As time went on electricity was harnessed making the way for the light bulb and more modern factories. All of these advances promote efficiency and pave the way for technology to be invented at a faster and faster pace. Because of this, technology seems to be getting better at a near exponential rate. In the article “2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal”, the author, Lev Grossman, makes the connection that, “computers are getting so much faster, so incredibly fast, there might conceivably come a moment when they are capable of something comparable to human intelligence” (Time). This seems to be the only logical direction of technological gain. With this “artificial intelligence,” computers could do the work of humans much more efficiently without the need for breaks or sleep.

As computers continue to progress, one day, humans may be able “merge with [computers] to become super-intelligent cyborgs, using computers to extend (their) intellectual abilities” (Time). When this occurs, every thought ever imagined would be stored in some database accessible to all, leading to a world of limitless information and progress at the expense of losing the individualism of humanity.

In Brave New World, readers see that the Singularity has changed humanity. The World State Society worships Henry Ford as its God, and the promotion of efficiency has evolved as the population’s Grand Narrative. In the novel, human diversity hardly exists due to the human manufacturing process. Whether such technological advances are considered to be positive or negative, one can not help wonder if today’s society is headed in the same direction…

Derek D. Miller wrote an article, called Brave New World and the Threat of Technological Growth, that analyzes the technologically centered society in  Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, and how it compares to today's society. Miller also reviews the works of Neil Postman, Technopoly, and Sir Ken Robinson and their description of Brave New World. The article goes on to explain how technology has forced out religion, emotions, and equal education in an effort to dominate The World State. This article seems to be geared towards people who have read the novel, but those of us with just a general understanding of the book are easily able to grasp the concepts discussed in this article due to the multitude of examples Miller provides. This was created to be easily readable and understandable even to those who have not yet read Huxley's work. This analysis, many think, is extremely relevant to today's society. It is not too difficult for one to imagine today's society evolving into the awful situations depicted in these novels: like the distopia found in 1984, by George Orwell, or the Thechnopoly described by Huxley. Miller's thesis attempts to analyze the capacity of technology to dominate society, and how it then begins to change people's values, and outlooks. This article is an analysis of a novel, so the evidence that is presented and should be presented is facts verbatim from the novel being discussed. This evidence is often quite persuasive due to the concreteness of the facts. True, these are not mathematical formulas and scientific theories, but when analyzing literature there is not much that could be more factual than a quotation. Inappropriate evidence would be perhaps Miller's own opinions if they were not reinforced by the novel. Miller does not begin his introduction with the stereotypical "grab" or "hook." There is no question or quotation; it begins simply with the author's name and title of work. In addition, Miller's thesis is broad enough to encompass his entire essay. He does not give a detailed "road map" with his thesis, but it is not necessary. The body paragraphs then elaborate upon the topic at hand: technological domination. This is effective because it presents the information in an easy to understand format and a logical order. Throughout the article Miller uses formal language along with some technical jargon to analyze Brave New World. Words like Techocracy and Techopoly are used, but Miller defines these terms for those of his audience who have not read Postman's article. Miller's use of such terms makes him seem knowledgeable on this topic. Also, his well developed article, and few grammatical errors, gives credence to the reader's the impression that Miller is an intellectual in this field, or at least that he has knowledge about Huxley's Brave New World. Through his use of technical language and his deep exploration of the topic, Miller conveys his profound understanding to his audience. For the most part, this article conforms to the rules that students are taught in school. There is the introduction, several body paragraphs that support the thesis, and a well developed conclusion. Miller may not adhere perfectly to the Shaffer format for writing, but the result remains effective.