Flotsam Analysis

“Laika” and “Flotsam” “Laika,” by Sarah Batkie, and “Flotsam,” by Jeremy Allan Hawkins both deal with the idea of being lost. While “Laika” uses space and Laika the dog as a parallel to the narrator’s sense of isolation in the world, “Flotsam” approaches the idea of being lost through the description of a ship floating astray in space. Where they differ, however, is in the use of space in the pieces; while “Laika” uses space as an accessory to the fiction narrative being told, “Flotsam” is completely focused on space itself. This raises questions as to whether or not “Laika” should be considered science fiction. Although the issue of how to approach science fiction as a genre may seem unimportant, it is in fact crucial when discussing where …show more content…
Phrases such as “a spreading vacuum” and “a signal that weakens” give the reader an immediate feeling of being lost. Hawkins’ use of the dash at the end of each stanza (“past a star’s collapse in the superdark--” and “& with only reason--”) further force the reader to feel that they are being cut off. Even the final phrase of the poem, “with a million points of night,” ends with a dash, essentially leaving the reader stranded and making them feel the ship’s description on a personal level. Other than subject matter, “Flotsam” also differs largely from “Laika” in that it doesn’t have a main character or mention any human life. While the reader could assume that there were people on the spaceship discussed throughout the poem, it is never explicitly stated that they existed. This raises questions about the feelings one gets when reading “Flotsam,” because if there are no humans present, then the reader is essentially relating to a piece of metal floating in space. Still, the use of imagery and syntax force the reader to feel a sense of being lost after reading the …show more content…
As Gerry Canavan claims in his essay, “Anything Could Happen (And We Would Believe It),” science fiction is “the genre that considers the impact of ‘science’ on human life.” Rather than focusing on science to fuel the piece (as many pieces of traditionally accepted science fiction do), “Laika” uses science as an accessory to help the story move along while also making it more relatable for the reader. Of course, some might still argue that science fiction should be solely focused on science. Though I concede that many pieces of science fiction do use science as the main focus of the plot, I do not agree that it is the only correct way to write a piece of science fiction. Just as in other genres, science fiction should not be limited to a small set of boundaries. Canavan discusses this issue briefly in his essay, arguing that “there is something distinct about science fiction… an ethos or a mood.” Essentially, Canavan is saying that although any given thing could be science fiction considering the amount of science in today’s world, the difference between regular fiction and science fiction is the notion that “things could be different than the way they are.” In this sense, “Laika” is easily considered science fiction, because there is a sense of longing, a sense of lostness and ultimately a wish for change that can only be felt in science