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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the milieu of Kirinyaga?
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Near-to mid-future
Eutopia: some sort of space habitat that can be "adjusted" by Maintenance Most animals on Earth are extinct Hyenas and water buffalo survive and have been brought aboard Kirinyaga is an attempt to restore ancient Kikuyu culture |
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Describe the modern Kikuyu tribe.
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Largest tribe in Kenya
Bantu speaking Make up much of the Kenyan educated elite, often working in government and business |
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Describe the ancient Kikuyu tribe.
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traditionally farmers and herders, not hunters
patrilineal, polygamous families village-oriented |
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Who is Koriba?
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Kirinyaga's "mundumugu" (Shaman, Tribal historian, Witch doctor)
Western educated |
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What did Koriba do?
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Killed a baby (demon)
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Who is Barbara Eaton?
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Maintenance
Educated, Humane, Modern Western sensibilities all around. |
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Why is Barbara Eaton there?
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to check on the baby?
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What does Barbara Eaton suggest?
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the women of the maintenance are not fertile, and that the babies should be given to them
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How does Koriba respond?
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Rejects the offer
says he'll kill another baby if the situation arises tells her the story of the Hyena |
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What is the story of the hyena?
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...
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What is Koriba's reasoning?
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...
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Where does Koriba's power come from?
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...
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Is Koriba technically right?
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...
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Is Koriba morally right?
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...
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Began in 1952, reaction against British expropriation of land.
Allegedly led by Jomo Kenyatta 11,000 rebels eventually killed. 80,000 Kikuyu--men, women, and children--confined in detention camps 100 Europeans and 2000 pro-British Africans lost their lives Although it was a military failure, Mau Mau rebellion brought both recognition of African grievances and efforts at correction that eventually led to Kenya's independence Jomo Kenyatta becomes first Kikuyu president of Kenya, 1963 |
Mau Mau Rebellion
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What is Koriba doing at the end?
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...
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Who is Jannina Komarov?
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Narrator of "Nobody's Home"
Her mind moves a mile a minute Spends her day flitting around the Earth through teleportation chambers, doing fun stuff and taking lovers; sleeps when she gets tired. Temporary head of household of the Komorav clan Is concerned about her family members, particularly the children, although generally leaves them alone to figure things out. |
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What is the milieu of "Nobody's Home"?
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Almost everybody in the world has become a genius
--might be genetic enhancement or some other means --Russ doesen't tell us, and "how" is not ultimately important to the story Teleportation makes flitting around the world possible --you can step into a chamber and a moment later step out in another country, clime and time zone. Material needs are generally taken care of --people work because they want to, not because they have to |
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Who are the Komarovs?
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a mix of old and young members, sort of like an extended family today, except...
a shared marriage among the adults --some are friends, some are lovers, and it changes raise children in common, with some as designed care-givers people can become family members by application or birth |
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Who is Old Al?
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A Komarov
brought in by Jannina Likes to keep a job for fun Remembers a time before everybody became geniuses Is understanding of Leslie Smith, but is the one to say... "She really is stupid, you know." |
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Leslie Smith
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"It was as if everyone's forehead had been stamped with the word "Choose" except for Leslie Smith's
Is she really stupid? --only in comparison to the Komarovs --knows her limitations and doesn't like being condescended to --in fact, in intelligence and interests, she's pretty similar to... Us, Or at least our representative in this future Her dossier: "Normal, normal, normal. Miss Smith was as normal as could be." Frustrated, sad; unable to fit in, no matter how hard she tries. Poor Leslie--at the end of dinner, nobody wants to have sex with her! |
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The "Duel" Gossip
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the Komarovs gossip about someone killed in a duel.
Who? Why? What significance does this have to the story? |
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Themes and such...
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Utopia might not be fun for us present day folks.
A way to understand and perhaps commiserate with dull and dumb people in our own family or circle of friends. For them, we are the Komoravs. They'll never "get" us, so we must do what we can for them. A reminder that being smart and amusing is not necessarily the same thing as being wise... --but that's a lot better than being dumb as a post! |
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What is the milieu of Salvador by Lucius Shepard?
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Central America. El Salvador
Near Future Escalating U.S. war against leftist revolutionaries in El Salvador and Sadinistas in Nicaragua |
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What was going on in the 1980s when Shepard wrote "Salvador"?
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Ronald Reagan was president
Cold War heating up... Heading for its final showdown with the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union--but hardly anyone guessed that at the time Many on the left thought a major "Vietnam-like" conflict was coming in Central America |
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Describe the character of Dantzler in "Salvador".
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from Boston
18 or 19 years old son of an anthropologist (important because he knows things about Central American Indian Culture) In Salvador fighting for U.S. and local government against leftist revolutionaries Not getting along well He's addicted to aggression enhancement drugs distributed by the military |
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What's in the "ampules"?
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tailored RNA compounds and pseudo-endorphins modified to an inhalant form
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In Salvador, what are sukias?
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Magicians, Shamans, that mediate between humans and the supernatural world
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In Salvador, what's a cloud forest?
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Rain forest on a mountain. Persistent mist.
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According to the character Shepard in "Salvador", what's an "ayahuamaco"?
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places that look like normal land, but aren't
have different laws where your spirit goes to die after your body dies a place between everything and nothing |
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What happens to Dantzler in the rain forest?
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A bird-like vision throws him into a sort of trance.
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What is the purpose of Dantzler's trance, according to the sukia?
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to lead him to the ayahuamaco so the son that was killed can judge him.
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Who is the girl? What does she tell him to do?
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a figure in the mist; she asks him to tell people about the war when he returns home
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What do the drugs in the stories give the characters?
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False courage. AKA "Dutch courage"
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Beyond just being drugs, what might the ampules represent?
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A chemical push toward the supernatural?
A view of the modern American attitude toward life as an attempt to solve moral problems with a technological fix. |
