W. G. Sebald

In 1895, H.G. Wells wrote The Time Machine- a seemingly simple time-travelling adventure with much deeper undertones alluding to Wells’ view of the inequality within society at the time. Time and time again, the story refers to class oppression, some way or another. The overarching theme of the oppressive nature of class distinction in society is clearly shown through the societal origins of the Eloi and Morlocks, the actions of the Morlocks and Time Traveller, and the various titles of the…

Americans were looking for a return to the way of life before World War 1 as Warren G. Harding promised in the election of 1920. ´The 1920s, known as the Roaring 20s was a rough time for the United States. It was a increasing boom in the economy, social trends, and different categories of styles in terms of clothing, food, dancing, etc. It was a era of success, wealth, affluence, and etc. The period of success was a result of the change from the war environment of WWI to a peaceful environment…

Calvin Coolidge once said, “Wealth comes from industry and from the hard experience of human toil… Both men and nations should live in accordance to their substance not only to productive industry but to the creation of the various forms of beauty and the pursuit of culture which give adornments to the art of life.” This statement shows the values of Calvin Coolidge in three ways. Calvin Coolidge explained in his book, the “Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge,” that he was hardworking, wise, and…

The Eloi area of of the two post-human races in H. G. Wells' 1895 novel The Time Machine. By the year AD 8072,701, humanity has evolved into two separate species: the Eloi nd the Morlocks, whereof Eloi live a banal life life of ease on the surface of the earth, while the Morlocks live underground, tending machinery and providing food, clothing and infrastructure for the Eloi. The narration suggests that the separation of species may have been the result of a widening split between…

Thematically, the common thread among the three short stories “The Secret Miracle” by Jorge Luis Borges , “Journey Back to the Source” by Alejo Carpentier, and Julio Cortazar’s “Continuity of Parks” is the manipulation of time. Each use the cyclical nature of time to tackle a sort of worldly completion. Hladik finishes his book, the reader in “Continuity of Parks” becomes the ultimate reader by being completely absorbed by his book, the house in “Journey Back to the Source” comes full circle and…

I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Matt Haig two years ago at an event for his book, A Boy Called Christmas which I loved. It was at this event where I first heard about How to Stop Time which he was still working on at the time. The whole concept of a person not aging on the outside and slowly aging on the inside had me intrigued. However, I had completely forgotten about the book until earlier this year when I saw it on the Savvy Reader's “Most Anticipated Reads of (Early) 2018” blog post. The…

“If we don't end war, war will end us.” One of many meaningful quotes said by none other than Herbert George Wells. Known by many as “the Father of Sci­ence Fic­tion” and praised upon for his humanitarian efforts on women’s rights. If it was not for Wells, modern day technology may not exist. He not only opened the world’s eyes to science, he encouraged innovation. Early Life Herbert George Wells was born in Bromley England on September 21st, 1866. (Bio.com) Wells was the youngest of his…

One theme in Ted Chaing’s “Exhalation” is acting for the greater good, in this case, to add to the pool of scientific knowledge. The narrator, a mechanical being in a world populated with other mechanical beings who believe they will live forever, is an anatomist. He has suspected for some time that the prevailing hypothesis of how memory is stored is incorrect. He comes up with an idea for an experiment to find out. The experiment poses great risk to his body, so he deliberates over whether he…

In 1973, Roe v Wade was sanctioned by the United States Supreme court to allow all women to access safe and legal abortions. Getting to that stage was not easy, however. The case took years until the legal system would even consider making the operation legal. (Procon.org) In the 1960’s, many groups were concerned regarding the termination of a pregnancy. Physicians worried about the fatality rates that illegal abortions caused, the women’s movement sparked concerns, environmental groups wanted…

Millions of people around the world sit down in front of their television set and are told that “For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear”. But this seemingly absorbing lead into a popular science fiction TV show is actually telling the truth. What the unsuspecting audience is being fed is chilling. “What is dangerous about television is not its junk, it is that television is transforming all serious public business into junk” (449 P4) In addition, the…