Liberty's 5th Blog Post

Recently, in class, we were asked to watch a movie called Gattaca and compare the main character, Vincent, with the main character of Scorpion, Matt. The similarities between the two characters became instantly apparent to me about ten minutes into the movie. Both characters were treated in a disrespectful manner due to their genetic composition. Matt's intelligence and talent is disregarded because he was not, so to speak, conceived in the usual way. In Scorpion, the so-called "acceptable" method of conception was the natural way. Matt was not, however, born the natural way, therefore is shunned by most members of society. The world of Scorpion is a world where your character and IQ don't matter so long as you are born the "right way".

Like Matt, Vincent is born in perhaps may seem to be the unorthodox way. In contrast to Matt, he was a natural birth, but, in the future world he lives in, almost every child is conceived in vitro. That way, doctors and scientists can manipulate their genetics in such a way that can prevent them from contracting illness and increase their life expectancy, among other things. We see an example of this in Vincent's brother, Anton, who is conceived the usual way (in vitro). Anton is noticeably taller, stronger, and physically superior to Vincent. Both stories, Scorpion and Gattaca, take place in a world where genetics can get you a job and a spouse and a reputation. And that is what makes them so similar. Their encounters with prejudice and discrimination over something they can't control - a modern idea reminiscent of racism or homophobia. Matt can't fulfill his dreams of playing the piano and excelling academically as long as he's a clone, just as Vincent can't be an astronaut because he was mistake (ha). I also think there's a bit of a connection between Matt and Jerome (from Gattaca), because both of them were roped into giving DNA and such. The only difference was that Jerome was doing it voluntarily and Matt was doing everything in his power to avoid it, and that is what sets them apart. Ultimately, Matt is the one who fights for his own life (and for María's), while Jerome so easily gave his up by killing himself. I find the comparison of these two characters just as interesting as the comparison of Vincent and Matt, because they are so alike yet so different.

Lib's Individual 3

This article caught my eye because it represents the consequences of the country's reluctance to let immigrants in. The reason Celia and the others decided to try and cross the border was because they hoped for a better life. The family of the boy in this article made the risky decision to illegally immigrate in hopes that they would have a better life. Instead, they found themselves at a disadvantage to the point where Joaquin decided to kill himself because he'd rather be dead than a failure.

The situation brings up questions not only about immigration or House of the Scorpion, but about humanity itself. Say you were in Joaquin's situation. What would you do? If you were one of the people travelling with Celia and you were intercepted by Farm Patrol and you had to choose between eejithood and death, what would you do? Joaquin was in a very similar situation; either die or become what he considers a failure (hence, life as an eejit). He chose death.

Liberty Individual 2

As of right now, I believe the most impressive feat of Farmer's writing is her uncanny ability to create depth within her characters by using subtle hints in the text. As an author, one cannot simply state what a character's personality is supposed to be like, (So not, "Matteo was determined to succeed in his schoolwork to try and renounce his status as a 'filthy clone' and prove himself," but (and this quote is from page 91) something like this: "It wasn't long before Matt added musical ability to his growing list of accomplishments. He could read ten years beyond his level, do math that left even Tam Lin bewildered - and irritated - and speak both English and Spanish fluently. He threw himself into studying everything that came before him. Matt could name the planets, the brightest stars, and all the constellations. He memorized the names of countries, their capitals, and chief exports.") but instead hint at their personality through suggestive text. For example, nearly every character hates Matt, despite his intelligence and musical ability, because they're are unable to look beyond the fact that he is a clone. Unfortunately, this seems to be a habit reminiscent of events such as the Holocaust and black slavery (the underground railroad), just to name a few. In all these cases of genocide, prejudice, and unjust treatment, the victims were perceived differently due to characteristics that either they couldn't control or they shouldn't have had to give up; hence, clones. Anyway, people don't like clones, therefore they don't like Matt, which is sad because he's… awesome.

Liberty's first post

After reading chapters one through five, I am mostly wondering about El Patrón. Who is he? What does he do? What is his role in the story? I am most anticipating his introduction to the story. What are his view on cloning? Why did he clone himself? So many questions, so little time. Then, there's the matter of Celia. How will her character become significant to the story at time goes by? What about Tom, and the Mendozas? Technically Tom and Matteo are related, as they are both members of the Alacrán clan. Is it common to be distantly related to everyone in this universe? What is the significance of them being related? Will their relation ever resurface and become significant to the story? I'm going to guess that it is, just because of the family tree at the beginning. How did Matteo end up in Celia's care?

In other news, I am completely appalled by the way clones are treating in this particular universe. Today, we accept every race of people as equals; prejudice has been almost completely eradicated in our modern society. This has come over time - giving women the right to vote, choosing employees based on intelligence and work ethic rather than gender or race - yet, assuming the book takes place in the future, the way clones like Matteo are treated reminds me vaguely of the way African-American people were treated during the slavery days of the underground railroad.

Looking at each literary aspect of the book, I think Farmer's greatest strength is her ability to hint at a character's personality throughout the text. You have Matt, this compassionate young boy who is scared to sit on a couch, despite the fact that he is bleeding out through his feet, for fear of getting it dirty. Then you have Tom, who has snuck away just to gloat in Matt's face. María, who risked the wrath of her parents to visit Matt. Rosa, who treated Matteo worse than a stray rat. act character's personality was hinted at through the text.