Thursday, April 27, 2017

Week 10


This week, I read Babel-17, by Samuel R. Delaney, which had a very interesting and unique concept. It takes place during an interstellar war in which a language called Babel- 17 is discovered. At first, this language was thought to be a code used by the enemy, but Rydra learns otherwise. Rydra is a starship captain that was recruited by her government to discover how the enemy was infiltrating and destroying strategic sites. It was during this mission that Rydra discovers that Babel-17 is actually language and using it can turn the use into a traitor without them even realizing since the way the brain conceives the language results in changes to its own perception and thought. It is Rydra’s crew that rescues her and helps her subdue the effects of Babel-17. This story is meant to show how the peculiarities of language can come with unexpected side effects and how different experiences and conditions of life can shape the formation of words and connotation. This unique concept reminded me of a recent movie I watched called Arrival which I also really enjoyed and I recommend.

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