Neuromancer Conclusion and Questions

By the end of Neuromancer, a lot of questions and issues are finally resolved for the reader. Case is brought into another hallucination, but this time it is manipulated by Wintermute’s brother Neuromancer. We learn that Neuromancer was the one responsible for killing Linda Lee, and in doing so, hoping that her involvement in the hallucination will keep Case inside forever. Several times throughout the novel, Linda Lee’s face appeared in the Matrix. Once again, it is revealed that Neuromancer was the one behind all of these occurrences. Neuromancer thought that Linda Lee would be able to make Case stay with her in the hallucination, but Case is able to say no to her and not fall into Neuromancer’s trap. Case’s doesn’t show love for Linda Lee and all his love for her has faded away.

After a lot of toying with the reader, William Gibson ends Case’s and Molly’s relationship. Throughout the novel, the reader is never sure if they are madly in love with each other or if its just a fling. There seemed to be love there when Molly tells Case “You’re kinda like he was”(179) and how Case reminded her of a man she used to love. However Molly leaves Case and her true intentions are revealed. Molly didn’t see their relationship lasting very long and reveals her true feelings for Case.

Throughout the novel, the reader, as well as the characters, are in wonder of what Case and Molly’s true mission is. By the end, Wintermute has manipulated all of the characters for his one purpose in life: fuse with Neuromancer. Wintermute reveals itself one more time to Case in the image of Finn once again. Case asks Wintermute what it has become and it replies “Im the Matrix”(269). Wintermute is in search for other AIs like him and finds one in the Alpha Centauri star system. The novel ends with the a inhuman laughter, possible referring to Pauley McCoy the ROM construct that assisted Case throughout the novel. With all that said, many questions arise by the end of the novel: Why did Molly leave Case? Did she not love him? Did Case truly love Linda Lee? Why did Wintermute want to combine with Neuromancer? What did Wintermute achieve by becoming the Matrix? What truly happened to Pauley(Dixie)? Was he erased or did he become a part of the Matrix?

Frameworks or Motifs in Neuromancer

After reading Section II: The Shopping Expedition and the first two chapters of Section III: Midnight in the Rue Jules Verne there was one constant framework/motif that occurred throughout these sections: Romance. So far in the story, Case has been seen with two woman, Linda Lee and Molly. Linda Lee was a short lived relationship that has fallen apart since the start of the book, while Molly seems to be the new lust in his life. Case and Molly started out as a relationship that only involved lust and sex, but it seems that they are growing closer together as the story unfolds. They have gone through many wild adventures together creating a relationship that is causing Case to forget about Linda Lee all together. “Once he woke from a confused dream of Linda Lee, unable to recall who she was or what she’d ever meant to him”(59). Linda Lee has become an image of the past and Molly is slowly becoming the present/future.

Another framework/motif I found interesting during this reading was towards the end of Chapter 9. Case has plugged into the Matrix and he is thrown into a hallucination. Case is brought back to an arcade in Ninsei where he sees Linda Lee. Linda Lee ends of being a figment of his imagination when she disappears right in from of him and Case ends up talking to Wintermute in the form of Julius Deane. This scene can be taken a Romance framework because Linda Lee appears once again. Even though Linda Lee was apart of a past life, Case is still clinging onto her. Case is with Molly during this scene, but he needs something in Linda Lee that Molly isn’t giving him. However, this scene can be related to the word neuro meaning image of the mind or nervous system. Wintermute has taken control of Case’s mind and is controlling Case’s state of reality. Case’s mind is away from his brain and Wintermute warns him he will see blood and brain if he shoots him. Case shoots Wintermute and Case is dead for a short period of time. To me this seems like the movie The Matrix because if your mind dies in the Matrix your body in the real world dies with it. This same action occurs during this scene.

Neuromancer Geography and Setting Analysis

Neuromancer by William Gibson sets place in Chiba, Japan which is somewhere near Tokyo. As the story unfolds, Case (the main character) describes the the area he lives in as an underground city called Ninsei or Night City. It is a very dark and gloomy area where a lot of illegal activities occur. Night City lives in its own world of drug dealers and prostitutes. There are a lot of different ethnic groups living in the area ranging from native people of Japan, hispanics and a group called the Sprawl. Night City is a place for people that have lost their way and hope to find a place to hide from the real world. It is a place of death and possible a place where people look for dying. This is proven by the fact that Case has accepted the fact he might die living in this area.

Throughout part 1, Case mentions “The Matrix” frequently throughout the story. It is a place where a person can escape from the real world and let their mind wonder in another fantasy. Case states that it is a weightless experience where the mind has left the body. To me, it seems like this is like the movie The Matrix with Keanu Reaves. In the movie, Neo (Keanu Reeves) plugs into the Matrix which takes him into a digital world. This is the same instance with Case. Case enters the Matrix frequently and is always looking for its familiarity.

When you compare the two different areas, they seem to have their similarities and differences. When looking at their similarities, they both seem to be places where people can escape from the real world. Night City is a place full of drugs and murders where Case has accepted the fact he could possible die there. The Matrix is a place where Case lets his mind become with weightless entity and leave everything tied to the Earth. When looking at their differences, Night City seems a place for lower level of citizens to travel to when the higher level world throws them out. The Matrix seems to be a place for people that live in a higher class. However, why does Case live in this baron area if he is able to go into the Matrix?

Point of View in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

The short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce draws the reader through an an interesting chain of events. The story begins in a 3rd person objective point of view. Through this point of view, Bierce is able to set up the narrative for the reader. The reader is able to get a sense of the characters, setting and time period of the action. All these elements create a sense of anxiety and anguish in the reader. We don’t know why, but we can’t imagine the reasons for this man to be hanged. Bierce skillfully transitions the point of view at the end of the fourth paragraph to 3rd person limited. This point of view limits the story to just one person. The reader gets the mans last thoughts longing to see his family and hope to escape into the river below.

In part 2, the story transitions into a flashback and the reader gets a name and the background of the main character. The point of view is still in 3rd person limited because it still focuses on one person of the story. This helps draw the reader father into the story and helps the reader relate to the main character. The reader is able to imagine this mans family and understand how he ends up at Owl Creek Bridge.

In part 3, the reader travels back to the present and find our main character falling off the bridge into the river. A series of events unfold still keeping the point of view fixed on one person and keeping the reader absorbed in the story. When we get to the last sentence of the story, the point of view switches back to 3rd person objective and we are left in shock that the main character is dead. We are led to believe that the character is going to survive, but Bierce messes with the reader. Bierce keeps the reader fixed on the events unfolding in the story, but doesn’t allow the reader to realize that he is changing the story from reality to imagination. Through the point of view techniques, Bierce is able to create a story where we can relate to the main character, but still keep our interest in this devastating story.

Poetry in Pop Culture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdW1CjbCNxw

Walt Whitman's Poem, America, is used in this Levi's commercial. The poem is recited throughout the entire commercial, except for the last two lines of the poem. The commercial gives a fantastic visual aid to the poem and really enhances the meaning of what the poem is trying to portray. After watching the commercial, it gave me a new insight into the meaning of the poem and a better appreciation for Walt Whitman's poetry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwJ-ppxCGPk

Robert Frost's poem, Nothing Gold Can Stay, is recited in the movie The Outsiders. During this scene, Ponyboy Curtis recites it to Johnny Cade. Like the poem, Ponyboy Curtis is talking about the ups and downs people experience in life. Life is a struggle and everyone has to take them as they come. After watching this scene, it helped me establish a better meaning of Robert Frost's poem. Scenes like this in pop culture help me look at poetry in a new light.

Anti-Technology or Pro-Technology

When looking at the poem from an anti-technology standpoint, one can understand that the author thinks that nature and technology are two separate entities that work against each other. As an important part of modern day society, technology is continually being worked on and improved. As Braudigan says we are “all watched over by machines of loving grace,” meaning that someday technology will become so advanced that machines will watch over us like they are gods. We will be forced back to into an animal-like state and embrace our primitive selves.

However, when analyzing the poem from a pro-technology standpoint, Braudigan could also be stating that nature and technology form a joined partnership. Braudigan thinks that technology is a fantastic thing for our society and it should be joined in “programming harmony” with nature. Technology is the future and it should be something that is embraced with nature. Braudigan wants all these things to hurry, implying that he wants us to move past our arguments against technology and embrace it as part of our new way of life.

When I read this poem, I found myself looking at this poem as if it were a message against technology. The one piece of evidence that convinced me the most was stated in the last stanza. The author states that we will be “watched over by machines of loving grace.” I kept reading this line over and over and realized that Braudigan is trying to say that technology is starting to grow faster than we expected and it will soon take over us. Technology is going to turn into a “Big Brother” in a sense and it will watch our every movement. All freedom in our lives will be gone. Technology will one day take the place of us and we will be forced back into our true animal-like selves.

Adrienne Rich - "Diving into the Wreck" Imagery

Adrienne Rich - Diving into the Wreck

List of Images

-The Book of Myths -mermaid

-The Ladder -camera

-Knife

-water/ocean

-the wreck

-his wetsuit

In Adrienne Rich's Diving into the Wreck, there are countless images throughout each stanza. Even with all of these images, there are three images that work coherently with each other: the ladder, the ocean and the wreck. Unlike the other images, the ladder has a whole stanza to itself which means there must be a lot of meaning to it. When looking at a ladder, its main purpose is to help us move up or down from tall objects. Looking at the use of the ladder in this poem, it is stated it “always there hanging innocently”. When ladders aren’t being used, they are just there sitting there “innocently” and you over look it. In the diver’s case, it is waiting there for for him so it can take him into a different world then his own and that world is the ocean. The ocean is big, scary, and mysterious to the diver. From above the ocean, one doesn’t know what is beneath. A world of surprises can await anyone. For the diver, the ocean is a mystery and is strange to him. The diver has to adjust to this new world and has to learn how to move in this vast world. The ocean keeps sinking the diver farther and farther down like its devouring him. The diver gradually gets lost into it and forgets his purpose. The diver realizes what happens to him and remembers his purpose: go to the wreck. The wreck is in the title of this poem and what the diver is trying to find. When looking at the wreck in a literal sense, it is an actual object that holds a ton of meaning to it. The wreck symbolizes the lost lives of countless people and all the disasters that have happened out in the sea. The mention of “ribs” gives it an even more human like feel. These three images are huge throughout the poem. The ladder transports the diver into the ocean. The ocean transports the diver to the wreck and the wreck shows us all what disasters bring to the world.