"Drow was still getting over the shock of realizing how many Hexes there were and how many Hexes there were and how organized the group was. He'd had a vague idea that the Ghosts were a large gang- they controlled too much territory to be anything else- but the sheer amount of people and technology they possessed staggered the imagination." (page 178)
The Hexes take over many people in the community, they are a large group of people and very smart because of the "computer-brain" they have. Instead of being exiled from their society by the government, they should be able to help the government. A computer-brain, as one could imagine, is a very useful tool to have; they can hack into basically any computer in the system- which clearly could help the government if they weren't so stubborn. This shows that power can get to one's brain (in this case the government) which can cloud their judgement about what is good for the community, and make it as though everything is better for them.
Friday, January 20, 2012
"Hex: Ghost" By Rhiannon Lassiter #5
"Ali rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of the data-pad in front of her. But the information kept blurring out of focus. Irritably she threw it down on the table..." (page 190)
This is evidence that the government is wrong. Clearly the Hexes aren't as smart and powerful as people make them out to be, therefore there is no reason for extermination. The government might think the Hexes are going to override them and take over the world, but they can't even solve a simple problem. This says a lot about society and the conclusions that they jump to. It seems as though no one has even tried to get to know the Hexes but yet they are making assumptions about the group; the Hexes could be of great value to their community, but instead they are shunned from a normal life.
This is evidence that the government is wrong. Clearly the Hexes aren't as smart and powerful as people make them out to be, therefore there is no reason for extermination. The government might think the Hexes are going to override them and take over the world, but they can't even solve a simple problem. This says a lot about society and the conclusions that they jump to. It seems as though no one has even tried to get to know the Hexes but yet they are making assumptions about the group; the Hexes could be of great value to their community, but instead they are shunned from a normal life.
"Hex: Ghost" By Rhiannon Lassiter #4
"However, there were some who had doubts, who understood that the Hex gene was an abomination that never should have been allowed to exist and politicians campaigns strenuously to make the use of Hex abilities illegal."
For someone to say that the Hex gene is not allowed to exist is like saying a person isn't allowed to exist. Someone who has the Hex gene in them is instantly in danger at birth, they need to protect themselves and not let anyone know that they posses this power, because to the government it is dangerous. The government makes it seem as though the Hexes are a danger to the world, but in reality the government is just trying to keep absolute control over the people. This shows that the government of this society, and many societies around us, are corrupt and will do anything to have control over its people. What does that show about the morals and values about this society? They must not have any.
For someone to say that the Hex gene is not allowed to exist is like saying a person isn't allowed to exist. Someone who has the Hex gene in them is instantly in danger at birth, they need to protect themselves and not let anyone know that they posses this power, because to the government it is dangerous. The government makes it seem as though the Hexes are a danger to the world, but in reality the government is just trying to keep absolute control over the people. This shows that the government of this society, and many societies around us, are corrupt and will do anything to have control over its people. What does that show about the morals and values about this society? They must not have any.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
"Hex: Ghosts" By Rhiannon Lassiter #3
"Our ancestors were misguided in their march toward progress. They experimented with genetics and created mutants intended to be a fusion of mind and machine, technological wizards who would guide us into a new age... They were fools and dreamers and they thought to play God. It has taken centuries for us to undo their work." (page 21)
Genetic experimentation can be very dangerous and sometimes morally wrong. The Minister of Propaganda is using this against the Hexes when trying to convince the public that their existence is harmful towards the society they live in. This also is another way that their society is corrupt, I bet that biotechnology is present in their society but it is not shown because it is favorable towards them; the Hexes, on the other hand, are not favorable, therefore they are made an example of. This shows that as humans we are selfish towards what will benefit them, and not the society as a whole.
Genetic experimentation can be very dangerous and sometimes morally wrong. The Minister of Propaganda is using this against the Hexes when trying to convince the public that their existence is harmful towards the society they live in. This also is another way that their society is corrupt, I bet that biotechnology is present in their society but it is not shown because it is favorable towards them; the Hexes, on the other hand, are not favorable, therefore they are made an example of. This shows that as humans we are selfish towards what will benefit them, and not the society as a whole.
"Hex: Ghosts" By Rhiannon Lassiter #2
"His name was Theo Freedom and he was the danger we had always feared,"n the Minister of Propaganda explained. "Listen closely, for this is a story I had never thought I would need to tell. It begins with the greatest secret of all: of how and why the Hexes were created." (page 20)
The Minister of Propaganda makes the Hexes out to be a threatening group to society, almost as though they are terrorists. He makes them seem as though they are trying to take over the world, when in fact, the Minister and other government agencies are the ones who are controlling basically everything in society. It is evident that the government is scared of the biotechnological advances their ancestors had made, they knew it would make life better for all; the ancestors knew that their genetics would be able to help everyone in the society become more modernized. Because this book is set in a dystopian society, like so many other futuristic books, the government wants no part of this "advancement"- they want to keep control. The government knows that these Hexes are smarter than they will ever be, they could take over the world; all the power is in their head- literally.
The Minister of Propaganda makes the Hexes out to be a threatening group to society, almost as though they are terrorists. He makes them seem as though they are trying to take over the world, when in fact, the Minister and other government agencies are the ones who are controlling basically everything in society. It is evident that the government is scared of the biotechnological advances their ancestors had made, they knew it would make life better for all; the ancestors knew that their genetics would be able to help everyone in the society become more modernized. Because this book is set in a dystopian society, like so many other futuristic books, the government wants no part of this "advancement"- they want to keep control. The government knows that these Hexes are smarter than they will ever be, they could take over the world; all the power is in their head- literally.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
"Hex: Ghost" By Rhiannon Lassiter
"But the European Federation... secretly authorized an illegal laboratory dedicated to performing experiments in the hope that the dangerous Hex abilities could be utilized or at least understood. In this facility thousands of children, unfortunate enough to possess the Hex gene, were experimented on, tortured and murdered." (introduction)
Biotechnology and gentics are always touchy subjects when it comes to societies in the future. I feel as though they are never used for the right reasons; mutations are either used in a bad way to corrupt a society (like in Brave New World), or they are hidden away from the world (like in "Hex: Ghost"); either way it is a lose/lose situation.
Biotechnology and gentics are always touchy subjects when it comes to societies in the future. I feel as though they are never used for the right reasons; mutations are either used in a bad way to corrupt a society (like in Brave New World), or they are hidden away from the world (like in "Hex: Ghost"); either way it is a lose/lose situation.
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lasster #6
"The new security strategy is not focused on anti-EF terrorism. It is instead focused on supporting the CPS in their legalized extermination of mutants posessing the deformative Hex gene. The Security Service have pledged themselves to the elimination of all mutants within five years." (page 17)
I do not understand why this government is trying to exterminate a type of person that THEY made! It is though they are doing their own type of natural selection, which frankly isn't very natural. Biotechnology is obviously not favored in this society, which we can predict, means that they are not willing to modernize in anyway. It is strange to think that the government and Security Services wouldn't take advantage of these advancements in genetics and use them to their highest potential.
**Natural Selection: a process resulting in the survival of those individuals from a population of animals or plants that are best adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions. (dictionary.com)
I do not understand why this government is trying to exterminate a type of person that THEY made! It is though they are doing their own type of natural selection, which frankly isn't very natural. Biotechnology is obviously not favored in this society, which we can predict, means that they are not willing to modernize in anyway. It is strange to think that the government and Security Services wouldn't take advantage of these advancements in genetics and use them to their highest potential.
**Natural Selection: a process resulting in the survival of those individuals from a population of animals or plants that are best adapted to the prevailing environmental conditions. (dictionary.com)
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #5
"She spent hours in further research on the data she had stolen from the lab. From the questions she would occasionally ask them, Ali and Luciel suspected she was devising her own experiments to test the Hex abilities but she has said nothing to either of them and Wraith was too absorbed in his own project to notice." (page 9)
In this book, Raven is a very secretive type of character. Though she is a Hex herself, she is constantly doing research, as shown in the passage above. I believe this reflects of Raven's character, and the character of people in our society; if you want to know more, you research. It is all about perseverance and trying to get what you want, I believe that Raven is the perfect model for this. Though it may be easier for her to do research because she has a computer as a brain, she is still trying to persevere through life.
In this book, Raven is a very secretive type of character. Though she is a Hex herself, she is constantly doing research, as shown in the passage above. I believe this reflects of Raven's character, and the character of people in our society; if you want to know more, you research. It is all about perseverance and trying to get what you want, I believe that Raven is the perfect model for this. Though it may be easier for her to do research because she has a computer as a brain, she is still trying to persevere through life.
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #4
"Wraith and Raven's sister had never recovered from her stint in the CPS laboratories. As far as Ali could understand it the eleven-year-old's brain had been directly linked up to a computer database with no experience in handling the data flow. Most of the other children who had been experimented on... [became] mindless wrecks." (page 8)
This is yet another great passage in which biotechnology is revealed throughout the "Hex" series. It is crazy to think that humans actually put other humans through these types of tests even though they know they are so harmful to them. I think this says a lot about the society portrayed in "Hex: Shadows;" it is evident that when needed, the Hexes can become useful for experimentation purposes, but when not needed, they are shunned or exterminated from society. This shows what a messed up world the Hexes live in; they seem to have no moral standards because they are willing to harm someone for their own experimental gain.
This is yet another great passage in which biotechnology is revealed throughout the "Hex" series. It is crazy to think that humans actually put other humans through these types of tests even though they know they are so harmful to them. I think this says a lot about the society portrayed in "Hex: Shadows;" it is evident that when needed, the Hexes can become useful for experimentation purposes, but when not needed, they are shunned or exterminated from society. This shows what a messed up world the Hexes live in; they seem to have no moral standards because they are willing to harm someone for their own experimental gain.
Monday, January 16, 2012
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #3
"...it was desirable and expensive enough for Wraith to worry that they were unnecessarily exposed to the Seccies or the CPS. Raven wasn't worried about the Security Services; they had enough difficulty policing the ganglands without worrying about Hexes living secretly in heights." (page 7)
It is interesting to me that throughout this book Raven and the other Hexes are thought of as a negative part of society. This surprises me because in most futuristic and dystopian books, the people who are altered by biotechnology or genetics are usually favorable to the society because they are a certain type of person. I guess one could argue that the society they live in is the opposite of a dystopian society because they do not want to perfect and unflawed characters that they can create by genetic modification.
It is interesting to me that throughout this book Raven and the other Hexes are thought of as a negative part of society. This surprises me because in most futuristic and dystopian books, the people who are altered by biotechnology or genetics are usually favorable to the society because they are a certain type of person. I guess one could argue that the society they live in is the opposite of a dystopian society because they do not want to perfect and unflawed characters that they can create by genetic modification.
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter #2
"...The life she had had with her media mogul father had ended a year ago, vanishing even as she had become one of the invisible people, slipping between the cracks in the system and officially on record as exterminated for the possession of Hex abilities." (page 5)
This is a quote about another character in the book, named Ali Tarrell. Clearly this passage is showing the powers that the Hexes have over everyone; they are able to use their genetic mutations to manipulate the system. Having a computer as a brain is obviously very strange, but it is very useful at times. This quote definitely represents a time where having a computer-mind could be a helpful thing to have; "vanishing... slipping between the cracks in the system and officially on record as exterminated," shows that the Hexes are able to trick everyone into thinking they have been exterminated from society, when in actuality they are stronger and more alive than ever. This passage, and actually all of the book, can directly relate back to the question, "How do we use language / images to manipulate people’s minds?" because that is what the Hexes are doing; they are manipulating people's minds through technology!
This is a quote about another character in the book, named Ali Tarrell. Clearly this passage is showing the powers that the Hexes have over everyone; they are able to use their genetic mutations to manipulate the system. Having a computer as a brain is obviously very strange, but it is very useful at times. This quote definitely represents a time where having a computer-mind could be a helpful thing to have; "vanishing... slipping between the cracks in the system and officially on record as exterminated," shows that the Hexes are able to trick everyone into thinking they have been exterminated from society, when in actuality they are stronger and more alive than ever. This passage, and actually all of the book, can directly relate back to the question, "How do we use language / images to manipulate people’s minds?" because that is what the Hexes are doing; they are manipulating people's minds through technology!
"Hex: Shadows" By Rhiannon Lassiter
"In the late 21st century, genetics experiments led to mutations in the population and the creation of a new breed of people known as the Hexes. Feard for their ability to interface with technology, the Hexes were declared a thread to international security and across the world governments sanctioned their legalized extermination." (page vii)
The issue that I am focusing on throughout this set of blogs is biotechnology/genetics. The series of the "Hex" books focus on a group of people who have been genetically modified/mutated to have special powers. They have "supercomputer minds" which allows to have a crazy amount of power over the government; Raven, the main character is able to hack into any computer or network ever created- which clearly gives her an upper hand in life. She is, in every sense of the word, a Superhuman.
The issue that I am focusing on throughout this set of blogs is biotechnology/genetics. The series of the "Hex" books focus on a group of people who have been genetically modified/mutated to have special powers. They have "supercomputer minds" which allows to have a crazy amount of power over the government; Raven, the main character is able to hack into any computer or network ever created- which clearly gives her an upper hand in life. She is, in every sense of the word, a Superhuman.
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