What defines a person? In the novel, Borne by Jeff Vandermeer, the author raises this question with the creation of Borne. A person can be defined as a human being regarded as an individual and is often used synonymously with human being. Although some readers of the novel Borne have argued that Borne is not a person, closer examinations shows that he shows many traits of humanity like his curiosity, struggle with his own existence, his ability to form his own thoughts and manipulate the world around him. Although some of these characteristics can be seen in animals and machines, it is important to see how those traits differ in the ways humans use them. Borne proves that being human is more than genetic coding and similar physical structure. …show more content…
It is necessary to include curiosity as part of Borne human characteristics because it is the trait that most humans have in common. One might say that some animals are curious however, they do not have the intelligence to use their curiosity in ways that humans can. Borne does have the power to act like a human and use knowledge to his advantage. As evidence of his curious nature, Rachel describes Borne as always asking questions: “He never stop asking them [Questions], as if he was really ravenous for answers” (Vandermeer 52). This is a very human trait that animals do not have and while machines may be programed to gain knowledge, Borne actively seeks knowledge of his own accord. He also learns for the sake of knowing instead of for survival and Rachel remarks that “He would study any number of topics and had no real preference” (Vandermeer 53). This is very human because only humans try to gain knowledge without a real life practical purpose such as enhancing our way of life or survival. Rachel also associated this curious nature with being a person as evidenced when she thought to herself that “ Borne might be a person, but he was a difficult person, because he probed everything”(Vandermeer 64). It is important to focus on Rachel connection of Borne’s curiosity and personhood because she is the main character and he is viewed through her eyes. Throughout history humans have been burdened with discovering our purpose, is there a god, and how do we understand ourselves. Animals lack this directive or they do not care for it. Machines also lack this directive as they are created by man with a single purpose programed into it. Borne is the opposite of this and questions his existence. As seen when Borne tells Rachel “I am not a machine. I am a person. Just like you, Rachel. Just like you.” (Vandermeer 63) but later asks her if he is a person. (Vandermeer 65, 279). It is a very human characteristic to question what makes us different from the animals and the technology around us. Borne feel the need, like humans, to understand himself and the world around him. Borne also asks Rachel “What am I?” (88) which is further evidence he was struggling trying to find his identity and understand himself. The ability to convey one’s thoughts in a way that anyone can understand it is unique to humans.
While Borne use of language can be confusing, it is more akin to an infant than an animal. As seen in the novel, when Rachel thinks to herself after a conversation with Borne “ But really it was youthful, still-forming mind that [Borne] couldn’t yet communicate complex concepts through language.”(Vandermeer 65). In the previous quote, Rachel hints at Borne capacity to learn more complex language which also add to his differing qualities from animals and machines. Borne is more coherent than the average animal even when he is in his infancy speech stage. As he gets older Borne becomes more coherent. Some animals can learn phrases like the African Grey parrot which can learn up to a thousand phrases however, this is different from Borne for many reasons. Firstly, as seen in his banter with Rachel in which they were discussing the ability to be in one’s right and wrong mind (Vandermeer 64), Borne is able to combine phrases and interpret meanings in different ways. Secondly, animals need a human to actively tell them all the phrases while Borne does not. In the novel Borne learns new words that Rachel did not tell him. This is remarkable because while animals may be able to learn the words if they are taught they do not go out to learn the words. Borne ability to do this sets him apart from they average animal. Borne also had a pet: “‘That fox keeps following you, Borne’…‘He’s my pet,’ Borne said” (Vandermeer 78). His ability to establish himself as a master of an animal hints as his ability to distinguish himself from lesser beings of thought. The freedom of thought and expression that Borne shows are way closer to a human than anything
else. Humans can and has often manipulated the world around them in a very macro and micro way. Borne is able to change the world around similarly to how humans do it. The biggest difference between Borne and animals is how each affect the world and why. A small way he affects the world is when he decided to move out and go his own apartment. He told Rachel that “I will be busy decorating my apartment anyway.” (Vandermeer 87). This is a very small way he manipulated the space around him. He decided to change the way the apartment was viewed to his own liking. However one might say that animals can rearrange a room to their liking but what Borne was different from simple rearranging. Animals would only add the essentials to living which would change the world around them but Borne decided to decorate and add things that were not vital for his survival. Humans love to have stuff that is not necessary for life and Borne exemplifies that when he decorates. Another way Borne manipulated the world around him was how he affected Rachel life. Every interaction he had with her had affected how she acted and the way she manipulated her space. For example how she viewed the world changed after she met Borne. Rachel says that “He [Borne] made me rethink even simple words like disgusting or beautiful (Vandermeer 56). While this may not have been a physical manipulation of space, his personality and way of looking at things changed the way someone else thought. This example is included in his ability to manipulate the world because his opinion has the ability to change the hearts around him. No animal or machine has that type of influence over human beings. The most noticeable way Borne affected the world was his sacrifice in a fight with Mord, a dangerous creature within the book. Mord was a giant bear who terrorized the people in the society and was akin to a god. Rachel said after the fight that “Both Mord and Borne were gone, as if they had not existed” (Vandermeer 316) With Mord gone Borne allowed for the world to change: “Because we can make one here. A world” (Vandermeer 318). The ability to remove the restraints on the world and open it up to possibilities is reserved primarily to humans. Borne was able to the change the world in a very impactful way that will affect future generations. Animals and robots cannot dream of reach this level of affect on the world. In conclusion, Borne is a person. He is far more human than some people in the world today. He has many traits that humans have such as his thirst for knowledge, self-awareness, and capacity to affect the world around him and formulate his own ideas. While these may not all be the traits that make up humans, Borne meets everyone of them.
Noah Jed Riseman is an Australian professor at the Australian Catholic University (“Noah Jed Riseman”). He attended Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he received his bachelor’s degree in history with a minor of Spanish, of which he is fluent (“Noah Jed Riseman”). He went on to receive a PhD in history and Australian studies from the University of Melbourne in 2008 (“Noah Jed Riseman”). He started working at the Australian Catholic University in that same year, and since then he has been both a Senior Lecturer and an Assistant Head of School (“Noah Jed Riseman”). He has been a guest lecturer across the world in both English and Spanish (“Noah Jed Riseman”). Previously, Riseman has also worked at the University of New England (“Noah
My Antonia was not written as a true autobiography, but as a correlation of Willa Cather's life itself. Some argue that Jim Burden is just a delineation of Willa Cather. For instance, “Willa Cather was born in Virginia and moved to Nebraska to live with her grandparents in 1883” (willacather.org). Cather uses her own experience to build up the beginning plot of her Novel My Antonia. Cather's My Antonia describes the struggle and character development of Jim Burden's character as he tries to model himself after a Bohemian immigrant who is unable to cope with the guilt and strenuous life of an emigrant.
Into the wild is a book about a young man, who leaves society to hitchhike to Alaska and live alone in the wilderness. “Christopher Johnson McCandless graduated from Emory University in May 1990 with a degree in history and anthropology”p.20. “toward the end of June, Chris mailed his parents a copy of his final grade report.”p.21. He was a well educated man. He had many opportunities in life to be successful. “It was the last anyone in chris family would ever hear from him”.p.22. By August, Chris’ parents received his grades in the mail. He asked the post office to delay them mailing his final grades to his family.
Nick Jans suggests that McCandless was either mentally ill or suicidal, however, this does not seem to be the case. Jans observations gives very good points, but they are not in the correct perspective. McCandless did not die because he disrespected the very land he purported to love.
In Richard Wright’s Native Son, Bigger Thomas attempts to gain power over his environment through violence whenever he is in a position to do so.
Are we really humans? What is the definition of a Human being? What makes us Humans? Society is so complicated that anything can be true these days. In Judith Butler’s essay, “Besides Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy”, she talks about how humans are vulnerable to life around us socially and physically, and humans are dependable on others. She also uses examples such as grief to define who we are because when humans go through the grief process it reveals who that person really is and it can change that person forever in. Some people go through the grief process differently because it affects everyone. Losing someone close to you can change your prospective about life and how you look at things. We live in a country where everyone is going to be judged and looked at differently no matter what gender a person is.
From the first chapter of The Pit, it is very obvious that Curtis Jadwin will be a central figure in the novel. Jadwin's instant interest for Laura and Laura's almost immediate attraction for Jadwin confirm that there is more to see of these two characters. Norris, the author, characterizes Curtis Jadwin as a flawless, impeccable man who revered by everyone. Throughout the first five chapters of the novel Curtis Jadwin is characterized as a man devoted primarily to money, business and interested only in attaining all that he wishes. He is a man who wants to win in all aspects especially in money and challenges. Through the readings, it becomes apparent that Jadwin sees his Sunday school and Laura, not as something that he loves, but something that he wishes to attain to prove how strong he is.
In order to define personhood, one must first define a human. A Human can be thought about in two different senses, a moral human sense and a genetic human sense. In a moral sense, humans can be thought of as a person who is a member of the moral community. In a genetic sense, humans are merely any physical being categorized as a being in the human species. From this one can conclude that a person is a human in the moral sense. Furthermore, characteristics of a person must be defined in order to differentiate moral beings from genetic humans.
Richard Wright has been referred to me for therapy regarding his theft from the local theater, and I believe that he committed this crime because he believes that because of his station in society he would never be able to support himself and his family through honest means. Despite the fact that he does hold some remorse for his actions, it would appear that whatever remorse he holds is tempered by his justifications for stealing. A thorough analysis of his reasoning has been conducted and with testimony from the patient to serve as my proof, I will begin treatment to show him the error of his ways.
Human; relating to or having characteristics of a person(Merriam-Webster). A human is truly just a soul combined with characteristics of other people, and this is proven by Jenna Fox; the main character in The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson. After finding out what her body is made up of, Jenna along with other characters think she is not human. Despite this Jenna Fox has always had the key elements it takes to be a human been. Jenna for one has a past and memories that make up her life even after the accident. More importantly it is unfair to call her a “monster” when she shows characteristics similar to that of other humans. Needless to say, Jenna just as any other human isn’t perfect, and she later learns that in order to be one hundred percent human she must have the same chances of succeeding in life as any other human would. Jenna Fox is human because she has a soul regardless of her differences.
In 1893, Fredrick Jackson Turner delivered what now is the most important essay ever written in American history. Turner’s thesis stated that American civilization was different from European civilization because continent contained an abundance of land that was settled in four waves of migration. During this process the European heritage was shed and the American characteristics of individualism, mobility, nationalism, and democracy developed. Though Turners thesis statement become very well known, it did not go unchallenged. Some historians argued that he was too unclear, they also argued that he underestimated the cultural forces and neglected the forces of urbanization and industrialization. After Turner’s death, many other historians begin
In chapter thirteen, Walker and Shipman dug into if Homo erectus, specifically "Nariokotome Boy," could verbally communicate amongst each other. They studied the size of the vertebral canal. The canal was to narrow, meaning the boy received less information from his senses. While Walker was trying to figure out what the small canal meant for the boy he attended a lecture. The lecture used PET scans to look at the differences when a person reads, hears, or speaks a word. The demonstrated activity helped him understand that language didn't trigger " asymmetric brain activity" when turning thoughts into words. By looking at deaf babies, it confirmed that language is not the same thing as speech. Babies, as well as trained apes, can use "proto-language,"
“But he resolved he would not die, even with a half-dead body, because he wanted to come home again,” announces father’s return home. The author of Sounder, William Armstrong, makes it very apparent how similar Sounder and the father's returns home were. The father and Sounder have many similarities when it comes to how they returned. Both of them suffered the same physical injuries. For example, their legs are gone. Sounder arrived home without his, while the father arrived carrying his. With both the father and Sounder, one entire side of their body is damaged badly. Sounder’s shoulder is red, hairless, and the color of leather. The father’s shoulder had been shoved upward and back to make a hump. The hump from his shoulder was so high that
What does it mean to be human? Sure, one must have the usual physical features such as fingers, eyes, arms, hands, feet, etc., but what does it really mean? Must the human be able to speak? To take upon the actions of themselves? Whatever it means, it can be interpreted in any way from anyone. The physical attributes of any human can be compared to those of our evolutionary ancestors. However, it is possible to believe that there are many characteristics that make a human, but only six define the true, ideal human.
... Since we are all unique, we all have a precise and specific “imprinting protocol” that makes us human. Finding our exact “imprint” is “the mystery of the human person” (Cortez, 93). But, “the emergence of higher-level properties and complex systems with novel properties. cannot be comprehensively understood in lower-level terms alone,” affirming that what defines a physical being as being “human,” or what delineates David as a “real boy” is ultimately abstract and unknown (Cortez, 94).