Dystopian Essay: What Makes Us Human?

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What Makes Us Human? Have you ever wondered what it is exactly that makes us human? Is it the mistakes we make, or maybe our opposable thumbs? I believe there are many things that make us human, one of which includes our biological programming to die at some point in time. Death is something every human is aware of and every human embraces eventually. Philip K. Dick’s dystopian texts “The Electric Ant” and “A Little Something for Us Tempunauts” both use death as a means to illuminate that we are human; death reminds humans that we are not eternal. In these short stories, Dick speaks through the eyes of his protagonists who have been stripped of their humanity and describes the significance behind their individual choices to seek death. Each protagonist is dehumanized in a different way and thus they differ greatly in the reasons why they choose death. In “The Electric Ant,” the protagonist, Mr. Poole, is dehumanized with the shocking experience of learning that …show more content…

However, death remains to be only a contemplation for the time being since the initial thoughts and actions of the protagonists are fairly influenced by those around them, as well as their role in society. For example, soon after the dismantling of Poole’s identity, Poole mentions, “I think I’ll kill myself… [but] it would be a costly waste which my owner would have to absorb.” Note not only the grave thoughts and decisions that result from being dehumanized but also the responsibility in his thought process. Although he has realized he is not human, his decisions still reflect his role as the owner of Tri-plan Electronics back when he believed himself to be. Doug also follows this pattern by making his rank in relation to General Toad, Dr. Fein, and other Federal Authorities apparent. His decisions throughout the first half of the story are in large part based upon following

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