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English HL: Language and Literature

Written Task. Criterion A: Outline ___/2 Criterion B: Response to the question ___/8,
Criterion C: Organization and argument___/5 and Criterion D: Language and style___/5
Friday 16 of October/ 2014

The Emphatic Altruism that give us the humanity

At the very beginning that you read “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

(1968) You enjoy a great science fictional novel. The plot show a dystopian future whose

problems are focused on technological issues that even today we don’t have. Wen we start

going deeper in all the themes that Philip Kindred Dick (the author) show us in the novel,

we realize that this “distant” dystopian future is not that far as we think, in fact most of the

themes represent many problems that we have had through history and some others that we

even have nowadays. The author allegorize his context represented through his characters

showing specific social groups that develop in similar dynamics than the ones in the novel,

seeking that the reader understand the egalitarian and humanizing factor that characterizes

us as humans: the empathy.

“Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” was published in 1968 were the cold war

was at its peak after the remembered missile crisis of 1962. More than ever the polarization

of the world was disputed by the URSS and the nation of the author, USA giving rise to a

series of events that shaped those who lived through this “Terminal War” that never

happened1. This is important because even dough that the novel seems to be a fictional is

founded in the real context that the author was living. At that time there was a “global”

paranoia for a nuclear war between this two military potencies. In the book Philip makes

1
McAuliffe, Mary S. Cuban Missile Crisis 1962. History Staff ed. Vol. Vol.1. Washington,
DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 1992. 376 Pg. Print.
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this feared war real wen he creates a scenario where the “terminal war” ended with the

earth. He is just showing the effects of something that, at that time, was very possible.

Retreating specific situations that could represent the war against androids in the

novel, we se the relation with one of the most asymmetric warfare’s that characterized this

historical moment. From 1959 to 1975 the Vietnam War was effectuated. This particular

war is nowadays remembered as one of the most injustices in history thanks of the way in

which the actant of the war feed a confrontation that lose any king of reason, dehumanizing

the fought, shown on the irrational massacres carried out by technological “progress” as the

thickening/gelling of napalm or the ridiculous use of white phosphorus in incendiary

bombs2. We see the same history in Vietnam and the same history in the book.

Although it doesn’t relates directly with this war, the racial segregation shows also

the same topic were the author arrives when he allegories social groups. In 1968 Martin

Luther King was murdered, what means that the whole movement of racial equality was

develop in the creation of the novel. There’s always a minority that is dehumanize and

oppressed by a majority. The asymmetric war between a military power and a minority

makes us realize that these wars are not different than others. There is an historical

redundancy that fulfills a task of always fall on the same again and again, showing how at a

particular time of life we lose our altruistic empathy that characterizes us as humans and we

start treating others as means for achieving our own selfish interests: egoism.

Prior to understand what is the message that the author is seeking to show us the

readers, we first have to recognize the way in which Philip routes and guides his message

by the main characters.

2Castro Caycedo, German. "El Napalm, La Marihuana Y La Guerra De Vietnam." Nuestra

Guerra Ajena. Print ed. Bogota, DC: Planeta, 2014. Cap 3. Print.
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At firs we can see a superficial relation between androids and communist. The

stigma that people had with sympathizers of communist ideas (or just communist) was

quite similar to the one that was shown in the book with the androids. Obviously, the image

of "unfreedom" that the global media had construct since that time and the systematic

(almost robotic) way of life that this political system had haves a clear relation with the

robots. But were the real representation is located is in the main characters Rick Deckard

and John R. Isidore. Assuming them as binary opposites we see that John R. Isidore is a

perfect example of a traditional hero. Has empathy for all living things and mostly for

androids, unlike Rick Deckard at the beginning of the novel. He treats them as equals

because he has the altruistic ability to feel compassion for the other:

"That's right, Mr. Batty," Isidore said. "But what does it matter to me? I mean, I'm a

special; they don't treat me very well either, like for instance I can't emigrate." (14.78).

Even dough the androids seem to not have respect for life he still wants to help them. The

interesting part of this character is how we can relate him to a specific social group were

the author also belonged. As we know at the beginning of the novel John R. Isidore had the

ability to revive animals from death but the government make him a chickenhead so he

could not keep up. This is a clear metaphor to what happened to the author. If we see in the

bibliography of the author we found that he was against the Vietnam War. In 1968 he

joined the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest"3 were he and other writers stand against

the war. Also his second wife sympathized with communist philosophies. Thanks of this he

had some problems with the FBI. Fortunately nothing happened but the representation of

3
Dick, Philip K. "An Interview With America's Most Brilliant Science-Fiction Writer"
Interview by Joe Vitale. Interview With Philip K Dick. Print Interviews. Web. 15 Oct. 2014
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the minorities being oppressed, that we were referring in general aspects earlier, here chows

up in a single character that represent itself the political activist as a social group.

Rick Deckard in the “other side” could represent the counterpart. He is a public

official who supports a supposed justice by the force, a clear representation of institutions

that wield power through public force according to their political conviction, alienated by

their own perception of the world. As a character we see how he at first doesn’t have any

empathy even for humans. In the course of the novel we found out that he actually starts

questioning him self if what he’s doing is right wen he realize that he felt empathy for girl

androids. There is an evident evolution of the character, but what about if rick is more than

a metaphor fore public force, the medium in which the author show us that regardless our

differences we all as humans fell empathy and compassion?

We are losing our humanity then, classifying ourselves into different groups just for

racial, political or ideological issues that at the end of the road don’t define our humanity.

In the book we have chickenheads and androids; in the context of that time we had African

Americans, communist and the Vietnamese’s; today we have Muslims, homosexuals and

Palestinians as an example. Without homogenizing the human race what the author wants

to show us is that within our diversity is what unites us as humans, the empathy. The

empathetic altruism that that makes us feel compassion and solidarity for others, the fact

that we feel what others feel shows us the true meaning of the entire novel.

So why deny our own nature?

1248 words

Outline
Conclusio
Ending with the how and going
deep with the why. n
Show the
main character as assumptions
binary opposites that
represent something more
specific in our society. Finally
show the message of the
author that respond to the
question “what make us
humans?” and ending with the
last question (with out
responding it).
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How and why is a social group represented in
a particular way? Introduction
Small contextualization of how
the author reflects on specific
problems of humanity
Ho
2
w? 1
Portrays its context whit allegories
Body
Cold War DADOES Deep explanation of the way
the author represents he’s
-Missile Crisis 1962 Terminal War -
context with allegories. With
-Vietnam war 1959-75 War against Androids - this framing the novel into a
-War against communism political and social area were
· USSR, Cuba most of the problems that are
-Racial segregation Dehumanization of
shown referee to specific
shortcomings that we as
+ Martin Luther King murdered specific social groups humans have. Brief
The year in which the novel was emphasizing in how the author
published 1968 African Americans seeks to classify in general
aspects what takes away our
humanity.
Takes the characters as a
Representation of his contexts Those are classified
In one category
The characters that were The Difference
Selected represent a social
group
Androids Communist
The prejudices that had the communists are
the ones that have Androids:
 No liberty
1. Isidore
Revived animals from death
Political activists
They give voice to marginalized
 No “Empathy” minorities
(Seen as compassion) The government made him a The FBI investigates Phil and his wife
chickenhead
 tanks of their political orientations
2. Rick Power institutions (mostly military)
More than a character is the Institutions that wield power through public
medium in which the author force, according to their political conviction
exemplifies his message alienated by their own perception of the world
The evolution of the Government of the United States primarily
character
Empa
thy
If rick is a human and finally we understand that humanity is
given to us tanks of the empathy (that is resume in compassion)
Why deny our own nature?