While I was reading this novel, I noticed frequent parallels between the treatment of Orogenes in society and treatment of Black people in the United States. Bias towards Orogenes is frequent throughout the novel, and many characters openly use the term "rogga" as a derogatory term to describe Orogenes (Jemisin 113). Similarly, in modern culture, the n-word is the derogatory term used to insult or degrade Black people, regardless of their situation. Both cultures face similar issues that are described in Jemisin's novel.
During the process of reading our last novel, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, I had brought up the point that I could not comment accurately upon black culture due to a lack of knowledge on the topic. In the Stillness, the citizens fear "people like [Damaya]," and claim that "ordinary people" shouldn't have to be responsible for the actions of these people (32). Orogenes are even assigned to a Guardian and are trained and educated so that they understand their place in society and "can be useful not merely to a single comm, but all the Stillness," theoretically making them a valuable member of society, with the exception of outliers that are evident in any situation and society (34). Comparatively, black members of society all provide a valuable service, as they have some sort of specialized training just like any other member of society.
An article posted in the Guardian highlights how a black member of American society grew up facing racism and discrimination, and what his takeaways from his upbringing were. He noted being told that "he is one of the good ones," which is significant in the fact that society made him feel that he was a bad member of society, and therefore facing discrimination from his peers (Jones). A powerful line from his article stated that his "fate is bound up with all of those who are 'bad,'" which correlates with the treatment of Orogenes, especially Syen and Alabaster at Allia (Jones). Despite the fact that a 10-ring and a 4-ring have arrived to provide a service to the city, they are greeted by a deputy governor who fails to offer simple courtesies such as a handshake or a glass of Safe. After their initial confrontation with the deputy, Alabaster explains the reasoning for his actions by claiming that "[he'd] like being treated like a human for a change" (159). Even though Orogenes provide valuable services for the Stillness, the actions of the Orogenes who misuse or fail to control their power lead society to perceive Orogenes as negative as a whole. As Brian Jones said best, "the present order is intolerable, and a new world is both possible and necessary," directly correlating with the need for the end of the the world as the Stillness knows it.
During the process of reading our last novel, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, I had brought up the point that I could not comment accurately upon black culture due to a lack of knowledge on the topic. In the Stillness, the citizens fear "people like [Damaya]," and claim that "ordinary people" shouldn't have to be responsible for the actions of these people (32). Orogenes are even assigned to a Guardian and are trained and educated so that they understand their place in society and "can be useful not merely to a single comm, but all the Stillness," theoretically making them a valuable member of society, with the exception of outliers that are evident in any situation and society (34). Comparatively, black members of society all provide a valuable service, as they have some sort of specialized training just like any other member of society.
An article posted in the Guardian highlights how a black member of American society grew up facing racism and discrimination, and what his takeaways from his upbringing were. He noted being told that "he is one of the good ones," which is significant in the fact that society made him feel that he was a bad member of society, and therefore facing discrimination from his peers (Jones). A powerful line from his article stated that his "fate is bound up with all of those who are 'bad,'" which correlates with the treatment of Orogenes, especially Syen and Alabaster at Allia (Jones). Despite the fact that a 10-ring and a 4-ring have arrived to provide a service to the city, they are greeted by a deputy governor who fails to offer simple courtesies such as a handshake or a glass of Safe. After their initial confrontation with the deputy, Alabaster explains the reasoning for his actions by claiming that "[he'd] like being treated like a human for a change" (159). Even though Orogenes provide valuable services for the Stillness, the actions of the Orogenes who misuse or fail to control their power lead society to perceive Orogenes as negative as a whole. As Brian Jones said best, "the present order is intolerable, and a new world is both possible and necessary," directly correlating with the need for the end of the the world as the Stillness knows it.
I found myself agreeing with a lot of what you said in your blog post. You raise several good points about the similarities between how both black people and the Orogenes are treated in their respective societies. It is clear that the Orogenes are not treated equally. In fact, it is stated that “Orogenes are not people. Weapons have no need of friends” (Jemisin 297). This quote explicitly states how the Orogenes are viewed and sadly, there are people in modern America that view black people the same way. However, it is interesting that while the Orogenes are viewed as inferior, they are also recognized as being extremely powerful and “superior” in regards to their abilities. I find this to be contradicting yet true in the seen that it could be seen as an insightful piece of commentary on how black people are viewed in America. While there are many people who view African-Americans as inferior, they also make comments that reflect the same thought process that is used in The Fifth Season towards the Orogenes. What I mean by this is that is not uncommon to hear someone talk about how black people are “inferior” while at the same time almost praising them by saying that they are “supieror” when it comes to athletic ability and “mystical abilities” (which is a common trait given to African-Americans in both literature and film). This selective racism is a very interesting occurrence and I believe Jemisin does a great job of subtly commenting on this phenomenon along with several other issues throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the parallel between Orogenes in The Fifth Season and African Americans in the United States. There is constantly a sense of racism toward Orogenes in the novel, much like there is racism towards black people in today’s world. There is a lack of knowledge about the Orogenes and a great fear of their capabilities that sparks the racist attitude towards them. This is similar to how people view African Americans because we can’t understand what they are feeling or relate to their oppression and experiences, so the cycle of oppression and alienation continues. Even in the novel, terms such as “rogga” are used to describe Orogenes, much like the “N word” used by Americans (Jemisin 113). Additionally, people are very open with their hate crimes towards black people and in the novel there are similar acts of hatred. An example of this is the murder of Uche, at just three years old, “his father has beaten him to death” (Jemisin 10). The stem of this action was ultimately finding out that Uche was an Orogene. While Orogenes have the ability to be great and helpful, they are only stereotyped as an uncontrollable and scary thing. The characters also lack common courtesies in the novel and even normal treatment. It is true that Orogenes can be helpful and promote safety, such as with the harbor, but the Orogenes that use their power in negative or hurtful ways dominates the perception of society. While there are more good Orogenes than bad ones, it is still the negative stereotypes that dominates this species. This parallels to Americans stereotyping African Americans as gang members or violent, when the majority are not.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the struggles and trials that the orogenes are forced to deal with are easily translatable to minority groups, particularly black people, in both historical and contemporary America. Much like the orogenes, the actions of one individual are exaggerated and normalized to the point of branding the entire group, as if the actions of one speaks for the rest. Additionally, black people have been subject to horrible treatment, discrimination, and the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality when seeking to ameliorate the situations they were placed in. I found one quote in the book particularly disturbing in the way I could relate it to current issues faced by black people. In a comment made before the founding of the Fulcrum, the emperor of the Sanzed Equatorial Affiliation remarks, “Tell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. They them they must earn the respect which everyone else receives by default. […] Then they’ll break themselves trying for what they’ll never achieve” (76). I found this quote extremely relevant to the struggles of minority groups, especially black people. Nowadays, some white people are quick to argue that racial inequality is a thing of the past and that blacks are now equal, they must simply take advantage of the resources and opportunities they have in order to reach greatness. However, blacks and other minority groups must work much harder than white people in order to achieve the same level of success or greatness or respect. Much like the orogenes seeking freedom and control and value, black people and other minority groups are still judged by white people, regardless of the amount of effort they put in. They are trapped in a white system built on injustice and inequality in which they are stuck at the bottom and forced to work their way to an undefined top that is nearly impossible to reach for anyone who isn’t white. However, all of this is often ignored or rejected by white people who prefer “polite fictions and unspoken truths that [keep them] comfortable, and safe” in their higher, born-into positions (348).
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