Lauren Dodds
There’s an old and well known English proverb that says “where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise.” In Lilith’s Brood, one of Lilith’s many battles is against the ignorance of those she chooses to Awaken. They act upon two forms of ignorance: lack of knowledge, and the choice to disregard knowledge that they find disturbing or don’t want to believe. The Oankali have attributed humans with two traits, one being intelligence. Jdahya said that humans are “potentially one of the most intelligent species . . . [they’ve] found” (Butler 39) but he goes on to express the negative side of this characteristic by adding that “intelligence does enable you do deny fact you dislike” (Butler 39). Butler portrays ignorance as an instinctive cognitive tool to cope with unpleasant or unbelievable situations by depicting the use of ignorance in those Lilith decided to Awake. In their case, ignorance is not bliss, but rather dangerous.
In one way, the humans have no choice but to be ignorant. They have been Awakened after centuries to find their environment completely changed and insufficient information as to what will become of them. The Oankali answer Lilith’s questions but they do not tell her everything and they are very careful about their timing when it comes to disclosing certain information. Lilith confesses to Tate, Gabriel and Leah that she is sure she’s been lied to “by omission, at least” (Butler 167). In this way the humans are kept ignorant, no fault of their own, however, some of them don’t exactly dig for knowledge either. When Tate is first Awakened, she avoids asking Lilith who her captors are because she thinks she will be happier not knowing. She is afraid that once she knows the answer she will have wished she didn’t so he tries to ignore the subject for as long as Lilith will allow her (Butler 131). It is in this way that humans use ignorance in hopes of delaying the knowledge information that has the potential to cause harm or force action. Lilith puts an end to her ignorance by telling her about the Oankali because she needs to be prepared. Ignoring the subject might work for Tate for a little while. In the long run her ignorance would hurt her when she saw the Oankali for the first time, completely unprepared and never warned. Ignorance might work as a short term fix, but eventually you must face the situation. Not knowing is more dangerous than not knowing.
Lilith Awakened forty people and provided them with the information she knew about their circumstance. This group divided itself into two groups: individuals who choose to follow Lilith and individuals who followed Peter. The contrast between these two groups shows the struggle between accepting and ignoring the facts and the consequences that result from the latter. Everyone had a hard time believing the information Lilith was telling them but the Peter-followers not only chose not to believe the information, but to act in such a way as if the information were false. This is what became dangerous. Lilith knew that they would have trouble believing and for this reason she tried to tell them early enough that they had time to reject the idea and then gradually move passed it (Butler 143). Lilith’s followers were able to grasp this aspect. Joseph said, “I think our best bet now is to learn all we can. Get facts. Keep our eyes open. Then later we can make the best possible use of any opportunities we might have to escape (Butler 143). This is the ideal, rational, non-ignorant way to go about the situation. This is the ideology Lilith hoped the others would pick up on as well. However, Peter’s followers show how humans would rather fall back on ignorance. They choose to ignore what Lilith is telling them because they don’t like what they’re hearing. Derek refused to believe that the ship could restock the food and after climbing into the cabinet his ignorance resulted in being put back to sleep (Butler 171). They aren’t content just sitting back and collecting the facts, waiting for opportunities like Lilith wants them to do. It frustrates them to not be taking action. Lilith becomes the target of their frustrations. They don’t believe she’s human, they think she’s a man, they think she’s withholding information. By believing these things or acting as if they believe these things they can protect themselves by hiding from the truth. This choice to remain ignorant despite the knowledge Lilith is providing them is not at all helpful. It causes hostility and violence between the groups and puts Lilith in a dangerous position. Gabriel expressed a fear that Peter would “tell [his followers] the only way to get out of [t]here is to knock [her] around until [she] tell[s] all [her] secrets. He’ll say [she] know[s] the way out. And by the time it’s clear that [she] [doesn’t], [she]’ll be dead” (Butler 174). People think that ignorance will make them feel better but it’s not the case. The girl whose boyfriend cheated on her blamed the other girl instead of her boyfriend. Maybe she can feel better about her situation by attributing the blame to another party but at the end of the day her boyfriend still cheated on her and ignoring the truth can only work for so long. Blaming Lilith for the situation will not help the people when the Oankali come. In fact, when the Oankali come, the ignorant Peter followers are the ones that run away or attack and the Oankali make them unconscious. Followers of Lilith, those that accepted the knowledge Lilith shared, where the calmest during their first encounter with the Oankali, proving that ignorance came back to hurt Peter’s following.
Ignoring information because it’s not to one’s liking is never constructive in the long-run. Eventually, the time will come when one must face the facts and Butler would argue that humans have an easier time dealing with something if it’s spread out over time. Knowledge is what will allow the humans to escape from their captors. Though the Oankali have considered humans to be an intelligent species, this group of humans is having a bit of trouble realizing this.
2 comments:
Oh, man. I'm really sorry this comment is so late. I completely forgot to revise your paper this week. Dr. Johns, feel free to deduct points from my next paper or something if need be. I feel really bad about this. I hope you'll at least give her an extra day or two to provide a good revision.
So, that being said, on to the paper.
A lot like what I said for your last paper, I really like the information you have here. You analyze the text very well, and have a very good point on the "groups" of humanity. However, I'd like to see this expanded on. Perhaps you can use Butler to show a certain instinct of human nature. For example, I brought up in class the ideas of Hobbes and Locke, who more or less focus on the simplest facets of human nature (i.e. What are humans really, when left with none of their everyday conveniences).
Your thesis is a really good start, by the way. I think it's a really great analysis of what Butler was trying to show, but like I said before, there needs to be a reason. As one of my English teachers told me before, authors don't write because they want to tell stories. They write to provide insight. It's a lot like the "ambition" discussion we had in class the other day. Simply saying that "Butler is showing that ignorance is dangerous", say something like "Butler is showing that ignorance is dangerous because she wants her readers to understand [this] about human nature...blah blah" It makes for a much more ambitious argument, and is something that is at the very least debatable.
Your last body paragraph is slightly untidy. There is so much good stuff here, but I felt like it just sort of scattered quotes, and essentially summarized the book. Rather than having that huge paragraph, you might want to split up the information in it, and use it to prove an actual point.
Introduction is very great, aside from the point I've already made.
Conclusion is relatively weak, but I think as soon as you start expanding your thesis, you'll find ways to strengthen it.
There’s an old and well known English proverb that says “where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise.” In Lilith’s Brood, one of Lilith’s many battles is against the ignorance of those she chooses to Awaken. They act upon two forms of ignorance: lack of knowledge, and the choice to disregard knowledge that they find disturbing or don’t want to believe. The Oankali have attributed humans with two traits, one being intelligence. Jdahya said that humans are “potentially one of the most intelligent species . . . [they’ve] found” (Butler 39) but he goes on to express the negative side of this characteristic by adding that “intelligence does enable you do deny facts you dislike” (Butler 39). Butler portrays ignorance as an instinctive cognitive tool to cope with unpleasant or unbelievable situations by depicting the use of ignorance in those Lilith decided to Awake. In their case, ignorance is not bliss, but rather dangerous. Humans have an inability to wholeheartedly trust something completely foreign and implausible to them. Disbelievers feel that their doubt will keep them safer but quite the contrary is true. The ability to trust and follow is a rare and difficult ability when put in new situations, but it is worth the challenge.
In one way, the humans have no choice but to be ignorant. They have been Awakened after centuries to find their environment completely changed and insufficient information as to what will become of them. The Oankali answer Lilith’s questions but they do not tell her everything and they are very careful about their timing when it comes to disclosing certain information. Lilith confesses to Tate, Gabriel and Leah that she is sure she’s been lied to “by omission, at least” (Butler 167). In this way the humans are kept ignorant, no fault of their own, however, some of them don’t exactly dig for knowledge either. When Tate is first Awakened, she avoids asking Lilith who her captors are because she thinks she will be happier not knowing. She is afraid that once she knows the answer she will have wished she didn’t so he tries to ignore the subject for as long as Lilith will allow her (Butler 131). It is in this way that humans use ignorance in hopes of delaying the knowledge information that has the potential to cause harm or force action. Lilith puts an end to her ignorance by telling her about the Oankali because she needs to be prepared. Ignoring the subject might work for Tate for a little while. In the long run her ignorance would hurt her when she saw the Oankali for the first time, completely unprepared and never warned. Ignorance might work as a short term fix, but eventually you must face the situation. Not knowing is more dangerous than knowing.
Lilith Awakened forty people and provided them with the information she knew about their circumstance. This group divided itself into two groups: individuals who choose to follow Lilith and individuals who followed Peter. The contrast between these two groups shows the struggle between accepting and ignoring the facts and the consequences that result from the latter. Everyone had a hard time believing the information Lilith was telling them but the Peter-followers not only chose not to believe the information, but to act in such a way as if the information were false. This is what became dangerous. Lilith knew that they would have trouble believing and for this reason she tried to tell them early enough that they had time to reject the idea and then gradually move passed it (Butler 143). Lilith’s followers were able to grasp this aspect. Joseph said, “I think our best bet now is to learn all we can. Get facts. Keep our eyes open. Then later we can make the best possible use of any opportunities we might have to escape (Butler 143). This is the ideal, rational, non-ignorant way to go about the situation. This is the ideology Lilith hoped the others would pick up on as well. However, Peter’s followers show how humans would rather fall back on ignorance. They choose to ignore what Lilith is telling them because they don’t like what they’re hearing and trusting the foreign information is more difficult to do. (Butler 171). When Derek refuses to believe that the ship can restock the food when the cabinets close, he climbs right in and his ignorance results in being put back to sleep (Butler 171). They aren’t content just sitting back and collecting the facts and their lack of trust doesn’t allow them to do so. Nor are they content waiting for opportunities like Lilith wants them to do. It frustrates them to not be taking action and their inability to follow results in a new leader that shares their inabilities as well. Instead of accepting the challenge to trust and follow a more knowledgeable leader, they choose to take the easy way out and follow an incompetent ignorant one, a dangerous move.
Ignorance is dangerous for those Awakened in cases like Derek’s but also for Lilith when she becomes the target of their frustrations. They don’t believe she’s human, they think she’s a man, they think she’s withholding information. These assumptions are easier for them to make than accepting the challenging information that Lilith is telling and displaying. By believing these things or acting as if they believe these things they can protect themselves by hiding from the truth. This choice to remain ignorant despite the knowledge Lilith is providing them is not at all helpful. It causes hostility and violence between the groups and puts Lilith in a dangerous position. Gabriel expressed a fear that Peter would “tell [his followers] the only way to get out of [t]here is to knock [her] around until [she] tell[s] all [her] secrets. He’ll say [she] know[s] the way out. And by the time it’s clear that [she] [doesn’t], [she]’ll be dead” (Butler 174). People think that ignorance will make them feel better but it’s not the case. The girl whose boyfriend cheated on her blamed the other girl instead of her boyfriend. Maybe she can feel better about her situation by attributing the blame to another party but at the end of the day her boyfriend still cheated on her and ignoring the truth can only work for so long. Blaming Lilith for the situation will not help the people when the Oankali come. In fact, when the Oankali come, the ignorant Peter followers are the ones that run away or attack and the Oankali make them unconscious. Followers of Lilith, those that accepted the knowledge Lilith shared, where the calmest during their first encounter with the Oankali, proving that ignorance came back to hurt Peter’s following, and Lilith’s followers benefited from their trust.
Ignoring information because it’s not to one’s liking is never constructive in the long-run. Eventually, the time will come when one must face the facts. Trusting the unbelievable sounds impossible but it is this inability that has caused humans to turn against one another. Knowledge is what will allow the humans to escape from their captors and trust is what will keep them from killing one another. Though the Oankali have considered humans to be an intelligent species, this group of humans is having a bit of trouble realizing this.
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