The He She and It - Book Report/Review Example

Anthropology Plot The book of He She and IT is talking of the future. The book is talking about the time when the political power and the economy is controlled by a few huge multi-national enterprises and have created an affluent society. On the other hand, there is the main population which is living in an environment that has been destroyed. In the destroyed environment, gangs, poverty and the law of “only the strong survives” are very common. Outside the multis is also the so-called free town that is independent and is in a position to sell their technology to the multis. The book is about Shira (the main character) who losses the custody of Ari (her sons) to Josh (her ex-husband). She then lives to her home Tikva (her home town) from her Yakamura-Stichen (Y-S). On arrival in Tikva, she gets the work of socialization of Yod (cyborg) who has been illegally created by Avram to act as the city protector. The programming of Yod has successfully been completed by Malkah (Shira’s grandmother). As she continues to work on the socialization of Yod, she started feeling affection for Gadi. However, Gadi (Shira childhood lover) moves to Tikva and that leaves some emotional wants unresolved. Gadi moving to Tikva is because he has been banished for being a pedophile. Malkah is attacked by Y-S as she operates on the security software (chimaera). The Chimaera is to protect the city from online attack. Shira is again invited to a new hearing on her sons’ custody. On her way to the hearing, Shira is accompanied by Riva (her mother), Yod and Nili (a woman who is biotechnologically enhanced from a nuclear-devastated Palestine). However, Riva and Y-S delegation are lost in the fight. In the process, Malkah, Shira and Yod decide to penetrate the network base of the Y-S in which they obtained the document revealing a plot against Tikva and Shira. Shira then travels to Nebraska to kidnap Ari and in the process Yod kills Josh. They then went back to Tikva where they are invited in the net by Y-S for further meeting. In the meeting, Y-S needed to obtain its technology and that meant Yod was to be handed over to Y-S. Avram accepts the deal with the intention of creating another cyborg; but Yod destroys itself and in the process killing Avram. The death of Avram makes it impossible for another cyborg to be created as all the notes were also destroyed (Haney et al, p.149). In the early days, women had to play the role of cooking, cleaning and taking care of the family. While on the other hand, men had to provide shelter, clothing, food, protect the family from any danger and pay the bills that needed to be paid. Men were also to protect the whole community from the external danger. This was mainly during the war as they were the only once in the forces. In the world today, women have made a great improvement in the way they are being perceived in the society. They have taken political position just like men have done. They are in the same profession like men, and they have proven that they can do what men can do and even do it better. Men should come to understand that women play a very important role in the society development. The best people seen in the society today are as a result of a woman. This is because the first teaching a child gets is from the mother and that is what determines the kind of person he or she will be in the future. Even though women have a lot of responsibilities in the society like building a family, women also face numerous challenges from men. Some of them are made pregnant and man denying the responsibility. This leaves the woman with only two choices of either to give birth or to abort the child. Some women are being divorced and their children taken from them while others are being abused by their husbands (Lee, p.6). The problem of women being divorced and their children taken from them is also portrayed in this book. This is seen when Shira loses the custody of his son Ari to her ex-husband Josh. The role of women of taking care of the family and the love for the child is also seen as Shira moves back to Nebraska to kidnap Aril and goes to an extent of killing the ex-husband. The death of the ex-husband shows how strong mothers love is for their children. This is an indication that a woman can kill to protect the family. This role was previously considered to be men’s role. Previously men were the one who were to protect the family from any external danger. Women role in the society was known to be taking care of the children while men do the work of providing. This is different as this book shows that roles of men and women are equal and both are viewed as equal partners. This is evidenced as Shira’s grandmother is involved in designing the cyborg program, a work that was left only for the men in the past. Through her help, the society first achieved a successful cyborg. Avram could not have done this by himself and this is an indication that men and women have equal responsibility. Gender role is also evidenced in the making of Yod. Yod is a cyborg that will protect the community from the external attack. In the past the role of protecting the community was only left for men as women were left behind to take care of the children. In this book, we see women taking various roles in creating a defense that will protect the community from any external attack. Shira helps in socialization of the cyborg while her grandmother helps in the programming of the cyborg. On the other hand, her mother is part of the rebels training. All these activities that women are play are contributing to the protection of the community. The security role was believed to be perfectly undertaken by men only but not women (Thomas et al, p.88). Women role was to take care of the children. However, it is evidenced in this book that River who is Shira’s mother left her when she was still young. She neglected her role as a mother to dedicate her time to men’s duty. She joins the rebel to fight for the freedom of the community and for individual. On the other hand, men have neglected their role of protecting the family and endangering the life of a girl child. This is evidence when Gadi who is to help in protection the children as the culture dictates is involved in having affair with the young girl (Couchenour et al, p.119). The shift in the know traditional role played by women is also seen in the Josh. Taking care of the children is a role knows to be perfectly played by the women and that is what the tradition dictates. The irony is that, the same society is now comfortable to give the child’s custody to the father as compared to the mother. This is an indication that equality is seen in both men and women and nobody is above the other. Although divorce is a nowadays very common, child custody is majorly given to the mother as compared to the father. Conclusion In the past women roles in the society were majorly taking care of the family. A Part from those, women were facing numerous challenges like battering from men. This forced them to start fighting for their rights and create awareness on women equality. Women have made a great achievement from the past; and today they are fighting for the same position as men. This is seen as they have occupied political position in the government and the number of girl child education has increased (Spradlin et al, p.172). However, even though women have accomplished most, they still face the challenges of discrimination in the working environment. Some are still being mistreated in their houses and the girl child education is still facing a lot of challenges. Most of the girls are dropping out of school because of pregnancy, some as a result of early marriages. This is an indication that women still have more to accomplish to attain the same position as men in the society. The book tries to take us in the future where women have now accomplished equality and can play equal role as men. This is evidenced as Shira grandmother is involved in the programming of the Cyborg- a profession that was believed only to be done by men. Women are also concerned with the security of the society. In the past and today this role is known to be a man’s role. Even though today’s women are also involved in the field of security and they are also recruited in the forces. They are still few in the forces and men have dominated the entire security sector. In the future the book gives as a totally different world. A world where women equality contributes to the security of the community and equality has been attained. A part from a woman programming the Cyborg that will help in protecting the society from the external attack, River is also involved in the underground rebellion to fight for their individual freedom and the freedom of the society. On the other hand, Shira is also involved in the socialization of the Cyborg. Women are also believed to take their family role seriously. This is majorly taking good care of the children. Even though today they are facing various challenges as going to work and taking care of the children, women are still dedicated to taking good care of the children by not involving themselves with duties that will draw them away from her family. However, the book gives us an example of a future woman. For instance, River neglects her child to dedicate herself to the rebellion duties just as other men are dedicated. Work cited Couchenour, Donna L, and Kent Chrisman. Families, Schools, and Communities: Together for Young Children. , 2014. Print. Haney, William S. Cyberculture, Cyborgs and Science Fiction: Consciousness and the Posthuman. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 2006. Print. Lee, Janice W. Gender Roles. New York: Nova Biomedical Books, 2005. Print. Spradlin, Lynn K, and Richard D. Parsons. Diversity Matters: Understanding Diversity in Schools. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2008. Print. Thomas, Tracy A, and Tracey J. Boisseau. Feminist Legal History: Essays on Women and Law. New York: New York University Press, 2011. Print. Read More