Reality and Technology: A Cyberpunk Fictional Story - Essay Example

Cyberpunk: Reality and Technology A Cyberpunk Fictional Story Elaine shielded her eyes from the bright light that seem to burn her eyes from somewhere she could not fathom. Her backache and her head were killing her. It was as if someone was squeezing her mind with a steel clamp. She tried to focus, but she could not; the light was everywhere. She moved her hand, and it was no longer the natural lean hand she knew. There was something heavy about it. She did not know what but she knew it though she did not know what. She heard a voice. It was far away and familiar yet she did not recognize it. She tried to remember it, but her memories were of some happy place. With a woman, she identified as Ann though she did not know where she had met her. She felt she had known her the whole of her life. Suddenly the lights went off, and there was pitch darkness that seemed more calming from the light she had experienced. She could see blurred figures that were lighted in red shifting figures. They seemed to surround her and poke their hands at her. She focused on one of the figures that appeared to be the one in charge. She could not make out the real image. It kept getting blurred and distorting just when it was meant to be completed into a fully comprehensible image. It was like there was water between her eyes and the image that kept shifting. She rubbed her eyes but instead saw the movement of her hand changed over the watery view. It was as if she was in another body, one over which she did not have any control. She rose from her sitting position without using her hands. She was now getting confused. The new object in front of him fascinated Dr. Martins. It was an amazing concept that he had been working on to help reduce crime especially those related to system manipulation. Somehow, he felt that the latest design was going to be a success in the right direction. He had been working on for the longest time possible. He was explaining to the sponsors and investors on how it was going to work and was using a remote control to manipulate it. He thought he had detected some malfunction as he switched it on but chose to ignore it for later. He explained, asking the sponsors and investors to poke at its exoskeleton that he had been instrumental in designing. He checked again at the screen on his hand and detected that the screen hand gone blank. He tried the power-on button with no success. He had to do something. The sponsors were looking intently at him to continue the explanation. She moved away from the hardboard she had been made to lie on and walked towards what she thought was a door. The blurred images were running away from her. She started running and realized she was moving too fast for her real body. Something hit her, and she turned to see something moving towards her. It looked like a small pebble, and when it hit her, she ricocheted from its impact. She did not feel pain. She instinctively moved her hand towards the figure, and something came out of her hand and threw away the figure. She laughed at herself. It was as if she was in a dream. Those dreams of super powers her sister had always told her. Yeah, she could now remember her sister. That memory of a woman was her sister. She touched herself again and felt not her body but that of a metal-like covering. Suddenly the headache returned, her hands started to move involuntary, and she began to walk without her effort. The pain returned, and she could feel herself fading away. The bright light returned, and she could not make out her surroundings. Someone had switched on the light again, and she was going to find that person and make him or her pay for it. She felt herself walking, not knowing where. It was as if she was a puppet being manipulated by someone else. She was fading away fast. The image of her sister appeared again. She was smiling at her, holding her hand assuring her that all would be okay. Images continued to recur, but they seem to be moving in a backward motion as though she was recounting her life experience in a rewind action. Something was wrong. She tried hard not to lose her mothers memories, but it was beyond her power. The images made her sad and happy. They were memories that defined her and ones that she was proud of. Her mother and sister had always been proud of her. Suddenly the aching pain returned with so much intensity, this time she knew she was losing herself. The pain was a premonition of her departure; she was not going to return, not now not ever. She blanked out and faded away. Rhetoric Essay McCaffery, Larry. Storming the Reality Studio. Durham: Duke University Press, 1991. The obnoxious nature of cyberpunk is depicted in how it portrays its themes between reality and science fiction. There is an averted notion that both a cyberpunk writer and his audience assumes; one that is of platonic fiction that enlarges the imagination spectra. It has created an opportunity on which critics can imbue the characteristics on which it has been constructed. However, it is important to use it to create an avenue that presents it as an opportunity to the visionary objective used by cyberpunk artists. Elaine is an experimental being that has not been completely transformed and balances between the edges of reality and science invention. The reality of the existence of such a being is incomprehensible in modern reality. It challenges the current technological advancement that constructs the difference that exists between humanity and science. “Techniques are radically redefining the nature of humanity...” (McCaffery 346), tends to expand the role of humanity beyond the limits. The science used “responds to humanity traits” that define the capability of what an imagined entity can accomplish. Elaine realizes that she moves faster than she has ever known. Her normalcy is beyond her “perceived” ability, one that she cannot respond to as real. The ability for the narrative to evolve and be complicated in a way that ramifies the narrator’s construct of science fiction and human errors, intensifies the fable soul. We, the audience, are given a peak to the disembodied image that fights between realism and science fiction. There is an intentional borrowing of what is held as true to represent the construction of science fiction. “...total autonomy from reality and the story” is what is needed for cyberpunk to array the required characteristics and fulfill its intended purpose. The audience is left to digest from the soul of the narrative in a way that cyberpunk is into the science fiction. Dr. Martins allows the audience to know whom Elaine is without giving up the real “construction” of her and her capabilities. We are left wondering to what extent Dr. Martin has engaged in his experiment. The story moves the audience to ask if he has considered the possibility of humanity. He is more concerned on her abilities rather than her mere existence. Cyberpunk “...captures…something crucial to the decade…a new kind of generation” (McCaffery 345) and one that is new to the minds of those who are exposed to it. It overlaps and integrates between two backgrounds to create a modern pop experience. It has helped in creating a cultural energy that is identifiable and attractive to the generation of that time. It incarnates literal phenomenon that seems outrageous and constructed in an artificial mode. It allows the video reincarnation of heroes who make a virtual world that is popular and appeals to the entertainment and imagination of the generation. Elaine is a superhuman who can challenge the ability of modern methods of protection. We are given a preview to her ability to withstand gun power without feeling its pain. She is given an ability to see more and experience movement in a slow motion, an aspect that is only possible in a virtual world. The audience can resonate with this ability as it has embraced the age of heroes such as Ironman, Hulk, and Captain America among others. In William Gibson words “the street finds its own uses for things” an element that cyberpunks find interesting as it centers on inter-zones. The transition from one evolutional body that is entirely different from another is a characteristic that is essential to the creation of cyberpunk virtual world. They utilize old ideas that have no relation and use them to bond them into a virtual element that is realistic and broader yet very complex. They usually intend to create a global view that has a variety of elements that interrelate to create a creation that is cohesive and subtle in meaning. Elaine is lost in her mind. She does not know what she is or where she is. She is surprised at her ability to move fast and have power to protect herself. Her surprise portrays her reality with herself. She keeps wondering whom she is and what she represents in this distorted image of her life. The author shifts from reality to science fiction in a way that allows the reader to appreciate the authenticity of the creativeness used. Her structure is modeled from a prosthetic material, an element that is essential for her survival as a being of extraordinary capability. To cyberpunks, science has ceased being an ancient idea. Rather, it has become a visceral element that is intimate to those who use it or intend to portray it as fascinating. Technology is part of humanity, and it responds more to human instincts that before when it was a construction phenomenon. It adheres to a person’s feelings and emotions to make it work in a more synchronized way. Cyberpunks invade a human body to create and link humanity with science. It is intended to make the genre exciting and full of imagination. The use of “prosthetic limbs, implanted circuitry, cosmetic surgery, genetic alteration” (McCaffery 346) are common in the cyberpunk world. Elaine can control her ability using her brain without knowing what she is doing. She has no previous experience but can utilize what Doctor Martin has installed in her. The author interlinks her mind with her cognitive ability of the hands and legs. That challenges the notion that it is possible to cross that border in science fiction where humanity and technology work in tandem. It lets the audience explore the notion of a possible interaction between the two intelligence and wonder whether it is possible. Cyberpunks utilize science in a way that enables both the viewer and the author to have an active, imaginative imagery bordering on reality and science fiction. It asks the audience to imagine how far technology can go if given a free reign. An idea that helps the audience to expand their imagination gives the author the freedom to construct anything, even those beyond imagination. The author augers what is known to what is practically impossible to make a scene that is relevant to their story. Using such, heroes are created, villains are modeled, and powers are expanded to their ultimate levels. The fictional story of Elaine utilizes these attributes to make a reasonable argument that both intricate and complicated as required of a cyberpunk narration. Cyberpunk is truly a generational creation of science fiction and humanity in broader and global view. 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