What Is The Difference Between Oryx And Crake

Technology, it’s one of the many driving forces of society. Throughout history, it has yielded numerous benefits: consolidating and increasing food supply, creating and providing material goods, and prolonging life. But, it doesn’t happen all at once. These advancements take time, happening in waves or booms, an emergence of a radical, life-altering idea, discovery that spreads (Kranzberg p547). However, these booms would generally take a long time to spread. Natural barriers like wide rivers, oceans, mountains, even deserts would retard technology’s spread. This was until technology was advanced enough that it allowed for globalization. Globalization enabled cultural diffusion, the spread of social activities. Because it became easier to communicate
across distances, that meant it was easier to share technologies that would benefit others across the world. The easier it was to share, the faster technology could spread, the faster it could develop. This, however, didn’t mean that everyone had the same technology. This also did not mean that everyone appreciated the technology the same. Those who had access to the resources were those who had access to the technology (Kranzberg p548). Over time as technical developments started to take place and production began, there we those who realized that by having a favorable product, they create demand, establishing a form of power. Areas such as these realized the benefit of money and making profit, and continued to do so. This started to transform certain societies in to profit driven ones, capitalistic ones (Wage Slave X p6,8).
Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake portrays a post-apocalyptic world, described through the eyes of a survivor, Snowman.
This world is the result of genetic modification and climate change. Snowman the survivor tells of his past describing a world that placed a high precedent on technology and scientific developments. The world is separated by type of job, where science based jobs are, naturally, regarded as better. The living conditions are also separated into two: the Compounds and the Pleeblands. The Compounds are areas where the higher class of people live, the elite while the Pleeblands are where everyone else lives. These Compounds are self-sustaining; they contain schools and shopping centres, removing the need to leave. And those who live in the Compounds try not to associate with those in the
Pleeblands.
Blade Runner directed by Ridley Scott is a film set in a futuristic 21st century world.
In this world the Tyrell Corporation created artificial creatures, androids, that are essentially identical to humans. These androids are called ‘Replicants’. Replicants were created to do jobs that were considered hazardous or unsavory. And because of their purpose, they rose up against corporation and were banned from earth and limited to ‘Off-world Colonies’. These ‘Off-world Colonies’ are also advertised to the public with promises of financial and personal incentives, where only those who fit the health qualifications can travel. The colonies run a stark difference from the earth, though; they are clean with a fresh environment and decent climate, while earth is portrayed as industrialized, bleak, and overpopulated with the residing population on earth only shown as Eastern Asian. But above all, the Tyrell Company resides both physically and figuratively in a pyramid that looks down on the city that seemingly controls
everything.
In both of these works, there is a reoccurring association of technology with wealth, or power. And they suggest that the wealthy tend to have the technology or they control the technology and power, then. It is also important to note how both works display their worlds with a strict dichotomy of class, how the rich are secluded, literally separating themselves from the lower classes. With this association and separation, they assert that the wealthy are the only ones who have anything to do with technology. And if they are the ones dealing with it, then they are the only ones who could benefit from it. Since these works deal with current and emerging issues like classism and technology, it poses the question of who actually benefits from technology. But, it is not just wealth that factors into who benefits, it is also a matter of nature because wealthy have the ability to share or withhold what they have. But, in a profit driven system, where there is a wide gap between the rich and the poor, it is the rich who benefit from technological advancements; further expanding the gap while amassing power.