What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
** What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us?**
What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
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» What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
Re: What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
I think the reason there are so many Offences and Deviations is because of chemicals left behind on the earth from the old people. As Adrianna said, I think that the authors preception of the future is way more technologically advanced. I think the old people were using way more chemicals ever imagined that they destroyed most of the world. In the book it said that "the whole seaboard is empty - black and harsh and empty. The land behind looks like a huge desert of charcoal." (p.60) I think this could have been cause by a huge nuclear explosion or a huge spill from a nuclear power plant. Everything was dead most likely due to these chemicals. This is the only reason I could imagine that everything could be destroyed so easily. All of these chemicals left in the soil and in the air could cause a high rate of birth defects. I think the reason why the author doesn't specifically tell us the reason why, is because he wants us to have a sense of uncertainty just like the perception of the old people from the people in Wanuk.
Re: What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
In the Chrysalids, it seems that the old people were more technologically advanced. David had a dream of a city "clustered on the curve of a big blue bay" (p. 5) This city had tons of buildings and had "lights like strings of glow worms on the shore." (p. 5) What i think, is that the old people might have had something like a toxic nuclear spill. This would have mutated many people, animals and plants in ways like the book descibes for etc. having six toes or two heads. After this, everyone possibly went back to the basics of having no cities or cars. A nuclear disaster is probably why the Fringes are so barren, because nothing is able to grow. The mutants may have had to be separtated from the normal, so that could be the reason why the Repentances was written. The people of Waknuk are probably terrified of the aftermath that their ancestors have created, so they base their lives on being xenophobic. I don't think the authour tells us because it makes the book more interesting to infer and reflect the reasons why David's society is so discrimatory against mutants. It may also may be because the story later unfolds and then shares the reasons why.
Re: What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
The "offences and deviations" are just part of nature. It happens to all species, all types, and all classes of creatures through the growing/developing stages of a plant/animals life. I dont think there was a nuclear blast/toxic material spread across the world/continent. I think there was some sort of war, or meteor that may have destroyed cities all over, and only a few, possibly young people may survived, and made their own society based on their beliefs, and books left behind (The Bible). There always has been, and always will be these "offences and deviations" and people just have to live with them. I think the author didn't tell us so it left open many possibilities, making us imagine on our own what had happened.
Re: What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
The "offences" and "blasphemies" that are mentioned in The Crysalids are normal, but sometimes rare, disabilities that occur in the human species. Like "spider man" from the fringes, he had extra long legs and arms. This is known as giagantism. Other such "mutations" are small abnormalities that cannot be avoided. Now the other "offences" and "blasphemies" that the people from the fringes possess are a little more oscure like being covered in hair. This, along with other mutations we might find out more about later in the book, could have been the result of some chemical storm or naturla disaster that was caused by an excess of global warming. this storm could of left behind or expossed radioactive material that caused "mutations" in the bodies of animals, plants, and humans exposed to it. I think the author doesn't tell us what caused them because its just another loose end that is left to keep you wondering and let your imagination fill in the blanks.
Re: What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
The words "offences" and deviations", used in The Chrysalids, are anything against the true image of God: "man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs" (p10). Because Not only Sophie has a physical difference, but also people from the fringes have the difference, such as "spider-man", who has extra long legs and arms, I think the cause was taken place widely. Therefore, I think the cause is some sort of nuclear war. I learned, in my science class, that there are more possibilities of bearing physically disabled baby if you live close to nuclear power plant because radioactive from the nuclear power destroy human's genes.
Another cause could be ozone layer depletion due to too much use of propane. Ozone layer protect us from UV light, which damages human's DNA indirectly.
In my opinion, author doesn't tell us the cause of all the Offences and Deiviations to make it interesting by making the reader imagine what the cause could be.
Re: What do you think is the cause of all the Offences and Deviations? Why doesn't the author tell us ?
These 'offences' and 'deviations' are just natural occurences on our planet. The comunity that David lives in reads far too much into the 'true image of god'. "And God created man in His own image. And G decreed that man should have one body, one head, two arms and two legs: that each arm should be jointed in two places and end in one hand: that each hand should have four fingers and one thumb: that each finger should bear a flat finger-nail…"(p10) David's comunity take this way too seriously. This is the basics of the human body but that dose not need that it is not equally natural for a person to be born with an extra toe or an equally minnor deformaty. The auther is not very clear about the causes for the muations leading me to believe that they are natural mutations and people are finding so many because they are looking for them.
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