Q3
Human dilemmas in fiction & real life
Extreme situations
Examples emotional extreme situations:
Definition: 1.can make one blind and irrational; almost
-Special / unconventional situation
always has negative outcomes when it is taken
-Psychological and/or Physically challenging
on another person
-Conflict between different emotions
2.being very happy about sth, combined with an
-Very individual
adrenaline rush over a period of time
-Violent or non-violent
Examples out of literature: General examples:
1.To kill a Mockingbird - Nature disasters
- Being between law and conviction - Tsunamis
(Überzeugung) Trial of Tom Robinson - Earthquakes
- Scout = between wanting to be a “Scout” & the - Diseases
ideal Aunt Alexandra & the society wants her - Risk actions (Skydiving, Flying to the moon)
(Scout) to be - War
- Death
2.My Son The Fanatic - Racism
- Pavrez = between his own belief & values of
being western orientated, the love to his son &
the will to understand him and the lack of
understanding Alis new believes being contrasting to his own
3.Othello
- Othello = between love & jealousy
- Desdemona & Othello = between manipulation & betrayal
4. Mother to mother
- Mandisa = between love for her son & the shock of his act
- Mandisa = Between an understanding of the situation of her son that led him to the act and the
pity & guilt for the mother of the killed Amy Biehl
Examples of today’s society:
1.Clash of cultures (racism)
-Being between the solidary to own society & the conviction to be open and polite
-Between hate for the few criminals also coming as immigrants & the knowledge that
most of the immigrants are good-hearted
2. Arranged marriages
-Married girl/boy = between wish to please the will of her parents and the wish to be able
to choose freely out of love
-Parents = between pity for the married ones & the need to fit the traditions and to make
sure to have enough money to live (getting from the marriage)
3. Death
- between thankfulness for the death one being without pain & the mourning (Trauer) for the lost
person
4. Fight for survival
-Poorness, War, accidents, diseases
Being different
- means standing out of other people, being dissimilar => we are all different
Being Physically different Being psychological different
— different skin colour (Othello) — different sexual orientation
— specific outward appearance (being thicker, — feeling as a different gender
always wearing black, goth…) — different culture/ traditions/ religion <-> racist
—different eyes (Asian people) — thinking different (own opinion)
, Examples: Possible solutions:
Atticus Finch -> has his own idea of how to raise his children - being appreciated because of being different &
-> gets really appreciated for it having different skills
Othello -> has a different skin color => gets appreciated for - not being accepted - feeling lonely - getting hate
his actions but seen with suspicion caused by his skin color
Modelling the future
Influencing aspects of „Modelling the future“:
education, sustainability (environment), new technologies (renewable energies), economic aspects (hunger -
obesity), overpopulation, politic conflicts
Science & technology
Science: tries to describe & explain phenomena of the natural world to make predictions for the
development of the future
Technology: tries to improve life by inventions of efficiently/ productive character
- a Utopia is a vision of the future, in which everything is ideal & every individual can live a free & fulfilled
life
- a Dystopia is a vision of the future, in which there is an overall great suffering & in which the individual
usually can’t lead a free & fulfilled life, mostly because they live in is either totalitarian or post-apocalyptic
UTOPTIA DYSTOPIA
- freedom of the individual - government as a facility that tries to control
- ideal society (no poverty & no hunger, classless people’s actions, thoughts & minds (ex.
society) dictatorship)
- possibility of an individual pursuit of happiness - divided society (into classes etc.)
- equality - no freedom of choice, speech or freedom to
- balanced ecosystem choose own path of life
- no equality at al
- ecosystem is imbalanced
Biotechnology
Definition: Use of science & technology for living objects
Examples: Stemm cell studies, Health care studies/ products, Genetic modified food, cloning
History:
1980s: working with humane genes started Applications of genetical modification today:
1986: open-air experiments involving plants - biological/ medical research
1996: commercial cultivation of genetically - production of pharmaceutical drugs
modified plants - experimental medicine
cloning was successful: DOLLY (SHEEP) - Agriculture: genetically modified crops (made
2003: sequencing of the human genome resistant towards pests/ insects)
2009: first transgenic primates
- genetically modified microbes (such as bacteria) are used to build/ produce important human enzymes/
substances such as insulin or growth hormones, they also produce substances which build resistances
against crop pests in plants
- genetically modified animals are used for human research of medicine or other products, the testing/
research of genes whose function is yet to be revealed to mankind or for the production of human
substances (like bacteria does)
- genetically modified plants have been built to resist insects or pests, they are also often times induced
with growth hormones or substances which increase their nutritional value -> bring huge profit to big
concerns (especially in the USA)
- Designer babies => babies whose chromosomes have been manipulated to show the absence/
presence of certain characteristics (usually refers to disease prevention = if one parents has a severe
disability, but it is feared that people in the future will misuse it to totally engineer their yet unborn child)
Human dilemmas in fiction & real life
Extreme situations
Examples emotional extreme situations:
Definition: 1.can make one blind and irrational; almost
-Special / unconventional situation
always has negative outcomes when it is taken
-Psychological and/or Physically challenging
on another person
-Conflict between different emotions
2.being very happy about sth, combined with an
-Very individual
adrenaline rush over a period of time
-Violent or non-violent
Examples out of literature: General examples:
1.To kill a Mockingbird - Nature disasters
- Being between law and conviction - Tsunamis
(Überzeugung) Trial of Tom Robinson - Earthquakes
- Scout = between wanting to be a “Scout” & the - Diseases
ideal Aunt Alexandra & the society wants her - Risk actions (Skydiving, Flying to the moon)
(Scout) to be - War
- Death
2.My Son The Fanatic - Racism
- Pavrez = between his own belief & values of
being western orientated, the love to his son &
the will to understand him and the lack of
understanding Alis new believes being contrasting to his own
3.Othello
- Othello = between love & jealousy
- Desdemona & Othello = between manipulation & betrayal
4. Mother to mother
- Mandisa = between love for her son & the shock of his act
- Mandisa = Between an understanding of the situation of her son that led him to the act and the
pity & guilt for the mother of the killed Amy Biehl
Examples of today’s society:
1.Clash of cultures (racism)
-Being between the solidary to own society & the conviction to be open and polite
-Between hate for the few criminals also coming as immigrants & the knowledge that
most of the immigrants are good-hearted
2. Arranged marriages
-Married girl/boy = between wish to please the will of her parents and the wish to be able
to choose freely out of love
-Parents = between pity for the married ones & the need to fit the traditions and to make
sure to have enough money to live (getting from the marriage)
3. Death
- between thankfulness for the death one being without pain & the mourning (Trauer) for the lost
person
4. Fight for survival
-Poorness, War, accidents, diseases
Being different
- means standing out of other people, being dissimilar => we are all different
Being Physically different Being psychological different
— different skin colour (Othello) — different sexual orientation
— specific outward appearance (being thicker, — feeling as a different gender
always wearing black, goth…) — different culture/ traditions/ religion <-> racist
—different eyes (Asian people) — thinking different (own opinion)
, Examples: Possible solutions:
Atticus Finch -> has his own idea of how to raise his children - being appreciated because of being different &
-> gets really appreciated for it having different skills
Othello -> has a different skin color => gets appreciated for - not being accepted - feeling lonely - getting hate
his actions but seen with suspicion caused by his skin color
Modelling the future
Influencing aspects of „Modelling the future“:
education, sustainability (environment), new technologies (renewable energies), economic aspects (hunger -
obesity), overpopulation, politic conflicts
Science & technology
Science: tries to describe & explain phenomena of the natural world to make predictions for the
development of the future
Technology: tries to improve life by inventions of efficiently/ productive character
- a Utopia is a vision of the future, in which everything is ideal & every individual can live a free & fulfilled
life
- a Dystopia is a vision of the future, in which there is an overall great suffering & in which the individual
usually can’t lead a free & fulfilled life, mostly because they live in is either totalitarian or post-apocalyptic
UTOPTIA DYSTOPIA
- freedom of the individual - government as a facility that tries to control
- ideal society (no poverty & no hunger, classless people’s actions, thoughts & minds (ex.
society) dictatorship)
- possibility of an individual pursuit of happiness - divided society (into classes etc.)
- equality - no freedom of choice, speech or freedom to
- balanced ecosystem choose own path of life
- no equality at al
- ecosystem is imbalanced
Biotechnology
Definition: Use of science & technology for living objects
Examples: Stemm cell studies, Health care studies/ products, Genetic modified food, cloning
History:
1980s: working with humane genes started Applications of genetical modification today:
1986: open-air experiments involving plants - biological/ medical research
1996: commercial cultivation of genetically - production of pharmaceutical drugs
modified plants - experimental medicine
cloning was successful: DOLLY (SHEEP) - Agriculture: genetically modified crops (made
2003: sequencing of the human genome resistant towards pests/ insects)
2009: first transgenic primates
- genetically modified microbes (such as bacteria) are used to build/ produce important human enzymes/
substances such as insulin or growth hormones, they also produce substances which build resistances
against crop pests in plants
- genetically modified animals are used for human research of medicine or other products, the testing/
research of genes whose function is yet to be revealed to mankind or for the production of human
substances (like bacteria does)
- genetically modified plants have been built to resist insects or pests, they are also often times induced
with growth hormones or substances which increase their nutritional value -> bring huge profit to big
concerns (especially in the USA)
- Designer babies => babies whose chromosomes have been manipulated to show the absence/
presence of certain characteristics (usually refers to disease prevention = if one parents has a severe
disability, but it is feared that people in the future will misuse it to totally engineer their yet unborn child)
