3. Applied Literature
Melika Ramzi
Abstract
Differently formed bodies are treated as negatively marginalized in ableist, normative societies that intend to homogenize them. This study explores the intersection of postcolonial theory and disability studies through an analysis of Octavia E. Butler’s (1991) short story entitled “The Evening ...
Read More
Differently formed bodies are treated as negatively marginalized in ableist, normative societies that intend to homogenize them. This study explores the intersection of postcolonial theory and disability studies through an analysis of Octavia E. Butler’s (1991) short story entitled “The Evening and the Morning and the Night” (2001). The main objective of this study is to address the problem of societal marginalization and control mechanisms applied to disabled individuals, analogous to colonial oppression. The research methodically develops the argument by first outlining the societal unease and stigmatization of disabled bodies, comparing it to racism and colonialism. It then examines Lynn’s journey and her experiences at Dilg, highlighting how the facility’s operation mirrors colonial control systems. The findings suggest that Butler’s narrative deconstructs the binary opposition between healthy (non-DGD) and unhealthy (DGD), presenting a hybrid identity that challenges dominant societal norms. Major conclusions show that the story critiques the social structures that label and control differently formed bodies, emphasizing the fluidity of disability and the complex interactions between power, identity, and autonomy. Finally, the results contribute to the broader discourse by demonstrating how science fiction can be a powerful medium for social commentary, indicating the dynamic nature of disability that resists a static, limiting definition.
3. Applied Literature
Mohammad Ghaffary; Melika Ramzi
Abstract
The issue of “freedom” has been one of the core concepts in the history of literature and philosophy since classical times. This concept considerably contributes to the ongoing discussions of Iris Murdoch’s The Unicorn (first published in 1963). Unlike most of the previous studies of ...
Read More
The issue of “freedom” has been one of the core concepts in the history of literature and philosophy since classical times. This concept considerably contributes to the ongoing discussions of Iris Murdoch’s The Unicorn (first published in 1963). Unlike most of the previous studies of the novel, whose central focus is on the transcendent, moral, or biographical readings of the text, the present study draws on Gilles Deleuze’s Poststructuralist philosophy to address the immanent aspect of freedom, as the main thematic concept in the novel, as well as such related notions as power, love, desire, and becoming to determine the degrees of freedom achieved by the major characters, Hannah Crean-Smith and Effingham Cooper. The main objective of the study, therefore, is to see whether or not the two main characters can ultimately find proper lines of flight. The findings suggest that although Hannah is encoded and territorialized in the Gaze castle, she ultimately turns into a body without organs (BwO). However, Effingham fails to become an active body in his interaction with Hannah. While Hannah undergoes an absolute positive deterritorialization through her death, Effingham obtains only a relative negative deterritorialization because returning to the “real” life constantly threatens a body’s force and renders an absolute form of freedom impossible.
