Journal 10

The worlds created by author Samuel R. Delaney in the novel, Stars in my Pocket Like Grains of Sand, are very odd compared to the world we know today. In the world of planets Rhyonon and Velm, gender is constructed differently than how we know it. “She” is the standard pronoun for anything while “woman” is used to refer to any person. “He” is a pronoun used to describe someone you desire. “Man” is simply a poetic word. Delaney explains a process of cultural fugue which takes place in the novel. He defines cultural fugue as a process when a whole plant destroys itself by means of apocalyptic conflagration. In this case, Rhyonon was the planet which destroyed itself. Delaney goes on to describe two main paths of civilization. The first is called the family. The family is centered on the belief of humanity’s origin on a planet called Earth. The family is constructed on structured choice and predetermined objects. The family is singular and stays consistent. The other path of civilization is known as the Sygn. The Sygn believe in free choice and elusive objects. The Sygn lack definite understanding and are diverse. Furthermore, it becomes clear that Delaney is focusing on two poles in the novel. The first being cultural fugue where there is always total panic. The second being Radical Anxiety Termination where panic is impossible because anxiety is removed from every individual. Delaney sees the blocking of information as the ultimate sin.