Forests

Forests The Shadow of Civilization by Robert P. Harrison gives a detailed opinion of the importance of forests in the depiction of the development of our civilization, whether it be historical or fictional. Harrison uses many examples to prove his point using references from epic literary pieces and legends as well know historical events. Many of these references have parallels with the novel We.


The main theme deals with the concept that the‘forests came first. As illustrated in poetry, it is shown that Rome and in fact all cities started as a forest and needed to be cleared to create a community. This clearing allowed for the science of enlightenment to form. The analogy goes on further to compare ‘forest and city,’ where forest represents the uncivilized and undeveloped world, and city represents the modern developed world. Both entities are separated by a wall figuratively or otherwise. This was evident in We when the city boundary had a green glass wall that shut out the jungles of the forest. Development can only take place if we abandon our archaic ideals and primitive way of life, “Rome can become Rome only by overcoming, or effacing, the forests of its origins.” And yet the forests or nature eventually overcomes its defeat and encroaches upon the city. The author I feel means to explain that as we develop we inadvertently manage to destroy ourselves. This destruction could be in wars as in the case of Ancient Rome, or today in global warming where we are depleting the Earths natural resources. We are playing with the natural order and inviting the wrath of Mother Nature, who shows her fury with destroying the newly created world. Today environmental concerns such as the destruction of the Amazon rain forests is leading us to the first step in annihilation such as melting glaciers and the extinction of many species. Similarly, in We the city gained greatness just as Rome had done before it, but ended in being overcome with the forest encroaching.

The metaphorical comparison of forests is shown in our everyday sayings and phrases such as ‘family tree’ and ‘tree of life'. This shows how symbolic and significant, tree and forest references have become to our psyche. Despite our concrete jungles and our overcoming the laws of nature, ultimately we are ancestrally born of the earth and through our burial rituals we return there. Therefore order and balance is maintained and life comes full circle.

Relationship between Questions of Conquest and Freedom and Democracy

Questions of Conquest and Freedom and Democracy both deal with mans’ attainment or loss of freedom and its subsequent consequences. Freedom is defined as the right of self or the individual, to express himself without any pre-conceived notions, and to follow his own desires and dreams without influence. Freedom means choice and decision making without burden and being an individual.

In Questions of Conquest the author discusses in great depth how the ancient civilizations of the Aztecs and Incas were destroyed ruthlessly by Spanish invaders. This was preceded by Columbus stumbling upon the Americas in his search for India. The writer, a native, questions how life would have been different for his country if these ancient tribes were left alone, and if the modern day creation of Peru was for the best. The question is rhetorical, but a deeper understanding of mans’ freedom is brought to the forefront. The tribes though primitive and archaic were still developed and sophisticated in many ways. However, they were ruled by their leaders and their way of life and acted as a whole and not as individuals. Upon loss of their leaders in battle they effectively gave up to their Spanish aggressors. Like children, they could not think for themselves and faced insecurity without authority. Invasion meant their ant like society was destroyed and freedom in its infancy was born. However, today modern day society in Peru is happy to be the new invaders. With their own hands they do not want to preserve their tribes and traditions, as they feel it is a handicap to progress. They embrace westernization, little realizing that they are still held captive, figuratively speaking by their invaders. There is little freedom when they have to conform to white mans ideals for success and acceptance globally.


In Freedom And Democracy some of the ideas above is discussed but on a more general level relating to man kind in general, and his socio development and how it relates to the notion of freedom. The article states the opinion that modern democracy has meant the loss of the individual. Every thought or desire we have comes with pre-conditioning, and that we are automans who have lost their self worth. It discusses that this conditioning begins in our childhood with our parents and teachers, and that education robs us of the right to think for ourselves. In fact, we learn to conform to what society expects of us and deviating from this means being classified as ‘abnormal,’ which in turn leads to self doubt and insecurity. We are suppressed of our rights to be our true self. This suppression takes many forms such as sexual, emotional sense of tragedy, original thinking, truth etc. We have in effect given up on spontaneity and our individuality to be part of the pack, and have no free will, but convince ourselves we have to keep our peace of mind.


In essence, man from the Ancient tribes to the present day has not been able to achieve ultimate freedom. The tribes of South America were invaded and lost their way of life to become puppets in the hands of their invaders, and today we still dance to the tunes of others expectations.

Correlation between Zamyatin's On Language and We

Zamyatin’s essay On Language critiques, analyzes and gives advice on how to write the perfect novel that will capture the reader through its style of writing. In his own novel, We was he able to remain true to his ideology? I believe he did keeping in mind the constraints of his novel. In his novel he discusses the style of famous writers such as Dickens and Tolstoy who were able to draw on sources and historical references, in terms of language and settings to bring to life their characters. He advises the writer must draw on primary and secondary sources and even live among the locals of a provincial setting, if the novel is set there, for inspiration. Zamyatin’s novel is science fiction and set in a time where all events, language and thought process of his protagonist can only come from the imagination of the author. In fact, the reader with no experience of such a time or place cannot verify the authenticity of his work. However, he did draw from his personal experiences of Communist Russia, the Revolution, and oppression to derive a futuristic, modern satire, making his work highly original and hard - hitting.


Zamyatin discusses in lengths, that there are no longer divisions in poetry and prose, but that division only exists in lyrical and epic works. I believe We is an epic work in which he aptly, as discussed in the essay, gets into the skin of the character, D-503. However, he is not totally ‘invisible’ as he advises authors to be, as the essence of his complex, multi-faceted protagonist is again inspired from his own feelings about the regime he faced in present day Russia. He uses this novel to give a political message, through his own vision and opinion. In On Language he compares the author to an actor on stage, “the writer must be a great and talented actor, a dramatic genius.” In We he certainly has been able to transform himself into a mathematician who lives a controlled robotic existence. His usage of language where D-503 uses mathematical formulae such as X to describe I-330 expression that he fails to interpret is genius on his part, “but in the eyes, or in the eyebrows –I could not tell –there was a certain strange, irritating x, which I could not capture, could not define in figures,” (6). How accurately he portrays D-503 as an almost android being that cannot fathom emotion, and is frustrated if unable to solve his equation of life. Yes, he was able to practice what he preaches, and “reincarnate himself wholly into the characters, the milieu he is portraying.”

Zamyatin in his essay discusses the spoken and written language and the difficulties writers face in translating real spoken language, and fleeting thoughts into a literary piece as dialogue. This problem will exist more in modern or historical novels where living speech is as rightly stated more fluid, dynamic, without complete sentences, and only proficient writers can successfully capture this on paper. However, in We D-503 has been trained to think like a computer with careful thoughts. Further, each chapter is written as a diary entry where he carefully sits and plans his thought plan. D-503 writes to explain his way of life to the aliens where his diary is being sent. In this clever form he indirectly speaks to us the reader and describes events, landscapes, surroundings etc, so that we are able to understand, as his way of living is alien to us. He also creates neologisms such as “unifs” but breaks his rule and distracts with footnotes. He does however, as advised in his essay, portray thought and allows the reader to be “a participant in the creative process,” by breaking up sentences, such as “but why was it that I, too ….I?”(17).

Zamyatin in his fictional novel in part has created an autobiography of his awakening in Russia. In terms of language, the writer has mostly been able to practice what he preached in his essay On Language, thus far. He has successfully written a complex, powerful, provocative, satire. Though Zamyatin’s We is futuristic, it deals with basic human emotions such as tragic love as the backbone of the novel, which is universal and relatable to the reader.