Andrew Hong

3 October 2013
English 1102
Old Man's War Essay
A privilege is an opportunity, not something we necessarily deserved. With privilege comes the
responsibility not to abuse it or misinterpret it as entitlement. However, at the same time, when given
that privilege, such as giving gold coins to the servants in the Parable oI Talents, other people expect
something to be done with that privilege.
'To one he gave Iive bags oI gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his
ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received Iive bags oI gold went at once and put
his money to work and gained Iive bags more. So also, the one with two bags oI gold gained two more.
But the man who had received one bag went oII, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master`s money...
You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have
not scattered seed? ...For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever
does not have, even what they have will be taken Irom them (Mathew 25:15-18,26,29).
Whether one's religious or not, the servants were expected to act on that privilege, multiply that gold.
Not doing so is a wasted opportunity to create something more. But when does it become abuse? In Old
Man's War, the CDF misinterpret their privilege oI being human, a technologically advanced and strong
species, as a justiIication to preserve their species and colonize. Even the Consu, who are willing to
share the privilege oI being a Consu, require death as a means oI essentially recreating other species
into Consu. Privilege has made both the Consu and the CDF believe their species is oI utmost value
and in the end, abuse their privilege killing other speices. John Perry, in Old Man's War, realizes what
was once a privilege has become the Ioundation Ior inter-species discrimination and subsequent
unethical actions.
The CDF, with their privilege oI being able to and consequently, the perceived right to colonize,
Overall, really strong introduction. Denition of privilege is clear,
nice sense of the responsibilities that come with privilege. Thesis
is strong. Only some minor grammar and formatting problems.
places human preservation over any other species'. During a lecture on distinguishing between hostile
and non hostile species, Olgethorpe puts emphasis that CDF soldiers cannot 'aIIord anthropomorphic
biases iI they want to survive (140). By presenting two very counter intuitive pictures, the non-human-
like but passive Bathungas and the human-like but hostile Salongs suggest that soldiers should not
impose any human characteristics to other species. Later in response to why the CDF soldiers Iight Ior
the colonists, Olgethorpe responds that soldiers should know Irom experience 'human colonies are
good Ior the human race (142). Whether knowingly or not, by Iocusing on human colonies and the
human race, he suggests humans, as a whole, have an inexplicable, inherent value that places their
preservation over others. Beneath all that, by clearly associating 'anthropomorphic qualities to
desired, good qualities, Olgethorpe reinIorces the idea that humans are good. He has essentially
separated the supposedly better human species Irom any other species. As a result, soldiers identiIy
only other humans as part oI a species worth preserving, which leads to the violent CDF colonizations.
We see the CDF killing without discrimination, whether it be the Whadians, Convandu, Salongs, or the
Rraeys, and taking over planets mercilessly. It's reasonable to assume that the CDF have either nearly
or did exterminate other species to inhabit their planets in the past as well. This unethical means oI
colonizing when the CDF could live harmoniously with other species goes back to privilege. The CDF
were endowed with the opportunity or privilege to be human. Given that privilege and the apparent
power they possess, the CDF believe they are inherently entitled to colonizing so they can preserve
their own people. It's clear the CDF aren't willing to share that privilege with other species. It's like a
young child and his Legos, he isn't willing to share or even let others touch what he thinks belongs to
him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?vk9VI-TgMyew
Once one is privileged with something like Legos or being human, one does not simply share that
privilege but will instead keep it to oneselI.; sharing that privilege depreciates the value oI that
Nice analysis in this section.
This paragraph is really long, needs to be broken up a bit more to help
the reader identify when you move from one sub-point to another.
privilege and consequently the species. By setting their one and only goal to preserving the human race,
the CDF can easily look past the lack oI ethics in their actions and continue to abuse their privilege as
they please. The only species who get to survive are those that don't pose a threat to the preservation oI
the human race.
The Consu's view oI privilege diIIers Irom the human's view oI privilege in that to the Consu,
privilege can be shared. Death to them isn't cleansing the universe oI unworthy species but bringing
them back to a cleaner state. The Consu, like the humans, believe they are superior to any other species:
'We stood in the center oI a Iootball Iield-size dome that the Consu had constructed not an hour
beIore. OI course we humans could not be allowed to touch Consu ground.... AIter our negotiations
were completed, the dome would be imploded and launched toward the nearest black hole (269).
Even speaking a language other than the Consu language is desecration to the Consu race - criminals
usually translated and were killed thereaIter (269). However, even though the Consu could 'wipe out
out most oI the races in this area oI space and colonize anywhere, they don't (277). During the battle
between them and the humans, the Consu beginning singing lines like 'It is not your Iortune to have
been born among The People/So we set you upon the path that leads to redemption (151). Just like the
humans, the Consu separate themselves, a better species, Irom 'The People. But what diIIers is that
the Consu are trying to set the humans on 'the path that leads to redemption by killing them. They
identiIy themselves as higher, that much is obvious; however, to them, 'all liIe that has the potential Ior
Ungkat - they believe that others can become privileged like them. Assimilating to the Consu requires
rebirth which can only be achieved by death. But this doesn't explain why the Consu then don't kill
everyone, Iorcing rebirth. The reason is they hold respect Ior other species, despite seeing them as
inIerior. Other species are just dirty Consu who can be 'moved |.| toward their place in the great
wheel (277). ThereIore, like the messenger who must do some gruesome task to regain his rite oI
I'm not sure what you're referring to here.
passage, other species must do the same in battle. This explains why the Consu give the Rraey the
technology to kill the humans it is to instigate a battle and quicken the cycle oI rebirth. Starting wars,
killing oII Iellow soldiers, are clearly unethical; however, the Consu believe their ambitions are Ior
helping other species become Consu, a superior and thereIore better race. The Consu are like parents
who are pushing their children. Sometimes the means they choose to push them start to become abuse
but since it has good intentions, being unethical becomes easy. All the Consu's unethical actions are
linked to their supposedly, muniIicent attempt to give others the privilege to be Consu.
In the midst oI all these battles stands John Perry, who begins to see privileges as problematic and
questions iI there really is a superior species. During the battle with the Convandu, John Perry must
stomp on his Ioes and Ior the Iirst time, must question his privilege oI being human being abused: ''I've
just spend three hours stepping on intelligent beings like they were Iucking bugs, that's what's wrong
with me.... it's just totally Iucking ridiculous... I don't Ieel human anymore (186). John Perry is in
shock oI what he's doing because it's 'inhuman. However, what makes John Perry, who identiIies
himselI as human, crack Irom his atrocities is at Iirst unclear.
Upon closer inspection oI the Convandu does it become apparent that John Perry realizes humans
have reached this degenerative state because they abused their privilege. The Convandu look very
much human when it comes to physical appearance and intelligence level. The diIIerence between the
Convandu and humans is size. But to John Perry, size is not enough to keep his anthropomorphic biases
at bay. He begins to associate himselI with Godzilla (186) because oI how little regret or pain he and
the other CDF members Ieels when he smashes the smaller beings. However, when it's the humans who
are being overpowered by something like Godzilla, there is this terror and negative, unethical
atmosphere around it:
http://motivationalcartoons.Iiles.wordpress.com/2009/01/stompants.giI (Stepping on ants)
http://www.IernbyIilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/godzilla03.jpg (Godzilla)
Really nice analysis of this scene.
Images need to be embedded.
II the humans are Godzilla, it seems more acceptable oI them to exterminate a species than iI humans
were the ants. However, John Perry realizes that this logic is completely Ialse. It's because humans have
abused that privilege oI being human does stomping on the Covandu seem acceptable. By looking and
being so human, the Convandu have instigated John Perry's anthropomorphic biases, or deIining
qualities oI being human. The problem John Perry Iaces is he is trying to include this unethical beast in
his deIinition oI humanity which leads to the question, is being human really a privilege or a curse.
Each species has the privilege oI being where they are and the beneIits and drawbacks that come with
it. Whether those beneIits include the intellect oI the Salong or the strength oI the Consu, as John Perry
has realized, that privilege does not make any one species superior to any other. Just because it's easier
Ior certain species to abuse certain privileges like power, does not make that abuse tolerable. That
abuse is only indicative oI a species degenerating into unethical beasts. II there is really any value that
can be associated with a species, it should root Irom how ethical and harmoniously it can live with
other species. Privileges should be accepted and acted on but not in a way that requires exterminating
other species. Do humans have more right to inhabit a certain planet than the Convandu? Do certain
humans have more right to inhabit a planet than another group oI humans? Does one individual have
more right to live happier and healthier than another poorer, dying individual? Privilege is a dangerous
game but should be embraced because by uniting diIIerent groups with diIIerence privileges can
something greater be achieved.
Works Cited
"Movie Review Godzilla (1998) Fernby Films." !"#$%& !()*+. Web. 09 Sept. 2013.
http://www.IernbyIilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/godzilla03.jpg ~
Scalzi, John. ,)- ./$0+ 1/#. New York: Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2005. Print.
'Siblings Fighting." 23454%". YouTube, 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 09 Sept. 2013.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?vk9VI-TgMyew ~
"Simple Cartoon Animation Stomp Those Ants!" 6/#733$ .37(8/73#+ 9)3: ;<<. Web. 09 Sept. 2013.
http://motivationalcartoons.Iiles.wordpress.com/2009/01/stompants.giI ~
Excellent revision of your central argument. You've dealt with the major problems of the original draft in a
really compelling way, and brought your own unique view of the issue to the paper. The only remaining
problems are largely technical: organization makes sense in terms of the ow of ideas, but you could help
your reader by breaking up the main points into sub-points with their own paragraphs. There are some
design-for-medium problems having to do with paper formatting (Indents on paragraphs should be 1/2",
block quotations need to follow proper formatting, and images need to be embedded in the document
properly). There also some minor convention problems; you occasionally have run-on sentences, or
sentences that are missing words.
Rhetorical Awareness: Competent
Stance and Support: Competent/Mature
Organization: Developing/Competent
Conventions: Developing
Design for Medium: Developing
Grade: 87/100 B+