Cyborgs in Cinema - Coursework Example

Introduction The development of technology has piloted to the automation of every sector of human lives and with time has become a reality that cannot be evitable. The modern has become more and more dependent on technology to the extent of feeling incomplete if they are in a surrounding that lacks any form of technology. Automation has become part of the human life in the 21st century and has increased people’s interests and anxieties. The anxieties of technology among human beings are made legible through the kinds of activities they showcase. For example, understanding and anxiety of human beings are confirmed through films, literature and art which show the image of the postmodern Cyborg and the modern robot. In Cronenberg’s film, we get to see how the forms of sexual experience are doubled with a psychopathology of self-destruction. This is seen as characters in the film migrate from being fascinated with cars of all models and crashes of cars to imposing pain and injuries on themselves. A post modern Cyborg shows the difference in anxiety between human beings and technology in the form of both literature and films. A Cyborg shows the relationship between human beings and technology and how technology and machines have affected the feelings of human beings in many ways. The Cyborg which is postmodern exhibits the features and characteristics of human beings because of their physical appearance. The postmodern Cyborg has a body that looks like that of a human being and is also emotionally autonomous. The Cyborg does not show its clear distinction of being a machine and a human being because of its many features that reflects a reality of human beings. It looks like a human being and at the same time has emotions. The Cyborg is a postmodern image which shows the correlation between machines and human beings. It also shows how technological advancement can manipulate the human body and produce an image similar to human beings. Technology is used to manipulate the psychology and feelings of human beings and effectively fix them in machines to come up with a Cyborg. Haraway (1991) in his explanation of a Cyborg gives an example of a film known as ‘Blade Runner’ to show the likeness of Cyborgs to human beings because of their physical appearance. The film involves a Cyborg named Replicant which does not show any dissimilarity in stipulations of the physical appearance with human beings. The film further depicts their main task of working for humans since they are created in the laboratory through several machines compiled to form a Cyborg. The film also shows that they are genetically engineered by human beings which therefore show their major difference with the human body. Replicant as seen in the film are created by humans while human beings are born. Through the film, it is clear that Cyborgs are made through a combination of technological and biological science, manufacturing and art. Haraway (1991) further explains that the creation of Cyborgs through biotechnological engineering separates them from being robots and brings them closer to being humans. Since a majority of Cyborgs as explained in the films are created for the purpose of colonization and destruction, they are seen to be more powerful than human beings. They are more physically capable and larger than human beings. Since the film is about Cyborgs colonizing other planets, they are designed to be physically and mentally stable for the task. Pris, a female Replicant in the film shows the characteristics and features of a real woman. The Cyborg is designed to look exactly like woman for the sake of sexual recreation. This shows that the Cyborgs have been created to have emotions just like human beings. Just like human beings, Pris is designed to be beautiful, playful and as attractive as women. Roy is another Replicant that has the features of a soldier because of his physical and mental strength. The body and mind are designed to fit the operations of combating. The film successfully shows the relationship between Cyborgs and human beings. The film also shows an advanced group of Replicant who have memories just like human beings. The Cyborgs are able to remember and have feelings of nostalgia of the past just like human beings. The Cyborgs have a great potential of having evolving and dynamic emotions because of the human tissues created in them. They are likely to slowly evolve to being exactly like human beings but lacking the ability to reproduce. Due to this, the engineers and Tyrell fear that they may overpower them because of the ability to develop and they decide to reduce their memory to a life span of four years for security purposes. Because of their ability of having memory and emotions, the film makes it difficult to differentiate between a real human being and the Cyborgs in particular if one is not sentient of how they came to being. Cyborgs show characteristics of being more like human beings unlike robots which have no feelings or memory in their systems. In the film, a Replicant, Rachel knows her-self to be a human being because she behaves like them and has everything that the humans have. No human will likely suspect that Rachel is a Cyborg because they cannot anything that makes her different. Before she was told the truth of being a Cyborg, Rachel knew that she was a human being because of the memory that she had of her childhood together with her mother. The memory had been implanted into her by her creator Tyrell. Her feelings and emotions just like those of a human being are seen when she is told the truth about her real identity. Rachel gets angry and drops the photo of her mother that she used to carry to remind her of her origin. Rachel portrays the features of human beings as being emotional and she even gets angry a quality that makes differentiating her with human beings a difficult task. Deckard who was a police was not able to identify that she was a Replicant until she went through the Voight-Kampff test of empathy. She failed the test which identified her as a Replicant. The film shows the anxieties of the use of technology. Cyborgs in the films explain the working of the human body and the anxieties of applying technology in human life. Human beings have come up with advanced technology to the degree of being able to generate a replicate of themselves with the mind of making work easier for themselves and being able to have control of their own world. The creation of Cyborgs shows the desire and anxiety of wanting to be in control and having power over human beings which explains the reason of engineers creating replicates of human beings and not animals. Cyborgs in films also bring to understanding that human beings are still distinct and they cannot be completely replicated through biotechnology. This is apparent by the reality that their origin is not like that of human beings and they can only have a memory which is programmed by their creators. This is seen when Rachel is told by Deckard about her true identity and how she acquired the memory she had. The distinction that also separated Cyborgs from human beings was the fact that they could not naturally reproduce. They were also differentiated through the Voight-Kampff test of empathy. Hayles (1999) uses the novel ‘Brave New World’ to explain the anxiety of human being technology and their automation of human beings. Rather than creating Cyborgs from scratch, inventors alter the functioning of the human body with the aim of making them more effective. Hayles explains that because of anxiety of technology, human beings are turned to Cyborgs. One major alteration by use of technology is the alteration of the reproduction process. In this, the process of reduction is reduced from being a normal procedure to being a laboratory process whereby the ova is extracted from a female donor who is viable and are fertilized in an incubator. The foetus is then altered with at a tender age for them to fit their desired activities. Because of anxiety, the role of a mother has been replaced with the knowledge of science and advancement of technology. The human body is intended to work in a specific manner of reproduction whereby the woman carries the ova and the male fertilizes the ova. The woman is supposed to carry the foetus until a child is born. Technology is slowly taking the role of human beings and this anxiety may leave people in the society with no role or responsibility to play in the future because all their roles would be taken over by Cyborgs who are made out of the anxiety of human beings to effectively use technology. The altering of the human reproduction also manipulates the nature of human beings whereby every human being has parent both a father and mother. Rather, the Cyborgs become subject the control of the creator whereby everything they do is programmed and monitored by their creators. The anxiety of human beings has led to their sacrifice of natural reproduction for the reason of having greater reproduction in their working areas. The novel gives a warning to the anxiety of technology because it has its drawbacks as well. This is clear by the introduction of a Cyborg known as the Savage. He is born without a father but with a mother: something which is not true of the societal and sexual structure of human beings. The savage in extremely emotional and cannot be controlled: not even by his creators. His development and advancement poses a great deal of fear to its creators because he seemed to be taking control of them. To savage, sex in short-term dating was pleasurable and did not emotions of physical ramifications along with it. This is opposite to the society because any sexual practice involves physical and emotional alteration. Unlike robots of the 20th century, savage exhibits feelings of love and passion something which is similar to human beings. According to the novel, savage becomes a troublemaker which shows the negative consequences of bringing up a child outside the nature of reproduction. He cannot be controlled and since he is just a Cyborg, he is not in a position to control his emotions. Unlike the savage, human beings are in a position of controlling their emotions especially their sexual desires. Savage becomes uncontrollable in his sexual desires as he fulfils them whenever the desires come along. Since he is not a human being, the savage does not see anything peculiar with what he does because he cannot distinguish between what is ethical and what is immoral. The loss of control of the savage shows the effects of anxiety of technology and coming up Cyborgs that at times may be uncontrollable. The fact still remains that the anxiety of creating Cyborgs will never replace the functioning and emotions of the human body. Richardson (2012) uses the film Never Let Me Go to explain the extent to which cyborgs are automated and the unreal things about them that are shown in the cinema. According to Richardson, the replication of cyborgs with human beings does not only show a biological replication but also the possession of emotional complexity. The cyborgs in the film are use used to represent the imagination of binary of today’s social values, physical appearance and cultural boundaries. The film also brings a bond that exists between cyborgs and their origins something which actually does not exist. It exceeds the ethical boundaries of human beings. The film shows how cyborgs living among human beings have a desire of wanting to know their origins and the human beings from whom they were replicated. The film shows how many times cyborgs are seen to look for anyone who resembles them either in photos, magazines and in the faces of people they come across with. However, they do this secretly and do not admit to anyone their frequent interaction with magazines and images. Cyborgs are in a position to know that they are different from human beings and that they are cloned from human beings. The film shows the need of cyborgs wanting to know their human counterparts and also their desire to passionately connect with their sources. They are said to have a bond with their parents from whom they come from. This is a natural bond that exists between a child and a mother or parent. This kind of bonding cannot exist between cyborgs because it is something that cannot be implanted in the bodies of cyborgs. The film Avatar is one of the excellent films that show the existence and functioning of cyborgs. The film is about cyborgs that live in a world known as Pandora. The film shows the work of technology and the negative impacts it can have on the society. The film is about the fight of the cyborgs against technology used by human beings. Since their world has full richness of natural resources and minerals, human beings are seen to invade the cyborgs land with the aim of luring them to accept their approach. The film also shows the link between a cyborg and a human being. For the human beings to go to the world of the aliens, they create a cyborg from human beings to make him look exactly as an alien. This shows the anxiety of using technology to make advancement on the body and mind of human beings. Cyborgs in the film are also seen to identify themselves by looking at similarities such as the hair of their tails. To Fauna and Flora, the tip of hair serves as a biological link between them. The cyborgs are effectively wired to the world they live in. Women in the film are not depicted as fragile objects or sex objects but they are seen to be powerful. The aliens in the movie depict the characteristics of human beings because they are seen to have affection for one another. This is unlike machines and the aliens are more of human beings than engineered cyborgs. However, the film makes the viewers believe that there is another world with people just like them. This threatens the human race. The film Terminator shows the negative effects that the anxiety of technology can have on the society. It the film, it is clear that there is war between human beings and cyborgs created by human beings representing the rejection human beings have on the creation of cyborgs as their replicates. The cyborg is shown by the extensive powers it has. The powers of being able to control the world by using technology is evident in the film. Terminator also gives a distinction between human beings and cyborgs because cyborgs are superior with great strength than human beings. They do not easily die like human beings especially when they are exposed to dangerous technologies. On the other hand, human beings are more skilled and with intellect than the cyborgs. The cyborgs in the film are controlled, programmed and highly depend on the creator for the m to function. Terminator depicts the use of cyborgs for evil desires. Their creators use them for destructive purposes with the aim of taking control and having power over humans. We get to see the main focus of the film, a man who is only good at fighting but at times does not know what to do with situations. Unlike human beings, they cannot control themselves and lack emotions. The film Robocop illustrates the possibility of bringing a man from the dead by using technology. It is about a police officer known as Murphy who dies but is resurrected from the dead as a cyborg. Since he is half human and half a cyborg, he shows uniqueness in his powers and ability to restore law and order. However, his human traits are still seen as he is emotional and out of anger and bitterness wants to revenge his death. He has memories of his past life before he was transformed to a cyborg to show his traits of being a human. The cyborg is used by his creator to maintain law and order which is evident of the fruits of anxiety in technology. The anxieties of technology are engaged and embodied in cyborgs shown in cinemas in the 21st century. The anxieties of exploring the use of technology can also be illustrated by the negative consequences it brings along with it. The super power that the cyborgs hold may lead to the destruction of the society especially if the main intention of the maker is to take control of the society. Technology as seen in the films of cyborgs subtracts the functioning of human beings. The replacement and altering of the sensitive and unique parts and functions of human beings such as reproduction and sexuality may lead to absoluteness. The anxiety of technology also alters the activities of human beings such as their way of communication, eating and the form of education. A lot of skills that human beings have as for now and skills they are required to develop may be obsolete because of the replacement of skills with technology. The responsibilities that are supposed to be carried out by human being may be replaced by cyborgs that may become more powerful than human beings. A clear distinction between cyborgs and human beings are seen by the independence of human beings and being able to control their own activities. On the other hand, cyborgs are programmed and controlled by human beings. Their features are designed in a manner to fit the purposes of the creator. A developer or an inventor as seen in the cinema creates cyborgs with the aim of being in a position to perform certain tasks that appear impractical for a ordinary human being to perform. Since cyborgs are machines with some part of human flesh, they have no feeling of pain and weariness and are capable of working for long hours unlike human beings. Additionally, human beings are not able to work simultaneously for long hours and hard labour without getting tired. Films that show the creation and functioning of cyborgs trigger the minds of human beings to believing that they can come up with a replicate of themselves who can function exactly as they do. Some people even get scared by the possibility of having replicates of human beings who may take over their roles in the society. From the films that show cyborgs as being human beings in another world or planet, we get to see the anxiety of technology and how it can be used to manipulate the bodily structure and emotions of human beings (Short, 2005). Conclusion Cyborgs in cinemas depict an understanding of how the human body works. A majority of cyborgs created from the anxiety human beings have to use the technology that is at their disposal depict the features of human beings. They are seen to have the same physical features as human beings. Their ability to have a high capacity of memory that is implanted shows their distinction from human beings. The anxiety of human beings can also lead to the creation of cyborgs which cannot be easily controlled and may lead to unethical behaviours in the society. If not critically analyzed, it is difficult to make a distinction between cyborgs and human beings because cyborgs also have emotions and react to their surrounding area. Cyborgs are mostly seen in cinemas and are mostly referred to as science fictions and the future ability of technology. The advancement of technology may in the future replace the responsibilities of human beings and their nature of reproduction. Through films, viewers are at times lied to about the existence of other replicates of human beings who may overpower them in the future. Cyborgs as seen in films are mostly created with the purpose of performing unique tasks that cannot be performed by human beings. As seen in the film Blade Runner, cyborgs are created with the aim of taking control of a particular area or region. However, the development and evolving of such cyborgs create anxiety and fear among the creators because they are prone to getting out of their control. Cyborgs should not be put into practice into the real society because it may bring along with it many negative effects. References Haraway, D. 1991. Simians, Cyborgs, and Women. New York: Routledge. Hayles N. 1999. How we became Post-human. Chicago: London: University of Chicago press. Richardson, L. 2012. The modern Robot and the Postmodern Cyborg: the Post-Human as an Image of Anxiety. A journal of Undergraduate Literary Criticism and Creative Research, 3(1): pp1-10. Short S. 2005. Cyborg cinema and contemporary subjectivity. New York: Pelgrave and Macmillan. Read More