Link to the full online literary magazine containing the poems and photos: https://indd.adobe.com/view/751b4600-9da6-4c59-b4a0-5084cbf3c533
For my final project, I chose to write eight poems that grapple with each of the existential threats we have explored during our lectures. I also took eight photos that relate to the poems and demonstrate, symbolize, or reflect on each of said challenges. I used Adobe InDesign to format a literary magazine (linked above) in which I incorporated all of these elements. Although I am a novice in graphic design, I created a black and white theme, which I thought complemented the somber topics of this course. The reason why I chose poetry as the medium through which to further study these topics can be explained by the following quote from American poet Sonia Sanchez: “All poets, all writers are political. They either maintain the status quo, or they say, ‘something’s wrong, let’s change it for the better.” Poetry is a powerful medium of expression that can be used to draw attention to social, political, and global issues as well as suggest ways of solving them; its status as an art form grants it the opportunity of reaching the average person as well as the avid intellectual, which renders it an effective tool of communicating and of spreading awareness. It is evident that the crises we have studied require society’s cognizance in order to be solved, so any means of spreading awareness towards them may help in the effort to mitigate them and to spare humanity from its doom. Finally, I chose to take photos in order to grant myself the opportunity to find reminders of these looming existential threats in my everyday life so as to increase my own awareness of their presence.
For the front cover, I photographed a human skull surrounded by sand at a beach in Pacific Grove, California. The skull represents humanity’s annihilation, and the sand its ashes. Nevertheless, there is a measure of hope in the photograph which may not be evident at first glance. It has been scientifically proven that all life began in the ocean. Therefore, I took this picture at the beach in order to show that, regardless of whether humanity meets its doom, life shall in some way go on in future.
The first poem, titled “There is a God of Men” grapples with the existential threat of nuclear annihilation. It likens nuclear weapons to a god worshipped by humankind. In the poem, the more humans feed this god, the angrier he grows. This is meant to represent nuclear deterrence, the theory that argues that the larger the threat of nuclear armageddon becomes, the less likely any nation is to choose to initiate it. It excuses the creation of more nuclear weapons due to the belief that this will prevent their use due to the tragic consequences of launch. The poem sheds some skepticism on the effectiveness of nuclear deterrence, as an increase in the amount of nuclear weapons could also increase the risk of their launch, intended or accidental. The photo that accompanies this poem is of a vulture I photographed in Big Sur, California. Vultures represent death and are known to stalk sick prey from a distance before attacking and feasting upon them. I found this to resemble the manner in which the threat of nuclear war stalks humanity, which is paranoid by the danger it poses and which may very well be eradicated at its hands.
The second poem provides imagery of environmental devastation as a result of climate change. It begins “a barren tree shall draw her final breaths standing limply in soil cracked dry…only death shall reign in her wasteland over broken men.” Climate change can reach a point where it causes severe drought and severe temperatures, and this poem is meant to illustrate the potential outcomes of the threat if it remains unmitigated. The photo that accompanies this poem stands alone but directly relates to the topic of climate change. It is a photograph of fishing boats in Monterey, CA, that demonstrates the tragedy of overfishing, which contributes to climate change by hindering carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process by which a dead fish sinks to the bottom of the ocean and the carbon it contains is absorbed. Unfortunately, when fish are caught, that carbon is instead released into the atmosphere, which contributes to overall carbon emissions.
The third poem revolves around information chaos and the manner in which lies and half truths have become the defenders of private interest and of stubborn minds. It is frightening how some people deliberately seek out misinformation to confirm their beliefs, and the poem quite literally articulates this. The presence of mistrust internationally creates a breeding ground for conspiracy theories such as the one demonstrated in the third accompanying photo of a protester (staged). She wears a mask that says “COVID-19 is a bioweapon”, showcasing her belief that the coronavirus was engineered by the United States government. This is one of the many conspiracy theories that have garnered attention since the start of the global pandemic and that contribute to international tensions.
The fourth poem grapples with the threat of artificial intelligence and describes an android that has advanced human-like capacities. Nevertheless, the narrator of the poem acknowledges that this android has no real sentience, stating, “your hands are cold, stranger, purged of the oils of life. You touch me insensately, code animating your fingers, to convince me that you feel me.” This poem is meant to reflect on the idea that artificial intelligence may expand to the point where it is intertwined with aspects of human life such as relationships. The accompanying photo is of a construction site that I spotted in Pacific Grove, CA. I had the idea of editing the photo to symbolize the neural networks of artificial intelligence, which closely resemble those of the organic brain in all its interconnectedness.
The fifth poem revolves around social inequality and conflict and touches on the inequality present in human society, the unethical effects of capitalism, as well as on speciesism and exploitation. This poem is much longer than the rest, as I was deeply inspired by Doctor Dipesh Chakrabarty’s lecture on the subject of inequality. He discussed the manner in which developed nations place the blame for increased carbon emissions on developing nations attempting to modernize. This is innately unjust and incorrect, as the majority of emissions are concentrated in the United States and other developed countries. Nevertheless, it is obvious that the planet cannot sustain more development that parallels that of the United States. As such, it is evident that, in this sense, social equality cannot be achieved without bringing forth our impending doom. Professor Chakrabarty proposed that the definition of “We” must be altered to refer not only to humanity, but to “a figure of ‘continuity’ that connects us to other species and to processes we may consider planetary” as opposed to merely political, (Dipesh Chakrabarty, “Planetary Crises and the Difficulty of Being Modern,” 24). This statement transcends speciesism, which the poem grapples with. The accompanying photo is that of a deer behind a fence that I spotted in Monterey, CA. This image is meant to reflect on speciesism; the fence can be seen to symbolize a cage in order to suggest humanity’s exploitation of other animal species, another form of inequality.
The sixth poem grapples with the issue of policy and begins: “the paradox of our time: there is no ‘border’ without ‘order’ and no greater agent of chaos.” It then suggests how some measure of global unity is essential to mitigate existential threats while allowing humanity to achieve its vast potential for innovation. I was inspired by Toby Ord’s rather positive outlook on surmounting the challenges posed by existential threats. He offered a novel and much less pessimistic perspective that concentrated on “humanity’s potential for greatness,” (“How Close Is Humanity to the Edge?” by Corinne Purtill). His principle of “effective altruism,” a school of thought that “holds that we should use reason and evidence to determine how, as individuals, we can best use our resources for the greater good,” despite its idealism, does not forsake rationality, which renders its application more possible. Ord’s philosophy advocates for the taking of simple policy actions that do not get in the way of progress but nonetheless guard humanity from the existential threats (namely climate change) that arise from its efforts towards innovation. The accompanying photo is that of a falcon in flight which I took while hiking in Big Sur, CA. It represents the great potential of humankind and how, when aided by effective policy that addresses existential threats on a global scale, this potential can “take flight” and lead to great innovation.
The seventh poem is of a more personal nature to me and revolves around the topic of pandemics and COVID-19. I chose to write about my grandfather’s village in Latakia, Syria. Unfortunately, there was a measure of carelessness and disbelief regarding the coronavirus in this village, and many people became ill as a result. Hospitality and social life are rooted in the Syrian culture; the poem therefore ends: “sometimes it is more hospitable to turn a neighbor away than to together entertain death at a dinner table.” The accompanying photo is that of a masked crowd in the tourist spot known as Cannery Row in Monterey, CA. The photo demonstrates the manner in which the coronavirus has and will continue to impact our interaction with the outside world, even as the vaccine reintroduces a measure of normalcy into our everyday lives.
The final poem reflects on our future. In it, our future is symbolized by a flower bud whose color cannot yet be ascertained by the gardener, who represents humanity. In addition, the gardener is too concerned with his prize garden beds and often forgets to water the young bud. This is meant to parallel the manner in which politicians often forsake concerns for the future in order to deal with more immediate concerns that allow them to gain favor with their constituents. The poem ends “our future is a bud yet to bloom, its petals intertwined, invisible to the eye. The gardener cannot yet know her color.” This sheds light on how humanity’s future is uncertain and will be dictated by its actions during this critical time. The final accompanying photo is of a mannequin in futuristic attire. It directly relates to the poem due to the fact that in it the future is symbolized by a flower bud whose color cannot be seen; similarly, the black and white theme does not allow the viewer to make out the color of the flower dress the mannequin wears.
References:
- Dipesh Chakrabarty, “Planetary Crises and the Difficulty of Being Modern.” Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 2018.
- “How Close Is Humanity to the Edge? ” The New Yorker, November 21, 2020 (by Corinne Purtill) — Profile of Toby Ord