essay

Assignment #30 – The Final
For your final exam we’re jumping back into fiction to bring the class full circle. For this last assignment you’ll need to read “The People of Sand and Slag,” the Hugo and Nebula nominated short story by Paolo Bacigalupi. Be warned, it’s not a happy piece but is, in my opinion, one of the finest pieces of speculative fiction written in the last twenty years.

In no less than 4 pages take apart the piece using all the knowledge you’ve accrued over the course of the semester. How do the plot, characters, setting, POV and tone of the piece create the desired affect? What is Bacigalupi saying about what it means to be human? Is he right?

Make sure to cite your direct quotes and I’ll need a bib and citations if you use outside sources.

Here’s the link:

https://www.baen.com/Chapters/1597801348/1597801348___3.htm

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The People of Sand and Slag

The fiction “The People of Sand and Slag,” the Hugo and Nebula-nominated short story by Paolo Bacigalupi, is one of the most significant fiction narratives which is based in the future. Human beings have been given extraordinary power and effects to survive in the hostile environment which they are in. The narrative is set in harsh conditions which have not been witnessed yet in our contemporary world.

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