Assignment 1:5: How Evil came into the world.
I have a great story to tell you.
In another time, in another place, people and deities existed. They lived in contact with each other, like neighbours, separate but within reach. Not like now. Not unseen and unheard. The people would ask the deities about all manner of things. What would the crops be like this season, who would fall in love with whom, would there be many babies born this year? The deities were obliged to answer, it was their duty. In exchange the people provided bountiful wheat, grains, livestock, and the finest fabrics and scents. This exchange existed for as long as the peoples collective memory went back, and as long as the deities could recall, and they were immortal.
This blissful existence continued until one day, a deity, lets call them Invention, pondered aloud to the other deities, “why do we answer to the people at their every beck and call? We are the deities, and yet we respond to them! Instead we could free ourselves from this incessant exchange and truly live as Gods!” The other deities murmured mixed emotions. How could they possibly not answer the questions of the people? Where would they receive their finery and feasts? The people always reserved the best of their wares as offerings just for them! It seemed such a humble exchange.
Invention proceeded, “all the humans need are answers to what the future holds. We have infinite power and knowledge of the universe, we could create something, a vessel to house all the collective knowledge to give to them, so they can consult the vessel and leave us in peace! They’ll still bring us offerings as gratitude, for we will have made their quest for answers even more accessible!”
The deities nodded, even those who had been sceptical of Invention’s plan. Once agreed, they wasted no more time to quickly begin creating the vessel of knowledge. Days and night passed. The deities were so focused on their creation they didn’t hear the inquiries of the people. Question after question went unanswered. The people were concerned, why weren’t the deities responding? Had they forsaken them? What would they do without the deities! They’d be lost!
Finally, after weeks and weeks, they deities emerged. “Good people,” they announced, “we have not forsaken you! Instead we have created for you a vessel to house all of our collective knowledge of the universe, the past, present, and future! We did not know if we could accomplish it but we did! For each and every person and child will hold their own vessel, small enough to keep on you at all times, ask it anything and be answered instantly! Behold, the Oracle!”
Invention held out their hand, and in their palm lay a perfectly smooth, infinitely black, shining, tablet. The people stared, confused, each taking their individual Oracle and turning it over in their hands, staring into its infinite blackness.
“Go on,” urged Invention, “ask it anything.”
The people began to ask questions to their Oracles, “will the rain come and quench my crops,” “will my child take a spouse,” “how much feed should I save for my stock to get through the winter?” Answer after answer after answer poured out of the Oracles. The people were thrilled, they couldn’t believe their wealth! They thanked the deities by offering the best of the best of their wares that year.
However, as the years and years went by the offering from the people shrank, and shrank, and shrank, until the entirety of the deities received nothing but scraps of muslin and pitiful piles of beans and wheat.
“What is going on,” the deities asked. “Do the humans not appreciate their Oracles of knowledge?” Since the deities no longer answered the inquiries of the humans they had little reason to look in on them. “You go Invention,” suggested one deity, “this was all your idea after all.” Invention couldn’t disagree so they went down to see the humans.
When Invention arrived they were baffled. The streets were eerily quiet. No person was in sight. Invention wandered the streets until they peeked into an ajar window, where a family of four sat in a room, not speaking, not looking at each other, just murmuring to their Oracles. “Excuse me,” interrupted Invention, “what on earth are you all doing? Why aren’t you speaking to each other?” The family collectively stared at Invention in silence, until finally the smallest child said, “who is that?”
Invention was aghast. Who is that? How dare this child be so impudent when the very object of their focus was the Oracle Invention had created! Without hesitation Invention stormed away to find another family. They peeked in the window of another house and saw a similar scene, an older couple sitting and staring at their Oracles. This time one of the elderly people raised their heads, “oh I know you,” they whispered, “but I haven’t seen you in a very long time, what is your name again?” Invention felt their face get hot and eyes fill with tears. “You used to bring me the finest silks,” Invention gasped. “Oh that’s right, but you didn’t need us anymore, so you gave use these,” indicating their Oracle, “and now we don’t need you anymore.”
Invention couldn’t believe their ears, “but I gave you a limitless gift! Don’t we still deserve offerings?”
“We have nothing left to offer,” the elder person spoke, “with this knowledge in our hand we could ask trivial questions without the fear of bothering the deities, there was no question too small or inconsequential, people began to ask how much their neighbours were selling their wares for, how were others crops producing so well, how they could outproduce and out harvest one another. The people became competitive and tried to find ways to conceal their secrets to success. They over worked the land to have more and more to sell. People would withhold their surplus stock to drive up prices. Everything was about bargains and deals. They used all their earnings to buy the finest silks, jewels, scents, and metals to make themselves appear successful to intimidate one another. Success is no longer measured in love and peace and community but in material goods. That is why there is nothing left for you. The wares are scarce. You can no longer make them richer, they have nothing to gain from you. Now everyone hides unless it is to boast and parade their success. There is no knowledge we can share with each other that we cannot ask of our Oracles, so we have no need of each other either.”
Invention stood there agape, for once without an answer. “I’ll take the Oracles back!” They protested. “We can go back to the old ways!”
“No,” the elder sighed, “the youth will only know you as the one who denied them knowledge, and to them knowledge is synonymous with wealth and riches, you cannot take that away and expect them to honour you.”
It can’t be, thought Invention.
But, of course, it was too late. For once a story is told, it cannot be called back. Once told, it is loose in the world.
Reflections:
Wow, first of all I had such a hard time coming up with an idea for a story. I had no idea where to start. Everything I came up with felt silly. I started brainstorming with a teacher friend, who, in his classroom has the Theodore Roosevelt quote “comparison is the thief of joy.” Ah ha.
At first, trying to get this story out orally with so many “wait…where was I,” and “oh no, I skipped a part.” Speaking the story was so different than writing it. I would get lost and have to start over, or miss huge chunks and think how did I get here? In fact, I started telling it to my four year old niece, and about two minutes in she asked if I would instead read her a chapter from Frog and Toad. We read two.
I expected writing the story to be a much greater challenge. Once I started typing things started flowing in a way I really didn’t expect. I almost couldn’t keep up, and maybe the story got a little away from me.
I knew I wanted to keep the story timeless, and keep the characters gender neutral, as I’ve read in many Indigenous stories, but it didn’t stop me from picturing Greek Gods on Mount Olympus, Adam and Eve and that fateful Apple, Prometheus and fire, and Pandora and her box. As much as I tried to suppress those tropes and stories in my mind, they are too much ingrained in my own understanding of good and evil.
Citations:
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. House of Anansi Press Inc., 2010.
Photo: iStock, Glowing Orb, Getty Images.
Hi Emilia! This is a fantastic story – I really enjoyed it! While reading it, I as well thought it had Greco-Roman elements, but there was also a flavour about it that felt unique. I especially liked how the deities relied so much on the humans, it was a fun turn of fate compared to traditional stories of humans and gods. When I was writing my story, I gravitated to a modern moral similar to how I read your story’s moral was of a modern nature. I think applying a contemporary idea of evil to a story that feels thousands of years old is effective and entertaining. Good work!
You mentioned how it was challenging for you to recite the story orally without forgetting exactly how it went. Despite this challenge, did you enjoy performing your story out loud? Do you feel like your story was effectively received by your audience?
Yes an no! I’m an actor by trade and used to public speaking but felt so self conscious trying to recite my own words, like I was being judged on the content as well as the story! As for effectively received, generally yes, but I did stick to performing it with people I felt very comfortable with, who were not shy to supply feedback, haha!
Hi Emilia,
I really like your interesting take on the story and how you molded it. It’s interesting how we intuitively perceive that stories are a kind of knowledge. For example, in your stories, you chose to transformed the item of “stories” in the original piece in King’s book, and turned it into the Oracle tablets in your story. The prevalence and relevance of stories in our everyday lives is as apparent as our reliance on water to survive. Without the knowledge that we know, we wouldn’t be where we are today. But it also proves to be a double-edged sword. On one hand, we should strive for knowledge to better ourselves and further our survival, but on the other hand, our perception may become more clouded, bitter or distorted as we learn from the stories we are told. The colonialism of Christopher Columbus is one example where stories told comes to distort our perception of the First Nations people. And another example of distortion that we face everyday are the stereotypes that we hear or see all around us. This becomes a big issue when it comes to the safety of people as well. For example, the military or the government may withhold information to keep the country from panic or loss of moral. In this case, do you think it is justified for information to be withheld in the name of safety? Or should information be free for everyone, without barriers?
Hmmm, very philosophical! And tricky in position to my story! I think that yes, information should be readily available to the public and the people should be given more credit. Less misinformation and fake-news type media would be ideal, we certainly live in an age of information. I think in relation to my story its less about wealth of information and more about lack of critical thinking and the method through which we acquire knowledge, ie ipads and twitter versus libraries that have been around for centuries, or even passed down oral stories 🙂
Hi Emilia!
I really enjoyed reading your short story. Something that I liked a lot about yours that I wish I had done was incorporate more dialogue. I narrated my whole short story, and I definitely think I could have captivated my classmates and readers by adding dialogue, so they could follow along. Upon reading your reflection, I also admit I found it very hard to think of something to write about. Since we were basing it off of a chapter we had read in King’s book, I found myself going back to that chapter and wanting to write about the material already written. Each time I wrote something, it was far too similar and i would start from scratch. That is when I decided to put the book away and only incorporate the same ending and what I could remember from the chapter with muscle memory. I found that to be the most productive way that worked for me.
I also liked how you kept everything gender neutral, but I found it interesting that you said you found yourself going back to the classic troped of Adam and Eve, or Pandora and the box. Because you have been told these stories, or read them, they are now influencing you subconsciously when trying to write a story. Despite you subsiding the influences and writing what you wanted, these stories still seemed to have left an impression. I have a question for you – do you think you can relate this to the theme of storytelling in general, or do you feel like this is not the same?
Thanks 🙂 Maya
Hmm, very interesting. I think that definitely yes it is nearly impossible to write without influence. It would be difficult to examine writing that existed inside a vacuum without some outside influence in this day and age.
Hey Emilia!
This story was so immersive and felt familiar to me, but in a good way. It was ominous and heeded as a warning with the utilization of timeless tropes. I really appreciated your use of those tropes and the attention to detail that you provided us with! What a great writer you are! I seriously can’t wait to read more from you.
Though you kept the story gender-neutral I found myself immediately assuming that almost every character (gods included) was a man. Perhaps it is because of my upbringing, surrounded by Christian propaganda and how they name their God as Father. Though I am not religious myself I thought it was interesting as to where my mind swerved immediately in ways of gender. I’d like to know, why do you think so many deities are perceived to be male and why? Would love to hear your take on this.
Cheers,
Arianne Robbins
Thanks for the feedback! I think that could definitely be linked to a Judeo-Christian familiarity where God, Jesus, every priest, pope and cardinal are men. some strange western link of authority to masculinity. this definitely mirrors the dichotomy between the earth diver and Adam/Eve trope. I wonder if people raised in polytheistic religions have this same problem? Its also curious since even when I found myself thinking so much about greek/roman gods, the god of knowledge is Athena!