12 Jul 2009
Essays on Ecotopia Emerging
After writing the novel Ecotopia, Ernest Callenbach found himself under tremendous pressure to explain how a society like Ecotopia could emerge from our modern society. Written a decade after Callenbach’s hit classic Ecotopia, Ecotopia Emerging steps back in time, showing the events which lead up to the fascinating society presented in Ecotopia. Ecotopia Emerging shows how a mix of technological, environmental and social pressures could set the stage for the emergence of a new philosophy and fledgling society like Ecotopia. With Ecotopia Emerging, Callenbach leads us down the path from civil discontent to all-out rebellion, establishing not only a realistic storyline leading us back to his first novel, but providing a veritable template for social change activists around the world.
Ecotopia Emerging starts out with the daughter of a talented architect pursuing her hobby of scientific exploration; more specifically, her attempts to perfect solar cell manufacturing. In the first few pages, Ernest Callenbach shows that Ecotopia is not just a political movement, but one of sustainable development and healthy human psychology, including bucking the trends of thinking that were developing rapidly in the mid-eighties regarding teen sexuality.
Through the course of the novel, Callenbach paints a picture of determination as his characters fight not only for their own philosophies, but for the survival of all mankind, using a mix of emotional propaganda and irrefutable logic. But when push comes to shove, Survivalists (as Callenbach’s theoretical political party came to call themselves) were just as capable of taking up arms and fighting.
- In the opening chapters, one of the characters is revealed to be a musician in the process of writing a new protest song. The chorus contains the lines “Step right up for your chemical swill, if a heart attack don’t kill you, then the cancer will.” Discuss the meaning of this and how it plays into the later development of the “Cancer Commandos.”
- The Survivalist Party (Callenbach’s theoretical political party) follows a strategy of shadowing political figures, offering alternative interpretations of speech materials from them at every opportunity. It is not until much later that the Survivalists actually begin campaigning for offices. Discuss Callenbach’s presentation of this and reflect on its significance in light of Benjamin Franklin’s commentary on changing society.
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