October 2, 2015 - 12:15
"Slippage", as described in "Slipping into Something More (Un)Comfortable" by Anne Dalke, is explained as an "involuntary access to a part of our unconscious". Through Marie Louise Pratt's idea of "contact zone", or an instance where differences meet, the "slips" that Dalke details become more evident as society shifts its ideals and people become aware of cultural and political differences. The "notions of ‘slip’ posit a new state emerging from the act of slipping, a temporary loss of control that yields both a personal, subjective truth and a changed state that has moved away from ‘a standard’ and into new thought and order" (Dalke). With regard to this notion of "slippage", the meaning of the story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", by Ursula LeGuin is accentuated as an urgency for change in society.
The story by LeGuin outlines a city, Omelas, in which life is unsettlingly nice. The utopian society prides itself in its independence from violence, hatred and useless gadgets. However, ultimately, the article focuses in on a minute yet crucial detail of the city; the joy and carefree livelihood of all the citizens rests solely on the neglect of one small child. LeGuin tells of a reaction where the vast majority of citizens are traumatized by these horrific circumstances, yet they are not moved to dramatically change their lifestyle. Alternatively, a few citizens are so impacted by this child, that they feel compelled to leave Omelas. The reaction of these few agrees with Dalke's premise that change is needed to effectively overcome a "slip".
In both essays, Dalke and LeGuin highlight the impact "slips" have on society while reiterating the need to learn from these exposures. Dalke describes many encounters she witnesses in which young adults argue for a change after a "slip". When a few students decide to hang the Confederate flag in a dorm, others are deeply offended by this action. Eventually, a solution is reached however only when action is taken to revise the "slip". "'I’m learning how an unintentional “slip” might function... to remind us that 'there is something down there that needs to be cleaned up.' Of course this making of messes, and then cleaning them up, never ends, but... this process can... precipitate action, and change" (Dalke). One would hope the students learned from their "slip" and in affect, would not slip again in this manner. LeGuin also briefly articulates the effect the child has on a few people, and the rarity it is to leave the city. "At times one of the adolescent girls or boys who go to see the child does not go home to weep or rage, does not, in fact, go home at all... They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back" (LeGuin). In this case, learning from the "slip" would be leaving the corrupt city of Omelas.
The tone LeGuin employs, suggests the extremity of leaving Omelas. As previously stated, the majority of citizens choose to stay in Omelas. They live with the knowledge of the suffering child and feel guilty, but they do not leave their comfortable environment; staying is easy. There is a significance about leaving the society because it is rare, yet it is even more significant to leave because whoever chooses to go is unsure of their destination. In the Confederate flag instance, it would be easy to ignore the complaints of others and continue waving the flag. This action however, would not posit a change, ultimately ignoring the chance to learn from this "slip". This desertion of previous ways of living or thinking are necessary in order to influence positive change.
Thus, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas", is a plea for change. Le Guin, a science-fiction novelist is known for her "innovative new avenues" that "plumb deeper human conflicts" (Clark). The idea of one child suffering for the good of a society is a "slip" in LeGuin's eyes. This also may resemble realistic situations throughout society to which LeGuin hopes for a solution. Dalke writes "that one student’s pain outweighs the slight loss of pleasure experienced by the others" (Dalke), and LeGuin desires Omelas to abide by this moral. Thus, with the notion of "slippage" in mind, LeGuin explains that the ones who leave Omelas are confronting the problem; these few are learning from a "slip". Ultimately, LeGuin hopes to inspire a change in society.
Upon first impression, the underlying message of LeGuin's essay could be interpreted in various ways, such as dystopia. However, with analysis, one realizes that LeGuin's essay includes a much more significant meaning. The author has an aspiration for change in this society. "And now I wonder: in communities formed less intentionally... what other opportunities for renewal might exist, what slips between intent and action, between action and reaction" (Dalke).
Works Cited
Clark, Taylor. "Portlander Ursula K. Le Guin Is Breathing Fire to Save American Literature." Monthly Portland. A SagaCity Media Publication, 20 July 2015. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.
Dalke, Anne. "Slipping into Something More (Un)Comfortable: Untangling Identity, Unsettling Community." DRAFT chapter for Steal This Classroom: Teaching and Learning Unbound, book manuscript by Anne Dalke and Jody Cohen, forthcoming with punctum press, Summer 2016.
LeGuin, Ursula. "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." The Wind's Twelve Quarters. New York: Harper & Row, 1975.