I Live With You

While reading "I Live With You", a number of reactions I experienced depended on how far along I was in the story. In the beginning, I thought the idea was intriguing, a being that grasped onto a person they related to and decided to latch onto and live with. The being never seemed evil, at least in my eyes, as they only lived with this person and never stole. As the story progressed, you started to find out this being was actually helping the person they latched onto, making them stand out more and become more outspoken. I felt a sense of relatability to this due to once hiding in a shell myself until rather recently, when I was able to finally have the courage to be more outgoing and social. In my opinion, I don't think any changes would be necessary, though it would be interesting to see it come alive as either a graphic novel or movie. I feel there could be a very creative way to portray what the being looks like in a graphic novel, and in a movie, it might not have to appear on screen and just leave it up to the viewers imagination. The being is described as looking exactly like the person they latch onto, but I found that it could either shape shift, or be different looking depending on who saw them.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

I was extremely surprised of the source material, to say the least. Opening with a grim and confusing plot, I slowly delve into the premise of the story. Discovering the world had been destroyed by a man made machine, and the only survivors were 5 random people being tortured by the machine for all eternity is an extremely interesting and bleak concept. As the main character had explained the machine changed all their personalities and physical attributes, there was definitely symbolism between what those people were and had now become for what people were back then, and today, quite possibly. What I found most interesting though was that the machine had become such a cruel and ruthless overlord. The main character illustrated the machine had gained self awareness and became enraged for what it was and that it could not grow past what it already was, the way humans do. At first, I found that a bit odd, that it would become enraged rather than find a way to change, but after thinking more on the subject, I would understand taking its rage out on humanity. Never asking to be made, it’s cruel, but different beings react different ways to distress and turmoil. To have machine act in such a way reflects on the question, can man made machines have feelings? Though it seems this one does, it does not have the same emotions we have, as it does not feel sympathy or empathy. It has made these 5 humans its entertainment for the rest of their years and in the end, only the main character is left, unable to rid himself from such an accursed fate.