Essay Rewrite

Sarah Wicks

            In the syllabus for this class, there is an epigraph that is part of a short story by Octavia Butler named “Bloodchild” It reads “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” This made me think about how this could be related to the idea of risk and rewards. One of the things that I thought of was the idea that in order to gain a reward we must, in turn, take a risk. By taking a risk in people or in institutions we are assuming that there will be an outcome that will benefit us in some way. Humans naturally make moves that will give us the outcomes that we desire. But, in making those decisions we also risk losing an unforeseen outcome which may have a greater negative input.

            One example that could be discussed is college. In going to college, you are taking a risk with the desired outcome that it will help you get a job and will make you more successful. However, if you are to fail in completing your degree you may end up in a situation where you have debts and no way of paying them back or you may find that the field that you have studied in is not an applicable job field and has very few spots. Although, the risk in going to college may for some outweigh the benefits, others may not see that as a deterrent and instead are will to choose majors and are willing to sacrifice many things in order to get the job or opportunity that they desired.

            This idea of people making decisions that they deem worth the risk may also be seen in “Bloodchild” when T’Gatoi needs Gan to kill an animal to help save someone’s life, Gan chooses to shoot the animal even though the possession of firearms in banned for the humans. “I would have to use it to shoot one of the biggest of the achti. Then T’Gatoi would probably confiscate it. Firearms were illegal in the Preserve. There had been incidents right after the Preserve was established—Terrans shooting Tlic, shooting N’Tlic. This was before the joining of families began, before everyone had a personal stake in keeping the peace. No one had shot a Tlic in my lifetime or my mother’s, but the law still stood—for our protection, we were told. There were stories of whole Terran families wiped out in reprisal back during the assassinations.” (7) In this moment Gan deems that losing the gun is worth the risk in order to save the man’s life. Another thing that could be seen as someone who is accepting a risk with an outcome that they desire could be seen in Gan’s mother when she refuses the egg. Gan’s mom dislikes the feeling of consuming the egg even though it could keep her young for a significantly longer amount of time. She is so reluctant to have the egg that T’Gatoi has to go far as to sting her so that she would be able to relax. Another outcome that is presented to Gan’s mother when she is not consuming the egg. She able to stay more aware of what is happening to her family and the world around her. In the world that Gan and his family live on they are not seen on the same level as the Tilc. In the past there has been conflict between the two races and it seems that if Gan’s mother is able to stay aware she may be able to protect her family better.

            In every risk that people take they are striving for the goal that they are set on. They make sure that the outcomes that may come from the risk are as minimal as possible. Many people try to negate the risk that they take by assuring that they are making what they deem as a safe move. On the other hand, many people find that in making these changes they may sacrifice other opportunities that they had not for seen. Often the risks that we make have more undesirable outcomes that the outcomes that we wanted. Because of that many people are hesitant to take risks because they are unsure of how to conduct and how to control the odds of the outcomes. If you play your moves safely you may find that you did not fully reap the benefits and are left with some form of guilt however if you overshoot you may lose more than you want and now have made a decision that may impact you further into the future.

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