Response To 'The Star Beast' By Chuck Collins

Why does classification determine their worth as humans? How does that determine who you like and who you don’t? Chuck Collins has stated that “we get into trouble as a society when we don’t see that we’re in the same boat.” He shows that people generally have trouble reaching out to those who are different or outside of their comfort zone. In contrast, Collins also wants us to recognize that when we leave people out of society, we hurt ourselves in the process. Nicholas Stuart Gray and June Jordan warn their readers of othering and its effects on others. In “The Star Beast” by Nicholas Stuart Gray, an intelligent alien comes to earth to teach humans about the secrets of the world but gets mistreated in the process. In “A Short Note to My Very

She uses a list format to illustrate her frustration with 'othering' that leads to pain and misunderstandings. "First they said I was too light/ Then they said I was too dark," the speaker explains in lines 1-2. Each line describes views that are directly opposite from one another. Expectations are inconsistent as they could never truly be achieved. They are based on characteristics that don't truly define a person's value. For example, in lines 5-6, "Then they said I was too young / Then they said I was too old." There's no way to be young and old at the same time. In putting these rules in place, the speaker feels annoyed and left out. It is as if they are kicking her out of their boat, thereby preventing her from having a connection with them. People who call themselves her "well-beloved friends and comrades" seem to think they are more superior than she is because they know what's acceptable to them. Throughout the poem, the speaker uses the pronouns “I” and “they” to convey how they feel separated from her “friends and comrades.” It is clear from lines 1-12 that she feels lonely with her “friends.” It also conveys her growing annoyance with their demands and the sense of isolation caused by exclusion. Individuals are often singled out by rules like these for no apparent reason. In line 13, the speaker illustrates more of what her friends and comrades tell her: “Make up your mind!" They say." It seems impossible for Jordan to belong when she is constantly told that her behavior or identity is wrong. When people cannot be themselves, society cannot thrive. This illustrates the "trouble" society gets into when people fail to see they are all in the same