Ursula Le Guin Analysis

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Ursula Kroeber, best known in the 20th century as Ursula Le Guin, has drawn in many readers though her creation of fantasy worlds that have themes related to modern times. Born in Berkeley, California on October 21, 1929, Le Guin was raised by writer, Theodora Kroeber, and anthropologist, Alfred Louis Korver. Built from the views of history and anthropology, Ursula Le Guin started writing sci-fi as early as the age of 12. Due to her parental influence and little exposure to religion, Le Guin mainly focused on the science aspect of the world while incorporating fantasy settings to entice readers. As Ursula Le Guin was growing up, she was told “write what you know” and because of this continual motto, as a writer she expressed, “I know these things. I know them better than anybody else possibly could, so it’s …show more content…

An individual 's duty is hard to maintain, especially through hardships, and although Ged is about to give up, he finds the courage inside of himself to do what is right and rid the town of this shadow. After journey across the lands chasing the shadow, Ged finally decides “Master, I go hunting” and he confronts the shadow; as he does so, “In silence, man and shadow met face to face, and stopped...Ged reached out his hands, dropping his staff, and took hold of his shadow, of the black self that reached out to him. Light and darkness met, and joined, and were one” (A Wizard of Earthsea 140,194). Only when Ged changed his tactic to face the monster was he able to find unity between the shadow and himself. He realized the shadow to be himself and recognized that his duty was to save the town from the darkness but also that that darkness was himself, meaning that duty can be united with the duty towards the community and