Date of Award

2024-12-01

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Creative Writing

Advisor(s)

Daniel Chacon

Second Advisor

Jessica Powers

Abstract

Bloc 27 is set in the early 22nd century in a severely overpopulated and competitive world. The society is run by OX, a highly controlled powerhouse government. OX controls the citizens through hierarchy and a vast divide between the rich and the poor. The poor citizens, derogatorily termed "roaches," are controlled not through currency but by a highly specialized points system. This system is tracked through body tech called "Seed Trackers," implanted at birth and operated through the wrist. All data is tracked through these embedded devices, including their currency mode. Citizens gain points for fulfilling monthly initiatives, and points are deducted to pay for goods and services. The story follows the main character Akbar267-I as a child born and raised in the polluted streets and taken by OX to be raised for their initiatives. His father raises him until he is a young boy, and then he is given to OX to fulfill a contract his mother signed before his birth. He does not know his mother. The only information he has is pieced together from the few stories his father has shared periodically. After being taken, he spends the rest of his childhood and adolescence raised by OX, eventually becoming their employee as an adult. He is brainwashed through pills called "mood stabilizers," and his actions are tracked daily along with the other workers. What keeps him motivated is that he genuinely believes he is part of a greater force for stability, but really, he is just another pawn, controlled and monitored just like the roaches.

Language

en

Provenance

Recieved from ProQuest

File Size

162 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Makani Speier-Brito

Download

Share

COinS