If I were to choose a book with hybrid characters to add to the course syllabus, I think Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, would be a fun read. While it is a modern book written to entertain, it does make some great social, political, and ethical commentary on the issue of good versus evil. The main hybrid character would be Elphaba, better known later as the Wicked Witch of the West. Born green with some other eccentric features (sharp teeth? Yikes!), the novel follows her journey to find her place in the political order of Oz. The Animal vs. animal controversy that drives the political struggle in the book is also reminiscent of our Frankenstein and Equiano characters. Animals (with a capital A) are intelligible creatures capable of speech, but have the form of normal animals. One view argues that Animals have more in common with humans than animals because they are possess higher thinking. The tyrant Wizard of Oz, however, is creating social standards discriminating against Animals. As the recurring theme during this course, the novel brings up the issue of how society determined the definition of what is human and how education, indicating higher learning, plays a role in integrating. Plus, the musical is awesome, though of course a lot less dark and political. But who doesn’t like a good tune? I think I’ll listen to the soundtrack as I contemplate my last post…