What was really interesting for me was watching over the course of the three books in the series, the way Holly Black transitioned from gothic to noir, and what she used that transition for.
Yes it is, but it's such a commonly parodied slogan that it no longer has any relevance in the gun control debate. Do not get me started on what a complete joke the American gun control debate is. I know the history behind the second amendment, and the reasons why guns are so much more normalized in our society, and the history of feudalism that already provided a framework for arms control, and yada yada yada. This does not change the fact that people die every day because my government can't get its act together and pass real, effective gun control legislation. /rant.
As for it's context in the book: the series actually explores this in some detail. The magic itself is very much a negative. Only a few of the types of magic a person can have are capable of being turned to positive ends, and all of them can be used for really horrible ends. It's utterly understandable why non magic workers would be terrified of magic workers. And technically, the law is against actually working magic, not against being born with magic. However, prejudice, a history of forced internment based on existence, not practice, and a continuing market for magical workings means that nearly all workers are either closeted, or make their livings through crime. It's never explicitly compared to gun control, but it is compared to prohibition, and also to queer rights and the politics of outing.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-01-19 04:18 pm (UTC)Yes it is, but it's such a commonly parodied slogan that it no longer has any relevance in the gun control debate. Do not get me started on what a complete joke the American gun control debate is. I know the history behind the second amendment, and the reasons why guns are so much more normalized in our society, and the history of feudalism that already provided a framework for arms control, and yada yada yada. This does not change the fact that people die every day because my government can't get its act together and pass real, effective gun control legislation. /rant.
As for it's context in the book: the series actually explores this in some detail. The magic itself is very much a negative. Only a few of the types of magic a person can have are capable of being turned to positive ends, and all of them can be used for really horrible ends. It's utterly understandable why non magic workers would be terrified of magic workers. And technically, the law is against actually working magic, not against being born with magic. However, prejudice, a history of forced internment based on existence, not practice, and a continuing market for magical workings means that nearly all workers are either closeted, or make their livings through crime. It's never explicitly compared to gun control, but it is compared to prohibition, and also to queer rights and the politics of outing.