Running Head: The Community of the 100

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The Community of the 100

Cory Do

RWS 1301

UTEP

Professor Hernandez

9/24/2017
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In The 100 (a series on Netflix) there is a very vast discourse community at play. There

are many different factions and sets of people that make the show interesting. These people

communicate with each other on the occupied part of the Earth that they all inhabit. Their

geography consists of many forests and grassland clearing as well as one capital city. Each and

every individual participates in the discourse community. The plot of the 100 starts after the Ark

(13 space stations all connected together to keep the human race alive while the Earth suffered

from high radiation levels.) starts running out of supply of oxygen and food. The council decides

to send 100 criminal teenagers down to the surface of Earth to see if its survivable. The 100

teenagers later find out that not everything on the Earth is what they were expecting when going

down. There are also other people down on the surface who have survived and

reproduced/thrived for the past 3 generations. Quickly they must learn how to survive and fend

for themselves so they dont die. A discourse community can be defined by its a few important

characteristics, these would be communication, lexis, a common goal shared by everyone, an exit

and an entrance out of the community, and having meetings. All of these are key benefactors to a

discourse community.

Communication is key in any discourse community. English is a universal language that

everyone can all speak. Every person from the Ark speaks this language and has more

intellectual ability, such as the sciences and the arts. The other beings down on the ground

nicknamed Grounders have their own separate language that they speak, however they also

speak English. Since the grounders dont have as much intellectual ability, they express

themselves through battle. This makes a cultural barrier between the people from the Ark and

those who were already living on the ground. The people from the Ark all use radio to speak to

each other when from far distances. Skaikru (meaning sky people in the grounder language) after
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allying itself with Trikru, gave them a radio for communication. Grounders have a horn that they

will blow for battles or to let know of meeting or many other alerts. Skaikru has technology such

as flares to let know when a task is finished like when executed a master plan. Theres an

Artificial Intelligence called ALIE. ALIE is the main threat of 3rd season. What ALIE does is,

force people to eat a microchip which takes away their pain but puts them completely under her

control. Anyone under her control she can see through/hear through them. Basically she uses

their minds as a communication system to do her bidding and whatever she sees fit. On a server

called the City of Light, their minds all become linked together as one.

Everyone in The 100 has one common goal. They all try to do whats right to keep

their faction safe and winning. The different factions will stab each other in the back if it helps

their respectful faction safe or benefits them. For example, Clark (the lead girl) tries to rescue her

friends from the Mountain Men (civilized people who reside within a mountain.) The people

living within the mountain, their bodies cant withstand radiation so they cant come out of the

mountain. They start stealing the bone marrow of her friends killing them so the Mountain

Men could survive on the surface without bodysuits. The Mountain Men thought it was okay

to kill teenagers for the bone marrow at the cost of making their people thrive on the surface.

Clark requested the aid from The Commander who controls all 13 clans. It would benefit her

because Mountain Men kidnapped many Grounders and used them as test subjects. The two

would work together to free everyone who was kidnapped within the mountain. The Mountain

Men made a deal with The Commander to release all of the Grounders from their clutches in

return for their armies to leave, right under Clarks nose leaving her almost helpless. Clark had to

go infiltrate the enclosed space and kill all of the people of the mountain to get her friends back.

She irradiated the whole mountain and the Mountain Men all died of severe radiation
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poisoning. In the later 4th season, Skaikru learns that theres another wave of radiation about to

occur on the surface of Earth. They all have to find a place to survive the radiation wave called

Praimfya. A bunker that can save 1300 people of the human race is found. Everyone fights for it

in a grand battle to the death of 13 clans where they all send one hero. Skaikru, steals the bunker

to save their own people selfishly before the battle even ended. Little did they know that their

own hero won the fight. Their hero, Octavia believed that people from all 13 clans should

survive and they distributed it that all can save 100 from each clan before the death wave reached

them.

Just like other discourse communities, The 100 has its own lexis or slang. The

grounders have a language called Trigedsaleng. Trigedasleng is descended from a heavily-

accented dialect of American English which has evolved rapidly over three generations.[

(http://the100.wikia.com/wiki/Trigedasleng#cite_note-Tumblr-1) In this language, the grounders

name the most powerful warriors with nicknames. Two of the characters from Skaikru received

nicknames for their lethality. Clarke and Octavia have both received nicknames, Wanheda and

Skairipa respectively. They mean Commander of Death and Death from Above. Since time has

long passed, slang and casual sayings are much different than before. Skaikru has a saying and

Bobs your uncle! which basically has the same meaning as Bingo!, or You got it!.

Having meetings is key to understanding whats going on in a government, organization,

or any kind of job. In such meetings, discussion can be held on how to improve or how to bestow

programs that can benefit other people. Times of war may be distinguished by a council. In The

100 the Commander calls to council a representative from each clan to speak on her demands as

she uses them for her army. Before attacking the Mountain Men the commander issued an

order to arms for everyone to meet at a rendezvous point. This point was leaked and attacked by
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a powerful missile, killing many members of the clans this proved to improve moral to fight.

Within Skaikru there is a chancellor with full almost full control. He has a council where they

discuss how they grow crops, and where to scavenge as well as war plans.

Life and death are common ways of an entrance or exit in a discourse community. While

not many people are born in the 100, many people die. Since the grounders arent as

technologically advanced theyre more accustomed to battle and often fight each other to the

death in regular occurrences. Dont get attached to the side characters, theyll probably die

sooner or later. However this isnt the only way you can leave the discourse community. John

Murphy was banished from the original campsite of the 100 for attempting to murder a little girl

who framed him for murder. After returning back after having a terrible sickness to be saved he

was left unwelcomed. Jaha welcomed him on an expedition to the City of Light. The City of

Light is basically a suicide venture mission where no one ever reaches. This is way farther than

anyone would like to go and they cannot communicate with anyone whos in the general area of

Arkadia.

Works Cited

http://the100.wikia.com/wiki/Trigedasleng#cite_note-Tumblr-1