3.

At the end of "Story of your Life", the concept of free will comes up as Louise Banks becomes fluent in
Heptapod B, meaning she is able to foresee the future. She compares this ability to a book of life, which
she supposes could only exist if no human could have access to it. She feels this enormous responsibility
to fulfill the prophecies, even if she knows they will lead to bad outcomes. For example, she buys a bowl
which she knows will injure her unborn daughter and she decides to have a baby when asked by Gary
Donnelly. Essentially, the novella focuses on the contradictory tension between free will and destiny. So,
to answer the question, I believe at the end of the story dr. Banks does not have free will. She is limited
by her visions. It also seems to me that the Heptapod language can explain why the aliens came to Earth
in the first place; They didn't have to have a reason. They were somewhat forced to bytheir destiny.

4. The anatomy of a heptapod is very different from a human anatomy. In the novella, this is the
description given by the narrator:

"It looked like a barrel suspended at the intersection of seven limbs. It was radially symmetric, and any of
itslimbs could serve as an arm or a leg. The one in front of me was walking around on four legs, three
non-adjacentarms curled up at its sides. (...) ts limbs had no distinct joints; anatomists guessed they
might besupported by vertebral columns. Whatever their underlying structure, the heptapod's limbs
conspired to move it in adisconcertingly fluid manner. Its "torso" rode atop the rippling limbs as
smoothly as a hovercraft. Seven lidless eyes ringed the top of the heptapod's body. It walked back to the
doorway from which it entered,made a brief sputtering sound, and returned to the center of the room
followed by another heptapod; at no point didit ever turn around. Eerie, but logical; with eyes on all
sides, any direction might as well be "forward."

Ted Chang's attempt, I believe, was to give specific differences between a Heptapod and a
human. In most science fiction books and films the aliens look at least in some part humanoid or share
animal traits. The Heptapods, on the other hand, through their anatomy, seem to be saying: "We are
completely unique". I also like how the body traits are not completely pointless; a distinct image can be
built upon the description, which relates to their languages and behaviour.

7. Language and communication are a key part of the novella; Not only is the plot centered around the
attempt to decode the Heptapod language, but also communication with the main characters' husband
and, more importantly, her daughter. I personally found it really interesting how Louise Banks was able
to learn a completely unique language just by analyzing it thoroughly. It really gave me some perspective
on how linguists attempt to decypher another speech.

Another engrossing concept was that of the semagrams, a language design not involving the
considerance of time. While authors have often written about extraterrestrial creatures which exist in
more (or less!) than three dimensions (an example of this is the science fiction series "A Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams), they usually don't include physical appearance or internal
processes that come along with that.
 In conclusion, language and communication are in fact an important part of the story, a set-up,
bringing the two reciprocal stories together nicely and creating an environment in which the story is told.
Ted Chiangs research precding his work is really noticable.

9. The most important thought of the novella is probably the philosophical problem of free will: If time
is really a dimension, and the future is already determined, do people really have free will?

The author does not ask or answer directly, but rather gives hints throughout the novel making
it impossible to miss this issue. He makes the main character make tough decisions which she knows will
affect the future, in a way which she knows of. This makes her ask if she has now control over her own
life. Interestingly enough, if her worries should be the truth, everybody has never had any, ever. I
personally feel that even with Louise's Banks' knowledge, the future doesn't have to be determined. She
never makes any choices which are in conflict with her visions, but what if she did? Would the world
crash? After all, Herbert George Wells also adressed the idea of time travel in "The Time-Machine", but
never had any problem with free will. It seems like it really just depends on the person. Some would be
too afraid to change the timeline, and some would go for it, which means that we only have free will if
we believe we have it. A beautiful message.

10. I used to love science fiction, my favorite author being Orson Scott Card ( I sincerely hope these
responses aren't too personal, by the way). I really appreciated the ethical and philosophical ideas
portrayed by stories in space. It made the books something more than just a tale. "Story of Your Life" is
alike that way. It was a really nice way to spend some time, reading the story, and discussing it in class.
The answer to the question should undoubtedly be positive considering the renown of the novel. It has
been awarded the Nebula prize and nominated for the Hugo prize, which I have always considered to be
the two most important science-fiction awards. Another observation is that the book has been the
insiration for a high-budget Hollywood movie, which is a very general rule for determining great pieces
of writing.