The Dispossessed

by

Ursula K. Le Guin

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Cetian Term Analysis

The race of the Urrasti and Anarresti people. Cetians are, from Le Guin’s descriptions, humanoid, but are hairier and taller than Terrans or Hainish.

Cetian Quotes in The Dispossessed

The The Dispossessed quotes below are all either spoken by Cetian or refer to Cetian. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Freedom Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“The law of existence is struggle—competition—elimination of the weak—a ruthless war for survival. And I want to see the best survive. The kind of humanity I know. The Cetians. You and I: Urras and Anarres. We’re ahead of them now, all those Hainish and Terrans and whatever else they call themselves, and we’ve got to stay ahead of them. They brought us the interstellar drive, but we’re making better interstellar ships now than they are. When you come to release your Theory, I earnestly hope you’ll think of your duty to your own people, your own kind. Of what loyalty means, and to whom it’s due.”

Related Characters: Atro (speaker), Shevek
Page Number: 143
Explanation and Analysis:
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Cetian Term Timeline in The Dispossessed

The timeline below shows where the term Cetian appears in The Dispossessed. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5
The Failure of Utopian Ideals Theme Icon
Humility and Moderation vs. Ego and Excess Theme Icon
Individualism and Isolation vs. Collectivism and Solidarity Theme Icon
The People vs. the State Theme Icon
...a week, and the two discuss physics, genealogy, and history. Atro recalls the first time Cetians—the race of the Urrasti and Anarresti people—who had contact with the Hainish people, humanoid aliens... (full context)