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Colonel Dongh
Mr. Or is a Hairy Cetian, a form of non-Terran (or Earth-based) human that is characteristically gray and stocky-looking. Along with Mr. Lepennon, Mr. Or is an emissary for the League of Worlds, and Commander Yung brings him to a meeting to discuss World 41’s colony status and the massacre at Smith Camp. Lyubov speculates that Yung may not want Or and Lepennon at this meeting, as Or is especially concerned about the treatment of the Athshean natives. Or is shown to be dry-witted, confrontational, and “sour,” a sharp contrast to Lepennon’s polite pleasantness, and he even goes so far as to insult the colonists by implying that they haven’t thought through their relationship to the Athsheans. Raj Lyubov notes that this is the greatest insult for a Cetian, as they are a deeply analytical and careful people. Lepennon and Or decide to leave their ansible, or transmitter, on World 41 in part due to their mounting distrust of the colonists.
Mr. Or Quotes in The Word for World is Forest
The The Word for World is Forest quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Or or refer to Mr. Or. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter Three Quotes
“No,” said the Cetian. “That’s done with. A colony like this had to believe what passing ships and outdated radio-messages told them. Now you don’t. You can verify. We are going to give you the ansible destined for Prestno. We have League authority to do so. Received, of course, by ansible. Your colony here is in a bad way. Worse than I thought from your reports. Your reports are very incomplete; censorship or stupidity have been at work. Now, however, you’ll have the ansible, and can talk with your Terran Administration; you can ask for orders, so you’ll know how to proceed. Given the profound changes that have been occurring in the organization of the Terran Government since we left there, I should recommend that you do so at once. There is no longer any excuse for acting on outdated orders; for ignorance; for irresponsible autonomy.”
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Lyubov sat and took it. Let the men from the ship see them all passing the blame around like a hot brick: all the better. The more dissension they showed, the likelier were these Emissaries to have them checked and watched over. And he was to blame; he had been wrong. To hell with my self-respect so long as the forest people get a chance, Lyubov thought, and so strong a sense of his own humiliation and self-sacrifice came over him that tears rose to his eyes.
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Mr. Or Character Timeline in The Word for World is Forest
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Or appears in The Word for World is Forest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Three
...introduces himself, he finds that one of the men is a Hairy Cetian named Mr. Or, and one is a Hainishman named Mr. Lepennon. Lepennon compliments Lyubov’s research on the Athsheans’...
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...were nonviolent, which makes him more confused than ever about what motivated the attack. Mr. Or dryly wonders whether Davidson was including the native people when he said that everyone at...
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...has likely seen the creechie-pens where the humans keep the Athsheans prisoner, but Lepennon and Or wouldn’t know anything about Terran colonies. Lyubov wonders why Lepennon and Or are at this...
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Lyubov feels suddenly excited by the idea that Lepennon and Or weren’t supposed to be here. He asks Davidson to confirm that one of the natives...
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...that this is only Lyubov’s opinion, as the camp uses the Voluntary Autochthonous Labor Corps. Or asks how many of each race there are, and Gosse says there are 2,641 Terrans...
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Or asks if Davidson considers the native people human, since he had sex with one. When...
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...interstellar organization known as the League of Worlds has existed for 18 years. He and Or are emissaries. Lyubov thinks that these men could be lying about the existence of this...
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...the “little green men,” the Athsheans. An officer named Benton asks Lepennon if he and Or have authority here, and Lepennon says that no, the officers still answer to their government....
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...half years. He asks if the colony can last that long, and Dongh says yes. Or asks if the natives can last, and Lyubov, who has been observing Davidson with rising...
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...colonists were vulnerable to attack. Lyubov just sits there, hoping that the infighting will make Or and Lepennon likelier to check in and put a stop to any wrongdoing that happens...
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