Le Guin’s book is a science fiction novel that is set sometime in a distant future where humans have destroyed the earth’s vegetation. Desperate for raw materials they colonize another planet called Athshe. Humans under the leadership of Captain Davidson cut down trees and send them back home for use. After years of brutal oppression, Athsheans decide to fight back and take back their land. Despite Athsheans peaceful nature, they begin conducting a series of organized attacks meant to weaken the human military.
In this section, Le Guin describes the similarity of Athshean’s situation to that of African colonization by Europeans. After their arrival to African shores, Europeans started the process of enslaving indigenous people and setting up settlements and plantations. According to the Europeans, all Africans were subhuman and unworthy of any respect which led to ecological and cultural degradation. Also like the European colonizers, humans begin renaming indigenous lands. This renaming of ancestral lands showed a lack of respect for local history and culture.
In response to Athshean’s revolt, humans conduct a series of attacks but are finally defeated. Humans are pushed out of Athshe and forced to live in the harsh conditions they created on earth. The Athshean leader now worries about the future of his people. Athsheans were once peaceful but have since being forced to become mass murders. He worries that his people will still crave blood and not just of their enemies but those of friends and families.
