Talk:Union
City or Nation?[edit]
Should Union be classified as a nation or a city? Due to the nature of settlements on Canticle it seems unclear since it isn't really a proper city yet as a nation it often appears to just be the one city. For the time being I have classified it as a nation in the article with a capital of the same name as that seems most accurate. I believe that evidence in the book points towards this; first Rebreke refers to it having integrated the other cities:
“Essentially,” she said, slowing the cycle to drink from her canteen. Then she continued without having to shout. “He ‘keeps the law.’ Has influence over basically every habitable corridor and has incorporated any cities of significance or size into Union. With smaller towns like ours, he’d send a few officials to represent him. Along with some of those Charred of his, of course, ready to enforce their orders. We just lived with it. For years—ever since I can remember, actually—we lived under his thumb. Until he started to change his rhetoric, get more aggressive, claiming that his destiny was to unite all people into one city. ”
—From chapter 12.[1]
It would seem unlikely that literally all of these major cities were integrated into the capital at that time, since how else would there be people in other corridors? As well as this it is clear not everywhere under his control was part of the capital, otherwise those smaller cities which followed his laws would not exist. Secondly the Cinder King himself seems to think of it as a nation considering his critique of Roshar:
“Your planet shouldn’t have different countries. You should have conquered and unified it all. ”
—From chapter 16.[2]
In my own opinion it would seem best to describe the entity as a nation with the ultimate aim of integrating everyone into the capital, rather than just the capital itself. I am curious to hear others thoughts on this.