Answer TWO of the
following:
Q1: In Chapter Nine, a
group of soldiers are conversing about the Martians: one calls them
“octopuses,” and another remarks, “It ain’t no murder killing beasts like that”
(39). If aliens are always a metaphor for mankind, why did Wells make them so
grotesque and octopus-like? In other words, why stress their inhumanity to the
reader?
Q2: One of the most
important elements of science fiction is what we call verisimilitude, the
quality of making something appear real—or what Coleridge termed the
“suspension of disbelief.” The more we believe the events of science fiction
are possible, the more we fall under their spell and ultimately unlock their
metaphors. How does Wells accomplish this in the opening chapters of The War
of the Worlds? How does he attempt to blur fact and fiction? (note: those
of you who read A Journal of the Plague Year last semester might find a
connection between that work and this one).
Q3: How does the public
react to the growing threat of the Martians? Remember that the media didn’t
have the power or influence in his day as it does in ours, and yet newspapers
picked up stories quickly and disseminated them. What might the public’s
response say about Wells’ views of England
Q4: How might Mars and the
Martians represent some of England
Q1: I think that Wells wanted the aliens to be an example of the worst parts of humanity. Yes, they are supposed to be a metaphor for mankind, but not a pretty one. The aliens are a reflection of the worst sides of humanity, the ugly truths. So I believe that Wells stresses their inhumanity to show how uncivilized some of our actions really are. It is supposed to provoke deep thought and internal reflection.
ReplyDeleteQ2: Wells does a great job of making the first chapters seem like a historical journal of an actual event. Similar to how A Journal of the Plague Year makes it seem like it was literally written during that time period. Making something seem factual really scares people and forces them to really pay close attention to what the writer is saying. When they realize it's fiction they are already to inthrawled and they start to understand the metaphors and that is the whole point. You want readers to see the similarities and make those meaningful connections, that is what keeps the work relevant. It then applies to all generations.
Ashley Bean
ReplyDelete1. By making the Martians so grotesque, the reader is distanced from them. If they were more humanoid, we would see them as humans, and would miss the sense of the “other.” While they are a metaphor for us, it’s the us within us, which sometimes is incredibly grotesque, like the Martians. Distance is necessary to see the whole picture, and so the Martians are made very different from us.
2. The crowd around the cylinder is very realistic. Humans are very curious, to the point that it gets us killed, like in this case. Our noses must be in everything. Their initial reactions of the grotesque were also very real, and I can see how this story being radio broadcasted could be convincing. He references places and names, and the way he talked about the heat ray was also convincing.
Mason Horanzy
ReplyDeleteQ1: First of all, the aliens in an alien invasion story cannot be human, or it would defeat the point. the closest I have ever seen to an alien being human was in the movie Prometheus. If the aliens are an analogy t humans, it is easier to manifest their brutal and savage nature when using aliens or other creatures. the fact that the invaders are "things" adds the fear of the unknown into the work. In my opinion, I find it harder to create a fearful plot with plain ol' humans. The creepiest books I have ever read involve some kind of "thing". I think this is because scenarios are more easily explained when caused by humans. The use of non human characters also allows a more acceptable level of morbidity to the writing.
Q2: I feel like this questions can be easily related to question 1. When I think of science fiction, I tend to think of the classic, stereotypical sci-fi stories such as this one. I usually think of robots and little green men with space lasers. I think this cliched version of sci-fi is meant to be more believable than other genres. This is because the plots seem like they could actually happen. In the days of H.G. Wells we knew practically nothing about Mars, this made it easier to believe that Martians could invade. This is opposed to something as far fetched as Dracula or a werewolf story. Classic Sci-fi always seems to take place in a mostly normal/believable world. The use of first person narration usually aids in adding to the realism. It allows the reader to feel more connected, or involved, with the story rather than just being an observer. It also allows a deeper insight into the emotions of the main character, thus drawing out a deeper emotional response from the reader.
Karlyn Hedges
ReplyDeleteQ1. These aliens are meant to represent the bad side of humanity. They are a metaphor for the disgusting and evil things that humans do. They're just a visual representation of that, which I think is very effective. It's scary to be able to visualize the horrible things that some humans do. Their inhumanity is stressed because some of the things that people do are inhumane as well, but we don't always realize that if we can't see it.
Q2. Wells wrote this in such a way that makes it seem like he was really there for these fictional events. His story sounds like a recalling of bad memories. The first person narrative lends to this feeling, and also helps readers feel as if we too are experiencing these events. He makes it seem plausible, like it really did happen or it's really going to happen. He makes us believe in it.
Q1: I can’t help but think that what we see when we look at the Martians might be some kind of depiction of how animals view us. From a dog’s perspective we’re probably these weird, hairless things that shouldn’t be able to walk like we do (two legs, how absurd!), with misshapen heads and fingers (how do those even work?!). We have funny little teeth and trim down uselessness what could pass as claws, so by all means we must appear weak and ridiculous to them. However, we are capable of things that put us far above dogs. When we see the Martians, we see what the dog’s see in us: something weak that couldn’t possibly be a serious threat. The reverse is also true: they see us as a common animal.
ReplyDeleteQ4: Colonial England had an ego the size of its empire (and maybe even then some). They were the greatest, they were strongest, they had the biggest empire, they were the most advanced, and most importantly they were civilized. Wherever they conquered they were clearly superior to the natives.
But then the Martians came.
The Martians were more advanced than the British, and their machinery made them stronger than the British. Suddenly England wasn’t the greatest; a thought that they had to confront as a country for possibly the first time. Their society couldn’t hold up and crumbled beneath the might of foreign invaders that were so superior to them that it was almost laughable. The British Empire fell at the hands of the most foreign of foreigners: Martians. So colonial England had to come to terms with some certain aspects with themselves that they would have preferred remain secret: the possibility of British inferiority, the possibility of human inferiority, and the fallibility of society and civilization.
Elyse Marquardt
ReplyDeleteQ2:Wells masterfully accomplishes the suspension of disbelief in his opening chapters. He goes into such detail about the distance of Mars from the sun, the age of Mars, the population of Mars, the makeup of Mars, that we must begin getting sucked into the story. He grimly explains the assumed mindset of the Martians there. We do not see it as fodder for an exciting story. Rather, Wells presents it in the flat, matter-of-fact tone of a news reporter informing us of actual events. The fiction of the story is swallowed up in the facts that he keeps providing us with.
Q3: At first, the public responds to the Martians with the gawking curiosity of a tourist; then, as they discover that these invaders are dangerous, the people in the know begin to panic and lose their minds. The people who do NOT know are incredulous, looking down upon those frightened ones as inferior and stupid. Wells presents the people in this story in a very negative light, almost as mindless prey that the superior Martians will naturally hunt down and eliminate. This symbolizes Wells's attitude toward Great Britain. The English think that they know so much, when in actuality they are simply another group of people awaiting their time to go extinct. It is a grim outlook; but it is only reflective of what has happened to countless other great civilizations throughout history, and Wells is pointing that out in no uncertain terms.
Elyse Marquardt
Q1: Man seems to have a hard time respecting other creatures and even other people that are different. Wells makes this very clear in the opening chapter of the book. Men are described as "blinded by his vanity" (8). Men, especially white, English men, tend to believe they are the superior race as compared with everyone else. The British Empire has conquered many cultures they felt to be inferior to their own. Interestingly, Wells chooses to emphasize the grotesque and repulsive form of the alien invaders. They are creatures that we normally would look down on and see as insignificant, but they prove to be a match for all of humanity.
ReplyDeleteQ4: The empire has, as I mentioned before, been the perpetrator of unspeakable acts of destruction against other civilizations. They have conquered thousands of people and disrespected the validity of their values and ideas. The ultimate fear, then, for any English man or woman is being conquered themselves. If they were treated how they have treated others, the British would lose absolutely everything.
1.) The aliens aren't meant to be manlike: they are meant to be almost a demi human of some sort. First off, this is emphasizing the ignorant nature of man to believe that the shape of man is the ultimate form of life in existence. Wells wants to point out that, just because we are superior to our planet (region, country, etc.), it does not mean we are any less disposable than the beef we eat. To those animals, we look like horribly, monstrous creatures That being said, it directly relates to the fear of those in power that is instilled within the "common" people. The aliens (those in power) are able to make everyone else shudder just by being present. This says a great deal about those who are in charge of the British Empire.
ReplyDelete3.) While the media (past and present) can't get close enough to some of the action to report with blatantly, factual details, this does not stop them from reporting at all. Instead, they will either downplay or up-play the situation in order to give the masses some peace of mind, whether it is negative or positive. The people in this story are no different than we are today: we will see a headline and blindly believe it, regardless of having checked any other sources to find out if it is factual. The problem with those living during the invasion in The War of the Worlds is that they typically only had one or two outlets of finding out the truth. If the paper posts it, it must be true. Thus, the people begin following the headlines like sheep. They do not panic when panic is far more necessary and they stop listening to the headlines once the going gets to its roughest.
1. I feel like just the comment that the guy mentions "It ain’t no murder killing beasts like that" insinuates that these creatures are in fact representations of humans. If they weren't, that comment wouldn't have been made. Nobody would say that killing a deer is murder (besides, you know, people that don't like that stuff) so why would someone say that in reference to an alien? I think they are a metaphor of the most ugly parts of us. When I was a kid my mom would tell me (on occasion, because I was generally a good kid) that I was acting "ugly." That, in adult form, is what the aliens represent. They can't be pretty aliens.
ReplyDelete2. First off, I had never heard of "verisimilitude" so I appreciate knowing that word exists. He starts the story off as a history--a tale. Kind of like in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Frankenstein and like you said, the book we read last year, Journal of the Plague Year. The introductions all go along the lines of "Once upon a time," or "Not long ago," and that gives us the feeling of a story. Of course, in Frankenstein we aren't convinced that it could be real, but in the other two stories, we consider the possibility that this may not be a story as it seems. It may have more to it.
Q3: It is interesting how the public reacts to the Martians. The media of today would have been much more involved with the process, but it is interesting that rather than attempting to warn every one of the events, they were more interested in spinning a story. The focus of the media was to sell papers and to gain attention. This could be a shot at the fact that rather than actually protecting its people, England was more focused on the façade of things and putting on a good face for the outside.
ReplyDeleteQ4: It is interesting that the Martians could be a metaphor for England’s colonial fears in a way that they are also “unknown.” By we being aware that Mars has been around longer than Earth and is running near the end of its existence reminded them of their own personal precarity. England was such a powerful force of that time and being reminded of the fact that their rule of imperialism could end was terrifying. The fear of the “other” and the chance of being overpowered is overwhelming.