A Window on the Universe Essay Question and Sample Answer

A Window on the Universe Essay 4

According to the stories in this collection, what role does technology have in the future?

In A Window on the Universe, technology is presented as helpful to humans, but also potentially dangerous and threatening to humanity.

In most stories set in the future, authors speculate about the ways in which technology might assist our lives. This collection of stories is no exception. Several authors suggest that technology will help humans with everyday household tasks, such as the robotic chef in ‘Human Is’ and the food-delivery tubes in ‘Zero Hour’. There is also technology to assist with communication, some of which has come true since the stories were published, such as the “audio-visor” in ‘Zero Hour’, which seems to be similar to a video-phone. One author suggests that machines will completely take over many of humanity’s jobs. In ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’, machines have many roles, apparently taking over the need for humans to do any agricultural work at all.

However, technology is also a potential source of danger and fear in the future. In ‘Stitch in Time’, scientists develop amazing time-travelling technology. However, the potential related dangers are implied when Thelma’s love story is ruined by this technology; the man she wished to marry, and who was her true love, is prevented from marrying her because he is taken by this machine. Technology interrupts a truly human emotional story of love. Another story in which technology poses a danger to humanity is ‘The Sound Machine’. Klausner is driven mad by what he discovers with new technology: the sound of apparent pain made by plants when they are ‘hurt’. Because of his inability to comprehend the sounds beyond their human implications – irrational anthropomorphism – he assumes that the plants are crying out in agony. By the end of the story, he acts extremely irrationally, requesting that the doctor apply human medicine to the tree, which is technically incapable of feeling pain. His appearance at the end of the story is that of a mad axeman: a stereotype of a violent, unstable person. This story highlights the potential for technology to provide us with information or abilities which could lead to our own destruction. In a more direct way, some stories, such as ‘Zero Hour’, hint at frightening alien technologies which could assist other species to attack Earth.

In this collection of stories, technology has the capability to both assist and destroy humanity. It could help to make life easier, by removing the need for humans to undertake physical and mental tasks. However, it could also contribute to our destruction.

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A Window on the Universe Essay Question and Sample Answer

A Window on the Universe Essay 2

In the introduction to this collection, it is said that the stories “remind us that human beings are only very small pebbles on a very big beach”. What do you think this means? How does the collection of stories accomplish this?

My interpretation of the quotation above is that the stories in A Window to the Universe show us that humans are small and insignificant in the broader context of the universe. The majority of stories in the collection describe a future in which Earth is connected to space, either through extensive space travel or contact with alien species. These stories show that, despite humanity’s current tendency to consider itself the most significant species in existence, we are just a tiny part of a much bigger picture.

A recurring theme throughout the stories in this collection is that of advanced space travel. In ‘Human Is’, little detail is provided about such travel, but it is clear that the story takes place between several different planets, some of which are ruined, such as Rexor, where Lester was replaced by an alien parasite. Similarly, the existence of other planets, and Earth’s contact with them, is implied in ‘The Machine That Won the War’, which describes a huge war between different planets. The existence of and communication with other planets reminds the reader that the Earth is just one tiny planet in a huge universe, full of millions of other planets. The vastness of the universe is also emphasised in ‘It’s a Good Life’, in which the community has been moved into a dark and frightening corner of the universe, totally isolated. The existence of these frightening empty spaces reminds the reader of the unimaginable expanse of the universe.

This collection of stories also contains several examples of alien life forms which are more advanced than humanity. In ‘Zero Hour’, it becomes evident throughout the story that threatening aliens are using the impressionability of children to infiltrate and attack Earth. Ominous clues throughout the story suggest that the aliens will destroy humanity, culminating in a frightening ending which implies that Mink will assist in the destruction of her own parents. Such descriptions of advanced alien life suggest that humans are not alone in this universe, and moreover, may be vulnerable to vicious attacks. Even non-threatening aliens, such as those in ‘The Star Ducks’, are presented as having intimidatingly advanced skills, such as mind-reading and mind-control. Thus, even when aliens don’t pose an immediate danger, the stories remind us that humans are basic creatures, and could be easily outwitted by more advanced species.

Earth and humanity are tiny specks in a vast universe, which could be teeming with life on other planets. These stories speculate about what could happen when we discover just how insignificant we are.

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A Window on the Universe Essay Question and Sample Answer

A Window on the Universe Essay 3

What does this collection stories suggest about humans? Do the stories show humans in a positive way?

A Window on the Universe does not portray humans positively. It suggests that they are vulnerable and naïve, and sometimes blinded by their emotions. However, human emotion is occasionally shown as a positive and beautiful thing.

Several stories show humans as naïve and therefore vulnerable; they sometimes refuse to believe surprising but important things. One pertinent example is in ‘Zero Hour’. Mink reveals various clues about an alien invasion which are obvious to the reader. However, her mother Mrs. Morris ignores the clues and ends up in grave danger as a result. This shows that adults, at least, are vulnerable to attack because of their naivety and assumption that they will be safe. In ‘The Star Ducks’, too, Rafferty initially shows contempt and disbelief when he hears about the aliens that have been visiting the Alsops. The Alsops also fail to recognise the significance of their alien visitors. The reader feels frustrated at their laissez faire attitude to aliens. Although these aliens do not seem threatening, we sense that this stupidity might leave humanity vulnerable to attack.

People are often presented in these stories as blinded by their emotions. In ‘Human Is’, Jill decides at the end of the story that she would rather live with a kind alien than a cruel human. Although the reader might agree with this decision, since the ‘new’ Lester is so much nicer, Jill could be interpreted as allowing her selfish emotions and attachment to the alien to be putting the Earth at risk of alien inundation. In ‘The Hammer of God’, the crew’s fear and grief over the apparently inevitable destruction of Earth blind them to the logical possibility of sacrificing themselves to save it. Only the emotionless computer, David, is able to logically provide this alternative.

Human emotion, however, is a complex issue, and can also be interpreted as beautiful and important in the stories. In ‘The Hammer of God’, although the crew are initially blinded by grief, they then courageously sacrifice their lives to save Earth. They even give a nonchalant speech to Earth before their sacrifice, to spare their families of their inevitable fear at their impending deaths. ‘Stitch in Time’ also celebrates human emotion, telling the touching story of human love through the eyes of an old woman, Thelma, who is reflecting on her life. The lack of emotion felt by machines in ‘Who Can Replace a Man?’ for example, and the cruelty that results, such as the team’s abandonment of ‘injured’ machines, reminds us that emotion can be a powerful force for good.

Overall, humans are not generally represented positively in the stories. However, some of the authors celebrate emotion as a unique and beautiful aspect of humanity.

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