In class you listened to the stories "Random Sample" (Oct. 8) and "The King of the Beasts" (Oct. 10), both alien stories. If you have any ideas about either of these stories that have occurred to you since we discussed them in class, please post them here.
7 comments:
I thought it was interesting that in alot of the otherstories we've read has been about aliens testing us or destroying us or excludining us, but in this one it was about aliens trying to bring us back. Was the reason that the alien was only making one because he didnt want them to re produce and kill all of the other species?
kevin-
I also thought about that question, because you'd think that if these aliens were able to reproduce the man couldn't they contain him as well? Kind of like, creating both genders and watching them develop and multiply. It's as if the aliens believe mankind had some sort of disease and that's the reason everything became extinct. weird.
The "King of the Beasts" is very similar to "Ramdom Sample" and "Look you think you've got troubles" because its all about xenophobia. In the "king of the beasts" the man is considered the most dangerous beast in the extinction display. The alien bioloigsts who run the display were xenophobic when they found out the human was being grown. In "random sample" the aliens were xenophobic after they tested the children and saw them burn ants and squish bugs. Their xenophobia was so extreme that it ended in the destruction of the human world. In "look you think you've got troubles xenophobia is the main point of the story. The aliens were testing the humans and seeing if they were sutable for the galactic counsel they have.
kevin, right on...
with random sample, it brings to mind some rather unpleasant elements in humanity. for me, it's like we (human-kind) are naturally aggressive, because we show it in our children. random sample probably suggests that we need to treat people and anything else with higher respect, and we should either monitor our kids, or teach them how to respect life and other such things. With that in mind, it really brings a lot of attention to all the flaws we have in teaching our offspring about right and wrong. i understand that many people have different points of view on this subject, but it sticks all the same. right and wrong can define humanity, and if we fail to teach our kids about this important lesson, then our world could end up like it was in the story; melting.
This story also reminds me of episode 8 of Star Trek, The First Season. The episode, entitled Miri, is about an alternate Earth that has this virus that kills off people who enter puberty. Only children are left on the planet. If those scientists knew right from wrong and knew that when man dies, he dies, and prolonging life would just lead to trouble (for life must be natural, not artificially enhanced), then they would still be alive.
i believe that man is the most dangerous species and will probably in the end we will destroy ourselves. We have the potential and the power to destroy the earth. The aliens have every right to be scared of humans and that is why all of them have xeno phobia. That is the scientist's most dangerous work. Maybe they will put an end to it before the embryo they are looking at grows into a child and cover there bases.
I think my favorite story we have read this semester has to be "King of Beasts" thus far because it truly makes you think like if there is other planets with creatures, what would they think of us? Would they get along with us? The story constantly makes you think of numerous questions and they are all so interesting as they pop into your head. Its also interesting to think that if we did all die out would others try to save us and preserve human kind.
-Tyler Fahlstedt
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