2001 A Space Odyssey
Millions of sunrises ago, before the invention of the telephone, before the fall of the Roman Empire, long before the first civilization emerged, humans were able to survive because they had the instinct to hunt, like all other animals that could eat meat. Later on, humans would develop tools such as the lever and the wheel that would make their lives easier. The new technology would then be taught to their offspring. This has been the widely accepted view on the ascent of Man. Thousand of centuries later, it can be said that the two-legged creature is the highest form of life in the universe. After all, according to the theory of evolution, humans, a descendent of apes, now have space stations and solar powered cars. What other form of life could have achieved such things? In his book, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke, expresses a different view. He believes that Man is not the epitome of life in the universe - that a higher being helped Man evolve and will continue to help him in times of need. Man started out as a starving species that lacked memory and hunting skills. The arrival of a crystal monolith changed everything. Moon-Watcher was the first to have contact with the slab.
This discovery lead to the unsettling possibility of other, higher, forms of life in the universe. Imagine the terror felt by a race that, for centuries, had been convinced that it was the only form of intelligent life in the universe, when suddenly something as monumental as the monolith appeared from nowhere. Further proof of the intelligence of the monolith's creators was that its discovery was not an accident. The higher beings that had planted it on the moon wanted the monolith to be found at the right time. What its purpose was remained a mystery to the scientists on the moon. Scientists did know that the monolith had projected a noise to a moon on Saturn called Japetus. Armed with this information, the US launched the shuttle Discovery with the ultimate destination of Japetus. Aboard were three hibernating scientists and two "pilots" that would be awake during Discovery's journey to Japetus. When Discovery finally reached its destination, four people less than at the beginning of the trek, proof that a higher form of life was still helping mankind came into light. David Bowman, the soul survivor, encountered TMA-2, yet another monolith. This was most certainly something the higher beings had built. When Bowman passed through it, he was in a universe different from the present, but eerily alike. "All the furniture seemed sound and solid enough; he tried the chairs, and they supported his weight. But the drawers in the desk would not open; they were dummies" (Clarke 224). This likeliness contrived by the higher beings was to help Bowman feel comfortable before the big change; the big change where Bowm
Some common words found in the essay are:
Arthur Clarke, Dr Michael, Star Child, Roman Empire, David Bowman, Moon-Watcher TMA-1, Japetus Discovery, Japetus Armed, Japetus Aboard, , form life, life universe, star child, humans able, humans themselves, humans able survive, able survive,
Approximate Word count = 1097
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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