Abstract This paper examines Arthur Clarke's science fiction novel "2001: A SpaceOdyssey." This paper considers the three stages of technology described and then analyzes whether the technology is extraterrestrial in origin or not.
From the Paper "Analyze in detail the three stages of technology presented in the novel and conclude with your thoughts on the concept that the origin and cultivation of technology is extraterrestrial. In Arthur C. Clarke's novel "A Space Odyssey" the idea of technological innovation is explored in great detail. Clarke presents three different stages of technological advancement and explores the consequences of each."
Abstract Describes and analyzes the score used in the Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of "2001: A SpaceOdyssey". The paper provides descriptions of scenes in the movie and the accompanying music and explains the images that the music attempts to project through the use of sound, voice, and silence.
From the Paper "The film is not only a visual experience; it is also a musical journey. Filmed at a slow pace, the opening scene is an image shot from behind earth's moon with the sun rising over the earth's crescent shape in the blackness of space. This scene shows the earth, moon, and sun in a vertical alignment. Richard Strauss's Thus Spake Zarathustra is playing in the background. This scene is striking and beautiful and Strauss's piece sets the mood for what must be the majestic experience of outer space."
Abstract An examination of the similarities and differences between Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A SpaceOdyssey" and James Hilton's "Lost Horizon". The author identifies core beliefs which both novels hold including their concern with what it is to be human. However, it is also illustrated how different the novels are with regard to structure, literary techniques, and characterizations.
From the Paper "Lost Horizon has a more traditional narrative structure, with an enclosing frame involving characters who talk about the central figure, remembering him in the past. 2001, on the other hand, at first glance seems to lack a cohesive literary structure and to be instead a series of barely related incidents at different time periods, with different characters and somewhat obscure situations. Yet, the two novels both have a core belief in the ability and innate moral sense of the human being and a belief in positive human development."
Abstract This paper looks at how Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A SpaceOdyssey" is an account of human progress contrived by a superior intellect. It examines how, unlike many novels that magnify a single blink in the historical spectrum, it traverses the broad range of humankind's evolution. In particular, it looks at how the three themes that Arthur C. Clarke primarily focuses on in this novel comprise the development of mankind, the clash of human advancement with the continuous evolution of technology, and, ultimately, the role of a superior intelligence in the voyage of human evolution.
From the Paper "The heart of the narrative lies in the gradual development of humanity, and the entire book is founded upon this theme. As the story begins, man is characterized by the vile ?man-apes.? These creatures neatly correspond with the established stereotypes associated with ancient man. These beasts struggle to operate at the intellectual equivalence of the animal kingdom when suddenly the introduction of a celestial monolith thrusts them to the forefront of progress. The monolith prompts one of the man-apes to use stones for hunting, and the age of simple tools and machines is ushered in. This simple link in the chain of evolution may have very well saved the human race from famine and extinction."
Abstract In this paper the plot of the movie directed by Stanley Kubrick and the book written by Arthur C. Clarke are summarized with emphasis on the philosophical and ethical issues presented in the story. A more detailed analysis of the ethical issues, including man becoming god and Hal the computer, concludes the paper. The paper is written from a Christian perspective and relates the story to Biblical examples.
From the paper:
"2001: A SpaceOdyssey" was written by Arthur C. Clarke and published in 1968 at about the same time as the movie of the same title was released. It is interesting to note that the film and the book were being produced at the same time. Rather than to base one on the other, the movie and the book were made almost as one, with modifications being made to suit the needs of the writer and director. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, the movie was left more open-ended than the book, and tended to draw either praise for its ingenuity or harsh judgment for its dullness and lack of imagination. Whether the first or the latter opinion is correct, one thing is for certain: 2001 is an epic that changed the face of science fiction and paved the way for a whole new way of thinking."
From the Paper "The ending of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey appears to many viewers to be too obscure and even to have little to do with the film as a whole, but this is a misreading of what takes place. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that may appear to lack a cohesive literary structure and to be instead a series of barely related incidents at different time periods, with different characters and somewhat obscure situations. The protracted journey through the starscape near the end of the film and the peculiar imagery that succeeds it, all occurring without external comment or explanation, can add to the sense that there is a lack of cohesion and purpose to the film. In truth, though, the structure of this film is carefully wrought and coheres around thematic concerns, recurring images, and a central issue that carries the plot to a logical if tentative conclusion. There is meaning in the ending, and to ascertain this meaning it is necessary to consider the structure of the entire film and the manner in which the filmmaker carries meaning through imagery and ... "
Abstract This paper discusses "2001:A SpaceOdyssey" by Arthur C. Clarke and "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton. The writer explains that while the genre of these two books are different, each author works a similar idea - human development - from different points of view.
From the Paper "In the larger sense, though, the main character is not any individual at all but Mankind, and the novel is the story of human beings from the time of their origin as human beings to the next step in the evolutionary cycle leading past homo sapiens to whatever designation would be given to the superior beings to come. Everything in the story centers on the development of the human race for a higher purpose, and this development is guided by unknown and unidentified extraterrestrials, never seen but implied and symbolized by the monolith appearing first among the prehumans of the African plain, then on the moon, and finally floating in space and serving as the stargate through which Frank Bowman passes on his epic journey, leading to the appearance of the Starchild: "With eyes that already held more than human intentness, the baby stared into the depths of the crystal monolith, seeing--but not yet understanding--the mysteries that lay beyond" (Clarke 233). The people of Shangri-La also seem to represent an advance in evolution, for they have attained great longevity and live more contented lives, as Chang explains when he tells Conway that "the process of retarding age would begin, and if successful, might give Conway half a century or so at the apparent age of forty" (Hilton 182)."
Tags: clarke, hilton, space, odyssey, horizon, shangri-la, conway, bowman, poole
Abstract This paper examines the different moral values presented in the epic poem, "The Odyssey" by Homer and the ways in which these values are presented through some of the characters. It shows that while the "Odyssey" is indeed a moral epic, the moral position of the main characters themselves, namely Odysseus and the Gods, can at times be questionable. It evaluates how the "Odyssey" seems to portray the idea that obstacles and hardship arise out of moral weakness, self-control is overwhelmingly important and sufferings come about when a person gives in to temptation as well as love and the importance of family and home.
From the Paper "Another moral element present in the poem is "dike". Justice. In the end, evil will be punished. Good will triumph. Odysseus murders all the suitors and his disloyal servants. It has often been debated whether his actions were justified. Based on the moral value of "dike", the poet obviously meant the murders to be justified. Evil must be punished, and what better way than to have evil punished by good. The suitors had broken many moral laws. They courted the wife of a great hero, made themselves at home in his palace, ate his food, slept with his servants and conspired to kill his son. They had to receive their punishment, their "nemesis"- retribution from the Gods. "
Abstract This comparative paper addresses similarities between the characters, plot, and settings of the two writings. It goes into great detail in each instance of parallelism between "The Mill on The Floss" and "The Odyssey and The Iliad". Temptation and suffering are important themes that both Homer and Eliot consider important aspects of plot development and structure. The writer shows that character parallels exist between the two texts because of Eliot's intentional assignment of roles from other texts to her characters.
From the Paper "Parallels deal with the interactions between similar entities. Parallelism is typically defined as the quality or condition of being similar; a corresponding relationship. Further defined, parallelism is also a likeness or similarity in aspect, course, or tendency. Connection is defined as an association or relationship of a reference or relation to something else."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the stories of two heroes returning from war, as expressed in Homer's Odyssey. The paper describes the differences in family life in the two stories. The paper explains that Agamemnon left for battle, sacrificing his daughter. As a result, Agamemnon's homecoming is a tragedy. His wife has been unfaithful and wants to avenge her daughter. By contrast, the paper explains, Odysseus goes through many trials and tribulations before he is able to return home. The author explains, though, that once he arrives at home, he finds a faithful wife with whom he is able to rebuild a good family life.
From the Paper "Aeschylus and Homer portray two different versions of a post-war homecoming by the central protagonists of the texts "Agamemnon" and "The Odyssey." Agamemnon and Odysseus are both Greek generals who fought successfully in the Trojan War. Both men are kings. While the dramatist Aeschylus portrays an ungrateful homecoming on the part of the central protagonist's wife, and dramatizes a dark prophesy of death that is ultimately fulfilled, as well as stresses the inevitability of fate at the hands of vengeful women, Homer shows a far different possibility for a wartime homecoming. Homer shows how unexpected happy endings can occur, despite the persistent influence of the gods in human affairs. Homer depicts a loyal wife and son waiting for the main protagonist, upon Odysseus' return from the Trojan War. These different family portraits suggest that in Aeschylus' point of view, war destroys family alliances and a true post-war homecoming that recaptures the past is impossible, given the moral as well as territorial destruction of war. But Homer suggests, even though years may be lost, there is still a family bond that can be sustained, despite years of separation."
Abstract This paper discusses the text of Homer's "Odyssey". The paper suggests that a close reading of the text reveals that Homer favored guests who were well behaved and hosts who were willing to treat their guests with respect no matter their social standing. It uses this understanding of the text to demonstrate just how fickle the ancient Greek gods.
From the Paper "To say that Homer's Odyssey portrays different attitudes among gods and men would be an understatement. The suffering that Ulysses endures at the hands of several different gods--most notably Poseidon--is juxtaposed against helpfulness from other gods--including Athena and Hermes. Reading the Odyssey only serves to demonstrate just how fickle the ancient Greek gods were in the eyes of at least one traveling bard. Nowhere is this more evident than in the differing way that guests and hosts behave throughout the epic. It is also clear, given Homer's treatment of this behavior, that the author had his own preference for which kind of behaviors were more acceptable than others. A close reading of the text reveals that Homer favored guests who were well behaved and hosts who were willing to treat their guests with respect no matter their social standing."
Abstract This paper details of the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and how and why it was a show of power and superiority. The author looks many different aspects of the space race including, its purpose, how it was used to show the other country its weaknesses, how it enabled both countries to explore the uncharted vastness of space and find for it new military and how they attempted to use the moon as the ultimate propaganda tool.
From the Paper "Even though Sputnik had no direct military impact, it showed the progress of the USSR in science and military and prompted the US government to pay more attention to its own missile operation (McGhee 331). The media played a major role in spurring the government to take action. Sputnik was front-page news on all the papers and it had all of America wondering how something like that could happen without anyone knowing (Schefter 23). At first the US government was not impressed by the Soviet's accomplishments. President Eisenhower felt that the U.S. people had acted like children and that no response to Soviet actions was necessary (Burrows 200). He felt that the US needed to toughen up for a long war they may have in the future and did not see the US as being in any competition with the Soviets (Burrows 200). He even went so far as to congratulate the Soviets on their accomplishments (McGhee 330)."
Abstract This paper discusses the physiological changes to the human body during space travel. Early predictions of the response of humans to spaceflight assumed that space adaptation would be analogous to human disease processes rather than to normal physiology. Through studies of bed-rested healthy adults and medical examinations of crews returning from space, we now recognize the adaptive nature of the responses to spaceflight or its ground-based models. e are also aware of the necessity to minimize the flight-induced changes so that crews maintain their Earth-readiness and avoid injury on landing. Lack of gravitational loading affects multiple physiological systems, especially support structures that are particularly vulnerable to injury during reentry and renewed exposure to gravitational forces. Thus, most crew members exercise extensively during flight. Although many physiological systems appear to be affected by spaceflight, only the cardiovascular, neurovestibular, and musculoskeletal systems are covered in this paper.
The paper includes illustrations.
Table of Contents
Table of Illustrations
Introduction
The Cardiovascular System
The Neurovestibular System
The Musculoskeletal System
Summary
Bibliography
From the Paper "As soon as they switch to an internal alignment and use the feet to signal down, they are able to function normally. Upon return to Earth, the brain is confused once again as gravity is now available for orientation. This confusion creates postural instability that is compounded with the cardiovascular difficulty in standing. Also, reflexes associated with posture are slowed even on short-duration missions. With long-duration flights, changes in reflexes may become a major issue."
Abstract This paper analyzes the new emphasis placed on space dominance by the U.S. military policy, as explained by Chalmers Johnson in "The Sorrows of Empire". The paper also looks at the politics of the Bush Administration in the post 9/11 era and how this affects U.S. space policy.
From the Paper "In his review of Chalmers Johnson's "The Sorrows of Empire", Erik Riker Coleman maintains that, from the author's perspective, the policies pursued by the Bush administration in the aftermath of the attacks were a radical ramping-up of the imperial project both abroad and at home. This radical project aimed at total military dominance, includes billions in expenditures aimed at reinforcing and expanding the massive space capability of the U.S. In an unapologetic and strident manner the U S aims to achieve total space domination in..."
Tags: Afghanistan, imperialism, space planes, weaponry, troops, casualties, Space Commission, Bush administration, terrorism, September 11
Abstract This essay briefly explores the relationship between gender and space. Specifically, preconceived notions of privacy and safety in a bedroom and how this relationship is altered in the presence of domestic violence. Furthermore, how domestic violence in this space is portrayed in the public sphere. Sources are drawn from academia, current events and popular culture.
From the Paper "Ideally, the bedroom should be a space of peace, a safe place as much as a respite from every day pressures. In a word, it should be a space of solace. But those close quarters within the confines of a dysfunctional domestic relationship, also present opportunities for cyclical abuse, violence, misogyny, and a general oppression. The trouble, lawmakers say, is trying to balance the interests of the victim with her privacy. This essay explores the relationship between gender and the bedroom and how domestic violence within this space changes the accepted notions of privacy and safety."
