LITR 4632: Literature of
the Future
Sample Student final exams 2007
Ashley Schaller
Essay 1
On Alien Contact and Exploration
Our Own Alien Invasion
Typically, in science fiction aliens are thought of as any life from outer space. Cartoons often depict them as lean, green, almost human shaped figures with large eyes and they often hover in large round space ships aglow with bright lights. Since there are no officially recognized sightings or pictures of these aliens, their shape, if they do exist, is up to the imagination. Humans’ fascination with the unknown and craving for knowledge lead us to find something other than these speculative drawings. They want actual photos or possibly an actual specimen, any proof available to study. To get this hard evidence, they must scuttle through the galaxies, looking for signs. Technology seems to act as their passport, giving them the freedom to launch their rockets, build their stations, and litter the skies with their many satellites. They trample the moon, steal the rocks and claim the land with their flag, like the signature on a deed. The need to be all-knowing is their right to explore. Human invasion…ha. If there is life out there, it hasn’t complained yet.
Human minds crave knowledge and when they feel they have learned everything within reach, they expand their search. Outer space expands the limits of a confining earth into a deep, dazzling universe of mystery. Humans, momentarily content with local exploration, created a program to investigate past their clouds and reach the stars beyond. The astronaut was born. “Men on the Moon” describes man’s first trip to a land that is not earth, where astronauts leap across the solar bodies like stepping-stones, leaving their footprints and taking souvenirs. In this story the idea of leaving earth is new and the idea of actually walking on another planet, astounding. All of this is done for knowledge: “They say they will use it to better mankind...and to learn more about the universe we live in. Also, some of them say that the knowledge will be useful in finding out where everything began and how everything was made.” Their quest is to learn and they admittedly know little about the space they travel through and the places they are exploring. How do they know they are not intruding, are not breaking a silent treaty between them and the life beyond?
If something out there does mind, ignorance allows us to continue our exploration and impose even farther. The human attitude is that if technology allows us, we have the right to travel and colonize anywhere we choose. In “Newton’s Sleep”, humans have expended all the resources on earth and, like in Parable of the Sower, have created their own apocalypse: “For a hundred years, anybody willing to look at the world rationally has been able to see what’s happening: resource exhaustion, population explosion, the breakdown of the government.” The earth is ruined and a select few are allowed to leave and start a new life in space. The ones that leave abandon their mistake-filled, rotting planet to start anew with a fresh environment. They believe they have learned from their people’s past mistakes, but they will make others. They treat their environments as expendable; after all, there’s a whole universe to bounce around. While they know life may exist, they doubt its intelligence and doubt its capabilities. No galactic wars have ensued over territory and this silence seems an invitation to take over.
Humans have proven they are self-seeking. They have the rights to anything they come in contact with. If they ever find aliens, they will no doubt prod and probe them, taking samples, sacrifice a few for knowledge, because they feel they have a right to know. If the tables were turned, would they feel the same way? Would there be welcome mats and get-to-know-you-parties, or would fear consume the humans and chaos ensue. Alien invasion…signs of the apocalypse, signs of war.
“The Poplar Street Study” explores what would happen if aliens explored the earth and studied humans like lab rats. A small neighborhood finds itself invaded by aliens. “Many have guessed at the reasoning behind the experiment…it is likely that the aliens want to understand human behavior.” (Sara Brito’s Final—Sumer 2007) As the control group in this experiment, the humans are subjected to force fields, rules, diets, physicals and curfews. The adults, uncomfortable when not in control, demand explanations and freedom: “We have the right to know what is going on…You’ve no right to keep us here…” When taken over, the humans feel violated of their rights because it is their planet, their homes, and their lives. The aliens are intruders, and therefore enemies.
An alien invasion has yet to occur in real life, but movies portray the results as a disaster. Yet when humans invade space they do not consider they might be threatening the life it contains. Humans are not maliciously attempting to destroy the universe, nor are they intentionally planning a hostile takeover, but ignorance can lead to miscommunications and misunderstandings. Take “They’re Made Out of Meat” for example. The aliens cannot understand the concept of meat being an intelligent being and therefore ignore the calls from humans. If there is life out there, care must be taken upon both sides to use non-threatening communication and actions. Exploration of other planets and parts of space require caution so invisible boundaries are not crossed.
Human invasion…possible. Imagine a society of what we call aliens, somewhere out there. Imagine if we invade their planet, leading them to fear and chaos. Our shapes, our customs, our language, our technology are all foreign. Even without aliens, the solar bodies are subjected to our examination and contamination. Any usable resource found out there will be transported off and exhausted, as we have already done with earth’s precious supplies. Our arrogance and our ignorance create a hazardous combination. We are now the aliens, the unknown tampering with the unexplained oblivious to our own alien invasion.