The Book that Saved the Earth

 

Claire Boiko

The play 'The Book that Saved the Earth' is based on the theme that half-fed knowledge is always dangerous. It also tells how an old book of rhymes 'Mother Goose' saved the world from Martian invasion. The play is set in the 25th century.

Summary

The plot of the play is in the twentieth century. All the characters of the play are imaginary characters and have weird names like the mighty Chief Think Tank, Noodle, Captain Omega, Lieutenant Iota, Sargent Oop, etc. The think tanks who think himself to be the most intelligent amongst all the Martians to decide to go to earth with his team. He always thinks that because he had a big head he is the most intelligent and always likes to be praised for that. They want to know how people of the earth (they call them earthlings) lives. In the next scene, they all were present in a library full of books. But all of them were unable to understand the place. Then the mighty Think-Tank tries to show is acumen and tells his crew that the thing is a sandwich. As the person of the earth eats a lot of so they must have stored them here. Then one of the crew members Sergeant Oop even eats the corner of a book to confirm the views of Think-Tank. But he did not like the taste, and they came to the conclusion that this may be something else than food. After some time Noodle suggests Think-Tank that maybe it is used for communication with ears. After some time Noodle again suggests Think-Tank that maybe it is for eye communication. All the crew members started opening and reading the book. It was a rhymes book of name, Mother Goose. But they are unable to understand the book. So looking at this Noodle asks the Think-Tank that the chemical department has given them the vitamin pills to increase intelligence, and they all should take it and then read the sandwiches. As Oop started reading the book of nursery rhymes they take the literal meaning of rhymes and feel troubles. The Think Tank called his Martians team and says that they have gathered some information about earthlings, and they should be postponing the idea of invasion. The Oop read the rhyme Humpty dumpty, and they all saw the picture of Humpty who looked like Think Tank. The Think Tank drew an inference that the earthlings have identified him and will kill him soon. So, he asked his team to run immediately from there and thus a dusted book of rhymes saved us from Martian invasion.

 

Read and Find Out

1. Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of the Book’?

Ans: The twentieth century was often called the Era of the Book. In those days, there were books about everything, from ant eaters to Zulus. Books taught people how , when , where , and why to everything. They illustrated, educated, punctuated, and even decorated.

 

2. Who tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century?

Ans: The Martians tried to invade the earth in the twenty-first century.

 

1. What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the books found on earth?

Ans: Think-Tank's guess about the books found on earth was that they are some device meant for communication.  

Think about It

1. Noodle avoids offending Think − Tank but at the same time he corrects his mistakes. How does he manage to do that?

Ans: Noodle avoided offending Think-Tank, but at the same time, he very cleverly tries to correct his mistakes also. Whenever Noodle had to say something contrary to what Think- Tank said, he would present his thoughts by referring to them as being of no particular importance. In this way he would correct Think-Tank’s errors without making him feel that he was being corrected. Noodle appears to be quite an expert in handling these kind of people.

 

2. If you were in Noodle’s place, how would you handle Think −Tank’s mistakes?

Ans: If I were in Noodle's place, I would have handled Think-Tank's mistakes the same way as Noodle does, politely and courteously.

 

3. Do you think books are being replaced by the electronic media? Can we do away with books altogether?

Ans: In a way, Yes, we can say that books are being replaced by the electronic media. Most of the children no longer read story books and prefer to watch television and use internet. Although textbooks are still there but they may soon be replaced by electronic version. Books have their own utility value because one can read a book at his own pace and a book does not need to be powered by electricity. But as the technology is advancing and newer versions of it are being discovered every day, a time may come when books will become a thing of the past.

 

4. Why are books referred to as a man’s best companion? Which is your favorite book and why? Write a paragraph about that book.

Ans: Books are known to be as man's best companion. They can make us mentally strong, improve our vocabulary and enhance the horizon of our knowledge. Books can be our guide and best friend. I love to read books, especially the ones that have children as their main character and the story highlights their psychology and how innocent the children could be. One such book is Malgudi Days written by a very renowned author R K Narayan . I love this book because the story revolves around the children. The way child’s psychology has been depicted in this book is what gives me pleasure while reading this book.

 

Message

In the given book, "The Book that Saved the Earth", there are several messages conveyed. One of those messages was that there happen to be some cultural misunderstandings. And these misunderstandings are based on differences between races. The impact is such these misunderstandings cause conflict.