Task 1: Implications of Literature
Science-fiction is a fairly new
genre to the literary world. When you consider Mary Shelley published her
infamous Frankenstein in 1818, the genre is
less than 200 years old! At times science-fiction can instill fear in
people. It examines and imagines the unknown (extrapolation) - monsters,
apocalypse, aliens. Mankind has experienced fear of the unknown since the
beginning of time. Imagine sitting at home watching the news and the
breaking story of the hour is an alien invasion. You are watching in real
time foreign ships appear and do not know what is going to happen. What
would be going through your mind? A similar scenario actually happened to the
American public on October 30, 1938 when Orson Wells performed a radio
broadcast of H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds.
Below is a podcast of the original broadcast that hit the airwaves in
1938. As you listen, remember that radio broadcasts were how people
received entertainment prior to the invention of television! Also,
consider how people may have reacted to this broadcast. *This broadcast is about an hour long, so make sure you give yourself enough time to listen!*