Although this story of Wells is more readily recognized as humans vs an enemy that soon is shown to be human however different, unusual, and ugly, The Time Machine opens our course because it demonstrates a basic truth about learning. This truth was stated in the "Universal Cryptogram" for July 6, 2006: The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.
The Eloi, who are characterized as humans recognizable as we are, represent those of the quote who are satisfied with their own opinion and content with not learning. Their character is not hard to understand: they are provided with a temperate climate, all the food they need, and security. Why would they seek anything different? Their needs are all met. Those needs are met by the Morlocks who are also human, but certainly not recognizable as such. But the Morlocks have not been—over the milennia—either satisfied or content. They are wealthy (hardly what we might recognize as such) and literate (because they are in charge not because we see their libraries) and in charge as all wealthy, powerful individuals.
The "Traveler" also demonstrates the character of one who is neither content nor satisfied. He seeks to know: all kinds of things and his anger at the Eloi for being ignorant is equally matched at his horror at the Morlocks who seem unconcerned over their treatment of the Eloi. For our purposes in this course, the "Traveler" is also a hero in the tradition of Beowulf as will soon become clear. Many of the elements of Anglo-Saxon epic as presented in Beowulf are found in The Time Machine. The hero is very capable; there is a social problem of enormous concern (no literacy); the general population is in slavery; the hero will defeat the enemy, solve the problem, and up-lift the population.
Several sites are available for H. G. Wells. They all give information that is relatively the same. However, from the following site:
http://www.online-literature.com/wellshg/
find and then turn in a list of Wells's three best known books and the dates of their publication.
H. G. Wells is known as one of the first science fiction authors. He was preceeded by Jules Verne and perhaps Edgar Allen Poe by some criteria, but Wells possesses all the normal elements of science fiction and how we understand it as a kind of writing. His stories are more than fantasy and much more than the ordinary situations of the "regular" novels. The element of science fiction that sets the genre apart from all others is the element of education: encouraging readers to think about their actions which spurs society to consider what is around them. Science fiction, more than most kinds of writing, lets readers revel in "what if …"
The video presentation will take two days. On each day an assignment is due at the end of the period. The viewing each day will not take the whole period. The first day students should be writing and thinking as they watch. The second day requires more thought and a quicker write before the end of the period.
First day's viewing:
List at least 10 significant events in the story—up to the time Weena is rescued from the river. Use a complete sentence for each event.
Second day's viewing:
Why does the "time traveler" return to the time of the Eloi and Morlocks? Explain in more than a few sentences (at least 75-100 words).
Due the day after finishing the story at the end of the period:
At great LENGTH (at least 300 words) answer one of the folowing questions:
Could Eloi existence really happen? If so, how? If not, why not?
OR
What three books do you suppose you might take if you were the traveler? Explain fully.