Childhood's End

Childshood End, by Arthur C. Clarke is a story about an alien invasion on earth by the strange Overlords. Upon their arrival there were many different human reactions by the characters. In these portrayals by Arthur C. Clarke there is the reaction of defeat, skepticism, and distrust. All of which is to be expected when it is discovered that, “The human race was no longer alone.”(Clarke 5) Thought his depiction of this alien invasion is would seem as if this story was taken out of our future somehow. In the first few pages of, Childshood End, we are brought into a small glimpse of the world before the overlords arrive. We learn of future motivations and complications of these characters lives. We quickly see this disappear through the eyes of the character, Reinhold Hoffman. His character shows true defeat upon the arrival of the overlords. The moment he sees the Overlords ships his ambitions are swept from beneath him. “Then…

In this section of the course we have been moving away from the frameworks and thought traps in EcoMind, and into accountability and action taking. We have examined this process through several readings in Andrés Edwards book, Thriving Beyond Sustainability: pathways to a resilient society, as well as the article “Childhood’s End” by Tom Prugh. Edwards examines how we as a society can do more than live sustainably; how we can truly begin to thrive in our society and go beyond simply creating…

Clarke employs the metaphor of childhood to illustrate the naivety of mankind in the face of the great technological progress and intellectual ferment during Clarke’s age. Utopia in this context is a vehicle for critical commentary on the complications that arise from a utopia, namely, artistic stagnation, the depreciation of creativity, boredom leading to moral depravity, and the ultimate elimination of evolution. ‘Childhood’s End’ presents a Utopia that cannot satisfy the human aspiration for…

In Childhood’s End by C.E Clark, religious archetypes such as devil imagery, biblical terms and relations between characters of the book and religious deities are used to examine the conflict between science and religion. The Overlords who represent scientific knowledge initially pose as a threat against the various religious beliefs and customs of the race of humans. The Overlords however see religion as a threat to not only themselves, but humanity.The Overlords deem it fit to defeat religion…

New Athens is symbolic in “Childhood’s End” because it portrays a decaying of a utopian society in which everything seems to be perfect and peaceful. In the book Athens is described as a type of colony in which is “gathered…to build group with its own artistic traditions” (Clarke 134). With that being said the society itself has no concern of getting into war thus, “…no hostility towards the Overlords: we simply want to be left alone to go our own way” (135). This means that New Athens…

Have you ever wondered that humans are not alone? In Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End he goes in-depth with human interaction with a race of intelligent aliens called Overlords. Clarke had a sizable interest in science fiction and wrote many award winning novels about this very subject. The book was written in the 1950’s but still has lasting impressions on its present day readers. Arthur Charles Clarke was born on December 16 1917. He was not the run of the mill child growing up in Minehead,…

(BrainyQuote). This quote is fitting to the type of work that the author does. His stories show the unique ability of moving beyond the limits of possibility, especially in the focus of this certain writer. Arthur C. Clarke is a science and science fiction author, who has written nearly one hundred books. All of his books and short story collections are of the same two genres. Clarke explores different topics of science including space exploration, underwater exploration, and futurism…

A Pessimistic Outlook Arthur C. Clarke allows for many interpretations of the meanings of his two works Childhood’s End and 2001: A Space Odyssey. One debate that surfaces from these pieces is whether Clarke is offering an optimistic or pessimistic point of view regarding humanity. The literary pieces contain many similarities that allow for a generalization about Clarke’s overall message to be made. Ultimately, Clarke provides a pessimistic essence to be drawn from both pieces. Clarke’s…

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion once I walked into the doors of the hospital. Doctors were running from one end to the other without skipping a beat while families were crying over losses and tragedies. Everything felt so overwhelming, but I knew what I had came to do. My heart began to race as I approached the reception desk. "Can I help you?" the woman asked. I could hear the words she was saying but I couldn 't find anything to say back. She looked at me again and asked…

To Our Meramec Kindergarten Parents, On behalf of our entire school community, welcome to Meramec! If you are a current Meramec family, welcome back to Kindergarten! Our kindergarten teachers Bobbie Williams, Megan Hutson, Patti Casseau and I, look forward to your kindergartner joining us in August. We are pleased to have you as partners in this educational year. As the year progresses, and as you become either more informed or more puzzled, please do not hesitate to call our school and talk…