INTRODUCTION
Once upon a time the
pursuit of science was
quite uncomplicated. There
was experimentation,
usually by one man,
hopefully leading to a new
fact, theory or
understanding. Science
seemed to be a box filled
with presents waiting to
be discovered and
unwrapped, and most people
felt very optimistic about
the future.
Then came the twentieth
century and a new
awareness. Science was
becoming the abstract
science of
space-and-number, and
mathematics became the key
to everything. So
overwhelming has to
concept of science become
today, that science is now
no longer the business of
individuals but of teams,
sponsored by big
companies, universities,
and /or governments.
Science has made its
impact on literature, and
a specific branch of
literature, called science
fiction, or "sf"
for short, has become a
popular new method for us
to anticipate what is
happening in science and
what the results of
scientific experiments
will be.
Like the scientist, good
sf writers seek new
knowledge, real or
fancied, and try to apply
it to human lives through
the characters they create
in their fiction. Good sf
is not about machines
alone. The "gadget" sf
which was once so popular,
now seems naive, because
the stories rarely
involved "real" human
beings or believable human
activities.
The stories you will read
for this Unit deal with
"real" people, who try to
solve major problems in
their lives, problems
caused by new discoveries
and new technologies.
The science fiction
writer presents you with a
"What if?", and
then asks you to imagine
the future.
What If?
- What would happen if
the population of the
world continued to grow
at its present rapid
rate?
- What would happen if
we discovered
intelligent beings on
another planet?
- What would happen if
intelligent beings
visited our planet?
- What would happen if
machines learned to
think for themselves?
Compose some "what if"
questions of your own, and
then write answers to
them. For example: What
if..... schools had no
teachers?
Sf writers have fantastic
imagination. How good is
yours? Try your hand at
changing some common
conditions existing on
Earth today.
For instance:
What if all people grew
150 years old?
What if females were
always taller than males?
What if all fossil fuels
were exhausted (gasoline,
coals, natural gas, etc.)?
Write a short story,
involving "real"
people, living under
drastically changed
circumstances.

Composition Workshop
Do you ever get stuck
describing things? Would
you have difficulties
describing potato chips?
What words would you use?
they rustle
together in their thin
cellophane bag
they crumble in
your fingers
they crunch
between your teeth
These kind of words are
called sensory
words. They add life and
sparkle to what you say.
They make your writing
more vivid and exciting.
Here are some other
sensory words:
dull
tension
bushed
lethargic
constraint
exhausted
|
heavy
fatigue
tuckered out
crushing
struggle
prostrate
|
crunching
toil
bedraggled
pressing
labour
sagging
|
oppressive
tiredness
burdened
strain
weary
|
Try to use these words in
a story describing your
experiences on a planet
that had double the
gravity of Earth. In other
words you suddenly weigh
twice as much, everything
is twice as heavy, and
going up one step is like
going up two steps, etc.
Of course, you are not yet
used to the extra gravity.
Describe your reactions as
you go about what you
consider to be normal
routines, like walking,
climbing stairs, eating,
etc. Use your imagination!
The Guardian of Isis
Although The
Guardian of Isis
is called a "sequel"
to The Keeper of the
Isis Light, the
story told in The
Guardian of Isis
can be understood
very well independently of
what has gone on before.
Actually, not knowing what
has taken place in The
Keeper of the Isis
Light, makes The
Guardian of Isis
more mysterious and
interesting.

Composition Workshop:
"Settlement"
You have left the planet
Earth at a time in the
future, because your
advanced technology has
almost used up all the
resources of the planet.
Many countries already
have nothing left, their
mines, their wells, their
soil exhausted. There are
great food shortages and
this has caused widespread
social and economic
problems.
After a long search in
your spaceship, your group
has finally found a
suitable planet.
As you do not want to
repeat the mistakes made
by the population of
Earth, you are going to be
very careful with your
environment.
- What type of a society
would you want to
establish?
- What alternatives to an
Earth society do you have?
- How would you organize
the food supply?
- What level of
technology would you use?
- How would you organize
the people?
- What type of government
would you want?
You're facing a blank
piece of paper and a
difficult assignment. How
are you going to complete
it?
What is meant with society,
food supply, level of
technology, organisation
of people, type of
government?
These are all very
abstract ideas. Therefore
go slowly. Go step by
step!
- You have left Earth
because..... Write down
the reasons why you
left.
- What do you have to do
to avoid making the same
mistakes as the people
Earth have made?
List them under the
following headings:
a. food supply (crops,
soil, water, methods of
labour, level of
technology, etc.)
b. organisation of work
(number of people,
management, education)
c. level of technology
(advanced, primitive,
tools, factories, mines)
d. form of government
(leadership, voting,
decision making, justice)
e. methods of
communication (advanced,
primitive)
f. religious beliefs
(one, many, none)
You must be consistent.
For instance, if you want
a high level of
technology, you must have
the people with the right
training. You must have
the industry to support
it, and you must have the
mineral resources also.
You must have a
sophisticated
communications network.
But remember, industry,
mining, transportation,
etc. pollute!
Now brainstorm and
use the above outline as a
guide.
a. give point-form
answers,
b. add details
c. express opinions
d. check if your society
makes sense. Is one part
consistent with another?
e. exchange with your
partner and discuss if the
societies you have
developed
will
actually work
f. put your ideas in a
paragraph format
g. organize your
paragraphs in a logical
order
h. write your first draft
i. exchange your
compositions. Peer edit
carefully
j. rewrite in final copy
format
Introduction
- Chapters 1 and 2
- Chapters
3 and 4 - Chapters
5 and 6 - Chapters
7 and 8 - Chapters
9, 10 and 11 - Test:
Question Booklet