I just read this morning that two of NASA's STEREO probes have finished revolving around their respective halves of the sun, and humans will now have a complete, 360 degree view of the sun. You can read the full article here.
The first thing I thought of when I saw this article was how humans' thirst for knowledge is never ending. We are always trying to make everything predictable so that nothing is a surprise anymore (this is even mentioned in the article). Thus, I related this to Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Huck used to like surprises and anything out of ordinary when he was living with the Widow and Miss Watson. He got bored with the daily routine and wanted something more, which is why he would have adventures with Tom. However, as the book progresses and Huck sees the world as it really is by traveling on his raft, Huck begins to dislike these surprises. Instead, he wants to know when things are happening, and at times even regrets getting into this situation in the first place. He hates that fact that he will not know what is going to happen to Jim when he is left alone, or even what they will do if the raft is lost. I guess this is a way of Mark Twain commenting on human nature. Humans are naturally curious, however, as we discover the dangers of the world, we begin to want to foresee them more and more. This is what NASA has done.
Jon,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that humans thirst for knowledge is overwhelming, but I would disagree that Huck begins to dislike surprises as the book goes on. While its true that he often regrets getting into certain situations, he never stops seeking adventure. This can be seen as he continuously lies about his identity, and continues traveling and participating in the King and Duke's shows. I would say that Huck is growing tired of his life on the road, but I would not say that he has stopped looking for adventure.
Kristen -- I agree with you on both of those points. At the very end of the book, Huck complains about being adopted by Tom's Aunt. He says that he doesn't want to be civilized again, implying that he wants to continue to be on his own, making his own decisions. If he wanted to stop having surprises, it would make more sense that he would want to be adopted.
ReplyDelete