“Where are you going?” We have all asked and been asked this harmless
question at one point or another.
Nevertheless, when Edward Black asks his brother, John Black, “where are you going,” (62) the common and
familiar phrase transforms into an extraordinary, alien, and quite scary inquest. Through Edward’s question in the final scene,
Ray Bradbury explores the themes of deception, discipline, and death in “The
Third Expedition” while trying to understand what makes us human.
Upon arriving on Mars, the entire
crew is deceived by the Martians. One
man says the town on Mars “looks like home” (42) and by nightfall each member
of the crew, including the captain himself, abandon the order to remain by the
ship because they all recognize a deceased loved one.
The loved ones are really just
disguised Martians. But because the
feeling of love trumps logic for humans even on extraterrestrial planets, as
witnessed earlier in Interstellar and
this short story, the men abandon their plan and have no clue where they are actually
going. Only is it too late that Captain
Black logically thinks and recognizes the Martian plan. Because of the free will that each man
possesses and the love each feels, the Martians were able to defend their
territory and kill off the humans.
I think that fear, failure, impulsive actions, free
will, and love are necessary traits that make us human. Although not always ideal, these traits have
been elements of human existence throughout time. As the world changes and technology advances,
do you think that we should modify or change some of these human
characteristics? If we need to keep
these human traits, how can we resolve the many issues that humanity faces? If we need change, how much is needed before
we lose our humanness?
Given the nature of the stories that we have read so far this year, I think it is clear to see that (in answer to your discussion questions) humanity may indeed need to “step up its game.” Although many of the human characteristics that you mentioned in your post are valuable, some of them may actually do a lot of harm. For instance, in “The Third Expedition,” the downfall of Captain Black and his crew comes directly from their willingness to trust foreign beings and their lack of fear. If the crew had not been so empathetic and frankly naïve, they might have been able to see through the aliens’ plot to kill them. In order for humans to truly survive and thrive in an age of space exploration, contact with otherworldly beings, and technological advancements, it is impeccable that they remain exceedingly cautious and skeptical or else they, just like Captain Black and his crew, may fail to recognize the dangers that lie in plain sight.
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