If I Forget Thee, O Earth . . . | Techniques for Impact
Poquette has a bachelor’s degree in English and specializes in writing about literature. In the following essay, Poquette discusses the techniques that Clarke employs in ‘‘‘If I Forget Thee, O Earth . . . ’’’ to give his bleak message more impact.
In his entry on Clarke for Science Fiction Writers, David. N. Samuelson notes that ‘‘some of his early stories were essentially jokes’’ and that these stories were ‘‘whimsical.’’ However, Samuelson notes in his entry that ‘‘Clarke could also write stories of a more somber, even melancholy tone—far-future tales in which man’s science and technology seemed to lead to a dead end.’’ ‘‘‘If I Forget Thee, O Earth . . . ’’’ is definitely one of the latter. In the story, Clarke sends a dark message to the world’s inhabitants, urging them not to...
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