The War of the Worlds Group at eNotes

Yes, the Martians do have some sort of mirror that reflects and projects...

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:52:49 PST

Yes, the Martians do have some sort of mirror that reflects and projects the light from their death ray. In Book 1, chapter 6, the narrator describes the terrible effects of this weapon. He calls it a "parabolic mirror of unknown composition" and compares it to a lighthouse mirror:This intense heat they project in a parallel beam against any object they choose, by means of a polished parabolic mirror of unknown composition, much as...

In "The War of the Worlds," do the Martians use a mirror when...

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 12:09:08 PST

In "The War of the Worlds," do the Martians use a mirror when shooting the heat ray?

Hi there-For further help with your essay, you might want to check out...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:48:04 PST

Hi there-For further help with your essay, you might want to check out our page, "How to Write a Good Essay on English Literature."If you need additional help, check out our Essay Lab. Good Luck!

The narrator is given a sense of power because he is telling the story...

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 05:38:39 PST

The narrator is given a sense of power because he is telling the story six years after it happened. He has full information on the character of the invasion, complete analysis and understanding of the events, so he speaks with authority.He is also an expert in the field with more knowledge than the average person. "For one thing, the narrator is a scientist and a friend of an astronomer, Ogilvy: this gives him access to the world of...

Power, the Narrator, and "The War of the Worlds"

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:46:12 PST

Hi, I'm writing an essay on how the narrator in The War of the Worlds creates a sense of power. Can someone please help me!?

For the Martians or for humans? The book is rather pessimistic about a...

Wed, 2 Jul 2008 05:41:02 PST

For the Martians or for humans? The book is rather pessimistic about a victory for humanity, but there is a shred of hope that the narrator gives, suggesting that even though the Martians will inevitably win this battle, if humanity can find a way to survive and flourish again...there may be a distant victory for humans in the future.Initially, then, the Martians have all the power...the fire power, the fear, the knowledge of the humans...

I am writing an essay on how the narrater in "The War Of The Worlds"...

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 07:11:26 PST

I'm struggling, please help!

Good question. Four perspectives combine in this classic work of science...

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:06:37 PST

Good question. Four perspectives combine in this classic work of science fiction. First and most literally, what's happening to humanity is viewed through the perspective of an educated human. Second, though, that person is placed in the position of a colonized country, with his rights and expectations crushed by superior technology. Third, humanity is viewed biologically, as part of an evolutionary conflict. Fourth, humanity is seen as a...

In the book "The War of the Worlds," from what perspective is...

Sat, 24 May 2008 18:15:54 PST

In the book "The War of the Worlds," from what perspective is humanity viewed?

In Book 2, chapter 8, the Martians begin dying because they have no...

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 07:54:13 PST

In Book 2, chapter 8, the Martians begin dying because they have no resistance to the smallest inhabitants of Earth: bacteria and other microbes. The narrator notices that other people are becoming aware of their death and are coming out of hiding. In chapter 9, the narrator says while he was sleeping, another man had the foresight to go to St. Martin's le Grand and rig up a telegraph to send a message to Paris. Soon the news spread all over...

When the Martians began to die in "The War of the Worlds,"...

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:40:57 PST

When the Martians began to die in "The War of the Worlds," where was the message sent first?

I'm not sure Wells meant to say that science and technology were...

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:37:05 PST

I'm not sure Wells meant to say that science and technology were inherently dangerous or bad. Wells was a proponent of Darwin's theory of evolution. The conflict between science and religion is seen in the conflict between the curate and the narrator; interestingly, St. Paul's Cathedral is damaged, but the Crystal Palace, which was built to showcase technological advances from all over the world, was not touched.You might say that a theme of...

What would be an example of the powers or dangers of science/technology,...

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:30:17 PST

What would be an example of the powers or dangers of science/technology, within The War of the Worlds?

I believe the future is more grim than Wells might have imagined in his...

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 03:47:08 PST

I believe the future is more grim than Wells might have imagined in his wildest dreams (and his dreams were awfully wild.) Therefore, I think the sentence would read, "In about two hundred years, we may expect even small hopes to be extinguished like a sputtering flame." I say this because, for me, the destruction the unnamed narrator describes echo too resonately the horrors of 9/11. Like the Martian attacks, our surprise came from by...

If the narrator were to resume his writing, how would he now end the...

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:15:55 PST

If the narrator were to resume his writing, how would he now end the sentence- "In about two hundred years, we may expect?"

The narrator of The War of the Worlds is never identified by name. He...

Thu, 10 May 2007 08:42:14 PST

The narrator of The War of the Worlds is never identified by name. He refers to a “great light” seen on the planet Mars in 1894, explaining that this was six years before the time when he is writing. Earth’s astronomers were perplexed about what to make of it, he says, but later realized that it was the invading forces, being shot toward Earth as if out of a gun. People think that the first Martian ship is a falling star, then a meteor.

What keeps occuring nightly on Mars?

Thu, 10 May 2007 07:51:21 PST

What keeps occuring nightly on Mars?

The enotes section entitled Themes goes into some of these in great...

Wed, 9 May 2007 08:36:15 PST

The enotes section entitled Themes goes into some of these in great detail, you can find that here: http://www.enotes.com/war-worlds/46163 But briefly, thinking about one of the topics you suggested, Man versus machine, I think the novel is pretty clear that it would have to be living creature and Machine that destroys the world, the machines couldn't do it themselves. Think about the martians themselves, they get the power when they climb...

wouldnt it be ogilvy???

Wed, 9 May 2007 06:50:08 PST

wouldnt it be ogilvy???

There are several themes in the book such as inhumanity of imperialism...

Wed, 9 May 2007 06:49:27 PST

There are several themes in the book such as inhumanity of imperialism and submission of men to machines...