1030-10
Who is Carl Sagan and why is his book such a big deal? The real question is why do you not know? Carl Sagan is an astronomer, a consultant for Nasa, a well-known writer, and a man for the nations. He is a successful man, with two doctorates one in astronomy and the other in astrophysics from the University of Chicago. Even though the criticism from other scientists who would say that SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Life) was an almost idiotic project the beginning was doomed for failure. Yet Carl Sagan worked through and made significant advancements in SETI. Dr. Carl Sagan was a man with profound beliefs, ideas, and research and he always had an intelligent way of explaining them. One of the most debated topics was God. Carl Sagan, a well-known atheist, ironically, was one of the few who strived to look for connections between God and science. These connections and his interest can be seen in his work, Contact (1985). Contact was one of many books written by Sagan and this book soon became a movie for the ages. It is believed that in Contact, Carl Sagan shadowed his own beliefs through a character known as Ellie Arroway. Dr. Arroway, a stubborn and headstrong scientist, some could even say a visionary is the main character in this Carl Sagan story. When she was known just as Ellie she developed a love for radio and one day that interest would open her eyes to a world she had never known. When Ellie Arroway graduated from college she began to work for SETI where she would sit and listen to the radios. She made a point of this in case a signal from something, someone, anything, anywhere in the universe on any planet came through her radio. Arroway is portrayed by Jodie Foster and has a strong disbelief in religion, a topic she doesn't take seriously. To Arroway religion has no stance at all, insisting that all things must be proven to exist at all. Contrastingly, Carl Sagan uses the hardline Christian character, Reverend Palmer Joss, to represent those of religious culture. Reverend Joss portrayed by Matthew McConaughey differs greatly from that of Dr. Arroway. The one thing they share, besides being two characters that compliment each other greatly and make this movie the spiritual thinkpiece that it is is also one of the great themes of the movie. They both share the desire to know the truth about our universe. What a complex yet astounding storyline portrayed by flawlessly casted actors and actresses ideal for their parts that all make up the befitting visual interpretation of Carl Sagan’s breathtakingly thrilling world he created when he began writing the first words of his book Contact. Carl Sagan, as mentioned is a mind of unfathomable dimensions. Carl Sagan was able to create a story and a world that made us think about life in a manner deeper than ever imagined. If we try really hard can we break down everything to the simplest level and find a greater meaning in them? Are God and Science truly related?
Discussion Questions:
1) Do you believe there is life on other planets? If so why?
2) We are small, do we make an impact? Does our existence and what we do actually matter?
3) What do you think our purpose is?
4) Do you think we will ever make contact with anyone else?
Quiz Questions:
1) What NASA Spacecraft took the Pale Blue Dot Photo?
2) What does SETI stand for?
3) Name 1 of the doctorates that Carl Sagan has.
4) What actor plays Reverend Palmer Joss?
5) What is the name of Carl Sagan’s novel that this movie is based on?
Links to look:
Dean Cheevers, Pranathi Shankar, and Jesse Pohl
Looking forward to your report, thanks for posting well in advance. Good precedent!
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