Greek Mythology

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inspect the object that stands within the walls.

d. Something comes out of the monolith - a powerful signal

beamed at Jupiter

e. The symbolized Trojans reel in pain. The surface story has no

need for them to reel in pain, no need for the signal to be painful

or even audible. Kubrick had the astronauts fall back in pain

because he wanted to symbolize the pain of the dying Trojan warriors.

Slide 13

2001: A Space Analogy

The adventures/misadventures of Dave are to read as those of

Odysseus.

Dave’s last name is Bowman  Odysseus was the original

“Bow-man”

b) When HAL locks Dave out of the Discovery, the mytho-

logical roles are reveresed from the Polyphemus story:

the human relies on brute strength while the monster

relies on genius.

c) When Dave enters the Monolith, he forgets himself and his

mission; the Monolith serving as a the lotus-plant.

Slide 14

2001: A Space Analogy

4. The Prometheus myth and the Creation of Man.

the Monolith brings man a gift, a gift that soon proves to be

beyond his control (as does Prometheus)

men are created perfectly in a Golden Age, then quickly

degenerate into the Iron Age (HAL?)

The movie is about creation by design –

computers and their part in them - computers that

can misfunction and cause destruction - or was

that all part of the plan?

Slide 15

2001: Different Analogies

As you watch, keep these in mind, but also see what your mind tells

you  the movie came out in 1968, and people STILL don’t know

what it means.

When you watch 2010:

The Year We Make

Contact, see how

long they puzzle

over one line from

Dave Bowman: