Group “B” should answer TWO of the following:
Q1: How does Burroughs contrast the Red Martians with the
Green in Chapter 20? Are they the nobler, wiser breed that Dejah Thoris boasts
of? Or are they merely a different colored “Martian”? What does he learn about
their society in the Atmosphere Factory?
Q2: John Carter talks a lot about the ‘atavism’ of the
Martians, and whether some can rebel over their savagery and become ‘human’
again. But is he ever guilty of the reverse—of becoming too much like them? If
the Martians are a creation of their environment, can it also ‘devolve’ him
during his stay?
Q3: Why might it be significant that the Tharks, though they
take no delight in love or sex themselves, are ruled by a malicious, sex-crazed
monster, Tal Hajus? Is it necessary to have a classic villain at the center of
this story, who threatens the life—and virtue—of Dejah Thoris like a Darth
Vader (or Jabba the Hutt)? Or could there be another reason why their leader is
the most primitive thark of the lot?
Q4: Somewhat related to the above, what is the significance
of Sola’s story of her parents (one of which we learn, is Tars Tarkas)? How did
her parents rise above the baser instincts of their people? And why might this
story also hint at the ceaseless malevolence of Sarkoja?
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