For The Classroom
Concepts
Science Fiction
Adaptation
1880-90’s/Novel
1930’s/Radio
Aliens
Invasion
Colonialism
Controversy
Space Exploration
Technology
Public Perception/Panic
Topics for Further Study
This novel is specific about what sorts of physical characteristics the Martians would have developed, due to the kind of atmosphere Wells believed Mars to have. Using current information about Mars, describe what types of creatures would live there if there were any Martians at all.
Examine the information that has been printed by people who suspect that aliens have already come to Earth, especially the theories around Roswell, New Mexico, and the government facility at Area 51 in Nevada. After reading the information, explain why you do or do not believe that the government is keeping the presence of aliens a secret.
Listen to a recording of the Mercury Theatre’s 1938 broadcast of their adaptation of The War of the Worlds, and then read about the panic that broadcast caused. Compare the public’s response to that fictional account with the reaction to the real-life destruction of the World Trade Center, which was broadcast live throughout the world. Explain whether you think people in the 1930s acted rationally or irrationally.
The invasion of London in this novel can be compared to the attack against New York City in 2001. Write a report about the ways people behaved at that time, comparing and contrasting them to the behaviors that Wells describes.
Compare and Contrast
1898: One of the most frightening aspects of the Martian invasion is when they master the concept of flight, giving them the ability to spread their dominance across the globe.
Today: Humans have been able to fly since the Wright Brothers were able to attain lift-off at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
1898: Wells presents interplanetary travel as being a matter of a canister projected from Mars to Earth like a bullet from a gun.
Today: Humanity understands the principles of rocket propulsion well enough to explore the far reaches of our solar system.
1898: In the novel, Wells describes lakes of water on Mars, visible through telescopes.
Today: For a long time, theories about Martian water have been discredited as a misinterpretation of the visible data; however, in recent years, probes on the surface of Mars have determined that there is in fact significant water.
1898: The only means of communication are telegraphs. When the Martians are a few miles away from London, people in the city go about their ordinary business, unaware.
Today: Wireless phones with video capabilities make it possible for an average citizen to send sound and images from any remote corner of the world.
Topics for Discussion
1. Why are the characters given abstract names such as "the Narrator" and "the Curate"? Are the names symbolic? What would be the point of symbolic names?
2. In many stories about invaders from outer space, the aliens are so advanced that human beings can do nothing to hurt them. Wells allows his human beings to destroy some Martian war machines. Why does he do this?
3. Is the ending of the book, in which the Martians are destroyed by microbes and chased down by packs of dogs, a letdown? Can you think of a better ending?
4. If modern scientists were to spot flashes of incandescent gas on the surface of Mars, how do you think they would react? How would the national government react? How would the military react? Would any of these groups react differently than they do in The War of the Worlds?
5. What if scientists knew for sure that space vehicles were on the way from Mars to Earth—how do you think people would react to the news?
6. The War of the Worlds was published in 1898, and the military technology of Britain—then the world's preeminent military power—seems old fashioned when compared to modern weapons. How does this affect your enjoyment of the novel? If you still enjoyed reading The War of the Worlds, what about the book makes it worth reading even though the technology is out of date?
7. After the Martians have crushed the resistance and gained control of the countryside, how do people react to the loss of their civilization? Do you think Wells' portrayal of the survivors is convincing? How would people react after a disaster left them at the mercy of their enemies?
Vocabulary List
Deputation - delegation; the small group of men that approach the Martians with a white flag
Ululation - howl, wail
Kopjes - a small hill
Hamstringing - to make ineffective or powerless, cripple
Impetus - driving force, stimulus
Integument - skin, membrane, husk
Actuate - to move to action
Vitiated - to make faulty or defective
Efficacious - having the power to produce a desired effect
Navvies - an unskilled laborer, as on canals, roads, etc.
Fecundity - prolific, fertile
Languid - slow, without vigor or vitality
Precipitately - acting with haste
Putrefactive - decomposition resulting in foul smell
Sidereal - stellar, relating to the stars or constellations