Why do authors write? A seemingly simple question, but the answer would vary from person to person. Some may say it is to engage readers in epic tales, others may say books are outlets for expression. For authors like Arthur C. Clarke and Ray Bradbury, books are a brilliant way to convey ideas. They toy with elements of storytelling to present entertainment that has depth. Each author has a work that is both very similar and very different from one another: Clarke’s Childhood’s End and Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles. Both novels center around the subject of alien encounters, but they mostly focus on how humanity is effected by this discovery. The novels tackle unique interpretations of the aliens and, more interestingly, the humans. Through …show more content…
When the Overlords—the aliens—came to Earth, Clarke gave a lot more focus to humanity’s reaction rather than Bradbury, who focused more on the result of humanity’s actions. Many welcomed the Overlords while others sought to banish them, be it for religious reasons, genuine fear, or the dissatisfaction of having superiors over the human race. “We must work out our own destiny. There must be no more interference with human affairs” (Ch. 2). Later on, once the Overlord’s company becomes normal, dissatisfaction still remains, for when the Overlords provide for humanity, some still wish to return to what was comfortable, so a whole colony was created. “We’ve no hostility to the Overlords: we simply want to be left to go our own way” (Ch. 15). Ever since the start of the novel, humans have this confinement issue, thinking the Overlords have total rule, yet they mostly observe with little interference. They may not be opposed to the Overlords, but they certainly are not content, and it almost becomes paradoxical, for they are given everything they needed, but they restricted. “The colony 's got everything that’s really needed for civilized life” (Ch. 15). Clarke’s humans show more complexity, but this translates into humanity having more complex