Time Capsule Found On The Dead Planet Summary

The prose “Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet” by Margret Atwood is a cautionary tale telling a brief history of the Earth. It also includes Atwood’s prediction of what the world will be in the future and acts to warn of our ways and the damage we will cause. This piece uses a wide range of vocabulary to be a successful form of belittlement. Atwood’s text uses a wide range of descriptive words as a form of imagery in the latter half to show how what we have done should make us feel ashamed. Similarly, she uses unambiguous words to make a clear stance on human shortcomings and how we are to blame. She also uses a range of positive vocabulary at the beginning which changes around the 3rd stanza to become harsh, this demonstrates how the world

In the first stanza, the earth is described as a wonderful place and is somewhere where many things grow. “A million fish in the seas and a million birds in the sky” demonstrates the liveliness of this place and how the earth should be. Atwood has illustrated the way things should be in the world and what it looked like when humans hadn’t begun to destroy it. In contrast, at the end of the piece, we are told of a barren environment with no life of any form. This is exemplified by the fact that “nothing grew [in the cities]” which can convey how our society has been fully to blame for the change in this world and should be ashamed of it. This is very effective due to the fact that in a short time, we see both ends of the spectrum and are faced with this massive change and we can only put the blame on ourselves. By doing this, Atwood emphasises the changes that have ensued in the ecosystem and how without humans the world would be in a much better state. This use of juxtapositioning is a useful tool of guilting humans into remorse for the actions they committed by the stark difference before and after