rhetoric of cancer (reaction)

Rhetoric of Cancer

The podcast is about a man who is in battle with cancer.  The interesting and funny thing I found in this documentary is the way he thinks in the midst of his illness. Of course, it is natural for people to feel bad when they found out that they have cancer.  But this man acted differently. He has an inquisitive mind and this inquisitive mind could actually help a lot in doing a scientific and a social science research.

In the documentary, he discussed that most people say that people dealing with cancer often use war metaphors and perceive their bodies as war zone. He wasn’t happy with that, so he sought the help of experts to find the appropriate language for him. While his dilemma could help in the advancement of medical science and psychological therapies and treatments, it also opens another question to ponder on society, specifically in linguistic research.

As a Linguistics student, I found his ideas really interesting and I found his personality interesting, too.  If all people would act like him, the world would be a better place- a place where innovations, progress and advancement come.

2008-44779

Time Travel

Time Travel

A lot of people are still thinking if time travel is really possible. Up to now, there have been numerous studies, experiments and suppositions on how time travel works.  With valid scientific theories and explanations, people still believed that this question can be answered. For scientists, this mystery can be solved in terms of time and space. Yes, time and space- the two things that cannot exist without the other.

As we see, the concept of time travel already appeared in several movies. The figment of imagination of people in time travelling has been reflected in the screens. Some movies showed the use of time machine, others just use the character’s ability to do it. Though the process, (or to be exact, the science) behind time travelling is often not shown, movies make it sure to present the aftermath. The question is, if time travel is for real, would you go back to the past? Would you like to see the future? As for me, I would stay in the now.

2008-44779

Time Travel

The whole idea of time travel is both seductive and terrifying. The documentary convinced me that time travel will happen (or already happened) in the future.
There many films, literature and TV shows that use time travel as part of their plot but I think Looper depicts an accurate scenario for time travel. In the future I would imagine that time travel would be illegal. Changing or attempting to change the past is way too risky.
That being said, it would be great if I could time travel. I would totally time travel responsibly (and hopefully, it'll be with the Doctor!)

Reaction Paper on Time Travel

Rivera, Monica Tricia
2013-1439

I learned many things from watching the documentary on Time Travel, the most important being the fact that time is not constant. It is not the same all throughout the universe, or even on Earth. The lapses of time are not constant either. Moreover, time is the fourth dimension, the first three dimensions being spacial. Given these facts, time can be manipulated.

It was very hard to understand the facts presented, because they are not easily observed by the ordinary human being. Concepts such as how in the equation, Speed = Distance/Time, speed and distance are constant but time is not were very confusing. However, it's still very interesting to learn these things and I realized that Time Travel truly is a possibility.

Reaction Paper on The Rhetoric of Cancer

Rivera, Monica Tricia
2013-14349

The podcast, The Rhetoric of Cancer, was very interesting. Before listening to this podcast, I never thought that there was anything wrong with using military metaphors, such as "battling Cancer," or with asking Cancer patients to be "strong" or "brave."  However, after listening to it, I realized that in a way, the way people speak about Cancer can be quite insensitive and inappropriate. This is because Cancer patients do not feel as if Cancer is an external force that they have to battle against. Instead, they feel that Cancer has become a part of them. It is more appropriate to say that these patients have to "live alongside Cancer" or "kiss Cancer goodbye." That way, the language in which we address Cancer would have more compassion.

Reaction Paper : Rhetoric of Cancer

How complex can cancer get? It is a question with many answers, of how complicated this deadly disease is or how technical the medical terms associated with it are or how emotional the feelings arising from having it, and the like. What the podcast presented is the language of cancer characterized as a “military language” because of all the comparisons of the disease to a war, a real battle. Because of media, we might not be able to find it weird from the very start since it was always like that since then. Terms or lines like “fighting cancer” have been the forefront of campaigns. With this, it seems like the victim is fighting an enemy inside his or her body and defeating this enemy will mean triumph for the person. Even if it appears that associating military language for cancer is recognition of the patient’s struggle with the disease, it is strange that we are adding burden to the feeling since it is a fight or a battle wherein you need to conquer everything to succeed. With this mindset, I guess some might find motivation to really go through with the disease but it is also good to look at it with another perspective. If a person actually deals with the disease as something which he or she does not need to fight, something which he needs to cope with as if adapting to be able to live, I think this might also give more hope. Hope comes in the picture because of having more positive attitudes towards it rather than treating it an enemy which attracts a negative attitude. As a daughter of someone who passed away because of cancer, I have been a witness to how hope can change a life of not only the patient but also the people around him or her especially the family. Once the patient gets hope and support from his or her loved ones, there is a stronger commitment to deal with the disease. At the end, everything will matter based on the perspectives of a person in dealing with cancer and this complex thing might even get simpler and easier as one has never imagined.

Sy, Danica

2013-50915

Reaction Paper : Time Travel

The world being 4D, which means that there exists another dimension not really often tackled, has caught the interest of many physicists and the like. And the other complex dimension is time. “Time is gold” has been a common expression which pertains to how precious time is for people. Because of its importance, many people want to control time, either to go back in time or to go through time to arrive in the future. However, this might pose many implications, both positive and negative.

Tinkering with time is like exploring the unknown. One is not guaranteed what the past or future beholds for a person who is time travelling. Could time travelling really help people? If one goes back in time, what will happen to the person’s present or even future self? Same thing if one advances to the time of the future. And the twist of it, will there actually be a way for its success to be reported if one becomes actually gone after “time travelling” and might not be able to come back? Although it will be a great feat for science and technology to be able to conduct time travelling, there are just many things at stake. Especially since it affects the present, some might turn out better while others might turn out worse. The risk in “playing” with time doesn’t just involve a person, but even a whole society.

Personally, I think that time travelling is not a completely good idea. First and foremost, it deals with a human life and life should be the most important priority. Moreover, like what has been portrayed in films or dramas about time travelling, there is always a price to pay. If time will always be accessible to everyone, then time wouldn’t be that valuable anymore and will be neglected. It might be even misused or taken advantage of.

We live in the present; all in the past is just a memory and the future remains uncertain, always a prediction. The complexity of time travelling and its implications is a puzzle which will always linger in the curious minds of the people unless it is proven or disproven with enough proofs to convince everyone.  

Sy, Danica

2013-50915 

TIME TRAVEL

TIME TRAVEL 

From black holes to wormholes and up until the concept of infinite parallel universes, time travel has been a retro topic until today. Many science fiction movies, novels, stories tackle the concept of time travelling. But could it be possible to control time at one's beck and call? 

I have been fascinated about the theories and formulae on how to travel towards the future or the past. I used to believe that time travel would be possible --- but not anymore. 

I think one implication, if ever time travel is possible, is the proof that there is destiny. Destiny is something I believe doesn't exist. The pre-written events as if they were bound to happen albeit all the other things that might affect its occurrence seems to me doesn't make sense. This is only my current opinion, but, who knows? Maybe someday time travel would be possible and in that time, I will believe in the concept of destiny. 

I hope my opinion would be disproved someday, because time travel would be really awesome! :)

Reyes, Paollo Deo R.
2013-66992

THE RHETORIC OF CANCER

Cancer is commonly referred to as an enemy, something you never want to have in one's life -having cancer in one's own body, or on anyone close to him. Cancer is always a losing battle if you treat it as an enemy in war, and medical professionals as heroes.

Andrew Graystone created a documentary on the language of cancer, and consulted several professionals on what terms or how do they denote the concept of cancer. He also said that to battle cancer is to battle himself, or rather, create a conflict against oneself. He mentioned St. Francis who treated cancer as a family member, that the disease is actually a part of his body. The implication of this is, St. Francis never had a conflict against himself, because he did not try to battle or fight it. It was a part of his body, and even if it killed him, he never lost to cancer - because for him, cancer was a friend, a part of his wholeness. 

This rhetoric of cancer brought about a spiritual or religious philosophy on treating cancer as a friend instead of an enemy, even if cancer would destroy the physical body. My reaction to this is, it really depends on the people whether to embrace this philosophy or decide to continue battling it for the prize of living a longer life. I do not want to contradict the philosophy given; my opinion is, we have free will to view cancer as what we want to - either as a friend or as an enemy.

Reyes, Paollo Deo R.
2013-66992

REACTION PAPER: A TRIP TO THE MOON

A TRIP TO THE MOON

Dearest Francois,

            I would like to thank you for the wonderful time that we have spent together. I have to admit that I had enjoyed your company the whole time while watching the movie. Indeed, it was very entertaining and was such a thrilling experience. I cannot help but relive the scenes in my head.

            To be honest, I was quite hesitant to accept your invitation to watch the movie because I have never been to a movie theatre, and we both know that Mama Margarithe almost never allows me to go to public places because of my poor health. But thanks to your persistent begging and constant pestering (which was quite a sight, by the way), I was able to experience something as wonderful as watching a movie. I was quite mesmerized and was unable to remove my sight from the thing they call a movie screen. Each scene was too good to miss. I never knew that it could give you quite a thrill. I almost fell off my seat because of it. How embarrassing! Whoever created that movie must have quite an imagination. Imagine human beings going on a trip to the moon!

            The part where those gentlemen agreed in going on a trip to the moon is quite hilarious, don’t you think so? Having to ride something as ridiculous as what those gentlemen used to get to the moon must be an adventure itself. And those strange creatures that tried to attack them were very silly indeed. They made the movie more interesting and thrilling to watch. When I tried to warn the about the strange creatures, they did not respond. Why is that? And why can’t we hear their conversations? We can only see the gestures that they make. I wonder why the inventors of that movie making machine never thought to make another machine that enable us to hear what they were saying. But this movie is an evidence of man’s ever active and large imagination, don’t you think so?

            But maybe in the future, a trip to the moon will be made possible. After all, if man was able to create a machine that makes moving pictures, and create a wonderful movie about going on a trip to the moon, I think that it would be quite an adventure, don’t you agree?

            Once again, I would like to thank you for the wonderful time, and adventure, that we have spent together. It is a day I will never forget. And I am also looking forward to watching another movie with you.

Yours truly,

Kay Noreene

Kay Noreene P. Dula

2013-68905

     

ALL THE TIME

He could not spot a single living creature left, and found a gun from a fallen cabinet. He decided to end his life with everyone else and aimed the loaded revolver on his right temple. He had his eyes closed but the moment he opened them, he placed the gun down and looked at the sign - Public Library.

He walked inside and found the books survived the death bomb, and he had every single one of them to read for the rest of his life. He had all the time he could give to reading, and no one was going to stop him. However, his glasses fell and the lenses broke, as well as the plan of reading every book in the library.

He woke up, his vision still slightly blurred, and when he looked up, he saw his boss standing in front of him. Henry went back to work and apologized for sleeping while in duty, and swore never to do it again. His obsession on reading gave him this weird dream where he isolated himself from everyone else to live in a fantasy world where he could do nothing but read. He never cared for anyone else and all that mattered for him was to satisfy his craving to read.

He looked beyond his desk and saw a boy sitting on the benches and his mother talking to him, but he did not seem to bother listening because he was busy - playing games on his iPad, living in a fantasy world, isolated from everyone else.

Reyes, Paollo Deo R.

2013-66992

A Trip to the Moon

Dearest Sophie,

I could not help by thinking the experience we had yesterday. I must confess, I was skeptical when you asked me out to escort you to a screening of a film, although I do not know what you were talking about. Being the gentleman as I am, there was no way I could refuse you.

I remember walking to your house and seeing you in that gorgeous green dress, and you looked so stunning - almost as stunning as what we witnessed yesterday.

We went to the house you were referring to, and when we entered, I saw many chairs facing a blank wall, and there were some faces I could recognize in that room, one of them was my cousin. We sat beside him with her pretty girlfriend, although I see you prettier. You looked so excited on this event, and I shared your enthusiasm.

A couple of minutes later, a man entered the room with a peculiar-looking box. He went behind the seats and placed it over the table. He flicked a switch and light came out from the mysterious box and hit the white wall in front of us. He held a handle or something, and then turned it in a circular motion. To everyone's surprise, moving men were in the wall! Or it seems like it. I had to stand up and reach out for them, but the light just transferred to my hand. I sat down in embarrassment and the man with the box explained that the men were not trapped in the wall, instead, we were watching a "motion picture" if I remember his term exactly. We had to smile - grin even - for this is a really exciting invention.

In this film, there was a group of men who travelled to the moon by using a cannon as transportation. They made no sounds whatsoever but their gestures and movements explained the story well. They encountered some monkey-looking aliens which they killed and they immediately turned into smoke! They were captured but escaped, and went back to their country and a celebration was prepared for them. I tried to call out to the men in the film, but they won't respond, even just turn their heads to my direction. Snobbish fellows.

Everyone clapped their hands when the film ended, and it was one heck of an experience, right? I enjoyed it, and I think you did, too. I just could not get the mysterious box out of my head, and it amuses me everytime I think of it. I was hoping to watch more films with you and I heard there is going to be another film this coming Saturday on the same place. Maybe we could go there together? I'll pick you up at five if you do want to join me.

Love,

Paul

Reyes, Paollo Deo R.

2013-66992

Futurama

In Futurama, when Fry arrived at year 3000, everything seemed to change - from individual lifestyles of people to the interaction or the society itself. The future described in the show was something that is possible to happen judging on how science and technology advances on the contemporary time. Individuals no longer choose how they would live their life; it was already predetermined with chips implanted in them. But they could choose how to end it in the suicide booth - either a slow and painful death or a fast sudden death.

Also, aliens had contact with humans, and even became acquaintances, together with a robot who seems to act like an ordinary person. Science and technology might make our works easier and faster, but does it make our life better? For some, the answer might be yes; for some, it might be no. I am a little bit caught in between, because Futurama shows both: advanced technologies and transportation, but an inescapable fate.

Time travelling was tackled in one of the common ways I've seen in shows wherein a caveman was frozen and then thawed because of global warming - the result, he was preserved and lived another time in the future. The concept is the same, freezing the person in a tube with cryogenic, and he picks the time he wants to travel to. Therefore, escaping the present and gets to live the same life in another time.

Reyes, Paollo Deo R.
2013-66992

All the Glasses (an update)

I've created an update for The Twilight Zone's Time Enough At Last episode and here's how it goes, in a story form:

“That’s not fair! That’s not fair at all!”

Mr. Henry Bemis feels miserable. There is all the time that he needs, but his eyeglasses got shattered. Just how much painful is it to feel your dearest books around you, but cannot read them? Aside from being in the midst of nowhere, he now can never read. Just how much painful is that? Mr. Bemis can die in pain alone.

“This is too much. Maybe I could just shoot myself and die and leave these miseries! I will be forgiven, maybe I will, yes, I will be.”

As he is saying this, Mr. Bemis walks to find his way back to where he found the gun which will supposedly kill him earlier. But it seems he is lost. He tries to go in the other direction. He walks and walks and trips. He stumbled upon a dead man covering his face. Mr. Bemis would just leave the man when he saw something glistening. He takes a closer look, and…

“Oh! Oh… oh. Glasses! Eyeglasses!”

The man, it seems, is wearing an eyeglasses that did not shatter because he is covering his face and head when the explosion came. Mr. Bemis took his eyeglasses and wears it. It takes a little while for his eyes to adjust but he now can read. The eyeglasses do not give him a very clear sight but with this, he can do his reading. Miracle of miracles! Mr. Bemis goes back to the remains of the Public Library and starts reading.

His reading seems to go on forever, but as a human, he has necessities. He starves now. But there is no food left. He ignores all aches that his body feels. At least he’s done what he wants before he dies. At least he’ll die with a grateful heart.

He stops reading in a moment, looks at the distance, and notices something unfair once again. Just a few walks from the library lay the remains of an optical shop. He goes in there and finds many eyeglasses unaffected by the explosion. Mr. Bemis becomes gloomy.

“This is not fair! This is not fair at all! I have all the glasses I need… but my body is now weak. My time is running out.” 

Keanne Samar, 2013-16445

Awesome: A Trip to the Moon Reaction Paper

     A Trip to the Moon was a blast! Considering the limited technologies these days (in 1902, precisely), the movie’s effects are awesome. It also shows the wide imagination of the creators having adapted the movie from the works of Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. Although if I will be viewing from the perspective of the 20^th century, this movie is somewhat of a cartoon kind, that kind that’s too corny. The background music also is not that good, but in 1902, it is a creative way and also a very hard way to do it. This is because the orchestra should keep track of what’s happening in the movie and then they will play an appropriate music effect. That’s a very hard way to keep a movie lively.

    The movies and movie effects we are enjoying nowadays evolved from being corny-black and white ones to high-tech ones we dearly love today. A love of art and appreciation should always be in place when viewing movies especially the old ones since appreciation was the very thing that inspired the creators to make the movies we are familiar with in the present.

Keanne Samar, 2013-16445

Reaction Paper on All the Time

2013-14349
Monica Rivera

The episode, "All the Time in the World," of Twilight Zone really moved me emotionally. The ending, where the protagonist's eye glasses broke right after he found a library, really made me sad. Given this, I can only think of one update that makes sense.

What I have in mind is to end the episode with the protagonist committing suicide. After all, he has no one and nothing left. He doesn't even have the proper eyesight, so he cannot read to his liking. This tragic end would further exaggerate how unlucky the protagonist was.

Reaction Paper : Twilight Zone

During the 1950’s, the world was still in chaos. There wasn’t exactly peace and order since there were nations at war with each other because of aiming too much power and sovereignty over one another. The “Time Enough At Last” episode of the Twilight zone presented what was happening to the society at that time. One of these is the H-bomb which destructed the entire human race except the bookworm Bemis. It also tackled the issue of the importance of being alone and of time to the main character. He seemed to also be living in a period wherein the people disregarded how important books are which was shown through the characters of his wife and boss in the bank.

If I am going to make an adaptation of the film, I would situate it in the present, particularly in the Philippines. Unlike the reality of the film wherein there was bombing, I guess the threats of destruction for the country are the natural disasters. Since what recently happened to the country is the Yolanda Typhoon which washed away the inhabitants of the province of Leyte, I would place my character in the position as a survivor of that disaster. Although at present many are not fond of reading books anymore and instead they spend their time using the internet, the character remains a bookworm in the adaptation. He is not restricted by the people around him to read books but he cannot attend school since their family is economically deprived. When the calamity strikes, he survives. Since he is far-flung area, the rescuers won’t be able to immediately locate him so he tries to look for food and resources and suddenly bumps to the college library. He decided to enter to the library instead of searching for food and resources. However, since the natural disaster that came was a typhoon, all of the books were drenched in water, thus unreadable.

There are several ways to cope with the delight or sadness in being alone. There are also several impediments into achieving what our desires are. Lastly, having all the time in the world doesn’t always equate to the absolute sadness or happiness of our lives.

Sy, Danica (2013-50915)

Reaction Paper: A Trip to the Moon

At that time wherein technology wasn’t so advanced yet, a colored film might be exciting to watch even though it is a silent film because silent films were quite popular. Content wise, since it was about travelling to the moon, it provided interest to how it would actually be done in the film. Due to immense creativity and resourcefulness amidst lack of technology of the time, travelling to the moon was presented as something easy and not technical by the characters which provided some sense of comedy to the viewers. If I were to watch the film at that time, I might think that the “trip to the moon” is attributed to being heroic since you do not only develop the technology to travel to the moon but also bring back new insights on what is present in the moon. Moreover, due to the simplicity of representation, it also seems that life on the moon is easy as a camping trip while still minding the danger of encountering the “aliens” or inhabitants of the moon which surprisingly appeared to be easily killed just because of a strong force acted upon them. All in all, if I was seeing the film for the first time, I would not be sure of what my expectations would actually be after watching the entire show. It is either you consider the content to be a source of useful insight about travelling to the moon or you consider it as a presentation merely for entertainment.

Sy, Danica (2013-50915)

Reaction Paper : Futurama

Space Pilot 3000, the pilot episode of Futurama, shows how sophisticated everything can be in the future because of science and technology. When Fry arrived in the year 3000, a lot of things changed from the infrastructures to the lifestyles of the people and even the presence of aliens like Leela. The place where he used to be also became an “undergound” city below the sea which can still be accessed through the unique transportation. Another notable thing is the presence of a suicide booth where he met Bender. This means that in that year 3000, convenience is emphasized in the way people deal with things. Like how Leela was supposed to install a chip to Fry which gives him a certain “predetermined” job or role for the rest of his life, it is seen to be convenient for the society to have it that way even at times leaving the people without having a choice. Here we see that there is disconnect between society and the lives of the people since they have the luxury of experiencing an enormous kind of convenience in 3000 while also being limited to how they should lead their lives. In a way, it shows that in the future, science, aside from being a way to explore things beyond, can actually limit the lives of the people.

Moreover, time travelling was presented in a more realistic way. It was done through the preservation of human beings using a timed tube containing cryogenics unlike time travelling through certain machines which immediately brings the person to a certain year. This, for me, gives more insight to the possibilities of how science develops and can make “time travelling” possible.   

Sy, Danica (2013-50915)

Reaction Paper on Futurama

2013-14349
Monica Rivera

Futurama is about a boy named Fry who was accidentally frozen for 1000 years. He ends up waking up in the year 3000. The "time travel" shown in the episode wasn't time travel per se. Instead, it just presents technology wherein individuals can be frozen and "preserved" for a certain period of time, which is how Fry "travelled" to the future.

The show featured very advanced technology. What struck me the most was how they developed technology to organize society in such a way that everyone had an assigned role through the "career chips." In a way, the way the show portrays the future is dystopian because individuals are not given the freedom to choose their careers.

Lastly, the show was set in a world very different from ours. Aliens exist and robots have minds of their own. Humans also have evolved to have different features, like Leela, who only has one big eye. Overall, Futurama is a very creative portrayal of the future.

Reaction Paper on A Trip to the Moon

2013-14349
Rivera, Monica Tricia

If I watched this film during its first screening in 1902, I would be very amazed. This is mainly for two reasons: the visuals and the storyline. First of all, the film was very aesthetically appealing. The graphics are very artistic and creative, especially when the rocket landed on the eye of the moon. I also loved how the film was able to portray the story mainly through visuals, because there was no dialogue.

Second of all, a story about people going to the moon would be very mind-blowing for the people who lived in 1902, considering that the first successful trip to the moon was dated almost 70 years later. It is such a creative yet unbelievable story that it can be likened to a fantasy.

However, as a person from the 21st century, I was not as impressed when I saw the film. This is because the films today have much more advanced graphics, and because a story about going to the moon just isn't fresh anymore. Though when I contextualized the film to the time it was made, I realized that the film is a very beautiful Science Fiction and definitely a milestone for the world of Film.

Reaction Paper (Trip to the Moon)

This short comedy film is intended to make humor out of Science and Technology. The film is good for two things: first, it brought laughter, and second, it reminded us again about the power of imagination.

Dated 1902, was there somebody else who thought that trip to the moon was possible?  The answer of course is yes. Because after 67 years, Neil Armstrong made it happen.

So what I am pondering on is that aside from curiosity, imagination is the root of all inventions and scientific discoveries. This kind of feel- good films intended for the children can also help them think, explore and look at the possibilities in impossibilities. To quote from Albert Einstein, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” See, imagination even embraced the moon. 

But that should not stop in that. Imagination should progress to motivation, and then ladder up to action. 

Alastair Erfe

2008- 44779

Reaction Paper (Futurama)

Futurama is an American series that tells about a man who was frozen for a long time and suddenly found himself in the future.  He was then assigned to be a delivery boy by the Fate Assignment and did not like it, so he looked for all the means to escape the task for him.

Of course, aside from not liking the task, he also found it hard to cope on a new environment, a new environment that almost seemed a new world to him.  In this setting, there are a lot of innovations, technological stuff and scientific advancements that he could not imagine.

This comedy sitcom apparently is created to make us think the possibilities of Science and Technology. Technology advances every day, and one day we might just wake up that it has completely dominated our lives. Some things that were shown in the sitcom are happening now and some are yet to come.  The question left is, can science even decide the fate of anyone in the future?

Alastair Erfe

2008-44779

Goodbye 2000, Hello 3000!

New Year, new life! There is indeed a new life waiting for the pizza delivery boy Fry, the lead actor in the comedy-sci-fi series Futurama, as he travelled to the year 3000 after he accidentally found himself in a time machine. In that year in the future, every human is given their own career chips which dictate their fates in the world. They “gotta do what they gotta do” whether they like it or not. Unfortunately for Fry, he was destined to be a delivery boy again. He disagreed to be one, but eventually accepted his role in the end as he found himself in the company of his newfound friends in the character of the robot Bender, Lila (an alien who works on earth) and Prof. Hubert Farnsworth (his great-great-great-great-great-great-great… nephew). 

The show’s take on the future and science
In Futurama, our present world was invaded by aliens and then there came the revival of medieval period, then destroyed again by aliens, and there came the future (in the year 3000) where everything is bizarre. There are inventions that seem so impossible to create here in the present like the tube-shaped time machine, all sorts of spaceships used for transportation, the career chips implanted to every human’s hand that dictate their fates, and the thing that very much called my attention –the suicide booth. Because of the high standards of science depicted, everything seems so easy and possible in the future.

How does it tackle time travelling?
Time travelling in Futurama is as easy as locking yourself in a tube and controlling it by adjusting the ‘spinner’. Also, anyone can travel. It can be a medium to escape your past life like Fry did. He was glad that he had escaped his past life because, he said, he was broke, he had a humiliating job, and he was cheated by her girlfriend. Time travelling is a thing available to anyone who wishes to be somewhere else.

(It is an interesting and entertaining show. I am actually encouraged to watch all the episodes.)

Keanne Samar, 2013-16445