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Fantastical narrative: Logos
Thousands of light years away from Earth, lost among the galaxies,
there is the planet Logos. What is most surprising is that we are
accustomed to imagining an alien being completely different from us:
ugly, three-eyed, with a flaccid body, sometimes hairy, and so on.
Actually, the inhabitants of Logos are exactly like us. The only
difference is, they live in a more advanced society than ours,
technologicy-wise. There are no economic problems there, or struggles
for survival. There are no rich and no poor, everyone is equal.
Do you feel like having chicken and chips? Just press a button, and
there it is.
Do you want to travel? Forget high speed trains! You can reach any
other planet from your home in very little time. You just sit in your
personal spaceship, choose your destination, press a button and…
go!
At this point I can anticipate that you, my little readers, are faced
with a doubt. You are beginning to like this planet and so you ask
yourself… what about school? Here’s the story: every house has
their own computer-teacher. This teacher is docile and helpful, and
it answers all your questions. It is like a little helper, who
follows you throughout your studies, which are very short as well.
What need is there to study? If you are feeling unwell, you have your
computer-doctor ready to help you. It will assist you, cure you, and
even operate on you. You need clothes? No problem: everybody, child
or adult, wears the same uniform, clean and comfortable. You just
need to press one button.
And what is the planet like? If the Logosians are just like us, then
Logos must be like Earth. Are sea, mountains, skies, and mountain
lakes as beautiful as ours? What about the forests? And the savannah?
Giraffes, bears, dolphins? Dear children, I’m afraid this will
disappoint you greatly, but unfortunately progress comes at a price.
Logos has none of these things. You can’t have it all, even in
Logos. There, everything is artificial. To arrive at all the results
that I have mentioned it takes a big change. All the luxuries that
Logosians enjoy are made of millions of power stations with lots of
wires that connect intelligent computers which have eliminated every
form of life. I know I have disappointed you, but here is something
that will cheer you up: with the press of a button, a giant screen
will appear and start playing cartoons… and such amazing cartoons
at that! In Logos, cartoons are thought to not be harmful to kids.
(Ercole Bonjean)
Dictionary:
Logos = from Greek, meaning reason, logic
Close Reading
Where
is the planet Logos?
The planet Logos is thousands of light years away from Earth.
What
are its inhabitants like?
The Logosians are just like the inhabitants of planet Earth.
What
differences are there between Logos and Earth?
In Logos, everything is artificial.
What
price did they pay for progress and economic stability in Logos?
In favour of progress and economic stability, nature has been
obliterated.
What
do kids do to have fun?
The kids have fun by watching cartoons.
Textual
interpretation
Would
you like to live on Logos?
No, I wouldn’t like to live on Logos.
Why
would you rather live on Earth?
I’d rather live on Earth because I can’t renounce the wonders of
nature.
What
constitutes real well-being for a person?
Real well-being is being satisfied with what one has, of what nature
has to offer without modifying it too much. Having meals ready at the
press of a button is not necessarily the best that life can offer! It
is better to deserve and fight for what you desire.
Translation by Chiara Amoretti
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