Day: October 19, 2023

The comet

In “The Comet” by W. E. B. Du Bois, we learn about a story of a messenger going underneath wall street to uncover some missing records and during his time underneath the city, a comet tail hits and kills everyone in the city. This alternative futurist world is made clear to us because of the author’s use of speculative fiction and foreshadowing.

In the first page, the messenger is sent underneath wall street to find lost records and then the city is hit by the comic tail which changes the setting of the story to a post-apocalyptic setting after a disastrous event. Additionally, when the messenger finally tries to do someone ordinary in the new reality he is living, the author describes something normal like going to a restaurant as “seizing a tray from dead hands, hurried into the street and ate ravenously” which provides imagery in my mind of the narrator taking the food tray from dead bodies exploded from the comet and then eating “ravenously” to show his excessive hunger.

Furthermore, W. E. B. Du Bois uses a lot of foreshadowing in the story that gives the readers hope for the messenger. At the beginning, the messenger was chosen to go looking for those files because his life was viewed as invaluable compared to the other men. However, while he was down there, he found treasure, gold. Hoping the narrator would find more, he continues to look but instead he finds the lifeless body of a clerk. In the modern world, people aren’t chosen to search for records underneath wall street, neither would the body of someone who attempted robbery be found in a vault. Later on in the text, the messenger calls out for someone to take the dead body up but no one answers. He quickly goes back up to the bank and this foreshadows something’s wrong. Then, the author narrates, “In the great stone doorway a hundred men and women and children lay crushed and twisted and jammed, forced into that great, gaping doorway like refuse in a can”.

A comet hitting NYC and killing all humans yet not destroying the whole city symbolizes a greater meaning of human greed and a futuristic catastrophe we might face if we continue selfishness with money. The messenger now struck gold but the world was over and there was no use to it. Through W. E. B. Du Bois’ use of speculative fiction and foreshadowing allows the reader to uncover this alternative afrofuturist world with a deeper message.

Genre Conventions in “Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet”


In “Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet,” Margaret Atwood effectively employs genre conventions to instigate a thoughtful response from readers. The poem adopts the science fiction genre, commonly used to explore humanity’s future through technology and environmental themes. Through an extraterrestrial perspective and the concept of a “time capsule,” Atwood engages readers to consider the real consequences of environmental neglect.

Atwood further utilizes post-apocalyptic and dystopian elements, typical of science fiction, to underscore the urgency of environmental concerns. She presents a lifeless, desolate planet as a relic from the past, evoking readers’ fears of ecological collapse and the repercussions for future generations. This genre-driven approach prompts readers to reflect on preserving the planet for the future, effectively blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

Margaret Atwood’s skillful use of genre conventions in “Time Capsule Found on the Dead Planet” elicits a powerful response from readers by drawing on the speculative and cautionary traditions of science fiction. The poem emphasizes our responsibility for the planet’s well-being and transcends the boundaries of fiction, leaving readers with a heightened awareness of environmental challenges and a sense of urgency for change.