List the books (if any) you've read this year for pleasure. Choose one and in a sentence describe its impact on you
2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, Wild Trees by Richard Preston, and Freedom Summer by Bruce Watson are the three books I have read this year.
Clarke's vivid imagination and beautiful language in 2001: A Space Odyssey simply takes my breath away and changes my outlook of the night sky and the universe beyond it.
Spanning the course of millions of years, this novel travels across the far reaches of space, revealing its truly stunning and baffling nature. Beginning millions of years ago, the novel introduces hominids living in present-day Africa. Living as primitive creatures, these hominids are startled to find a black monolith in the middle of their village. Created by an unknown alien race, this monolith soon helps the hominids evolve into more sophisticated creatures. This reveals the true nature of the monolith - to promote the evolution of intelligent life. Fast-forward a couple million years and we see the human race come in contact with this monolith on the Moon. Curious about the nature of the monolith, scientists start a mission to Saturn's moons, where the monolith has sent a radio transmission. Embarking on the Discovery One mission includes David Bowman, Francis Poole, and the notorious HAL 9000 computer. This mission to the far reaches of the solar system brings to light many different motifs and ideas. These include the dangers of human innovation, the mysteries of space exploration, and evolution.
One of the truly remarkable things about this novel is how it is centered on one object - the black monolith. This object not only affects the life of different organisms living millions of years apart, but it also connects them through its function of promoting evolution. But who are the creators of this monolith and what is their true intention? This question is why this novel is so meaningful to me. Clarke ingeniously never reveals the identity of the aliens who created the monolith. He simply has these aliens observe the effects of their creation upon different life forms from an unknown location. Clarke's brilliant imagination in this novel has completely changed my perspective of the universe and its wonders.
I feel as if I can relate this novel to Carnegie Mellon. I envision Carnegie Mellon to be like the black monolith in the novel. Essentially, I view this university to be the source of my "evolution" into an adult. With its outstanding academics and numerous opportunities, Carnegie Mellon provides the essential tools for me to build upon my foundation, and eventually transform into a more confident and intelligent person, ready to take on whatever my future holds for me.
I appreciate any criticism on this essay. Thanks in advance!
