Published in 1951 in a post-nuclear world, this short story by Arthur C. Clarke takes its title from a portion of Psalm 137, which laments the destruction of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. Learn more and engage students through storyboarding and interesting activities.
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols in If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth symbolism
Storyboard Text
EXAMPLES
THE FARMLANDS
THE EVIL PHOSPHORESCENCE
Marvin walks through the Farmlands, which is a greenhouse for the plants and vegetation of the Colony. Marvin loves the smell of life in the Farmlands. It’s different than the filtered oxygen found in the Residential levels. The Farmlands awaken Marvin’s instincts and longing for a place he’s not quite sure he understands: home.
The menacing glow highlights the lingering danger of the radiation fallout from the war. It also gives Marvin a sense of despair; he knows that that glow will be there for many years yet, and while maybe his children’s children will be able to return one day, he himself will never be able to go to Earth.