Revolution of Exploration

Maria Castro

Professor Jett

English B1A TR 11:10

6 September 2016

Revolution of exploration

        In 1996, a geologist and his crew traveled to the moon. Specifically, to the mare crissum. Author C. Clarke writes a short story “The Sentinel” that guides the reader through the experience. Even though the discoveries in the short story led to more questions, many questions were answered. Because of Wilson’s ambition of exploring, ambition of discovering and his decision of following those ambitions he makes an accidental discovery on the moon. Wilson’s partner, on the other hand, advised him not to follow that ambition due to his age. Wilson, of course, did not listen to his opinion. In the short story he mentions, “I knew that as well as anyone, but there are times when a scientist must not be afraid to make a fool of himself” (Clarke107). Ultimately, Wilsons type of behavior is essential for the revolution of new discoveries.  

        Wilsons description of the moon in the beginning of the story presents a setting that the moon is flat and “very few craters or mountains of any size” (104). He gives a feeling of a clear deserted moon; however, as Wilson began his “uneventful routine” (105), something caught his eye up in the hills of the moon.  He described it as a “dimensionless point of light as if a star had been clawed from the sky” (106). Wilson had always aspired to climb the hills; it was his perfect excuse to climb them. Although the moon looked very lonely, he still went out to search regardless of any negative opinions. In Ian A. Crawford’s article, “Astrobiological benefits of human exploration” he mentions the important benefits of human exploration. He declares it will extend knowledge in many areas such as, “the exploitation of the lunar geological record to educate conditions on early earth” (Crawford 4), and “the search for evidence of past or present life on mars” (Crawford5.3).

 Since the only few things that have existed on the moon were only plants, his colleagues insisted Wilson would just “make a fool of himself” (Clarke107). Nobody had ever climbed those hills, and Wilson knew well a drop would easily kill him. His only main focus was getting to the top of those hills before anyone else. Wilson mentions, “the knowledge that no man had ever gone this way before, and the exhilaration of the steadily widening landscape gave me all the reward I needed.” (107). This information implies to the reader that Wilson is not an ignorant man; he simply believes that it is his right, and maybe his obligation as a geologist to go out and explore.