Exploration

Exploration

Exploration in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is about moving out into the unknown and experiencing new things, which are almost always scary or dangerous. For instance, remember the cheerful, intelligent, friendly whale and his exploration of what it's like to fall from a great height? While the whale and Arthur may be trying to explore in order to figure out where they fit in the universe (answer: the whale fits very nicely in a whale-shaped crater), other characters may have less pure motives for exploration, like greedy Zaphod and the money-grubbing mice.

1. What role does curiosity play in exploration? Do characters explore because they are curious or for other reasons? Do some characters get forced into exploring and have no motives at all?

2. How do different characters react to new experiences? Do characters always react the same way? For instance, Arthur is sometimes nervous, but is he always nervous with new experiences?

3. Does exploration ever lead to bad things—secrets that shouldn't be learned? Alternatively, does exploration ever lead to good things—does it ever help people?

• Research your chosen area. Read and summarize at least 3 online scientific/scholarly articles. At the end of the project, turn in the name and URL of the articles with your summaries.
• Projects:
• Create and publish an interactive website that explores some aspect of the earth, or space, or a new theory or idea that interests you based on your research. Include video, graphics, pictures, research links, and a written explanation of what is being explored.
  • Use google sites to create the interactive website. Embed videos, graphics, maps, pictures - also look at how to include quizzes or interactive media

• Resources:
  • Information on creating a google site