War of the Worlds: Annotated Bibliography and Outline

Running head: WAR OF THE WORLDS
War of the Worlds
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

WAR OF THE WORLDS1
War of the worlds- Outline and Annotated Bibliography
-Outline
1. H.G Wells used this novel to point out the commonalities between the Martian attack that
caused the destruction of humanity and earth with the ruthless imperialism of British colonial
empires that caused the destruction of the colonial inhabitants.
A. the Martian invaders who were superior to humans in terms of their technology and might
entirely obliterated civilizations without much effort. The Martians were not only
invulnerable to human weapons but also excelled in their intelligence and ability to transport
themselves to various corners of the earth. “No one would have believed in the last years of
the 19th century... the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water.” This
passage shows how the Martians were so advanced that they were studying the human
civilization as humans study microbes.
B. “We must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our species have brought...
complained if the Martians were the same spirit.” From this passage it can be understood that
the author compares the destruction caused by humans to the nature and how our intelligence
and superiority over other animals have been misused to exploit other species and nature
which is similar to the actions of the Martians invaders in the novel.
C. the Martians shows a militaristic approach in which it tried to violently take over the
planet by killing all the inhabitants which is compared to the invasive British colonial forces
that have resulted in the destruction of countless indigenous communities across the world
and therefore destruction of many civilizations. The terror therefore caused by the imperialist
forces within the indigenous communities has been used to compare the terror caused by the
Martians when they invaded earth.

WAR OF THE WORLDS2
(Benczik, p 141-156)
2. The invasion by the Martians and their superiority over the human race reflects upon the
Darwinian theory of Survival of the Fittest.
A. Darwin’s theory of Origin of species by natural selection discusses how evolution favors
strong genes in random manner and allows only the fittest animals to survive which has been
termed as survival of the fittest. This concept shows how a weaker species can be over
powered by stronger ones which can lead to extermination of one species through a
competitive advantage. Such phenomena have been held to be responsible for the extinction
of several species in Earth such as dodo, Tasmanian devil or red puma.
B. the Martians in the War of the Worlds was technologically superior and thereby fitter
compared to the humans. The humans have had a competitive advantage over every other
species on Earth because of their intelligence and technological superiority. The Martians
surpassed the humans in these aspects making them inferior species and thereby supporting
of the success of the Martians over the earthlings.
C. “This isn’t a war...any more than there is a war between man and ants”. This passage
reflects upon the difference in the abilities and superiority between humans and the Martian
invaders. The passage posits that just like ants cannot wage wars against humans and human
would never need to wage a war on ants, the invasion of the Martians cannot be considered as
a war waged by Martians on humans.
(Beck)
3. Technological superiority was the key ingredient that allowed the Martians to overpower
the humans.