Book report: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

If Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a silly movie, then The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a crazy novel. At first I assumed that they'd be similar stories, for both of them are comedies relying on nonsense that have gained a cult following over the years, referenced all the time by people on the Internet. But The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy takes nonsense to the next level of absurdity. And it's hilarious.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the first part of a trilogy of five parts created by Douglas Adams. The books are adaptations of the original radio series aired in 1978, with the first novel being released in 1979. It's comedy science fiction, and utilises concepts and tropes found in science fiction for humour.

The story begins when the house of a hapless Englishman named Arthur Dent gets bulldozed so a highway can be built. But his eccentric friend, Ford Prefect, has urgent and more important news: The Earth is about to get destroyed by aliens, and he's actually from Betelgeuze, not from Guildford as he had previously claimed. Moments before the aliens, who are called Vogons, demolish Earth so that a hyperspatial highway can be built, Ford manages to hitch a ride on one of the alien ships and takes Arthur with him. However, the captain of the ship isn't too fond of hitchhikers and after torturing them with Vogon poetry throws them out into space. There they are picked up by the President of the Galaxy called Zaphod Beeblebrox, one of the two last remaining humans named Trillian and a super-intelligent robot called Marvin who suffers from clinical depression. The chance of this happening was extremely small, but they were flying a ship that used an Impropability Drive to travel so it wasn't that surprising.

The President, who had just stolen the ship, continues on his way to the mythical planet of Magrathea, where entire planets were made for very rich people aeons ago. He's not sure why he wants to go there, but explains that he had sabotaged his own brain and memories for a reason he couldn't remember. They arrive only to find out that the planet isn't quite dead, but in fact awakening: The planet creators have a new planet to create. Which they might not have to do if they get hold of Arthur's human brain. Thankfully he and his companions manage to escape and head to the Restaurant at the End of the Galaxy. Then the first book ends. All that takes place in about 216 pages, so it would be an understatement to say that the story has a very quick pace, especially towards the end.

The characters are fairly shallow albeit quirky. The main 'protagonist' Arthur is about as unheroic as protagonists can get, and excels at complaining, dry British humour and being heroic only when all hope is lost. He's just an average human being, not a hero, and thus more relatable than the other main characters. Ford Prefect, Arthur's friend and semi-cousin of President Zaphod, is a researcher for the eponymous Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and managed to change Earth's description in the tome from 'Harmless' to 'Mostly harmless'. He also managed to get stranded on Earth for 15 years, and that's just one example of his incompetence. He also thought that cars were the dominant species on Earth and named himself after one common type of automobile. He doesn't have any outstanding traits beyond 'calm and not really good at anything'. Zaphod Beeblebrox, the President of the Galaxy, is a bizarre, egoistic and manic extrovert who doesn't think too much despite having two heads. He's also quite insecure and sometimes even clever. One could also argue that he has more depth than the other main characters, even Arthur, and that'd be quite correct. Alongside Arthur, Trillian is one of the last humans in existense. She's a clever, stoic and friendly woman who was picked up by Zaphod when he crashed a party in England. She has a degree in math and astrophysics and was unemployed before she left Earth. Not much else to say about her, for she spends little time in the spotlight. Then there's Marvin the Paranoid Android, my favourite character in the book, which isn't really saying much because of the lackluster characterization. In fact, Marvin is flatter than most floors as a character, but still manages to be quite amusing. He's depressed and cynical to a ridiculous extent. He's also extremely intelligent, about 50,000 times more than a human, which is why he is also extremely bored: He can accomplish any mental task almost immediately. He's in the book to mostly provide comical relief, for there's something absurdly amusing about a very deeply depressed robot and his excessive cynisism.

The plot may be decent and the characters not profound in any way, but one of the two things what make this book great is the witty writing. It's absurd and hilarious. The best (and the easiest) way to showcase this would be with a few examples:

”The ships floated in the sky much in the same way as bricks don't”

”For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.”

”In the beginning the Universe was created.

This had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.”

And my favourite:

”(...)Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.”

The other great thing is the humour that relies on absurdity made possible by the setting: For example, the Complaints division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation occupies all major land masses in the Sirius Tau system. The book makes fun of humanity and its antics: ”This planet has - or rather had - a problem, which was this: most of the people living on it were unhappy for pretty much of the time. Many solutions were suggested for this problem, but most of these were largely concerned with the movement of small green pieces of paper, which was odd because on the whole it wasn't the small green pieces of paper that were unhappy.” The novel also pokes fun at politics, religion, science and digital watches. It plays with your expectations for things to make sense, only to reveal that they don't. There's many pieces of wisdom in the book as well, most well-known one being the phrase ”Don't panic”. And then there's the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe and Everything: Forty-two. It shows brilliantly how unable we are to comprehend the world around us.

”What was your favourite part of the book?” Well, I'm never very good at this 'What's the best thing” questions, so I'll just say that I enjoyed the beginning and the middle more than the end, which felt quite rushed despite being as funny as the other parts. In addition, some scenes were so absurd that they weren't funny but weird and incomprehensible.

The book has a peculiar narrative structure. Occasionally (and quite often) the story is interruped by digressions that are almost entirely unrelated to previous scene. Many of these digressions are excerpts from the in-universe Hitchhiker's Guide. Aside from these interruptions, the plot moves forward at a rapid pace and covers quite a few events in the relatively small amount of pages reserved for the actual story. The events proceed in chronological order, but the scene that introduces Zaphod and Trillian comes out of nowhere and makes you wonder ”What on earth is going on?” before you realize that things aren't going on on Earth, but on a different planet altogether. The storytelling simply lacks any focus. Combined with the fast-paced narrative, it can make you forget what was happening a dozen pages ago. Some people might find this extremely annoying. I didn't really mind, because I was kept being fed with jokes which made me crave for more.

Overall, the book is a very good read for those that can tolerate high levels of silliness and absurdity. You don't really need to be an avid reader of science fiction to enjoy it. Knowledge of astronomy and science in general makes some of the jokes more amusing, though. If you want deep characters that develop over time and an exciting and intricate plot on par with the one in The Song of Ice and Fire series, go away. I personally enjoyed the book immensely and chuckled every five minutes while reading it and recommend it for any fan of satirical and silly humour.

Now, where's my towel?

Final score: 42

A rambling essay about culture

Theme 6, topic 4

Is Finland becoming a cultural melting pot?

A controversial, but also a current topic because of the immigrant crisis in Europe. Before I write about this, I would like to mention that a 'cultural melting pot' refers to the assimilation of different cultures into a dominant culture. This usually occurs in nations with a large percentage of immigrants in the population or in areas conquered by another culture, which doesn't happen very much these days. Supporters of multiculturalism tend to eschew this metaphor and refuse to support the assimilation of cultures.

Best example of a country that may be considered a cultural melting pot is the United States of America, a nation built by immigrants and their offspring. Numerous cultures have combined to form a unique American culture, with its own traditions and values. In comparison, Finland is very different and much more heterogeneous, with Finns making up about nine-tenths of the population. We do have immigrants that form a small minority of the population, and they are assimilating into the Finnish culture over time, especially when the original immigrants have children that then assimilate into the dominant culture much more readily. But you can't really call Finland a 'cultural melting pot', because the number of these immigrants is still relatively small, even during the current European immigrant crisis. This is unlikely to change, because there are more attractive places to immigrate to, if we're being honest. Countries like Germany and France are more likely to become melting pots of various cultures as an increasing amount of people immigrate there, but even then this phenomena will only be noticeable in large cities, where immigrants are likely to find employment and affordable homes. Europe is unlikely to become a cultural melting pot comparable in size to the USA and the South American nations.

The question might not be whether Finland is becoming a cultural melting pot or not, but if it is becoming a part of a global melting pot. Thanks to an advanced, worldwide communications network known as the Internet, people throughout the globe can now easily communicate with each other and exchange ideas, bypassing the language barrier by using a common language, English. Globalization brings products from distant countries to Finland and allows us to learn about other cultures through cultural products such as movies and books. Are Finns slowly assimilating into the global culture? Will the entire Western world become a unified culture in a century or two? American culture is already influential all over the world. Is Finland dropping into a big pot of boiling, colourful cultural mass that slowly blends into a single colour?

Perhaps not, for it is doubtful that people will abandon their traditions entirely, and many will simply refuse to assimilate and instead do their best to stand out from other cultures. Different environments mean that some traditions cannot be abandoned because of practical reasons, such as certain architectural styles: Gable roofs are simply useless in dry environments, where a flat roof is more practical. People are unlikely to abandon their old religions and the values and traditions associated with it. Many also support multiculturalism and policies that allow immigrants and indigenous people retain their culture and language without having to assimilate into the dominant culture. An example of this would be the Sami, whose languages have been recognized in Finland and who have been given the ability to use their language for all government services.

In the end, if Finland is becoming a 'cultural melting pot', it certainly isn't going to be a very large pot. It will be more like a small kettle. Finland is undeniably becoming a part of the global culture, but not all of us will abandon our identity as a separate people with their own traditions and values. Humanity isn't becoming a melting pot, but a mosaic: We are united yet varied.

Source of information: Good old English Wikipedia

I might have strayed from the main subject a bit too much, but it's midnight and I'm too tired to rewrite the whole thing

Film review: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Film review

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Release year: 1975

 Length: 91 minutes

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones

Written and performed by: Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle

While I'm not a huge fan of comedy, every scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail I saw before properly watching the movie made me laugh. Most comedy films I've watched before either made me chuckle or not laugh at all, so this movie intrigued me, particularly after I found out that it is a cult classic and seeing references to the film everywhere on the internet.  And now that I've seen the full movie, I understand why it is so beloved.

'Tis a silly movie, made by the famous British comedy group Monty Python. In a way, it is a parody of the Arthurian legend, but also makes fun of the Middle Ages in general and the tropes used in stories about the era. The movie makes no attempt at being serious or even coherent, making it quite difficult to critique. Although as long as a comedy film makes you laugh, it can be considered good, and this movie certainly does: There's a constant bombardment of absurd jokes and complete nonsense. It's so silly you can't help but laugh.

The story begins in 932 AD, when King Arthur (Graham Chapman) seeks knights to join his court at Camelot. Sir  Lancelot (John Cleese), Sir Robin (Eric Idle), Sir Galahad (Michael Palin) and Sir Bedevere (Terry Jones) are amongst those who do. Afterwards he and his knights receive a quest from God himself to seek the Holy Grail.  After a failed attempt at taking a French castle, the group splits up to look for the Grail, with each of the knights facing perils on his quest. Following Scene 24, they regroup and travel to see Tim the Enchanter (John Cleese), who is quite fond of fiery explosions. They defeat a fearsome rodent (it is actually a lagomorph) and cross the Gorge of Eternal Peril, only to find out that the castle Aaarghh, where the Grail is supposed to be located, is occupied by the French. A quite surprising ending follows, and I will not spoil it.

The story is told through mostly disconnected scenes divided by short transition scenes, with each scene focusing on some absurd gag. Random things happen occasionally, such as a minute-long intermission 10 minutes before the ending of the movie or a fearsome monster fading away because the animator had a heart attack. The movie doesn't even try to explain most of the absurdity. The plot is all over the place, despite the loose thread of a quest for the Holy Grail, and doesn't always make sense. Not that it has to.

The movie was made with a low budget, and it is evident in everything: The set, the costumes, the 'special' effects and the fact that the knights ride imaginary horses while their servants clap two halves of a coconut together to make a sound of a galloping horse. Many of the characters are played by the same actor, for example Michael Palin plays 12 different characters. There is no CGI, of course, but the transition scenes are animated. Some scenes were shot in real castles, although Camelot is just a model according to Arthur's servant Patsy.

Most of the characters manage to be amusing to some degree. They all have at least one quirk, like the guard who sneezes all the time, even if they're minor characters. The actors do a good job and every character feels unique, even if they are acted by the same person. But the characters tend to be rather shallow, only defined by a single, silly trait, such as Sir Robin the 'Brave' who is a coward and not much else. Don't expect any deep characters in this movie, for having complicated characters wouldn't have been fun, at least that's what I assume the Monty Python thought. But shallow characters are easier to make fun of, I admit that.

In conclusion, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a silly movie. Wait, I already said that, didn't I? Then I guess I can answer the question I presented in the first paragraph: It is beloved because it's a comedy film that is very good at being a comedy film, for it makes you laugh at the sheer madness of it all. There's a certain charm to this insanity, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because the film seems to point its odd finger at all the stories that try to be serious and logical and laugh at them, shortly before getting flattened by a cow.

Score: The airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow

Theme 5, topic 1: My story

Here's my first written assignment. I chose the 'My story' topic and did my best to endure the pain of writing in first person. Man, it's so easy to get carried away and start telling about the protagonist's emotions and thoughts when they're not very releveant at all. But I think that I fared well.

 

 

 

Ambush

 

I always knew that he hated me, but I never realized how much. ”Drop your weapons and we might consider sparing you two!”, said one of the ruffians to my guards, who remained silent. How much had he paid – or promised to pay – to these thugs? They seemed well-armed and sober. I would've expected a scrooge like him to hire a band of drunkards from the nearest tavern instead of hiring professional killers like these.

 

 Four men and women with weapons drawn had appeared and blocked our way out of the alley. Four more had appeared behind us. It was an ambush. Women were amidst their ranks and they talked with a crude accent, so they were likely from Carthi, where many free women work as soldiers before starting a family . They seemed to wear no armour, but one of them hadn't covered up his chest well enough and thus allowed me to spot shining bronze beneath his coat. I remained calm, like a true follower of the Great Spirit, while my two guards lowered their spears and readied their shields. Ual was in front of me while Alenel protected my back. The thugs approached us, swords, spears, daggers and maces in hand.

 

 I broke the ominous silence in the alley by asking "How much were you paid?"

"More than enough", said the woman who had recently demanded my guards to surrender.

He really hates me, doesn't he? Instead of poisoning me or bribing my slaves to murder me, he had hired a group of Carthic mercenaries. Attempting to bribe Carthic warriors is about as foolish as trying to walk on water, but my only other option was to perish, and it wasn't something I particularly desired at the time.

"Whatever he paid to you, I can pay more."

The woman smirked and turned to her companions. "Rac oreli lacona, rac ler", she said to them. They laughed. My attempt was futile.

 

 "My master, I think we should surrender" Alenel said, his spear shaking in his quivering hand.

"Do not let fear overtake you", I responded. "Animals may fear, but the children of the Great Spirit must not let emotions control them."

"I just.. Don't want to die, master."

"Calm down, I have a plan." I lowered my voice so only Ual and Alenel could heard me clearly. "Alenel, hold them back and protect our rear. Ual, when they're close enough, attack. You will take them by surprise. Push through and protect me. We will then run faster than hares running from foxes."

Ual nodded. He was a man of few words.

"Madness", Alenel squealed, "There's too many of them. They'll kill us all!"

 

”Enough talking", said the woman who was apparently the leader of the mercenaries, this time in a deeper, more threatening tone, ”Are you going to surrender or not?"

 

”Master”, Alenel said to me, his voice shaking,”I don't want to die. Tell Ual to drop his spear. Please.”

I ignored him, and instead looked at the leader and said: "It was a mistake to threaten a member of the Great Council, you.."

 

Before I managed to finish my sentence, the leader made a commanding gesture and the ruffians approached us. Alenel whimpered, Ual gripped his spear tightly and I drew out my bronze dagger. Nobody said a word. I swallowed and realized just how dry my throat had become. I had always wanted to laugh in the face of death, but found myself unable to do so when the opportunity finally came. The Great Spirit must've been disappointed in me.

 

When one of them was close enough, Ual thrust his spear at him, quietly like a hunter. The man yelped, got the wind knocked out of him and stumbled backwards. His tunic was punctured and the bronze beneath glittered unbroken. A woman used this chance to leap at Ual from his left and swung at his head with a mace, but he managed to block the blow with his triangular shield. I prepared to stab her, but ended up simply pushing her over. It was the guards' job to kill, so Ual finished her off by embedding his spear in her throat. The wet, crunchy sound that came from her throat made me wince in disgust, but Ual seemed unphased. The leader and another thug, the last ones standing in our way, didn't dare to approach us.
 

”Push forward, Ual! We can break free!” I said to him in glee and glanced over my shoulder in order to see how Alenel was doing. If he was still alive protecting our rear, we could actually survive. But I was shocked to see him thrusting his spear into Ual's leg from behind. He screamed in both pain and shock and fell over. The leader kneeled down near Ual and slit open his throat with her sword, swiftly and delicately like a surgeon from my nightmares. The four ruffians Alenel was supposed to hold back grinned menacingly and seemed to be unharmed. Alenel then looked at me with apologetic eyes, his mouth moving but no words coming out of it. I'm certain he wanted to say 'I'm sorry'.

 

I backed away, holding my dagger in my shaking hand, but soon felt a brick wall behind me. ”If you're going to slay me,” I said, ”Do it quickly.”

 

The leader laughed. ”Don't worry”, she said, ”I was hired to capture you, not to kill you. Racel, knock her out.”

 

I whimpered and tried to run away, but one of them managed to grab my arm. During my last moments of consciousness I regretted buying Alenel from that slaver, who did look like the man who had hired these mercenaries, the man who hated me.. Then my head felt like an egg thrown against a wall when something very heavy hit the back of my head very hard. My legs were suddenly unable to keep me standing and I was swallowed by darkness.

 

 

 

does this work

okay thanks bye