In our language class, after finishing reading the short story «Dumb Martian» we were given some questions to answer:

QUESTIONS:

1- What seems to be the attitude in the society about buying female martians?
2- At the beginning of the story, where is Weaver going? For how long? What will his duties be?
3- Describe Lellie’s appearance. Draw a sketch of what you think she looks like.
4- How are we given the impression that Lellie is a mere possession of Duncan? Use quotes.
5- Comment on the fact that Duncan lost to Lellie at chess (a game he had taught her)
6- Where in the story is Duncan’s verbal and physical abuse of Lellie at it’s worse?
7- Weaver describes Alan as: “snoozy, ritzy and nazzy”. What type of language is it and what does it tell us about the differences between the 2 men?
8- Why does Lellie’s question about female emancipation makes Weaver feel so angry?
9- “She was a dumb mart”. Do you agree with this phrase? Explain.
10- What messages of relevance does this story have? (technology, society, personal qualities). Connect the message to our present time.

ANSWERS:

1. The attitudes in the society about buying a female martian were racist and a society that supports slavery and discrimination.
2. Weaver is going to the second largest moon called Júpiter IV/II and he went for 5 years. His appointment was as Station Officer.
3. Lellie is a martian. The story makes you  believe she is tall, with green skin. She has huge pointed ears but has no nose and her eyes are very big and make her look emotionless.
4. Duncan is Lillie’s husband but he doesn’t love her. He involved himself in a marriage ceremony to travel with her to Júpiter and use her to do the home tasks. (Cleaning cooking).
5. He lost at Lellie at chess because she wasn’t actually dumb, as Duncan thought, she was actually intelligent and a quick learner, which helped her develop skills in chess to beat Duncan.It
8.  makes Duncan angry because he begins to understand she is learning things that wouldn’t heló him keep her, he gets also very angry with Alan because he’s teaching her things he believed she wouldn’t learn or know.
9. I don’t agree because he underestimates martians and starts calling them “dumb marts” which they aren’t actually. Lellie proceso him wrong because she starts reading and learning really quickly and she manages to created a plan to kill Duncan.
10. The message the story gives is to not underestimate people because of what they seem. And also that in our present time men have more power over women and underestimate what they can do.