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2001: A Metaphorical Odyssey

2001: A Metaphorical Odyssey


Myths are created for the purpose of conveying a message with an
interesting medium with which to do so. Many cultures use myths to teach their
young about the past. Through time, however, these myths become impractical due
to discovery. This is when a new myth must be introduced to take the place of
the obsolete one. Stanley Kubrick shaped 2001: A Space Odyssey as a new myth to
crack the archaic view of space, by using a hero, a dilemma, and a new
revelation to fuel his cause.

Every myth has a character that breaks the mold of the ordinary. In
Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus is the character that broke the mold of the other
mortals. He displayed character traits that superseded those of his crew mates.
Much in the same fashion, Bowman breaks the mold of the astronauts aboard the
Discovery. He and Poole are share duties aboard the Discovery, but he
demonstrates a higher level of thinking by sensing and interpreting what is
happening before him. He is the one that realizes exactly what HAL is doing,
and he puts a stop to it. He sees problems, analyzes them, and then proceeds to
diffuse the cause in the most efficient manner possible. He uses his character
traits of intelligence, persistence, and adroitness to overcome the dilemmas put
in front of him. By using his intelligence, he realizes that HAL has figured
him out, and he must find a way to get back into the discovery in order to
survive. In using persistence, Bowman does not give up when it seems that HAL
has won the battle. Instead he takes the rough way in, and he then disables HAL.
Bowman shows how adroit he is with dilemmas by handling the entire HAL
situation with calm and intelligence.

While on the mission, Bowman is faced with many dilemmas. The first
dilemma, is that he is in the dark about the purpose of the mission. He has
only been supplied with the vital information that he will need to perform
routine operations until the site of the mission is...