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‘If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…’

'If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth...' : Short story by Arthur C. Clarke This coming of age story by Arthur C. Clarke carries a familiar theme for 1950s/1960s science fiction: the prospect of humankind existing only in isolated settlements throughout space after Earth is rendered uninhabitable by a nuclear conflict. Here, a man takes his ten-year-old son on his first trip outside the protective dome of a moon colony. The boy’s wonder at seeing stars for the first time soon fades as he observes the glowing, radiated Earth and realizes that his generation will never be able to return. Other themes include isolation, survival, self-sufficiency, misused technology, legacy, hope.

‘If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth…’ Text / PDF / Audio (1,800 words)

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