The prompt:
We know that humans won't last forever; one day, all that we have done on and to this earth will whither away. Let's assume that, long after humans disappear, aliens happen to land on the planet. What man-made artifact do you want the aliens to stumble across? What thing, made by humans, do you want to last forever? Scale doesn't matter here, you can write about anything from a titanium screw or a contact lens to the Brooklyn Bridge or a Boeing 747, but the object must be man-made and be interesting for its own sake; thus, while a Beatles CD or aWizard of OzDVD would be interesting, aliens would not, we assume, be able to play CD's and DVD's.
"I would love for an alien to find a deck of cards, with a list of games and how to play each game. Because cards, no matter what, they always keep you occupied. When there is no electricity you can just bring out a deck of cards and play the same game over and over. And once you get sick of one game you can just play another one. You can even make up your own games. You can even play all by yourself. A deck of cards will never be over raided." -- a girl, class of 2010
"The one man-made object that I would want to last forever would be a fork. It would be great for the aliens to come across a fork. It would be random and they would be quite baffled by it. But this fork really symbolizes that humans had manners (didn't use their fingers to eat) and that humans had style. Silver was the new plastic. If the aliens didn't do their research on humans, than this man-made object would be a very confusing thing. Aliens wouldn't know what to do with them. And that seems to me a funny part of leaving behind. A fork is such a weird shaped object, and it looks like a weapon. Aliens would explode with all the uses they would come to think of with a fork. But those who know human's would know that a fork isn't an exciting thing. But it is a useful thing when you don't want to get your hands dirty from eating. Soon after aliens have copied that object and made it their own, they'd be using it for everything, a brush, to eat with, a weapon, a back scratcher, or even decoration." -- a girl, class of 2010
"I would like an encyclopedia to last forever. An encyclopedia is a huge source of knowledge that is very helpful with just about anything you could possibly think of! With it, people can learn and study many new things. Someone who lives with nothing but nature could read the book could identify or build something out of everyday things that you find in nature that surrounds them. An encyclopedia is a timeless piece of information that should be around forever." -- a girl, class of 2010
"If aliens were to land on Earth, I hope they would find a version of the Bible as a man-made article left behind. I don't say this out of religious fervor, but because the Bible has left such a lasting impact on global society. From its roots in Judaism to modern Christianity, the Bible has shaped the way humans interpret our own nature and the afterlife more than any other religious text. The Bible is a record of both our compassion and mistakes, which are equally important for the aliens that discover us. Hopefully the aliens would have some kind of deciphering device, like we have for ancient dead languages." -- a girl, class of 2010
" I want a camera to last forever. A camera would be pretty cool thing to find. An alien would look through the pictures and see pictures of these weird beings, either identical to them or just ugly creatures that they have never seen before. They would realize that the camera captures a picture and they would know that humans used to live on that earth. Or it would also be cool if like the last day on earth was like when like Godzilla attacked and they took pictures of Godzilla and the aliens would see pictures of the humans all distressed running for this giant reptile looking animal. I want camera to last forever." -- a boy, class of 2009
"If I could choose one manmade thing to preserve so that future aliens could see it, I would have to choose an iPod. I choose this because if you think about music is what connects most of the world together in one way or another. 9 out of 10 people listen to music. Music is such an important thing in our lives, in our cultures, in this world. With a touch of a button, they can see how we felt and saw things through the words coming through the speakers. I would want our alien visitors to get a taste of my beloved country music and some of my awesome techno. I would say a CD or tape, but I mean, I don’t have any of those to put music on, and I doubt they’ll have a cassette or CD player. The new iPods have built in speakers, so problem solved." -- a girl, class of 2010
I would like for all homes to remain on earth forever. I want whoever takes over the land (1) to see the art and beauty of each individual home; (2) to witness and understand the hard work, techniques and creativity that were put into the construction of these homes by us humans; (3) to live together and experience the life of privacy and shelter each human family shared, and (4) to maintain the homes to keep them from wasting away, knowing that the use of these homes provide for a safer and better life, and good health." -- a girl, class of 2009
"When the earth that we live on now, happens to then become home to aliens, i would hope that dvd players with a disc of, my family, friends, and I, would exisit because then maybe being in that far in the future and having the technology that they would have they would in a way praise us as God's and some how bringing us back to life at the age they see us in. I think that would be totaly awsome, because we will be the firs people to see aliens and at the same time be praised by them." -- a boy, class of 2010
"I want the Great Pyramids in Egypt to last forever. Their construction must have been the most amazing feat ever accomplished. What organizational skills it must have taken to transport elephant sized blocks all the way to Egypt. What amazing dictatorial tactics it must have taken to force those millions of slaves to push those heavy blocks into place. Truly their construction is an astonishing feat that expresses the motivational strength of the Egyptian pharaohs to complete. Their magnificence is astounding and surely if aliens were to look upon them they would be amazed by the sheer numbers and time it took to create the only surviving 7th Wonder of the World. Surely if I were able to jump to the top of a pyramid I would do as David would do and sunbathe on top of a goliath." -- a girl, class of 2010
"If aliens were to land on earth one day, I want them to stumble across a bag of Skittles. Skittles. Bite size candies that come in a variety of colors and fruit flavors. Red, yellow, green, orange, purple. Strawberry, lemon, lime, orange, grape. The aliens will discover how yummy and delicious these small candies are. They will be surprised to taste so many flavors in tiny, circular candy with an "S" stamped on each individual one. Skittles will refresh them, and keep them wanting more. They are compact candies that can be taken pretty much anywhere. I want the aliens to "taste the color of the rainbow" and know what the humans enjoyed when they "once" lived." -- a girl, class of 2010
"If there was any one thing that I would want to last on earth, assuming that whatever happened allows this to still be here, it would be non-fiction books. I would want the aliens to know how complex our species is, and how we've evolved and learned to use the most out of our surroundings." -- a girl, class of 2009
"The man-made artifact that I would want to keep around would have to be a flashlight. Flashlights come in very good handy. Although aliens probably will not know how to work it at first, its really not that hard. In the push of just one button the light is on, and from there they will figure out what to do with it and when they need it. I mean humans didn't know what to do with it at first, but look at us now. As simple as a flashlight is, everyone needs one. Even aliens." -- a girl, class of 2009
"Though one day humans and everything that they have created will whither away, I believe that the aliens should come across something very inspirational for humans all over the world, The Statue of Liberty. Since this monument is located in the country of The United States of America, the latest and greatest union of people, the Statue of Liberty should be the last impression for those who come after. Not only are the aliens going to know that it was created by some other creature, but they will know that it is a giant replica of the human. The United States is a great example of freedom and love, that is why I chose the man-made artifact Statue of Liberty to last forever. " -- a girl, class of 2009
"IF the world came to an end and all of the humans were dead and the aliens came to earth and explored it, I hope that they would find cookies. Chocolate chip cookies. They would fall in love with the taste, just as I have. They could analyze them with a scanner to find out the ingredients to make more. The whole clan of them would fight over how good the cookie was. It would be a delicacy and make them super hyper from the sugar in there aliens bodies; they couldn't handle the sugar so they would have to take some kind of downer after they ate it calm down." -- a girl, class of 2009
"I want the Golden Gate Bridge to last forever. Whether viewed from the point of a pedestrian strolling across the span or from miles away, sitting across the San Francisco bay while having an early dinner of bread, cheese, and berries in the Berkeley Rose Garden, the Golden Gate Bridge never fails to awe one with its sheer beauty. Moreover, the Golden Gate Bridge impresses upon its viewers a sort of double symbol. Like those visual puzzles -- is it a woman's face or a vase? -- the bridge both symbolizes the artful audaciousness and productivity of the United States of America and, concurrently, the genocidal nature of the country that wrestled the land away from all previous inhabitants, from the Atlantic to the Pacific." -- Marc M., English teacher
The prompt:
We know that humans won't last forever; one day, all that we have done on and to this earth will whither away. Let's assume that, long after humans disappear, aliens happen to land on the planet. What man-made artifact do you want the aliens to stumble across? What thing, made by humans, do you want to last forever? Scale doesn't matter here, you can write about anything from a titanium screw or a contact lens to the Brooklyn Bridge or a Boeing 747, but the object must be man-made and be interesting for its own sake; thus, while a Beatles CD or a Wizard of Oz DVD would be interesting, aliens would not, we assume, be able to play CD's and DVD's.