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Dear Pen Pal-science-fiction short story

 The chapter "Dear Pen Pal" in the New English Cruise textbook is an epistolary(correspondence)science-fiction short story by A. E. van Vogt. It is presented as a series of letters between a human on Earth and an alien from a distant planet. 

Summary of the Story

The Correspondence: The story consists of letters sent by an alien named Skander to an unnamed human "Pen Pal" on Earth.

The Alien World: Skander lives on Aurigae II, a planet where lifeforms are chromium-based, highly radioactive, and live in extreme temperatures around 900 degrees Kelvin (roughly 500°F).

Skander’s Secret: Skander is currently serving a 30-year prison sentence on his planet for conducting illegal and dangerous scientific experiments.

The Sinister Plan: Under the guise of friendship, Skander sends "photographic plates" to his human pen pal. These plates are actually a consciousness-transfer device. Skander’s true intention is to switch bodies with the human to escape his prison sentence and travel the universe.

The Twist Ending: In the final letter, the human reveals that he has successfully switched bodies with Skander. However, Skander’s plan backfires: the human reveals he was paralyzed from birth and suffers from heart attacks, meaning Skander is now trapped in a weak, dying human body. 

Key Characters

Skander: A cunning and manipulative alien scientist from Aurigae II who attempts to steal a human body to gain freedom.

The Human Pen Pal: An unnamed, highly intelligent person on Earth who realizes Skander's plan and allows the switch to happen, ultimately outsmarting the alien. 

Main Themes

Deception and Manipulation: Skander uses the friendly concept of a "pen pal" to hide his criminal motives.

Irony: The ultimate irony is that Skander, seeking a "superior" and free life, ends up in a body even more restricted than his prison cell.

Technology and Science Fiction: The story explores advanced concepts like personality exchange and interstellar communication. 

I. Short Answer Questions

Q1: Who are the two main characters in the story?

Ans: The two main characters are Skander, an alien scientist from the planet Aurigae II, and an unnamed Human Pen Pal from Earth.

Q2: Why was Skander in prison on his home planet?

Ans: Skander was serving a 30-year sentence for performing illegal and dangerous scientific experiments on his own body and for his rebellious actions against societal norms.

Q3: Describe the physical nature of Skander and his planet.

Ans: Skander is a chromium-based, radioactive lifeform with a chunky, metallic appearance. His planet, Aurigae II, has an extremely high temperature of around 900 degrees Kelvin (roughly 500°F).

Q4: Why did Skander start the correspondence with the human?

Ans: Skander claimed he wanted to learn about different cultures, but his secret motive was to find a host body on Earth to escape his prison sentence and travel the universe.

Q5: What did Skander send to the human under the guise of "photographs"?

Ans: He sent specialized chemical-metal photographic plates that were actually components of a consciousness-transfer device.

II. Contextual & Critical Thinking Questions 

Q1: How did Skander’s plan ultimately backfire?

Ans: Skander succeeded in transferring his consciousness into the human’s body, but he fell into his own trap. The human revealed in the final letter that his body was paralyzed from birth and suffered from a weak heart. Skander, seeking freedom and a "superior" life, ended up trapped in a dying, immobile body, while the human (now in Skander's body) gained a powerful, long-lived alien form.

Q2: Why did the human allow the personality exchange to happen despite being warned?

Ans: The human's government had warned him that the plates were dangerous, but he chose to go through with the exchange because he had nothing to lose. Being paralyzed and ill on Earth, the chance to inhabit a strong (though radioactive) alien body on Aurigae II was a "beneficial trade" for him.

Q3: Discuss the "Battle of Wits" between Skander and the Pen Pal.

Ans: The story is a psychological battle. Skander uses manipulation and deception, pretending to be a lonely scientist to trick the human into sending his "impression" on the plate. However, the human shows caution and superior foresight by having the plates analyzed by scientists and then using Skander’s own greed against him to escape his own physical limitations.

III. Key Vocabulary & Terms

Interstellar Correspondence Club: The organization through which Skander intercepted the human's letter.

Personality/Consciousness Exchange: The scientific process Skander used to swap minds between bodies.

Hydrocarbon Life: The term Skander uses for human life (based on carbon/hydrogen), which he considers inferior to his own radioactive form.

Irony: The primary literary device used in the ending, where the "predator" (Skander) becomes the "prey" of his own plan.

IV. Moral of the Story

The story teaches that greed and deception often lead to one's own downfall. It also highlights that intelligence and preparation (as shown by the human) can overcome even the most advanced technological threats.


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