Question

Why did Tommy call Margie stupid?

Answer 1

Hint: The context of the above question is given in the chapter ‘ The Fun They Had’. The story is set in a future where children will have computers, robot teachers, virtual classrooms and moving e-texts instead of physical schools. It is written by Issac Asimov.

Complete answer:
Tommy and Margie were friends. Tommy was thirteen years old while Margie was ten years old. One day Tommy found a real book. Its pages had turned yellow. Both Tommy and Margie had neither seen a book nor been to school. They had a robot teacher at home and they would read books on the television screen. It was a weird experience for them to find a book which was written on the topic of school.

Tommy called Margie stupid when she asked him ‘why would anyone write about school?’. She had asked this question because, in their future time, no schools existed. Therefore, she did not find it useful to discuss schools. Tommy explained to her that the book they had found was hundreds and hundreds of years old. It was of the time when schools existed. Therefore, this was relevant at that time even if it is irrelevant today.

Note: This science fiction story was written in 1973 . It gives a glimpse into a future that is alienated from social interactions and computerised education. It also presents a comparison between the education of the past and present. To some extent, the reliance on computerised education has increased in current times as well.