Class 12 English Unit 12: Critical Thinking

 

Critical Thinking

a.     How does the author make satire on the modern idea of the ‘self’ based on individuality, independence, and uniqueness?

In this article, Lewis Thomas’s “Medusa and the Snail” mocks our contemporary concept of “self,” which emphasizes the importance of being one’s person, having one’s own identity, and being distinct from others. Once an adult jellyfish swallows a small freshly born slug, the slug slowly eats away at the jellyfish until the jellyfish is reduced to a spherical parasite attached to the snail’s skin near its mouth and eventually eaten away completely. It is finally eaten until it is reduced in size, and the jellyfish is depleted of its essence, which causes the snail to expand. 

This narrative demonstrates that both species are unable to survive on their own and must rely on one other for existence. Using the story of the nudibranch and the medusa, the author demonstrates the importance of living in harmony with one another and working together. Friendship and reliance on one other for life and existence are also shown in the tale. In this way, the author argues that current pride in one’s own distinctiveness, liberty, and originality isn’t grounded in reality.

b.     Analyse the essay as a creative defense of the interdependence observed in the ecosystem.

The Medusa and the Snail” by Lewis Thomas is a creative way to show how ecological interdependence works. The jellyfish and snail in the Bay of Naples are linked by their need for each other to live and stay alive. This illustrates the profound interconnection between the environment. In this essay, we examined two species in the Bay of Naples that are closely related to each other. Their dependence on each other not only explains why they live, but also how the ecosystem can stay balanced.

There are a lot of different ways humans and animals connect to each other, as well as how they get along with each other, and the rules of their community. As well, it makes people realize that they’re not the only ones who want to improve their mental and emotional health. When people work together on a project, they build a sense of community and belonging. This is true both on a personal and a social level. It also says that ecosystems are very important for the protection and preservation of living and non-living things, or animals, as well as plants.

 

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