Why does Oop open the book and put it on his head ?
Why does Oop open the book and put it on his head ?
Oop, the least intelligent of the Martian crew, has never seen a book and does not know its purpose. Seeing its odd, opened-out shape, he mistakes it for a strange Earth hat and places it on his head, providing comic relief.
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark: for stating that Oop, being foolish/unfamiliar with books, mistakes it for a hat and tries wearing it, providing comic relief.
Hint
Think about how someone who has never seen a book before, and who is not very clever, might misjudge its use.
Quick Oral Answer
Oop puts the book on his head because he has never seen a book before and mistakenly thinks it might be a kind of hat — a moment of comic relief in the play.
Analysis & Explanation
Oop's book-on-the-head moment is pure comic relief that marks him as the bumbling foil to Think-Tank's false expertise.
Concept
- Martians access information electronically and have never seen a physical book before.
- Oop, the least clever crew member, sees its opened-out shape and guesses it might be Earth headgear.
Key points
- The action is an innocent, foolish blunder, not a deliberate or clever act.
- It lightens the tense 'first contact' scene with slapstick humour and mirrors the play's wider joke about confident but mistaken conclusions.
Common mistakes
- Describing the act as clever or purposeful instead of a naive misunderstanding.
Common Mistakes
- 1Suggesting Oop's action was intentional/clever rather than a genuine, comic misunderstanding.
- 2Confusing Oop's simple-mindedness with Think-Tank's pompous but different kind of wrong reasoning.
Interesting Facts
Oop is written as the 'comic fool' stock character common in satirical plays, used to contrast with the falsely 'wise' Think-Tank and highlight the theme that true intelligence is not the same as arrogance.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What role does Oop play in the story?
Oop is the comic, not-very-intelligent Martian crew member whose blunders (like mistaking the book for a hat) provide humour and contrast with Think-Tank's pompous but equally flawed reasoning.