First Impressions Journals

Andrew Tanjuakio

April 26, 2015

The War of the Worlds First Impression Journal

In The War of the Worlds, the events of an alien invasion are told in the point of view of the 

nameless protagonist. Not much is known so far about the narrator, except for the fact that he 

believes what the Martians are doing to man is what man has been doing to animals lesser than 

themselves, like the extinct Tasmanians. The setting takes place in England, in the late nineteenth 

century. This is an interesting time period for an alien invasion to occur in because communication 

was very limited, for example the only way you could hear of an event was through newspapers or 

word of mouth. 

     The tone of the novel fits well with the subject matter. The tone was very ominous because of the 

opening line in chapter 1, "No one would have believed in the last years of the 19th century that this 

world was being watched keenly and closely by intelligences greater than man's..." This quote was 

very ominous because it made the reader wonder if they were actually being watched at all times. 

After reading the first three chapters, the novel seems to be very interesting because it feels like you 

are reading an actual account of a true story.








 Jonathan Liu

First Impression Journal For The War Of The Worlds

The War Of The Worlds by H.G. Wells begins with the perspective unknown  protagonist

providing background information about the neighboring planet, Mars. The protagonist stated

how he and many others would've believed that life on the planet was impossible or improbable.

The protagonist is given the sense to be smarter that the average man and with many

connections to others. This idea would soon change after a "falling star". The story had taken

place within London as the protagonist and others had uncovered a cylinder that had fallen from

Mars. As the cylinder opens the rising action begins as Martians had begun  to attack a small city

and this causes chaos within London where hundreds have begun to fall and as the Martians begin

their march and war for the world.

The subject matter and tone I  had found to be similar as both were insightful and that is how

the author began the story with the thought of intelligent and extraterrestrial life living outside

of Earth on planets such as Mars due to living conditions for example one character mentioning

the organic evolution of Mars going the same way Earth has and that chances of living organisms

on Mars would have been a million to one. The author interacts with the reader in the beginning

with mainly facts and statistics that would prove the plot otherwise.




Jan Carlo Dela Cruz

April 26, 2015

The War of the Worlds First Impressions Journal

The War of the Worlds is a novel written by H. G. Wells. It focuses on the event of an 

invasion of Martians. The novel takes place in London, England around the 19th century. It begins with the perspective of an unknown protagonist addressing insightful information about Mars, such as it is losing natural resources. The protagonist can be seen as an intelligent being with all of his insight at the beginning of the novel. Within the first few pages of the novel, the protagonist and many others stumble upon bright flashes and a cylinder that was and is said to have fallen from the planet of Mars. This was quite interesting information because it made me predict what could be inside of that cylinder. 

          

          The subject matter and tone were quite similar and fit well for the introduction to the novel. 

The tone had a menacing feeling, for example the reader could predict that there is a presence of 

danger about to occur during the novel. "To carry warfare sunward is, indeed, their only escape from 

their destruction that generation after generation creeps upon them." This quotation could represent 

warfare and destruction throughout the novel. 

          After reading the first twenty pages of the novel, I look forward to the further events that will 

occur throughout the novel. The creative tone has made me interested to continue reading the 

novel to see what will happen in the future.

Joshua Parayno
April 26, 2015

First impressions Journal on the War of the Worlds

            The War of the Worlds is a science fiction story about the invasion of Martians and the impact they leave on Earth. It is set in England, around the 19th century. The setting is very interesting and it’s enjoyable to learn about what it was like at that time, and compare the things that existed then to the things that exist in modern time.  The main character seems to be the narrator, who seems to be a very knowledgeable person. The narrator tells the story in an immensely detailed way, causing the reader to be able to visualize every part of the story, leading to a much more interesting and enjoyable reading experience.

The tone changes depending on the topic being discussed. There are times where it is condescending, such as when the narrator discusses the ignorance of the people of the world at the time. As well as a somewhat gloomy but excited tone, when the narrator describes the first sign of the coming of the Martians. The tone is used in a way in which the reader feels immersed in the story’s environment. The fact that the story revolves around the idea of the Martian invasion is very interesting and captivating, and makes readers really think about the things that are never really thought about. Especially because the narrator seems to be knowledgeable on the ignorance of the people at the time, and knows the issues that are in the world, such as the constant killing of each other and extinctions of animals. It makes readers create connections between the issues then and now, and how blind people have always been, and many other things. The story so far is excellent, very fascinating and thought provoking.