Dramatic irony. In Dramatic irony something is known by the reader or audience but unknown to the characters. Think about what the reader understands about the ending of this story that the characters do not understand.

Setting. The setting of a literary work is the time and place in which it occurs, together with all the details used to create a sense of a particular time and place. Note the various settings of time and place as you read this story.

The destruction of the world, exploration of alien civilizations, and the place of humans in the universe—these common themes from science fiction stories are all found in Arthur C. Clarke's amusing and thought-provoking tale "History Lesson." Clarke's story makes us question our society: what values it promotes, how powerful it is, and what weaknesses it possesses. It also offers an unusual "history lesson."

A time line may be useful in keeping track of the many different time periods discussed in the story. Create a time line for "History Lesson" using actual dates and clues to dates as given in the text. For more information on time lines, read the Language Arts Survey 2.19.

Do you think that television and movies accurately portray society? In what ways are they accurate? In what ways are they inaccurate?