Marquez

1
Jennifer Marquez
English 9 & Composition
Ms. Lodhy Per. 5&6
February 10, 2014
Whos Number one?
... An utterly insignificant little blue-green planet whose ape-descended life forms are
so amazingly primitive that they still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea(Adams 1).
Arthur, the protagonist of the novel is a human who is saved by his alien friend, Ford Prefect,
seconds before the earth is destroyed. After being kicked off the Vogon ship, a ship stolen by
the obnoxious President of Damogran, Zaphod Beeblebrox, saves both Arthur and Ford.
Together, Arthur, Ford, Zaphod and Trillian, Zaphods human girlfriend, go on a search for the
long lost planet of planet production and its treasures, Magrathea yet in the progress they
encounter many obstacles. Throughout Douglas Adams Science-Fiction novel, The Hitchhiker's
Guide to the Galaxy, Adams underplays the importance of humanity. Adams achieves this in his
novel with the help of satirical devices to ridicule the human race. Although, humans view
themselves as the superior race, Adams satirizes that humans are inferior using reversal,
exaggeration and incongruity.
Firstly, with the use of reversal Adams ridicules the significance of humanity. For
example, when Arthur is looking up the Earth on The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, What?
Harmless? Is that all its got to say? Harmless! One word? (62). Adams is trivializing the
importance and power of the human race with the word Harmless which makes the Earth
Marquez

2
seem like languid place to be. This is an example of reversal because humans consider
themselves the most powerful force on the Earth yet the word harmless makes the
humanoids appear vulnerable. Although, Adams uses reversal to satirize the human race he
also uses exaggeration in his writing.
Secondly, Adams uses exaggeration to indicate and conjecture how unimportant
humanity actually is compared to other eminent races. For instance, just before the Vogons
destroy earth, Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz makes this remark, I dont know, said the voice on the
P.A, apathetic bloody planet, Ive no sympathy at all(35). This is exaggeration because to the
humans the Earth is everything but to the Vogons its like a rock on the road and they only
show apathy towards Earth. Since the destruction of the Earth will have no affect the Vogons
the show no sympathy towards the humans and they see the destruction as a laudable
moment. Also the way Jeltz addresses the planet as apathetic, Adams is exaggerating how
extraneous the Earth truly can be. Aside from exaggeration Adams also uses the satirical device
of incongruity in order to mock humanity.
Thirdly, Adams uses incongruity to satirize how humans how humans are the
considerably insignificant race. An example of incongruity when Arthur finds out the truth
about the mice, Theyve been experimenting on you, Im afraid(164). This is an example of
incongruity because humans have always experimented on mice but its very out of place for
mice to hold experiments on humanoids. This makes humans look unintelligent because they
are being controlled and tested by tiny hyperintelligent pandimensional beings. Another
example of incongruity would have to be when Arthur also learns Earth is a program; Your
Marquez

3
planet and people have formed the matrix of an organic computer running a ten- million-
year research program(164-165). This is very incongruous, since planet Earth is a computer
program run by the mice, this makes the humans seem pathetic. Adams uses the incongruity of
mice experimenting on humans to exhibit how humans are the inferior race.
As a result Adams is able convey that humanoids are not as superior as they believe to
be with the use of reversal, exaggeration and incongruity. Adams uses reversal to illustrate that
the planet Earth is Harmless; exaggeration stipulates that Earth means nothing to the Vogons
and can be easily destroyed by anyone. Lastly, incongruity to prove that mice and other species
can easily outsmart humans. Adams manifests in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy that the
human race and the Earth is nothing more than a harmless, useless waste. In conclusion, Adams
makes all the humans rethink their real position in the whole galaxy.

Work Cited
Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. New York: Del Rey Books, 2005.