 “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home” Summary

o Books, which were first printed by William Caxton, are shaped like birds; each page
is like a wing. There are words inside books, some of which are special.

Sometimes those words make readers cry, laugh, or make other exclamations.

These birds don't actually fly, but I have seen them rest in readers' hands the same
way real birds perch on trees.

When there's mist outside, it's like the sky wants to settle onto the ground because it
got tired of holding itself in the air.

Mist makes the world grow dim and blurry, like the atmosphere of a dark
library, recalling the way engravings seem softer when viewed through a sheet of
tissue.

When it rains, the world looks like imperfect images on TV. The rain makes colors
dimmer.

Cars, like Ford's Model T, resemble rooms that you lock when you get inside. When
you turn the key, the world starts moving.

Outside the window, it looks like a movie displays the world passing by as you drive.

Humans keep time through watches on wrists, or through clocks that tick constantly,
as if waiting for something.

At home, humans have devices—telephones—that seem haunted by ghosts. When

humans pick up these devices, they make noise that sounds like snoring.

When they ring, humans silence the ring by raising the phone to their face to talk, so
that they seem to be lulling the phone to sleep.

At other times, however, humans activate phones by touching them with their
fingers, as though tickling them.
Children can cry (or relieve themselves) openly, but adults can only express their
pain (or relieve themselves) in private.

All adults have to visit the bathroom, which is a room with water but no food. Once
inside, they lock the door and suffer an experience that is painful and smelly—so
unpleasant that it seems like a form of punishment.

At night, when it's dark out, humans sleep in rooms together, two to a bed.

When they dream, it's like they're reading books about themselves. The stories they
experience have color, even though their eyes are closed.
Explanation:
Book - Because a book looks likes a bird, when it flaps. Because a bird has a left
and right wings. And also a Book it has left and right pages, when you open it.
And the pages is looks like a feather. And a book has also a markings on it. And
the book will come up to our hands.
Mist - Because the Martian said that a sky is tired of flight and rest on ground. So
when we think that the sky is tired and rest on the ground. So we must probably
think that, the sky will go down in the ground. And it looks like a fog or a mist.
Rain - Because once it rains, you will probably get an umbrella and use it. So
when you use the umbrella. The shaddow of the umbrella was describing to the
Martian, about "property of making colours darker." Because the surface will
became darker because of the shadow of the umbrella. Because their is a rain
occur. So we use umbrella.
Automobile/Car - A Model T refers to an "automobile" because a car has a lock
inside and it looks like a room, because their is a door and window and also
seated chairs. And "a film" refers to a rearview mirror, because once the car is
moving or starting forward. Once you see the rearview mirror, while driving. It
looks like a film because it's moving backwards and anything missed.
Wristwatch- Because wristwatch is a time that it looks like tied by a wrist. And it
also ticking.
Telephone - The martian said that " that snores when you pick up". Snore means
"ringing" so once a tellephone rings, we will pick up. And we will carry it and
directly to the lips. In order to talk to the caller on the telephone.
Bathroom/Toilet - Because punishment room refers to a "bathroom". And we also
bring water. Suffer reffers to "pooping". And the pain refers to "pooping while
your face is looks like crumpled", because when we pain also, our face looks
liked crumpled. And different smell refers to "smells bad because of poop."
Sleeping People - Because it's night time. And also when our eyelids shut, we
are like sleeping. And they "hide in pairs" refers to a 2 people/couple that was
fully blanket when they sleep.
Detailed Analysis 
Lines 1-6

Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings

and some are treasured for their markings –

(…)

sometimes they perch on the hand.

In the first lines of the poem, the speaker, a Martian visiting Earth, begins by
noting how human beings read books. These he describes as bird-like. They
are “treasured for their markings,” or the words written on the pages.
Sometimes, the markings make people cry (the eyes to melt), and sometimes,
the human beings “shriek without pain,” an apparent reference to laughter. 

The Martian notes how these birds never fly away. Instead they remain
perched “on the hand.” This is a beautiful extended metaphor that shows,
from the start, how different Earth is to the world the Martian is used to. 

Lines 7-12 

Mist is when the sky is tired of flight

and rests its soft machine on ground:

(…)

Rain is when the earth is television.

It has the property of making colours darker.

In the next lines, the speaker turns to discuss the way that “Mist” settles over
the world. It makes the world dimmer, acting as though tired of “flight,”
resting on the ground. There is an excellent simile in these lines comparing the
world to “engravings under tissue paper.” 

The Martian also discusses rain and how it obscures the world like static on a
television. It makes “colours darker. “ 

Lines 13-18 

Model T is a room with the lock inside –

a key is turned to free the world

(…)

or kept in a box, ticking with impatience.

In the next section, the Martian discusses cars and watches. The latter is “tied
to the wrist” or “kept in a box.” 

Lines 19-24 

In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps,

that snores when you pick it up.

(…)

deliberately, by tickling with a finger.

The Martian notes that inside the homes, there are telephones that appear to
be haunted by ghostly cries. The humans pick up the devices and “soothe
them to sleep” with their voices. But, there are times when they “wake it up /
deliberately, by tickling with a finger.” 
Lines 25-30 

Only the young are allowed to suffer

(…)

alone. No one is exempt

and everyone’s pain has a different smell.

The next section describes the young and the “punishment room” where the
adults go when they want to cry. This speaks to the solitude of grief when one
grows older and how it contrasts to the open expression of sorrow when one
is young. 

In another interpretation, one can read these lines as a description of going to

the bathroom. The adults do so in private, and “everyone’s pain has a different
smell.” 

Lines 31-34 

At night, when all the colours die,

(…)

in colour, with their eyelids shut.

In the final two couplets, the speaker notes that the human beings retreat to
rooms in pairs. There, they sleep together when the “colors die” and “read
about themselves – / in colour, with their eyelids shut.” This is a beautiful
concluding image, one that speaks to the nature of dreams and ends the
poem on a positive note. Despite the absurdity of human life, from a Martian
perspective, this last image is a good one.