How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"It is not new continents that the earth needs, but new men!" (1.19.4)
Nemo's misanthropy runs deep. Yes, he's observed a lot of differences across the peoples of the world, but his hatred for man (and his customs) remains the same. What kind of society do you think Nemo wants? Idyllic utopias aren't always all they're cracked up to be…
Quote #5
"You are right, sir," he said after a moment's silence. "It is a world apart, as foreign to terra firma as the planets accompanying this globe around the sun, and we will never benefit from the studies of Saturn's or Jupiter's scientists. However, since chance has linked our two lives, I can communicate the results of my observations to you." (1.23.15)
Even a century and a half later, we can still say that there are parts of the ocean that are just as foreign to us as the far reaches of outer space. Pretty cool, huh? No wonder the "Father of Science Fiction" wrote about people exploring both kinds of terrain.
Quote #6
I would like to finish seeing what no man has yet seen, even if I have to pay for this insatiable need to know with my life! What have I discovered to date? Nothing, or almost nothing, since we have covered only 6,000 leagues of the Pacific! (2.1.5)
After only six thousand leagues, Aronnax is willing to give up his freedom in order to gain some knowledge. We can relate to his "insatiable need to know"; dude's got the mind of a true scientist. But how much should one be willing to sacrifice for a new discovery? Is knowledge worth the sacrifice of one life? How about many lives? And, tell it to us straight: do you think Aronnax loves science more for the thrill of discovery, or for the competitive aspects of the field?