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anonstudent01's picture

Galileo

I enjoyed Brecht's "tale" of Galileo and preferred it to the story of Galileo rewriting a story of science. I have heard the second story before and knew the important historical facts of Galileo's discovery and battle with the church, however Brecht gave me a fresh way of considering Galileo as a human being and not just a famous name.
 This is a work of fiction and we have established that everything is a story, but whether or not this is the true story of Galileo doesn't matter. Everything spoken or written, whether it be a play, non-fiction or fiction, is a story and I appreciate Brecht's interpretation of the life and work of Galileo. It was also interesting to see Galileo's family life, I rarely consider the home life that supported the great thinkers of history and I suppose that Galileo was an ordinary human when it came to domestic life, selfishness and expectations for those around him. His life and decisions were not entirely about science; it was kind of a shock to think that he had other motives for giving in to the church and thought very little for Virginia or his colleagues. 
The most charismatic character for me was Andrea, and the final conversation really illustrates the unwavering presence of basic human wishes and motives in every person. 
Brecht's play is a story, Galileo's scientific conclusions were effectively stories themselves, and I am writing a story now to communicate my feelings about both. 

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