The theme of this story is that although we HUMANBEINGS have only been in the Universe for a really short period of time, we have already made tremendous amount of technological advancement that could surprise other civilizations.

The author, Arthur C. Clarke has created many tensions in this story. Here, I will talk about the three most important tensions in the story and analyze the development of the theme as these tensions rise and fall.

The first tension is set up at the very beginning of the story. The Captain of the spaceship, Alveron, is very reluctant at telling the crew members the shocking truth behind their mission. When he finally clarifies the goal of their mission to the rest of the crew, every ship member felt deep sorrow for their late discovery of the intelligent life form on Earth. At this point of the story, tension arises as readers of the story develop the feelings of desperation and lack of time which contribute to the highly suspenseful plot of the story.

The second tension in the story arises when the rescue team finds the first human-made structure on the Earth, which is an interplanetary communication ratio station. Since the station is still busily sending signals, the rescue team expects to find some Earth inhabitants in there. The plot comes to a crisis when the rescue team finds a dead human body inside the control center of the radio station. The team members do not know that the man is dead at first. They are silent for a while as they try to figure out a way to make their first contact with humans. The tension is temporarily relieved after they discover that the man is dead and continue on with their search.

The third and the highest tension occurs when the rescue team find an abandoned city. Time has almost run out as the rescue team enters the biggest building in the city to search for Earth inhabitants. The plot intensifies as the team clears every floor of the building. And the end, the rescue team fails to find any remaining Earth inhabitants and the mood of the story falls to the lowest point. However, at the very end of the story, the aliens discover that the humans are one step ahead of them when a massive group of spaceships appears on their radar screen. At this point, all the tensions in the story are relieved and the theme is fully developed: humans, as any other civilizations in the Universe, should not be underestimated. Although we have only known the concept of high technology for less than 100 years, our potential is virtually unlimited.

One last point I want to make is that tension is a very important literary element of a story. It helps to develop the atmosphere as well as the theme of the story. Appropriate uses of tensions could make a story more exciting to read as well as enhancing the reader's understanding of the plot.

The End!