biology

The Memory of Earth

The Memory of Earth is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The Memory of Earth rather than just read about it. In short: The Memory of Earth (1992) is a science fiction novel by American writer Orson Scott Card. It is the first book of the Homecoming Saga, a loose fictionalization of the first half of the first book (1 Nephi) in the Book of Mormon.

Key takeaways

The Memory of Earth belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect The Memory of Earth to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The Memory of Earth from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Memory of Earth (1992) is a science fiction novel by American writer Orson Scott Card. It is the first book of the Homecoming Saga, a loose fictionalization of the first half of the first book (1 Nephi) in the Book of Mormon.

Inspiration As a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Card has been influenced by his membership in the church in many of his works including Enders Game and The Tales of Alvin Maker. He was especially influenced by the Book of Mormon in his creative endeavors. Speaking of specific influences in his writing. "It shows up in my style. Anybody who wonders why practically every sentence begins with "and," "then," "but"—you just have to think of the phrase "And it came to pass," and you will understand where that comes from. You see, if a sentence is important and true, I instinctively feel that it must begin with a conjunction." As a young writer he was drawn to tell stories from the Book of Mormon in his own works. The Memory of Earth is directly inspired by the Book of Mormon in its plot, themes and message.

Plot summary Humanity has lived for 40 million years on a planet called Harmony, after leaving an Earth that has been destroyed by human conflict. In order not to repeat the mistakes that led to the destruction of civilization on Earth, a computer, known as the Oversoul, was left as guardian of this planet. Its main mission was to prevent humans from developing technologies that could make wars a global affair. For that, humans were genetically modified so they could communicate with the Oversoul. The Oversoul uses this connection to make humans quite easily distracted when thinking about forbidden technologies, leading them to forget that train of thought. However, after this long time the Oversoul is beginning to fail, and it chooses a group of humans to return to Earth in search of the Keeper of Earth, in the hopes it will be able to find a way to maintain power over the people on Harmony. To this end the Oversoul recruits Volemak, father of the protagonist of the story, Nafai. Nafai and Issib, his brother, begin to try and defy the Oversoul's capability to override thought. Through this they learn of the danger that it is in. Nafai begins hearing the Oversoul's voice in his mind. The first book focuses on the family's eventual betrayal, the taking of the Index, and the downfall of the man Gaballufix, who had been planning to ally the city of Basilica, the home of the main characters and the setting of the first half of the book, with a malignant nation. Nafai, Elemak and Mebbekew, his older half brothers, Issib and his father Volemak are eventually forced to leave the city. They come back to retrieve the Index of the Oversoul, which allows them to communicate with it directly. Because of Nafai's careless blunders and miraculous successes, Elemak, Nafai's oldest brother, begins to hate him, a theme that will play out throughout the rest of the saga.

Characters The characters listed here are those whose primary role is in The Memory of Earth. For other characters, see Homecoming Saga or individual books.

Nafai Youngest son of Wetchik Volemak and Rasa by second contract, brother to Elemak, Mebbekew, and Issib. Nafai is a tall, 18-year-old-boy (14 in "temple years") who clearly hears the voice of the Oversoul in his mind. Nafai and his brothers and father are banished from Basilica and are forced into the desert from a cunning plot conceived by Gaballufix. Volemak urges his four sons to go back to Basilica and retrieve the Index (a tool or index used to retrieve information from the Oversoul). Later Nafai confronts Gaballufix and cuts off his head under the bidding of the Oversoul. Wetchik (Volemak) The father of Nafai, Elemak, Issib and Mebbekew, he is a seller of exotic plants. He is given a vision from the Oversoul and told to leave Basilica with his family. He is a strong leader, able to see what must be done for the benefit of his family and he has the strength to go through with his plans. Gaballufix Elemak's oldest (half) brother, son of Hosni by Zdedhnoi, and father of Sevet and Kokor by Rasa. He attempts to ally Basilica with Potokgavan against the Gorayni (also known as the Wetheads). More importantly, he tries to draw the city into a war that goes beyond the Oversoul's (failing) mental blocks, and destroy its traditional female-dominated structure with the help of holographically-disguised soldiers that roam the streets. He sets up a plot to kill Volemak, who opposes him; after Volemak and his sons retreat to the desert, they realize that they need the Index, which is in Gaballufix's possession. He is eventually killed by Nafai, who will agonize over this choice and never really forgive himself for it. Rasa Nafai and Issib's mother Rasa is one of the most respected women in all of Basilica. She runs a school out of her own house where she teaches the brightest students in the city. She used to be married to Gaballufix, but is now exclusively married to Wetchik. She is ready to do everything in her power to defend her children including the students who see her as a mother figure. Rashgallivak Steward to the Wetchik fortune. After Volemak embarks on a series of seemingly ill-advised actions, Rashgallavik takes control of the money. Though his intentions (to protect the Wetchik's funds, as per his job) are originally good, he is overwhelmed by his own power after first becoming the Wetchik himself and then taking over Gaballufix's position. His tenuous hold over Gaballufix's guards is broken by Hushidh. Roptat One of the three most influential men in Basilica, along with Volemak and Gaballufix. Gaballufix plots to have Roptat and Volemak killed, and frame Nafai for the crime. Elemak The eldest child of Volemak the Wetchik by Hosni. Half brother to Gaballufix. He is driven by power and control, he acts as a personal antagonist to Nafai most of the time. He is not responsive to the voice of the Oversoul.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Memory of Earth

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Memory of Earth claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The Memory of Earth before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The Memory of Earth ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The Memory of Earth

In research: The Memory of Earth appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The Memory of Earth in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The Memory of Earth is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1992 American novels, 1992 English-language novels, 1992 science fiction novels, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Memory of Earth outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study The Memory of Earth in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The Memory of Earth means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain The Memory of Earth out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Memory of Earth in simple terms?

Why does The Memory of Earth matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The Memory of Earth?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The Memory of Earth.