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Motif Of Communication In Timeline By Michael Crichton

Decent Essays

“Hot tamales! Hot tamales! Grid four. Come and get it! Lunch is served.”(Crichton 84). This is an example of how communication is used in the novel, Timeline. The novel, Timeline by Michael Crichton, is about a group of graduates that go back to the Middle Ages to rescue the Professor, who got stuck in the Middle Ages. The three graduates that go back to save their professor are André Marek, Kate Erickson, and Chris Hughes. Throughout the novel, Crichton develops the theme of teamwork. Crichton develops the theme through the supporting motif of communication by showing the students using equipment and collaborating. The graduates use their radios to communicate important information. They use code words, such as “hot tamales” and “lunch is served,” to let everyone know what is going on and to keep other people from understanding their conversations. “Hot tamales! Hot tamales! Grid four. Come and get it! Lunch is served.”(84). In a second example, when a graduate student named Elsie is studying a piece of parchment and finds a disturbing message, she calls to André Marek over her radio and says, “‘Just come. Now’” (99&101). These pieces of evidence support the motif of communication because Crichton is showing how the graduates are helping each other by talking over their radios. Radios support the larger idea of teamwork …show more content…

Chris, Marek, and Kate try to get across the river safely. They know that it is not safe to cross the river when there are so many guards outside. They collaborate and make plans about which way to go and how to best stay out of sight. “André. This is too dangerous. Let’s not cross the river tonight” (312&315). This is showing how the three graduates collaborate to make plans and keep everyone safe. Collaboration, as shown in this piece of evidence, is a great example of teamwork. Collaborating allows the graduates to make plans and understand each

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