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Option 2

There are a number of factors that indicate the significance in the fact that the narrator of “ In the Year 2889” equates Fritz Napoleon Smith to the role of “king.” One factor is that he not only saved a failing paper but brought it to remarkable success. He is referred to as the “ king of newspaperdom.” After all, there are 85,000,000 subscribers to “Earth Chronicle” who, on a daily basis, receive the news from the editor. He is like a king with his subjects, makes decisions about their lives by they should be aware of. Like a dictator, Smith controls distribution of the news and determines what is worth making public or kept from the same public.

A second way that the narrator equates Smith with being a king is by the types of people who come begging to speak with him so he can use his power on their behalf. They range from artists to businessmen to diplomats to scientists. They all want something from him. That something is to be included in articles establishing their importance and their proposals. There is no question that the inventors, artists, and scientist take directions as well as money from Smith, and the foreign dignitaries want his advice and assistance.

A third factor in the way the narrator casts Smith as a king is in his tireless way of life. If a king has benefits, he also has responsibilities. The narrator says, “Yes, a king is he. And in truth his is a royalty full of burdens. “ The long hours, the variety of meetings, the distances he travels all make clear that he is a serious and determined monarch.

Smith does seem to think of himself as a king. There is a great deal of evidence to support this. For one, he certainly seems to enjoy that role. Not only has he built himself an enormous palace, but he also feels perfectly at home in ordering people about and setting policy for his newspaper and the world. If advertisements need to be projected on clouds, he will make sure that this won’t be a problem. He sees himself as controlling nature as well as men, He ordered the scientists “ to go to work in earnest on the question of artificial clouds. It will never do for us to be always thus at the mercy of cloudless skies!”

In another way, Smith may think of himself as “king” of America because he realizes that the fulfillment of his editorial duties bring him tremendous power. There is the personal sense of superiority, as when he finishes with the scientists, “ Then, the two men bowing to him, Mr. Smith passed into the next hall.” In this country, we are not accustomed to bowing to anybody!

Finally, there is also the idea of how influential he may be. He gives an “audience” to foreign representatives. They complain and ask for help.They convince him that he can bring them what they want. The Russian ambassador tells Smith about the Chinese pushing on their borders. Smith is very confident that this can be resolved:“”O, is that all? In that case,” said Mr. Smith, “the thing can be arranged. I will speak to the Secretary of State about it. The attention of the Chinese government shall be called to the matter. This is not the first time that the Chinese have bothered us.”

All in all, Smith seems to enjoy his commanding role and the way the “Earth Chronicle” influences people and events. Although he is a fictional character, he represents how easy it could be for a powerful editor of a newspaper or other form of media to act like a king to direct attention and reaction to situations and individuals, creating or reducing conflict and problems.