Story of Your Life – Pioneer Plaque Assignment (Partner and Drawing by Sarah Perlman)

In this assignment, we are paired up and to make our own plaque depicting an existing system/technology of our world in order communicating with intelligent extraterrestrial species, specifically those from The Story of Your Life”. The following plaque (see below) is drawn up by my partner, Sarah Perlman, which is a depiction of the US economic system. 

Following my understanding of the linguistic characteristics of the intelligent extraterrestrial species’ mode of communication from “The Story of Your Life”, the top left depicts a structure with four pillars. The top of the structure contains some kind of symbol which we will see throughout the rest of the plaque. From it leads to two shapes, one four-sided shape and the other of a shape with no sides, both containing the same symbol as on the structure. Those then leads to three more objects that each lead to one another. The top objects seem to be what humans can use, while the bottom depicts a human standing by another four-sided object, in which for this one it is appears it is attempting to touch. Each one of these objects lead to one another so there is a connection of some kind to all of them, perhaps akin to one being changing to another over and over again in a never-ending cycle, which all come from the structure on the top left.  Just below is some kind of land on Earth, as we can see it on the human’s home planet on the bottom left as well. Right next to it is another four-sided object that depicts two people with points toward one another which has more symbols similar to the one above and more objects, suggesting yet another cycle that involves these humans and the previous objects above. Finally on the lower right corner is what appears to be two human hands holding one another, suggesting they are hand in hand in something, which appears to be the cycle on the left, and thus the above process on the top as well. 

Removing the viewpoint of the aliens, the top left of the pictograph depicts a bank, as we can see from the symbol, which is the symbol of money, specifically the US dollar. It then goes to a representation of the US dollar and coin respectively, which then is supposed to convey that this currency can be used to buy goods or services. These good and services can then be purchased using currency, allowing for a cycle of buying and selling to happen, thus an economy. As to confirm it is the US, a representation of the land of the US is shown below the bank. The bottom three images are a depiction of trading, especially world trading as seen with the depiction of Earth. Beside the depiction of Earth is a depiction of two people trading all sorts of currencies and products, in which it is all in good corporation as seen in the lower right depiction of two hands shaking.