How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Quote #4
FLOYD: We've got lots of telephones already. Can't you think of anything else you want for your birthday? Something very special?
SQUIRT: Yes.
FLOYD: What?
SQUIRT: A bush baby.
FLOYD: A bush baby? Well, we'll have to see about that. Listen, sweetheart, I want you to tell Mummy something for me. Will you remember?
In the midst of this high-tech stuff, Squirt asks for a bush baby—a real animal—for her birthday; ironically, one that's native to Africa. Given the times she lives in, she could have asked for high-tech gadgets we can't even imagine, maybe her own pet robot. What's Kubrick saying about our need to connect with nature?
Quote #5
A stewardess brings another stewardess her meal during their flight to the moon. The food is presented in boxes and eaten through a straw. The items (or more accurately flavors) are pictured on the boxes — such as coffee, fruit, cheese, fish and peas — and three-step instructions for eating are printed on the side.
Humans are natural creatures, and we can't escape our physical bodies or the demands put on it by nature. Technology to the rescue again. The extended scene with the stewardess shows that through ingenuity we can feed ourselves in parts of the universe where we'd otherwise starve to death.
Quote #6
HAL attacks Poole using the EVA pod. On a computer screen, Bowman sees Poole fly off into space. His oxygen line has been severed.
It's not all victory for #teamhumanity. Although our tools allow us to travel beyond Earth, dangers remain thanks to our physical limitations. Here, the oxygen line represents Poole's link to the ship and its life-sustaining air. Once severed, well, let's just say the leopard probably gave out better odds.