After the end of World War II, Americans lived in fear of nuclear war. The government amassed huge arsenals of nuclear bombs and used propaganda to assuage the fear of the American people. The best known example is the propaganda film Duck and Cover which tells Americans that a picnic blanket could protect them from a nuclear bomb (USA). To reflect these trends, fiction writers wrote many novels hypothesizing about what would happen in the event of a nuclear apocalypse (Brians). Some of them, like Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank, simply described the effects that a nuclear war against the United States could have (Frank). Similarly, Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz details the impact of the bomb after the destruction of humanity's advanced civilization. Since its publication in 1960, at the height of the Cold War, A Canticle for Leibowitz has been highly regarded not only by the geeky science fiction community (often referred to as the "Gernsback Ghetto"), but also by the literary community in the broader sense, because Miller's later work The Apocalyptic World resonates strongly with literary readers who identify with the novel's political and social message, thereby transcending Gernsback's ghetto. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay As one would expect, literary writers often tend to write about the topics of their time, because contemporary events are a source of inspiration and naturally resonate with their audience. . Science fiction, which is very forward-looking, generally does not follow this trend because it tells unrealistic stories based on improbable settings. Stereotypically, this involves taking readers into the future to confront the fantastical future of aluminum. Canticle, for its part, draws on the real fear of nuclear war that Americans felt in the 1950s to project a post-apocalyptic world. Nuclear war and its aftermath were Americans' worst nightmare, and the book presents that nightmare as alternative historical fiction mixed with science fiction. It takes a topic readers are familiar with (the enmity and stalemate between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War) and hypothesizes what might happen if relations between the two enemies became even more difficult and a nuclear war broke out. touches on the story cycle already familiar to readers. The first part begins in the dark ages of the future, 600 years after the 20th century and the disastrous nuclear war. The second part fast forwards 600 years to a Renaissance and shows a society being rebuilt with all its trappings. It ends 600 years later with two superpowers eventually destroying each other via nuclear war. Readers may recognize that this is the story of European civilization as it moved from the Dark Ages to the Renaissance and then again to the brink of nuclear destruction. Miller also addresses Americans' fear by creating a world that is familiar to them. The book takes place in the future but it's a world that Americans know well. He cleverly reminds readers of this context at almost every opportunity. For example, early in the book, Brother Francis finds Leibowitz's to-do list. One of the tasks was “Remember: Collect Form 1040, Uncle Revenue,” a nod to the IRS form that most Americans fill out (Miller 26). By sprinkling these little references to American society..