Your assignment for this weekend is to look through the notes on Ray Bradbury and read his short story "There will come soft rains." After you have read the story, respond to the prompt below. Respond in 2-3 paragraphs, and respond to two of your classmates by Sunday at midnight.
Below, you will find a brief analysis of Bradbury's story "There will come soft rains"
"There Will Come Soft Rains" is one of Ray Bradbury's most famous stones. Also known as "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains," the story was written and published in Bradbury's highly acclaimed collection of stories, The Martian Chronicles, in 1951. Written in an era in which many people were concerned about the devastating effects of nuclear weapons, the story depicts a world in which human beings have been destroyed by nuclear force. The central irony of the story is the fact that humans have been destroyed rather than saved by their own technology. The atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan, were recent memories in 1951, and many readers and critics found Bradbury's images of a desolate planet haunting and cautionary. In a further moral lesson, Bradbury shows how human technology is able to withstand the demise of its maker, yet is ultimately destroyed by nature, a force which prevails over all others. The story, which happens in the future but takes its title from a poem by a nineteenth-century writer, is a prime example of how science fiction literature can encompass moral and philosophical concerns."
**Discuss areas of the story that are evident in this passage. Locate evidence to support this analysis**
Then, discuss the realities of Bradbury's writing. What similarities do you see today? If this story were published today, how do you think it would be perceived? Essentially, discuss the comparisons of today, to what Bradbury was trying to communicate through his story. You may want to discuss the purpose of the poem that Bradbury chose to include in his story.
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The emphasis placed on nature is evident throughout the story. One of the most prevalent is the descrpition of the nursery. Another would be the fact that the day begins raining; the author makes it a point to let the reader know when the sun appears. At the end of the story, the sun is rising again, showing that despite the chaos raging within the house, the day does not stop. The house is destroyed by fire which reinforces the statement "human technology is able to withstand the demise of its maker, yet is ultimately destroyed by nature, a force which prevails over all others" found in the analysis.
ReplyDeleteThe similarities I see between the story and life today were easy to pick out. The reminders of birthdays and aniversaries remind me of Facebook/myspace/email reminders of the kind; the weather, also, is forecasted convieniently. The robot cleaning mice are similar to products sold today that glide around the floor picking up dust and mop the floors, such as the "iRobot."
Perhaps Bradbury was trying to convey the message that technilogical progress may make life more convientient but runs the risk of being too powerful. Thus it is unnecessary due to the fact that the earth's routines will never change, at least not by human hand.
He is describing a house which is desolate and abandoned, in a world where there are no longer any more humans existing. These humans were wiped out by some sort of technology gone wrong, which most likely points to a nuclear bomb of some sort. This is the irony of the story, that humans were essentially wiped out by their own technology, and their technologies survived even beyond the lives of the creators. There is a great emphasis placed on the technology that has survived through everything, although there are no more humans, the technologies go on without them, essentially living as humans without the humans.
ReplyDeleteSome similarities I see with the technologies today is the fact that humans have placed a lot of dependance on technology, depending on them for a lot of things, using the new technology to make life easier for humans, so they don't have to do as much. These days, people are always coming out with new technolgy to take the place of a human. Just as in the story, the kitchen itself is making the food, and I wouldn't doubt that sometime in the future there will be a technology to do so as well.
If this story would have been published today, it would be almost the same as many other stories, stories wich predict future technologies. However, dealing with the whole bombing and destroying of the human race, it would definately fit in with what is going around now. Since the movie 2012 came out, the thought of the end coming has came into the mind of many people. I think the greatest topic Bradbury wanted to commmunicate to his readers is the fact that new technologies has become a big part of our everyday lives, there is no part of our life that doesn't involve some sort of technology. There have been so many technological advancements, and with the time, there will only come more technological advancements, soon our lives will probably be ruled by technology.
"There will come soft rain" places drastic irony on life and humans and also shows us how our own creations can destroy our nature and all humans and living things; proving that technology overcame its creators and something drastic happened to the univerese. Life in the story ended with technology which began a new story. The mechancics took up hunan characteristics, not looks, but behaviors proving the irony. It provided us with a nursey setting realting to relevent days of children and play time wiht animals and fasinating things that appear to be real. The world was destroyed by our creations and the creations overcame there selves ruining itself.
ReplyDeleteAny description of the "house mouse" can be seen as similar to the everyday wife. Moms tend to be neat freaks and like the house to be clean before anyone comes inside or anything is done. A mom makes sure all the chores are done before one goes out, much like the story. In the story the dog is not to come in and the bird is scared away. It eve nsays that noone is to come near the house. Even when the dog comes in the "house mouse" is right behind it angerly cleaing up its tracks. Later the dog passes also proving the irony in technology's destruction. Many current movies can be seen as relevent to the story.. Today humans think technology is the answer to any problems, but has anyone looked at the problems that may arise from our creations?
Bradbury protrayed the message of destruction, creation and a meaning behind it all. We may see a need and a purpose of what we are creating at the time, but do we really need it or are we just getting extremly lazy and not seeing the problems that could come from what will be created? Life is full of excitement and technology plays a big role throughout all of our lives, but when something goes to far it usually ends with a something bad, like the story in which all will be destryoed.
in response to liz fred:
ReplyDeleteI agree with the connection you made to nature and the story with society today! I was also going to use the example of "IRobot". Many movies do tie into this this story, and i do beilieve that if technology continues to advance this could possibly happen, just because we dont look at specifics we just look at what we want and think will be "cool". BY the way goood wording and flow.
Liz R:
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you, but I dont see the connection of a nucular bombing in the story, there has to be one just because there are no humans existing, but dont you think it should have been specified more clearly? Anyways good job, see ya tomorrow=]
There is evidence from the story that can be found in a statement from the analysis. "Bradbury shows how human technology is able to withstand the demise of its maker, yet is ultimately destroyed by nature, a force which prevails over all others". Parts of the story support that statement very well. "The wind blew. A falling tree bough crashed through the kitchen window. Cleaning solvent, bottled, shattered over the stove. The room was ablaze in an instant" (460)! In the story when the kitchen started on fire is when we can see the true evidence that nature does prevail over all. Also another part in the analysis can be seen throughout the story. The fact that humans have actually been destroyed by their own technology, rather than saved from it. One can have the greatest technology in the world, but fires and world catastrophes will prevail.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I noticed in the story that can be compared to today is all the structure and scheduling that was used. Time to clean or time for dinner or time for bed or off to work all can be the same things today. I think a lot of people live their day to day lives on a schedule. They don't want anything to come inbetween their set schedule and time frame. I don't know if that has any true meaning or similarity but that's what I noticed!
Bradbury was perhaps trying to convey the message of technology being the sole meaning of so many people's lives and the fact that it doesn't need to be. The set schedules, the perfect lives everyone wants, and so many people wanting the best and newest technology. Those things will probably all just get worse and worse as time goes on. Life is filled with unexpected events that not even technology can cover up.
In response to Liz F: I liked how you brought up the birthday, anniversary announcement concept. Things like Myspace and Facebook are so popular right now and that was a great similarity between the story and today. Also when you said that the usage of technology can run the risk of being too powerful, I totally agree with!
ReplyDeleteIn response to Liz R: My thoughts were pretty similar to yours. You said that humans place a lot of dependence on technology and I think that can be clear to everyone everyday. Also, I agree with you that technology takes the place of humans, just for the fact that we are becoming lazier and lazier.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Destiney:
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you compared the mice to a house wife and mom, I totally agree with you! I also like how you stated that technology really causes more problems than we actually notice, also when you said that sometimes it can go too far, and I agree with that.
In response to Audrey:
I really liked how you stated that one can have the greatest tachnology of the world, and nature will still prevail. I also like how you used the fact that these days people are always on a schedule just as they were in the story.
Destiny, I wasn't referring to any kind of movie. I was referencing a robot vacuum cleaner. It is a small disc that glides around the floor picking up dust. Also, remember to edit your post before you post them.
ReplyDeleteIt sure would help everyone out a lot if people wouldn't wait until the last minute to do this.
ReplyDeleteMany similarities to modern times in “There Will Come Soft Rains” are evident, as many early-twentieth century science fiction works are uncannily turning out to be (take “Brave New World,” for example). Typically in such stories, though through the technological venue, the decadence or even destruction of the human race is the most prevalent theme. Mainly a concept that comes to mind when mixing advanced technology and human laziness is the “Frankenstein effect,” whereas our own technology is what destroys us—not like in “There Will Come Soft Rains,” but directly when our creations outwit us. This is one of the profoundest science fiction stories in that this is NOT the case, that humans were abusing their creations, more so than usual, only this time a line was crossed that they didn’t have the firepower to cross before, and there were disastrous consequences. And the survivor technology was none the wiser.
ReplyDeleteThe prevalence of nature, however, was a most interesting facet in that either the humans of the story failed in their attempt to quash nature from human existence altogether or found that nature was vital to human life to begin with. The makers of such technologies as the interactive nursery and the cleaning robot mice certainly did not oust nature from their design. Nature continued its course; with whether or not humans’ own course was altered nature was and is not concerned, and may very well continue on when we’re gone. However, I was astounded with the degree to which the technology was a hindrance rather than the help it was intended to be. I’m not arguing against outdoor recreation in favor of housework, but maybe if the woman had been inside cleaning in place of the robotic rats, she would have lived to tell the tale of the demise of Allendale, because obviously the house wasn’t destroyed; and, for her husband, why wasn’t the lawn mower mechanized as well? There are many “what-ifs.” But maybe the most obvious example of the technological hindrance was that the dog was starving to death while there was food being cooked on the other side of the door, and the dog couldn’t get to it and died. I would not like to have my doors and garage door open and close automatically; I would always be paranoid about getting through them fast enough.
If the stories were published today, I don’t know that they would get the full attention that other stories are. Sure, with “2012” the “doomsday scenario” is coming back into perspective, as well as with the “green” movement. But people really aren’t concerned with their own actions. Because they aren’t manufacturing atomic bombs, and because America is the most powerful country in the world, the thought of us being obliterated in our own backyard is a very far-off concept. With the use of his poem, at first I wasn’t sure whether Sara Teasdale was even an actual poet or someone Bradbury made up, because of how well her poem fit with his story. It IS ultimately we who decide. In light of the “green” movement, Bradbury might say that our efforts to control our output of waste are not as important as our own self-discipline in controlling our own laziness and technologies and greed BEFORE they get out of hand, and we are the only ones who can; neither technology nor nature can help us there.
To all the people who mention “iRobot” vacuums and other such technologies made to make our life easier. I’ve never owned anything of the sort or known anyone who had, but to me such things seem like they would be more annoying than helpful, because you would have to retrieve them if they got lost or stuck, and even clean the floor space before you could use them. Also, with Facebook/MySpace reminders, you never know whether someone is wishing you well because they are truly thinking about you or because they just feel obligated. They may be helpful, but they take the thought-process and even the affection out of such things. Destiny, we may think of them as out to get us because of the media and conspiracy theories or whatever, but really technology is utterly mindless, as very well-put by Bradbury. It is cold and unfeeling toward humans like nature, even if we program it to be warm and fuzzy and helpful, but, unlike volatile nature, the logical pattern that it follows is routine, boring, unchanging, emotionless, mindless.
ReplyDeleteAbove, the first period is supposed to be a comma.
ReplyDeleteAudrey: No matter how soundly we build our skyscrapers and bridges, they will always be rocked by the wind, or shaken down by earthquakes or other natural disasters. Also, I like that you mentioned the time, because I don’t think humans were meant to live by some rigorous schedule that they cannot defect from; in fact, I think our flexibility is a great adaptation skill. Technology (to my knowledge) cannot adapt as we can, and can, at times, force us into a stalemate, whereas, if we were on our own, we would fare much better. For example, people are always tied to their phones and computers, and therefore never fully get a respite from work; people get burnt out and cannot function their best, as technology intends, defeating its own purpose from the start. Cell phones and the Internet have almost replaced face-to-face conversation and even phone calls, and I think people say things over text and e-mail they wouldn’t dare say over the phone or to another’s face. Because our technology is mindless, which is its inherent nature, we, unless we are careful, easily come off as mindless as well. Or, it can be something as simple as a closed door standing between what we need, as with the dog and food. In older times people did not have to lock their doors, and now it is a necessity, albeit for good reason; however, this need takes some of the humanity out of daily living, as people cannot ask for or give help without worrying about being kidnapped or murdered or having their property stolen. In effect technology’s pros are cancelled by its cons.
ReplyDeleteI think the majority of the story is evident in the passage. However, I think, "The central irony of the story is the fact that humans have been destroyed rather than saved by their own technology" relates more to our world today. Different countries are constantly coming up with newer and better technology. Its a competition, and with this competition, we end up going after each other and we eventually hurt each other. In our military, with the weapons of mass destruction, we get so paranoid that we try to make our own to come back with anything they do to us. I think we will kill each other eventually because we will always try to be one step ahead of the others, and after that one country fires first, everyone will fire and we will be in another world war.
ReplyDeleteI think Bradbury's realities are very relevant for our world. We are constantly getting hit with natural disasters that we are not completely prepared for. There are numerous examples that show that nature is always going to be better than us. I think this story also relates to our times even though it was written a while ago. When Bradbury put in the poem, I think he chose it because it said exactly what the story was saying. Nature would not stop because man was not around. It would always just keep on doing what it does.
The irony that of human kind being killed by its own creation is depicted through out the story "There Will Come Soft Rains". This ironic theme is portrayed where ever the story talks about how a human creation causes human death. "Cleaning solvent, bottled, shattered over the stove. The room was ablaze in an instant!" This is a good example in the story of man-made things that result in the death of humans.
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of the poem that Bradbury chose to include in this story is to emphasize that it would not matter to nature of the creatures in nature if mankind were to perish today. With this in mind i think that it is obvious that the similarities with today are that that poem is true even today and that mankind would not be missed by nature if we were to perish. This is a thought that makes sense and is hard to refute. It just makes sense.
In response to Liz Fred:
ReplyDeleteI think that the i-Robot idea is very relevant to this story because it follow along with the ironic theme of this short story, which is man being destroyed by his own creation. It makes it easier to see the idea of mans creation taking over and human destruction, even though this was stopped in the movie. Anyway, this is a really good point.
Joel,
ReplyDeleteI like your military/competition angle. I hadn't thought of that at all. Your post reminded me of a story, or maybe a movie, i don't remember. Anyways, it reminded me of a story/scene where, in a battle type setting, Native Americans were given guns but ended up killing each other because they surrounded their enemies and didn't know how to use the weapons. Do you know what I am talking about? Anyways, good post.
Clarification: when I said "iRobot" i was referring to a self vacuuming device. http://store.irobot.com/home/index.jsp there is the link. Although, the movie could be a good example of a theme, I was simply comparing the cleaning items.
ReplyDeletehttp://resources.irobot.com/index.php/video/US/3334466
ReplyDeletecopy and paste it. check it out
In response to Alie:
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with you that people would not accept this theory of man-kind getting destroyed. I think that many people out there would accept this theory, because after all there is a lot of evidence for the practicality of this concept. people are killed everyday with guns, bombs, and other man-made technologies. Also, if that doesn't do it for you, there are millions of people out there that believe things crazier than that just because some guy tells them it is true. Therefore, I am sure there are many people that would believe this crazy theory.
I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to be answering here, but I could defintely see how, when it's all been said and done, nature overcomes all, because it can't be prevented. "The wind blew. A falling tree bough crashed through the kitchen window" (Bradbury 460). That is a natural occurance, and that lead to the conquering of this futuristic home.
ReplyDeleteHumans create many things, such as robots or special machines that do things for us, in order to make our lives simpler, when really it just presents more of a challenge. There is an ongoing argument of whether technology helps or hurts society as a whole, and I think this is a good point to bring up for why technology hurts more than helps. According to the summary above, this story was written around the time of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings in Japan. Those two situations are also excellent examples of how our lives were more difficult because of technology. Although our own creations may conquer us, nature conquers all. We cannot prevent natural disastors from happening, we can only do what we can to protect ourselves from them. "There Will Come Soft Rains" shows us that even if technology may, for lack of better terms, take over us humans, but nature truly is the enemy. Nature can even cause technology to fail.
If this story were published today, I would assume people would feel the same way about it; nature conquers all. Several futuristic stories demonstrate how people think the future will be, and it always is more technological. We, society, always perceive the futures as more technological which, in turns, create more problems for us, or so it seems.
In response to Audrey
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Nature will always prevail over what mankind has made. Another supporting detail would be when they talk about all the electrical wires breaking from the fire. I never really thought about the scheduling aspect of similarities. That is a very good point, and i completely agree with you.
In response to Liz Fred...
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tyler. Your comparison to iRobot was really good. It is very similar to the mice in the story. I think the mice are a good visual to understand what life in the future will be like; more technilogical. The mice would make our lives so much easier, because we wouldn't need to clean/vacuum with them.
As I was reading through the story, I actually though of Back to the Future II. They travel into the year 2012 or 2013, I think, and there are so many electronic and technical things.
In response to Joel...
ReplyDeleteI liked your explanation of why the poem was included in the story. I believe that you are correct in regards to the poem. Not only will nature continue after we've gone and left this earth, but it knows no war and it doesn't stop from ocurring just because we may be harmed by it. Nature will continue in its same path and it won't stop. It's always there.
As Liz Fred and others wrote, the emphasis nature is very easy to notice in this story. The last part of the poem being read in the story reads, “And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn would scarcely know that we were gone." This quote is probably one of the main lines if the story, in my opinion. In addition, it supports the analysis that, "human technology is able to withstand the demise of its maker, yet is ultimately destroyed by nature, a force which prevails over all others". In the story, technology has surpassed the life of its creator(s), but in the end, nature prevails.
ReplyDeleteSimilarities I see today would be things like automatic sprinklers (both for watering lawns and putting out fires), the birthday reminders, and I think that almost all the technology used in the story will probably be created some day. The birthday reminders are comparable to birthday reminders we receive through email/facebook/etc and this includes the PDA’s that some people always keep on their person to help them keep track of their schedule and any important updates. I also noticed how with the general idea of technology evolving, machines start to replace the tasks humans do. Instead of making dinner for themselves or having a cook do it, the owners of the house had the machines do everything. Oh and one more thing, the little robot mice that cleaned the house reminded me of those shower washers that automatically spray your shower/bathtub when you’re done.
If this story were published today, I think people would react about the same way to it. Although, I think that more people would become defensive and touchy about the suggestion that in the end, out technology will surpass us, but nature will always exist. People would become defensive because the first part of this story describes the lives some people live today. Haha actually, the first part of this story reminded me of the movie Flubber, where Robin Williams had machines taking care of his house for him, and the computer providing the daily reminders is like the machine Weebelow (?) that flew around and followed Robin William’s character around.
To Destiny,
ReplyDeleteI liked your comparison of the "house mouse" to the everyday wife who is always trying to keep the house clean. This just goes to show that in the story, the roles of humans have been replaced by machines for the most part, which is one message that Bradbury was tring to convey.
In response to Audrey,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the last line of your post, "Life is filled with unexpected events that not even technology can cover up." because it is so true. No matter what you plan for, things never work out exactly how we want or predict them to. Furthermore, when we try to control what happens in life to every minute detail, how effective and helpful is it really? If life was predictable and always went exactly according to plan, it would be way too boring.
The central irony of this story is reflected in mankinds technology causing it's demise. This is shown by everyone being dead due to the technology, rather than saved by it. He is also saying that no matter what technology humans come up with, nature always rules over it. Nature was what caused the fire in the house and all of the human technology couldn't solve the problem, showing that nature is the ruling force.
ReplyDeleteThe message conveyed in this poem still has relevancy today. Humans are constantly coming up with new technologies. While alot of this is helpful to us, there are always people trying to use it to harm someone else. The warning that he had in this story should still be considered in today's society. It also applies because nature is the same now that it was then. If humans were killed nature would just continue on and this is how it will always be.
It is evident that a nuclear war has wiped out humanity from the silhouettes of the family on the fence. It was made to appear as a bomb destroyed the city where the house is, and this house is the last one standing. Also the radioactive glow pronounces the nuclear apocalypse. Bradbury shows how human technology can outlast humns yet nature prevails through the way a fire burned down the remaining house and all the technology that was still functioning inside of it. Nature prevails in the way the Earth continues to live and takes away the creations of man as if they are nothing.
ReplyDeleteThe realitys of Bradbury's writings are evident in many places today. Nature is still the most powerful force in the world and it continues to rule mankind through the way fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, and many other forces of nature easliy destroy human technology. Also the threat of a nuclear war is still very tangible in today's world. Countries strive to one up each other in weapons creation. Mankind could easily be wiped out with the number of nuclear weapons active today. If the stroy were published today, people would have similar opinions as nuclear weapons still exist, and in greater numbers than when the story was originally published. Also Nature continues to dominate the world and many more natural disasters have occured. Possibly people would have more respect for nature from this story today as they have witnessed the detruction nature can produce.
It is apparent that Bradbury was trying to stress that we as people need to realize the deadly potential our technology holds. Bradbury encompases the poem in the story to remind people that if mankind were to destroy itself the world would still go on. Nature would still be there along with animals and plants.
"Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,if mankind perished utterly;
And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone."
Obviously Bradbury shows that in the big picture humans are weak and while we have the power to destroy ourselves we are not Gods and we do have limited power.
In response to audrey
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said in your first paragraph and I esspecially like the qoute you used. I also like how you picked up on the scheduleing, and how many similarities exsist today as people all over the place use schedules to run their lives.
In response to Matt
I agrree with how you talked about Nature being the dominant force and ruling anything humans have built. I somewhat agree with your second paragraph and I would say that Nature seems to become more powerful as more damage has been done in recent years from nature. It seems as though we as humans keep building bigger and better, and yet nature always has a way of humbling us in its powerful destruction of the most awe inspiring things we as humans have built.
In response to Matt's
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you said the central irony of this story is reflected in mankinds technology causing it's demise. I feel like everyone keeps saying the same thing. Nature is going to ultimately be stronger than everything else, especially humans. I agree with everything you said.
In response to Joel
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say humanity is just competing with each other, and that is what would drive us to create something that could wipe out the entire world. That's why we continuously create bigger and better weapons, and eventually it has to become too much.
In response to David
I agree when you say that humans are too weak to destroy anything besides ourselves. I don't think God would let us destroy the world, or even ourselves for that matter. He is the one who has the final say, and i think that's the only reason why we haven't all died yet.
The central irony of the significance of technology is irony in itself. The atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan killed many people from technology. Even though many people died from the atomic bomb, the atomic bomb saved many American's lives fighting in a war.
ReplyDeleteTechnology today is all about competition. Competition that ranges from Apple and PC's making the latest computers to countries making the latest weapons to protect their land or people. "The fact that humans have been destroyed rather than saved by their own technology" is both right and wrong. An example that supports the quote is that when one person creates a firewall, two people create something to break through it. Technology has came a long way throught the ages that different things occur that has saved people, the atomic bomb, landing on the moon during the cold war. If this came out today, I don't think it would be as popular now as of then.
Many parts of the story are evident in this passage. One in specific is just the time period it was written in and man's focus on destruction at the time. Nuclear warfare was a common thing at the time and for someone to read this story would have been scary because they are able to see the harsh realities of the world in which they lived. The story specifically states that there is a radioactive glow about the house and the description of the western facing wall suggests a sudden blow that charred the one side of the house, killing its occupants who had been outside at the time of the explosion. People were able to see their own demise depicted in this story. Even with the technology of the house that was meant to protect and provide for them, they were still killed bu their own weapons. It is all very ironic.
ReplyDeleteI find similarities in how we are so very dependent on our technology today. Maybe not so much as the house, we don't have an oven that makes meals for us, but we do depend very heavily on technology. If a person forgot their cell phone one day, they would be lost without it.
I think that if published today, they story would still be striking and scary but not so much as it was at the time it came out. People do still need to see the realities of how w live and the outcome it may have on our live. Our generation has never experienced something like the war people were living in at the time of Hiroshima 60 years ago but at the rate we are going at, something could change in a heartbeat and I doubt we would be ready for it. Look at 9/11, it shocked our world and that was not nearly as bad as it could have been, yes many died and it stated a war in the Middle East, but it could become much worse.
In response to Liz R:
I liked that you touched on what would happen if the story were to come out now. I really think it would be overlooked and underestimated in its true meaning and just taken to be yet another "Day After Tomorrow" movie. People are so entertained by stories like this one that they are unable to face the realities of the true meanings.
In response to David:
It is so true that we could be dead tomorrow if someone wanted it. The technology used in warfare today is frightening. Not only nuclear weapons, but all the others that exist from our generation. People don't realize that they are not indestructible. Also, nature really is still one of the strongest forces in existence. Even that can cause harsh destruction.
One of the most obvious, evident part of the story is the technology. It shows that technology still kept going as it was programmed to do, but it can’t think like humans can. The technology doesn’t know that no one is living in the house anymore, so it keeps doing everything it was programmed to do. Nature is also a very prominent factor. It is expressed everywhere in the story from the rain in the morning, the sun, the wind, the tree, the nursery and its animals, the mention of a forest, the fire, and the sun again. It shows that even though all the humans are long gone and the technology been destroyed, nature will prevail. It will never stop.
ReplyDeleteThere are many similarities to things today. Humans today depend on technology. We depend on it for communication, depicting the weather, medical reasons, and everything in between. When something like nature, a blizzard, comes through and knocks out the power and keeps people from going places, most people don’t know what to do. When nature intervenes like this, people can’t use their phones, watch TV, go on the computer, use the kitchen appliances, or even turn on a light. In the story, nature eventually destroys the technology though the fire. This story reminds me a lot of the movie Wall-e. The earth is uninhabited, filled with garbage. The people all live on a space ship to get fat. They do nothing, not even think. Technology does it for them. Technology, as predicted in the story, will run our lives, eventually outliving us, and we will be lazy and not have to think. There has been a lot of talk and movies that predict what this story did. Many people would take this story as a prediction of the future, some thinking it’s stupid and others believing in it.
Bradbury was trying to show that technology would eventually run our lives. It will outlive us, but it will come to a screeching halt due to nature. No matter how advanced the technology is, like making all meals and running our lives, it will be overcome by nature. I think Bradbury is trying to show that humans need more nature not technology. From the children’s nursery full of animals, to the poem read to the woman at night of spring, nature will always be needed in humans’ lives.
In response to Audrey:
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on the purpose of Bradbury that it was to express of people let technology be such a big role in people's lives. People spend days and night, thinking of ways to make their product better than the opponents.
In response to Joel:
I agree that technology is a competition in that military is a big part in. Creating the latest weapons to kill each other which i agree with that too. Sooner or later the weapons will be so high-tech that there will not be any "upgrade" from the weapon before.
I believe that the response to the short story is pretty self explainatory. "The central irony of the story is the fact that humans have been destroyed rather than saved by their own technology." Throughout the history of the world, each generation tries to come up with more advanced ways of preforming a certain task in hopes that it would ultimately help mankind out. The fact of the matter is that technology eventually is what breaks and hinders human relationships. I enjoyed this short story because although it is not a novel, it still deals with an important subject that surpasses generation and will be a continued topic of discussion, "is a prime example of how science fiction literature can encompass moral and philosophical concerns." Bradbury puts it simply and clear cut, "human technology is able to withstand the demise of its maker, yet is ultimately destroyed by nature, a force which prevails over all others."
ReplyDeleteIn the short story, the biggest potential technological problem was with nuclear weapons. Although this is still a very big issue in today's society, especially concerning the war, I believe that a more relateable topic would be cyber space communication. I find this topic extremely interesting, in fact I even did my reasearch paper on this very topic last year. It was entitled "How technology can ruin relationships." People are way more blunt and rude over texting, emailing, myspace, etc. For example, some people are even being a little more abraseive on this blog website then they would normally be in a classroom setting. Abuse has also been a problem as a result of technology. There are all sorts of evidents that myspace, facebook, texting, emailing, etc. can actually be very harmful to human relationships.
In response to Audrey:
ReplyDeletePeople do live their lives, for the most part, on a schedule. People love to do everything out of habit. I think it could be because habits do not involve any conscious thinking. People don’t have to think about what they are doing, they just do it out of habit. Maybe this is because people are too lazy to want to think.
The irony of this story is technology outlasting its creator, and causing humanity’s demise. I think Bradbury is trying to convey that technology is like a double-edged sword, it can help, and hinder (In the case of this story it’s definitely a hindrance). However, even though the technology lasts, nature eventually destroys it. I believe that Bradbury is indirectly stating that nature is a greater force than the technology of humans.
ReplyDeleteThis story can easily relate to today’s world in our technological advances, and nature being a prevalent force. The production of more modern, state of the art technology is constantly increasing and growing. Also the forces of nature continue to demonstrate their destructive power via hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, ect. Many aspects of Bradbury’s story are applicable to the modern world.
In response to David:
ReplyDeleteDavid said, “Nature prevails in the way the Earth continues to live and takes away the creations of man as if they are nothing.” I think it’s extremely fascinating how the earth can repair itself even overcoming all of man’s machines and technology. Many people today believe in the global warming crap. They say that the earth needs help balancing itself, when the earth has done a pretty good job of doing that the past lots of years. The story’s main purpose is to show that nature will prevail over technology. Even though it’s fictional, it shows that the earth was designed to take care of itself, through nature; no matter how advanced we humans think we are, through our technology.
In Response to Alie:
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comparison to how Bradbury would react to the seemily trendy movement of going "green." I am not sure there is a definite answeer, I agree with your thinking though. I beilieve that because we are on the topic of technology, there are also many other relative topics to be discussed too just because most everything in todays society has to do with some sort of technology.
In response to Jill:
You had said that if someone forgot their cell phone one day that they would be lost. I believe that to be a very vague generalization. Yes, some people are a bit ridiculous and out of control with their phones, but in my opinion, life would be much simipler without cell phones in particular. I personally do not like the feeling of always being "on call." I often wish that I live at an early time, I wish for my life to be slowed down.
In response to Adam:
ReplyDeleteit's true that everything is like a competition now, everyone is trying to produce something greater than everyone else. I also agree when you said that tha atom bombings saved American lives, if the war had continued, we could have lost many more soldiers. It's a good point.
In response to Joel:
ReplyDeleteI agree when you stated Bradbury's reasoning for putting the poem in the story. The poem pertained to the story very well.
"The atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan, were recent memories in 1951, and many readers and critics found Bradbury's images of a desolate planet haunting and cautionary." Reading this quote before the story made me read the story with a prospective outlook for this theme. I found it. It is easy to see as the entire house or rather all of our modern enviroment is technologically advanced to the point of no variable. Everything in the house was planned to a T. It was proactive about when the keeper was hungry, tired, bored or uncomfortable. It was even ready to pick up waste or protect itself from danger like the fire. However the only thing that it could not stop or predict was fate. If it is destined to happen it will happen no matter how we may try to stop it or prevent it from happening. I think this is the point that the author is trying to make. Many people prolly don't know this but the nuclear warhead was made to end a war not start many others. Although it did and could end up happening. I think that everything made for a purpose has like an antipurpose that ends up happening or could. I guess like a pro/con. I realize that Einstein was a smart guy but I think that if he was really that smart of a guy he would have realized that developing the nuclear weapon would have consequenses tomorrow greater than the rewards today. He should have destroyed the plans, killed everybody else who was anywhere near that smart, then kept quiet for the better of all mankind.
ReplyDeleteIf this was read in a context of today I think that people would all just be like oh how sad and ignore the true meaning because people today do not listen to what they do not want to hear. They do not want to hear or read into things that make them actually think about serious stuff like this. I think the purpose of the poem was saying that even though all these different things can do and be all these other different things it just really doesnt matter once they are gone or dead. Which is really relavant to the story and life. This family likes pancakes for breakfast. It doesnt matter there is no point to it and time still goes on without missing a beat. All trivial stuff in relavance to the big picture.
In response to Erin:
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about tech. I really think that in some instances text is good thing like for availability and easy access but then I see many people do things that make it seem like it is not a good tool. I use text a lot because I am socially an idiot and say stupid things all the time. Over text I don't have to worry about that because I can think of what I am going to say before. This hurts me in the long hall cuz then I go to talk to the person for real and they are prolly like wow why do you talk like a stuttering idiot spit it out. Text makes things less personable and we as a society should change this somehow.
In response to Adam:
ReplyDeleteI think that competition itself is what drives us as people and hurts us human beings because in the constant struggle to get better we hurt ourselves or we hurt the opponent by slander or cheating. I think the nuclear bomb was cheating. Like if we are gonna fight then do it like men and don't drop a plague from the comfort of 30,000 feet. At the time other countries were like oh we made some cool new jets and tanks and stuff USA what you got? oh uh we got an easy button that will take care of all that in .5608 of a second. CHEATING!
That last comment I started at like 11:57 and it took me 5 min to write and intellectually think of what to respond with please don't count it late.
ReplyDelete“There Will Come Soft Rains” emphasizes the irony about modern war technology going wrong. Now-a-days countries are able to create and invent nuclear warfare that could destroy a whole race within one bomb. Affecting the world today, problems could easily occur when building these bombs. Many of the technologies that are used are similar to the tings we have today. The announcements of the birthdays portray the announcements that are portrayed on the television, computer, and throughout the school. The cleaning mice portray the various cleaning devices and technologies present today.
ReplyDeleteI think this passage as a whole symbolizes that life continues after death. Nature continues to move on and grow even after our death. No matter what tries to destroy it, it is still evident and proceeds to mature on its manner and not on our time. Our death is part of nature and is just the way things work and have always been. There is nothing we can do to stop, change, or fix it.
In response to Jill:
ReplyDeleteYour insight on how the time period affected the result of the total outcome of the story is very interesting. I never thought of it that way. I also agree with the similarities of story with how we are so dependent on technology. However, I don't believe that people would be lost without technology, life would just be different.
In response to Mark:
I believe that nature is a more powerful source than technology. I like how you constructed the paragraph of nature outlasting and destroying the evidence of technology. It reminds me of how today people believe that solar flares will destroy all the technology. Even though I don't believe it, it still reminds me of the comments made about it.