What do you think the theme of this story is?
I believe that the theme of the story August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury, is that humanity should not become dependent on technology, but use it as minimally as possibly. If not, our dependency and obsession with technology will become our destruction. Where humanity has the ability to create great things, these things can also destroy humanity with overuse.
How do specific elements in the story help you come to this conclusion?
One element that captures the idea that technology can lead to humanity's destruction is the allusion and description of the five spots of paint on the wall on the house outside: "The entire west face of the house was black, save for five places. Here the silhouette of a man..a women... a small boy.. the image of a thrown ball.. a girl" (Bradbury 1).On August 6, 1945 a nuclear bomb was dropped at Hiroshima and exploded. The radiation was so strong civilians shadows or outlines burned and melted into the walls. The silhouette of the family burned into the house illustrates this. We also have the quote "at night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles" (Bradbury 1).These quotes illustrate allusion in the sense that the author is relating the story to events from Hiroshima. Although technology is helpful and useful , it suggests that if the power of technology is abused it could destroy and overtake humanity. The over use of technology and man's heavy dependence on it, becomes their obsession. They believe that there are no limits to this power. Humanity's curiosity, greed, and desire leads to their downfall. Humanity constantly pushes the boundaries of technology an example being the destructive nuclear bomb, killing thousands of innocent civilians. This event in history is allows us to conclude if technology is over used it can lead to the destruction of civilizations. This event in the story and history effects the reader by illustrating the theme. It also allows the reader to feel antagonistic toward the over use of technology. Another element that allows the reader to conclude this theme is the use of similes. "Fire, fire, run, run like a tragic nursery rhyme a dozen voices high and low like children dying in a forest" (Bradbury 4)."Deep freeze, armchair, film tapes, circuits, beds, and all like skeletons thrown in a cluttered mound deep under" (Bradbury 4). These similes are very effective when it comes to illustrating the theme that technology is destructive. Both these quotes create a haunting, evil, terrifying, and tragic mood for the reader. This effect of emotion allows the reader to capture the idea that the house is perishing due to the negative side-effects of technology. Technology can be a negative thing in a sense and can cause tragedy. Thus we can draw the conclusion that where humanity has the ability to create great things, these things can also destroy humanity with overuse.
Julia, this is an excellent post- nice connections to WWII. Remember to cite your page numbers for quotations!
ReplyDeleteJulia, I thought that post was very in depth and I really enjoyed reading it. There was a great use of language and you analyzed it very well. You go in-depth with technology, however, I think you should also include the force of nature. For example, when you mention the quote about the fire ("Fire, fire, run, run like a tragic nursery rhyme a dozen voices high and low like children dying in a forest" (Bradbury 4)."), you could include how technology is dangerous but nature plays as a great force in destruction of human advancements as well. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHey Kim,
DeleteThanks for your ideas. I agree, nature is a destructive force, but this was not the idea I was trying to convey. The story emphasizes on the fact that "technology" is a destructive force. I agree that nature is harmful to humans, but nature is an uncontrollable force. You cannot simply stop the force of Mother Nature. I believe this to be the point the story tries to get across. Nature is the true and ultimate force no society can control. Technology although overpowering, can be prevented, and although humanity cannot control it, nature is more powerful and will end the war between both sides eventually destroying both. Furthermore, humanities greed is their end. The more we want our lives to be easier and the more technology we rely on to get this need, the strong our downfall. Although technology destroys civilization, nature will prevail and outlast all, long after all society has died. I now encourage you to look at Jawa’s comments further below as they tie into this idea. The poem she refuses to says "and no one will know of the war, not one will care at last when it is done, not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, is mankind perished utterly" (Bradbury 3). I believe another idea the story is trying to conclude is humanity is very small when put in perspective with the universe. Eventually civilizations will perish and nature will outlast us. Technology is more of a "privilege" than a need. I hope this helps clarify where I was coming from with my ideas. If you have any follow up question please respond. Thank again.
Hey Julia, this is a very good post. I agree with Kimberly that the force of nature should also be included. You perfectly described how technology was driven to the destruction of humans because of their obsession and dependency on it. As it was fire (nature) that led to the destruction of technology itself, I think you could further develop your idea to be able to include nature into your argument. You can also use the poem mentioned in the story as I feel it is significant. I love how you tied this story to World War 2. Overall, this is a great post with a strong argument! Good job!
ReplyDeleteHey Jawa,
DeleteThank you for your ideas. I do agree with your comments, but have a few different opinions of my own. If you want to understand my ideas with regards to the story, you can look at my comment on Kimberly's post as they tie into your ideas with the poem. Thanks again, I really appreciate it . :)
Julia,
ReplyDeleteI thought that the connection to World War 2 was a very interesting out look on the story. I had similar ideas with my theme about how technology can overpower human kind, and take over. The passages you have taken from the short story August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, are very appropriate for what you are trying to convey in your paragraph. Your post is very descriptive and really leads the reader to think about events that have happened throughout history, and connect them to different things in the story. However, I would like to point out that your paragraph sates that technology is evil and it destroys everything. I would like to mention sometimes technology can benefit people. Technology is used for advances in medicine and things that for the good of the people. When I read you post I wondered, would technology be so overpowering if people were not so greedy? Over all your paragraph is very developed and brings up interesting perspective of the story.
Hey Mary Kate,
DeleteThanks so much for your feed back I really appreciate it. I totally agree with your comment on how technology does help make our lives easier. However, the point I was tying to get across was that although useful, technology can ruin our lives and we should learn to use it moderately instead of letting it control us. I agree technology is helpful this is noted in the story where the house givens the family power (electricity) or even clean up their mess with the example of the robotic mice. However, I understood the story to be more of a warning, saying "don't let technology take over". On the other hand, with the example of the house, by the end it controlled all of our human chores or actions needed to be done. The house cooked the food, washed the dishes, and made the beds, it let humanity become lazy.I believe that technology is more of a drug and slowly overtime will become more involved in our lives. I believe that if technology was not as involved in our lives we would no longer feel the need to use it. The story was showing the after effect of our need for technology, that it is our future destruction. If we continue to be as lazy and dependent on it as we are, we will be destroyed. I hope this clear up your questions for me. What do you think? Any further suggestions or questions? Thanks again for your comments.
Julia, I think that you have very strong points. Your last comment made me understand your theme and the purpose of your post better. Your blog has lead me to do my own research on the subject. I have found this site, it is very interesting and you might be surprised with the statistics and arguments. Good job on this post!
Deletehttp://www.debate.org/opinions/have-people-become-overly-dependent-on-technology
Thank you Mary Kate this was a really cool link and captures the main ideas we are discussing in their own debate. :)
DeleteJulia, I thought that this blog post was really great! You very clearly and effectively showed us your perception of the story, and you used solid quotes to support your opinions. I do agree with you, that technology, if used in an uncontrolled and abusive way, can lead to destruction and the downfall of humans, yet I somewhat disagree, as I also feel like it can be helpful. As harmful as technological advances could become, many of them are used for the greater good, such as having new means of communication, modes of transportation and an ever-growing range of improved health care. I feel as if technology, in certain aspects, is more of a benefit to society than a source of potential abolishment of the human race. The article that I have provided below is a a great resource which helps explain both the positive and negatives of technology and its effect on society. I feel like it backs your argument up, it stating that technology could be harmful, yet it also supports my opinions on how technology can be helpful. Overall though, your post offered an interesting view on technological advancements of this time and age, and your argument made it quite clear what your position was on the matter. Great work!
ReplyDeleteArticle: http://importanceofmoderntechnology.com/how-does-technology-affect-our-society/
Hey Maya,
DeleteThis article was really cool thank you so much for sharing it. I agree with you one hundred percent. Technology has many negative aspects, but it is also very beneficial to our civilization. This article puts both of those ideas into perspective and sums up the idea nicely. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It was great to see some fresh ideas and another side to this debate.
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