pg 101 # 8

Bradbury's science fiction stories have been termed "warning fictions." In Ray Bradbury's story "There Will Come Soft Rain" there is one house left after a nuclear explosion. Ray Bradbury says in the story that "The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. At night the city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles." In the story, there are now no humans left and everything was destroyed by the nuclear bomb.


Bradbury is giving a warning to the future generation that we need to be careful how far we take our power. We have the power to destroy cities and and whole civilizations and we need to be careful how we use this technology and how far we make advances in this technology. If we keep making more and more powerful bombs then we will be able to destory larger parts of the world and wipe out more people. This is why we need to be careful about how far we go. This is what  Ray Bradbury is trying to warn in the story "There Will Come Soft Rain."

Edward Hopper

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/arts/design/04hopp.html

1950's

The 1950's was the period after World War Two, which ended when we bombed Japan. The 1950's was a time for beehive hair dew's and Elvis Presley. America was now once again seen as "The land of opportunity." The economy was booming, farmers prospered, and the use of electronics and appliances grew. It was a time of the rise of the middle class.

When the men returned back from the war the women returned back to their duty's in the house. The women were seen as caretaker of the house and children, while the men were suppose to bring home the "bread and butter." The women who continued to work got paid less than men. In the 1950's the G.I. bill was introduced. It helped lower education fees, help with affordable housing, and provide loans. During WWII African Americans fought side by side with whites and they finally felt more integrated. When they returned home it was not the same. There was less racism in the military then there was at home.

The 1950's also brought a change in education. A college education was now for everyone not just the intellectuals. President Truman came up with the fair deal. Part of the fair deal was the creation of a civil rights committee.

The next phase of the 1950's was the rise of the suburbs. Many model houses were being created, these were considered "cookie cutter houses." They were considered cookie cutter houses because they were all the same. People said that they found their American dream. Americans began to marry faster, younger and had tons of kids. People began to spend most their time watching television, especially game shows. The 1950's was a time for improvement and changes.

"There Will Come Soft Rains"

I believe that the technologies in “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Ray Bradbury can have both a positive effect and a negative effect on people and life. Technologies are meant to help increase society, and to improve life from day to day. Technology is meant to make everything easier, organized, and simpler.

 In the story, the voice clock is a technology that has a positive effect on human life. It helps people keep on schedule and be organized. Also there are many other positive pieces of technology present in the story. There is the breakfast stove, the aluminum scrap wedge, the tiny cleaning robot mice, automatic garden sprinklers, automatic windows/garage, voice activated doors, automatic bathtub, and a pre-warmed bed. While all these technologies’ help people and can make life simpler they can also have a negative effect.

These technologies can keep people from becoming educated in certain areas because they have a machine or piece of technology to do it for them.  For example “In the kitchen the breakfast stove gave a hissing sigh and ejected from its warm interior eight pieces of perfectly browned toast, eight eggs Sunnyside up, sixteen slices of bacon, two coffees, and two cool glasses of milk.” This “breakfast stove” made it so people didn’t have to learn how to cook. This means that all the education that goes along with cooking such as math was also not present. Also many of these technologies created a set schedule and allowed for no change. For example, in the story it says “Five o’clock. The bath filled with clear hot water.” An automated bath tub filling at the same time everyday makes it so that every day is the same and there’s no room for any change. IF the people changed their routine then the tub would fill and nobody would be there to take a tub.

                In conclusion, Technologies can be positive and improve people and their lives but also have their negative aspect. We need to be aware of the difference between technologies that are helping or that are worsening us as people.

"The Thrill of the Grass"

"Summer without baseball: a disruption to the psyche."

"An unexplainable aimlessness engulfs me."

"We will sit in our regular seats, scattered like popcorn throughout the stadium, and we'll nod as we pass on the way to the exits, exchange secret smiles, proud as new fathers."

2080

            Its 2080, the days beginning just like every other one. My IRoom wakes me up at 7:00 to get ready for school. I open my eyes and grumble; grabbing my IPad I pick out the clothes I’m going to wear for the day. I walk over to my closet, the doors open and there are my clothes I picked out waiting for me. I then tell my room to play a song while I get dressed.  After listening to music and getting dressed, I leave my room and travel into the bathroom. I brush my teeth, and straighten my hair simply by applying straitening gel. Gone are the days when it takes twenty minutes to straighten my hair. I wash off my face an apply any makeup I feel like wearing. When I’m all ready for school I travel back to my room where the door scans my face acknowledging that it’s me, it lets me in. I then walk over to the small elevator and travel down to the kitchen. I then grab the IPad hooked up to the kitchen and enter in what I want for breakfast. While I wait I pack my bag for school and basketball. When my foods ready I walk over and pick it up and eat. When I’m done I grab my bags and head to the garage. I then jump in my hover car and drive to school.

 At school I walk in and take out my school IPad, checking my schedule, and locating which class I have first. I then walk over to the door that corresponds with the letter my class has next to it. Most mornings I have Future Technologies studies first which is letter C. Walking over to door C I enter and I am beamed instantly to my class. I enter into my class where the other fourteen kids are beginning to gather. At Provincetown High School fifteen kids per class is a normal size. Back in 2013, Provincetown closed its high school and obtained only an elementary school, but in 2050 Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet broke off from the rest of Cape Cod and became their own island. Being an island Provincetown reopened our high school. Being an island our numbers remained small but manageable.  After Technology I travel to Advanced Math, and then English. After English I have science followed by lunch. At lunch everybody submits there lunch order through their IPad from a list of five choices. After eating we finish the day with the last two classes of the day.

 After school, I have either a soccer game or practice. Today I have a game at Mashpee. The whole team and I pile into the hover bus and begin are journey there. When Provincetown became an island, after a big hurricane, the issue of tourism came up. Over time Provincetoown, Truro, and Wellfleet had began to break off more and more but the hurricane finally completly separated them. While Provincetown is greatly supported by tourism now being an island made it a bit more difficult. That’s when the town decided to build a bridge. The bridge connects the island to the main shore. Upon reaching Mashpee we all change and play the soccer game. The game has remained the same; same rules, same calls, and same objective. Upon finishing the game we shower, change and head back to the hover bus. The hover bus begins to take us home. On our way home we stop in the Mashpee commons and get Chinese food. This Chinese food is a special treat only because our bus driver is PB. After eating we finish the journey back to Provincetown.

 Reaching home I jump in my hover car and head straight home. When I get home I head for the elevator which scans my finger and takes me straight to my bedroom. I put on my PJ’s and head back downstairs to watch TV. I turn the TV on using my IPad and flick through the channels trying to find something entertaining to watch. After an hour or so of TV, I head back to my room where I lay in my bed and begin my homework. I type up my English paper, finish the math worksheet, and study history all on my IPad. While doing my math worksheet, I get stuck on a math problem I simply ask my room.  Following the completion of my homework I pull out my cell phone where I check my Facebook and my email. Next, I play a few game while I text with my friends and then I tell my room to shut off my lights. This completes my day, ending in a good night sleep. The next morning my IRoom wakes me up again and the whole cycle begins again. My life is not complicated and very easy because of all the advances in technology and the great knowledge that is present in today’s society.