Reading both “The Veldt” and “There Will Come Soft Rains” was a really enlightening experience. I’ve read Bradbury before for school (Farenheit 451 specifically) and I realized that Bradbury had a rather dark view of the future we were headed towards. Both of these stories establish a dystopian view of the future but with different causes of the dystopia. In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” we see how automation isn’t the cause of the problems, but rather a kind of anxiety about the state of the world with regards to nuclear weapons. We see the daily routine of the house to show the sheer amount of destruction that this nuclear weapon caused. The story almost came off as a half sci-fi/half horror story. The absence of the people in the house and the use of an abandoned pet was really good at showing how empty the world is. Really, this story to me is about how all the great innovations we have mean nothing if we destroy the world to have them. “The Veldt” was also another story that was, in my opinion, half sci-fi/half horror. This one was definitely more about the horrors of technology should we not be careful in it’s implementation. Seeing the story go into the anxieties about automation and it’s dangers feels frighteningly prescient, now that we are beginning to see more and more automation due to the emergence of AI in the tech world. This one was also a bit more dark in my opinion than “There Will Come Soft Rains.” You kind of see where the story is going about halfway through, but that doesn’t make it any less foreboding; I found it a bit anxiety-inducing. It reminds me of when I watch a horror movie and the protagonist doesn’t see the bad guy in the window behind them.
Both of these stories are really well done in terms of establishing scenes without a lot of context. In “The Veldt,” we really only get that there’s been some great technological innovation that allows rooms like the nursery in the story to be created and houses to be fully automated. In “There Will Come Soft Rains,” there’s even less context; all we get is fully automated houses, a date, and later in the story, it’s implied that the world has been destroyed by a nuclear weapon of some kind. Bradbury excels at stuff like this; he shows a lot and tells less, which for these stories, works a lot better and helps the pacing a lot. I think the way these two stories differentiate from each other is that “The Veldt” is more about the impact that rapidly has on our relationships with on another. We see that the house and nursery have become parents to Wendy and Peter and their own parents have become detatched. “There Will Come Soft Rains” is more about nuclear anxiety, which is definitely more emotionally resonant (I’d argue, at least) relevant to the time period (Cold War).
Regarding some discussion stuff, I wanted to ask: is the continued automation of the house in “There Will Come Soft Rains” supposed to be a point of Bradbury’s reluctance of rapidly advancing technology? In “The Veldt” it was rather clear that it was about the dangers of tech, but I’m not sure if the automated house in the first story was supposed to be something to be afraid of or something to pity, in a way. I’d also ask if there were anything the parent’s could’ve done in the Veldt to change their fates; would continuing to let the kids have access to the nursery saved them? Would the kids have found some other way of getting back at their parents for taking it away from them had their parents not relented?
I enjoyed reading your reflections on “The Veldt” and “There Will Come Soft Rains.” It’s clear you’ve delved into the themes and nuances of Bradbury’s work.
Your comparison to Bradbury’s other work, “Fahrenheit 451,” adds a nice touch. To engage your readers, consider asking if they’ve noticed recurring themes in Bradbury’s portrayal of the future and how it resonates with our present reality.
Your observation of the different causes of dystopia in each story is spot on. To spark discussion, you could ask your readers if they see any parallels between the anxieties depicted in the stories and contemporary concerns about technology.
Your reflection on “There Will Come Soft Rains” being emotionally resonant due to Cold War anxieties is insightful. Your recognition of Bradbury’s ability to show more and tell less is perceptive.
Your analysis of “The Veldt” focusing on relationships and “There Will Come Soft Rains” on nuclear anxiety is well articulated.
Your questions about Bradbury’s perspective on the continued automation in “There Will Come Soft Rains” and the potential actions of the parents in “The Veldt” are fantastic. Encourage readers to share their interpretations and whether they think the stories offer any solutions or lessons for our tech-driven society.
Fantastic work overall! Your insights and questions provide a solid foundation for engaging discussions. Think about ways to incorporate visuals/links.
I really enjoyed your thoughts on the two readings! I agree with your points that Ray Bradbury’s writing is very often half sci-fi and half horror, especially “The Veldt”. One of my favorites of your points was about how “There Will Come Soft Rains” is about the anxiety surrounding nuclear weapons. I didn’t even think of the fact that this story was published shortly after the end of World War II and how that would impact the themes, but now I’m looking at the story completely differently!
In response to one of your discussion questions, I felt that the continued automation of the house in “There Will Come Soft Rains” was a means to an end. One of the major themes I picked up on in that story was that nature is stronger than humanity. No matter how complicated or independent the technology humans create, nature will always win out. The house ends up burning down at the end of the story, and the wording Bradbury used to describe the fire gave the impression that the house was fighting a losing battle, that it had no chance of winning against the fire, no chance of overcoming a force of nature.