There Will Come Soft Rains, by Ray Bradbury

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Recommended: Impact Of Technology

Technology has grown in more ways than one, where it has reached the point of becoming a part of many other’s way of living; where dependence of it has become a habit in today’s world. People have pointed out that their ability to spell out words has become difficult because of their reliance on a computer to aid them, along with other accusations that blame’s technology for weakening society. Technology, in a way, has become mankind’s crutch, and without it, man will stumble. It has even been assumed that technology will ruin man and eventually lead them into extinction. In “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains,” Ray Bradbury diffuses the theory of technology being the source of the human race spiraling downward towards extinction; rather, he points his finger elsewhere, towards the origin of technology. In his short story, the house that used to serve a family performed its daily routines, without knowing that its owners were disintegrated by a nuclear explosion. Because the house itself is a machine and a nuclear bomb is a form of technology, one may blame technology for the humans doom and feel indifference towards the house. If one were to read Bradbury’s words carefully about how the house continues on in ignorance, sympathy can be felt towards it; along with a vivid imagery of a world that was already falling apart, prior to humanity’s infliction upon itself. Rather than blaming technology for weakening our society, Bradbury blames humans who are the creators of these marvelous innovations, and that soon, they will be the ones to lead themselves into their own destruction. “Eight-one, tick-tock, eight-one, off to school, off to work, run, run, eight-one! But no doors slammed, no car... ... middle of paper ... ...ears go by. It has already become a part of the daily lives of many others, similar to eating and breathing. It may even come to a point where humans cannot live without it or else their world would succumb to disaster. One can blame technology as much as they like, but it will not change the fact that man was its inventor; and as their inventor, they hold accountability for what happens after using technology. Today, many tend to believe that technology will ruin mankind in the future, but they are the creator of these things; so in the end, it is not technology that will be our downfall, but ourselves. Works Cited Barnet, Sylvan, William Burto, and William Cain E. Literature for Composition: Essays, Stories, Poems, and Plays. 9th ed. Longman: Pearson, 2011. Print. “There Will Come Soft Rains.” tvtropes. n.p. n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.

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