Week 1
I really enjoyed both of the stories this week even though they did make me feel a little bit of dread. Both of them reminded me of a podcast I listen to called the Magnus Archives (which I highly highly recommend to anyone who sees this!). The podcast discusses the main fears that exist in the world and one of them is called the Extinction. It’s the fear that mankind will come to an end due to its own actions- be it technological advancements or climate change or something equally catastrophic.
Both “The Veldt” and “There Will Come Soft Rains” have undercurrents of that fear. In “The Veldt”, technology gets out of control and destroys a family. In “There Will Come Soft Rains”, the humans that created the tech houses are all gone. All that remains is the house that is still going through its routine, but in the end, even the house dies. There is nothing left of humanity which is one of humanity’s greatest fears.
I think more than anything, Bradbury wants us to think about the role technology plays in our lives and whether we want it to have as large of a role as it does.
