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Transcript

"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains"

THANKS FOR LISTENING!

About Ray Bradbury

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Summary

Ray Bradbury was born on August 22nd, 1920

and died June 5th, 2012 at the age of 91. He was

noted as an American Fantasy and horror

author who rejected being categorized as a

science fiction author, claiming that his work

was based on fantastical and unreal. His style

of writing was inspired by the Oz books, Alice in Wonderland, Tarzan, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and the works

What is foreshadowing?

Foreshadowing is a warning or indication of a future event. Its function is to give the reader hints and develop expectations of what is to come later in the story; thus adding dramatic tension and suspense.

This futuristic story starts with the house beginning to stir and wake up - but not in the traditional sense. The house lacks human voices and noises. Instead, the house is automated, calling out to its supposed inhabitants the time of day and their upcoming activities. The house’s voice is clearly meant for someone, but no one is present to listen. The house is the only one left standing in the surrounding area. It is completely encapsulated by rubble and destruction. As the house prepares itself for night and sleeping, it asks Mrs. McClellan, “Which poem would you like this evening?” (Bradbury 4.) Of course, no one responds. Soon after finishing the poem, a fire erupts and the house begins to die. The people are gone; the house is nearly gone; yet the automation somehow continues.

of Edgar Allan Poe. In total, Bradbury has published more than 30 books, about 600 short stories, and a number of poems, essays, and plays. He is most known for his written works such as Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, and The Illustrated Man.

Literary devices:

Foreshadowing & Symbolism

Background of the Story

Noting the fact why the month "August” is stated in the story’s title, the atomic bomb let fall on August 6th, 1945. Bradbury mentions the year “2026” because in another book in the Martian Chronicles humans arrive on Mars in August 2026. He also chose “There Will Come Soft Rains” because it emphasizes how even though nature is affected by human actions, it goes on without mankind.

"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains” is the 27th episodic story of Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles collection. If you are not yet familiar with the series, the stories concern the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists.

Example #1 from the story:

“Tick-Tock, seven o’clock, time to get up, time to get up seven o’clock! As if it were afraid that nobody would.”

What it foreshadows:

Quiz time!

This story in particular was written in 1950 during the Cold War era, specifically regarding the atomic bomb

dropped on Hiroshima. The fear of a nuclear

threat was very real. There was also moral

ambiguity surrounding the nukes. Should we

have dropped them? Bradbury’s story highlights

this.

The clock, an inanimate object, is given fear that no one would get up when it asks. That foreshadows that indeed, no one will respond to its call, which alludes to something terrible having happened.

Example #2 from the story:

"Still farther over, their images burned on wood in one titanic instant..."

What it foreshadows:

It tells how one second they are alive, and the next second they are dead. Referring to the Titanic, the ship sank as one whole in an instant; just like how the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima killed millions of people in one second.

3. What is the most prominent symbol within the story?

1. When does the story take place?

a) the clock.

b) the house.

c) the five spots of paint.

d) the fire.

a) August 7th, 2026.

b) August 6th, 2026.

c) August 5th, 2026.

d) August 4th, 2026.

5. What does Ray Bradbury try to symbolize mentioning the five spots of paint?

What is symbolism?

Symbolism is the use of an object, person, or situation to represent not only itself, but also something deeper and more significant.

6. What is the definition of symbolism?

a) silhouettes painted by the family who used to live in the house. Everyone must leave something behind when they die. Something your hand touched some way, so when people look at that tree you planted or painting you created, you're there.

b) the people who had lived during the atomic bomb burned into walls from the intensity of the bomb. The people were gone, but their shadows remain.

c) during Bradbury's time, a little known genre of "reportage painting" flourished in Japan, involving artists who rejected pieces of artwork while witnessing their country's immersion in the unfolding Cold War.

d) the family likes to paint.

by Ray Bradbury

2. What is the definition of foreshadowing?

a) the use of an object, person, or situation to represent not only itself, but also something deeper and more significant.

b) when hints or clues are given to help the reader anticipate the outcome of the story.

c) a sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past.

d) a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

Answers:

1. d

2. b

3. b

4. a

5. b

6. a

7. b

8. c

a) the use of an object, person, or situation to represent not only itself, but also something deeper and more significant.

b) when hints or clues are given to help the reader anticipate the outcome of the story.

c) a sudden and disturbing vivid memory of an event in the past.

d) a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.

Example #1 from the story:

What detail at the beginning of the story foreshadows the eventual realization?

"The five spots of paint--the man, the woman, the children, and the ball--remained. The rest was a thin charcoaled layer."

How does the message in the poem similar to what is actually happening in the story?

8. How did the fire start?

What it symbolizes:

Why does Bradbury keep mentioning time? What might Bradbury be saying about the power of time?

The people who had lived during the atomic bomb burned into walls from the intensity of the bomb. The people were gone, but their shadows remained.

a) the nuclear atomic bomb was dropped on the town.

b) the stove making pancakes was left on and overheated until it caused an explosion.

c) a failing tree bough crashed through the kitchen window, knocking cleaning solvent on the stove.

d) there was no fire.

Example #2 from the story:

“The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave of a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles.”

In the first line of the story, it mentions that there is a clock that speaks out the time to the house and family, and tells them that it is time to get up. Then, here is the foreshadowing:

"Tick-Tock, seven o'clock, time to get up, time to get up seven o'clock! As if it were afraid that nobody would."

The clock, an inanimate object, is given fear that no one would get up when it asks. That foreshadows that indeed, no one will respond to its call, which alludes to something terrible having happened.

What it symbolizes:

4. The theme of the story is that nature will go even after mankind ends. Technology has the power to destroy humanity. Technology can control us.

Bradbury uses the functions of the house to symbolize routine and order amid chaos and dysfunction. The fact that Bradbury has the technology of the house surviving after its owners are deceased reveals the author's belief that humanity will be outlasted by its own technology.

Bradbury keeps mentioning the time because the story is largely set up in a chronological pattern; the events start at the beginning of one day and end 24 hours later. What Bradbury is trying to say about the power of time is that attention is distributed to various times throughout the day that correspond either to predetermined events, such as breakfast or playtime, and random ones, which the house must adapt to. Humans are often caught up with the time and there’s always something that has to be done every minute of the day. Some of these events are merely descriptive white others, especially the unanticipated ones, are established in a problem-solution organizational pattern.

The message in the poem is similar to what is actually happening in the story because even if mankind is gone the world keeps going on. This is relevant because in the story there are no more people but technology that keeps continuing to rule. Once man is utterly destroyed by the war, nature will go on without man as if nothing has happened, considering nature was here before man and flourishing without us.

Example from the text: "And not one will know of the war, not one will care at last when it is done. Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, if mankind perished utterly; and Spring herself, when she woke at dawn would scarcely know that we were gone."

7. "Tick-Tock, seven o'clock, time to get up, time to get up seven o'clock! As if it were afraid that nobody would," is an example of symbolism.

a) True.

b) False.

a) True.

b) False.

Give an example of symbolism?

What is the significance of the title?

Why is it important to know the time period when Bradbury wrote this story?

Time to read the story and answer the handout questions! (20 min.!?)

What is significant about it is that the “August 2026” part of the title lets you know that the story took place in the future and it refers to what Bradbury thinks our society will come to. The “There Will Come Soft Rains” part of the title significance refers to the poem mentioned in the story and the overall theme of the story which is nature will go even after mankind ends. Technology has the power to destroy humanity and control us. Also, August 6th is when the first atomic bomb was dropped. August in the title there is an allusion to nuclear war. Also, in another story by Bradbury, following his Martian Chronicles series, humans arrive on Mars in 2026.

The most prominent symbol within the story is the actual house. Even after the family has died, the house remains, dedicated to it's little daily chores, humming along despite the destruction of the world around it.

Example from the text: "The sun came out from the behind the rain. The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing."

Bradbury uses the functions of the house to symbolize routine and order amid chaos and dysfunction. The fact that Bradbury has the technology of the house surviving after its owners are deceased reveals the author's belief that humanity will be outlasted by its own technology.

Activity Time!

It is important to know the time period when Bradbury wrote this story because it was written after World War II. This story describes the after math and portrays a similar scene of obliteration, in which the human race has been destroyed by a nuclear war. The fear of the devastating effects of nuclear force was typical of a Cold War era.

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