“There Will Come Soft Rains”: From Poem to Story

In a futuristic planet, what component will technology and nature play? Back in the 1950s, during the Cold War, Ray Bradbury published a story about life in 2026. In the story, Bradbury describes a day in a house full of technology but no humans. Bradbury utilized Sara Teasdale’s poem “There Will Come Soft Rains” in his story and for his title because the poem consists of related themes of nature will always prevail, destruction of humanity, and man (technologies) versus nature.

One evident theme that each literary functions show is that nature will often prevail. In order to illustrate this theme, the Teasdale writes, “And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn/ Would scarcely know that we have been gone” (Teasdale, stanza six). In this quote, Spring, a symbol of nature, has awoken, but humanity is gone. From the viewpoint that the victors are the last ones standing, it can be inferred that Nature has won, as mankind is gone but nature nonetheless remains. To additional emphasize that nature will constantly win, Bradbury describes a fierce battle in between nature and technology in which nature wins: “And then, reinforcements…The fire backed off as even an elephant have to at the sight of a dead snake. Now there were twenty snakes…killing the fire…But the fire was clever. It had sent flames outdoors the house…The fire burst the property and let it slam flat down, puffing out skirts of spark and smoke” (Bradbury, pg. 4). Fire is component of nature here, it is clear that the house represents technologies and is fighting against nature. At the finish of the battle, the residence is destroyed and nature has prevailed. For that reason, primarily based on the proof above, both the story and the poem contain the exact same theme of nature will usually prevail.

Both Bradbury and Teasdale also convey the identical theme of destruction of humanity in their operates. For instance, Teasdale writes in her poem, “And not one will know of the war, not a single/ Will care at last when it is done./ Not a single would mind…If mankind perished utterly” (Teasdale, stanzas 4-5). The quote has stated quite upfront that mankind has been destroyed, presumably since of war. For that reason, it can be implied that the poem includes the theme of destruction of humanity. Similarly, Bradbury also involves the theme of mankind’s destruction in his story: “The property stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one property left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow that could be noticed for miles…The property was an altar with ten thousand attendants…But the gods had gone away, and the ritual of religion continued senselessly, uselessly” (Bradbury, pgs. 1-2). Right here, it can be inferred that the city was destroyed in a war, possibly with a nuclear weapon. The property is empty, which further supports the fact that mankind is gone, at least from this city. All round, based on components of both the story and the poem, each pieces of literature express the theme of destruction of the human race.

Another theme that both compositions demonstrate is man (technology) versus nature. In order to show this scenario, Bradbury offers a image of an intense clash among technologies and nature: “The home gave ground as the fire in ten billion angry sparks moved with flaming ease from area to space and the up the stairs. Whilst scurrying water rats squeaked from the walls, pistoled their water, and ran for more. And the wall sprays let down showers of mechanical rain” (Bradbury, pg.three). In this quote, readers can see that technology is battling nature in the kind of the house fighting the fire. From this, readers can then infer that the theme is technologies versus nature. In the poem, even so, the theme is not as apparent: “And not one will know of the war, not a single/ Will care at final when it is completed. / Not 1 would thoughts, neither bird nor tree, / If mankind perished utterly” (Teasdale, stanzas four-5). Here, the “one” refers to the birds, frogs, plum tree, et cetera, that symbolizes nature in this poem. It states in the poem that nature will not mind if mankind perished as a result, nature have to not like humanity. If you are close friends with another person, you will certainly care about their effectively-becoming. On the flip side, if you absolutely detest the other person, whether or not they live or die is not your dilemma you would not care at all. From this view point, it can be assumed that nature does not like humanity, and is for that reason against it.

Upon analysis of Bradbury’s story and Teasdale’s poem, we have observed that Bradbury employed Teasdale’s poem in his story because each contain the identical themes of nature will usually prevail, destruction of humanity, and man (technologies) versus nature. From battling against each and every other to not caring about the welfare of yet another, both literary functions show, in their personal way, the themes that they use are the very same. Soon after reading the story “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”, readers may realize the warnings and messages about war and technology embedded in the plot. In the near future, how advanced will technologies turn out to be? How unsafe will weapons utilised in war grow to be? What will occur to the nature we have grown up with and identified as young children?