Technology: The Devil in Disguise. hundred years. Before was invented in 1972, communication between people was

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1 Pandey 1 Kanishk Pandey HUM Mrs. Small September 26, 2017 Technology: The Devil in Disguise Matt Mullenweg, an American entrepreneur, once said Technology is best when it brings people together. There is no denying that technology has advanced rapidly in the past hundred years. Before was invented in 1972, communication between people was time-consuming. However, people can now quickly communicate with someone halfway around the world with the click of a button. Such accomplishments have enhanced the world in positive ways; however, technology can also be destructive. During the Cold War, the world was thrown into chaos when the two world superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, prepared to go to a nuclear war, all because the United States had invented nuclear weapons. In 1950, the beginning of a great period of unrest between the two countries, Ray Bradbury, a famous American author, expressed his thoughts about the future of mankind in a series of short, science fiction stories. His stories describe a technologically advanced world with many societal and natural problems; two such stories are August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) and The Pedestrian (1951). In these two dystopian settings, Ray Bradbury negatively characterizes technology, creating different moods, and writing in different styles, in order to show his opposition to a technologically advancing world. Bradbury emphasizes the house s isolation, Leonard Mead s abnormal take on society, and the frantic search by the dog, presenting the reader with many pitfalls of a technologically

2 Pandey 2 developed world. In August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, Bradbury describes an empty house isolated from society. He says The morning house lay empty...this was the one house left standing (1). Bradbury personifies and animates the house, having it perform human tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Bradbury believes that in the future, people will become isolated and less individualistic, just like the house. The catastrophe, which seems to be a nuclear disaster from the story, destroys the entire human population, and also causes the house to burn down. Bradbury personifies the fire as [backing] off, and [rushing] back (4). The two personified characters of the story, the house and the fire, both represent technology and nature, respectively. The house is also personified when it is annoyed at the dog for dying. The house lacks empathy, since it continues cleaning the remains as if nothing has happened. An isolated animal is bound to die in these conditions, since every machine is automated and lacks common sense. In The Pedestrian, Leonard Mead performs normal acts of society by today s standards, yet is viewed as an isolated and abnormal individual. While every other man chooses to stay home and watch tv, live with his wife, and keep his doors closed, Mead takes a walk down the street, lives unmarried, and keeps the lights on in his house. When the police car confronts Mead, it is very surprised to learn Mead s life habits. Bradbury shows how the technologically advanced society has changed, and all humans have become less individualistic. They are oblivious to their surroundings, just like the house was oblivious in the first story. It is as if technology has hypnotized them into believing that every human should lack empathy. Mead, however, refuses to give in to the new convention, and tries to live his life his own way. By characterizing the house and people, Bradbury shows the dangers of a technologically advanced world.

3 Pandey 3 The first story s innocent and childish mood contrast with the second story s cold and isolated mood, yet both tones create a negative view of futuristic technology. In August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, Bradbury uses a variety of innocent words to create a cheery mood. The clock starts out by singing Tick Tock, seven o clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o clock! (1). The clock is oblivious to the fact that there is no one in the house, and this shows its innocent and childish character. The clock continues to tell the time, even after the house is burned down. Bradbury shows how technology in the future will lack human emotions and intelligence, and in moments of disaster, will continue to complete their job. Other objects, such as the hissing sigh (1) the breakfast stove makes after it finishes making breakfast, the chiming garage (1) lifting its door for the empty car, and the dishwasher cleaning the dishes that were never used, behave like the clock. Bradbury is questioning the validity of creating all of this technology, if at some point all humans will disappear due to a natural catastrophe. In The Pedestrian, Bradbury uses a much cooler and darker mood. He describes the air as a good crystal frost (5) and the highway as streams in a dry season, all stone and bed and moon radiance (5). The dark mood portrays a cold and unfriendly society. Furthermore, the tone is also very isolated. Unlike the first story, where the house did not recognize that it was isolated, isolation is an important part in the second story. Bradbury describes Mead as a lone figure (5), since he is walking alone in the streets and is unmarried. He even isolates the police car when he says lone car wandering and wandering the empty streets (5). Bradbury alludes to a futuristic setting where everyone is isolated and the streets are figuratively cold and dark. Different uses of imagery create very different moods in both stories; however, Bradbury uses these moods to convey a similar view on futuristic technology.

4 Pandey 4 Each of the two dystopian stories is written in a unique style, which Bradbury uses to foreshadow the end of each story. In August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, Bradbury uses many short sentences with a clear and concise meaning to emphasize the rising action. This frantic writing style suggests that Bradbury is urgently trying to tell the reader a secret, such as the eventual fire that will burn the house. The ticking sounds of the clock result in a more dramatic approach to the climax. It is as if the clock is counting down to a catastrophe that will destroy the house. Bradbury also foreshadows the eventual fire in the house when he states a fire now blazed warmly, a cigar popped out, half an inch of soft gray ash on it, smoking, waiting (3). The fact that the fire is waiting, implies that a fire may destroy the house in the future. Instead of saying what the disaster was that killed everyone, Bradbury uses clues and descriptions. Bradbury shows such a description when he describes the city as Ruined... [giving] off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles (1). In The Pedestrian, Bradbury uses longer sentences and details. When Mead is walking through the street, he questions Was that a murmur of laughter from within a moon-white house? He hesitated, but went on when nothing more happened (5). Mead is surprised at just a murmur of laughter, which shows how rare joy and happiness is in society. Unlike the first story, where the conflict was not revealed until late in the story, the conflict is revealed in the first paragraph when Bradbury says...he was alone in this world of A.D. 2053, or as good as alone (Bradbury). By presenting the conflict in the beginning of The Pedestrian, Bradbury creates an understanding between Mead and the reader. The reader sees that such a society may exist in the future, and Bradbury wants the reader to put themselves in Mead s shoes. The slow and gradual rising action leads to a predictable ending. However, Bradbury uses a burst of climactic action in the first

5 Pandey 5 story to demonstrate unpredictable occurrences in nature. The lack of conflict in the beginning of the first story is used to emphasize the sudden, unpredictable conflict at the end. Furthermore, Bradbury s writing style is more elongated in the second story. A simple walk down the street is described at length in the second story, while an entire day is described in roughly the same length. These different writing styles create very different conflicts, and the reader is left wondering if technology can truly prevent natural disasters, or if technology will take away human individuality. Bradbury s stories whether it is worth it to develop a technologically dependant world at the cost of human individuality? Although it may seem as if technology has created an interconnected world, humanity is far from it. Humans nowadays live in a world where technology is far more important than socializing with others. It is possible that in the future, talking a simple walk down the street may seem abnormal, just like Ray Bradbury suggests in The Pedestrian. Technology may also become destructive. During the Cold War, the world could have been destroyed because of the creation of advanced nuclear weapons. Such a war may occur again, and the world may not be as lucky. Bradbury suggests this outcome in August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, where mankind has been destroyed because of a war. The true meaning of Mullenweg s words, Technology is best when it brings people together, is seen in both of Bradbury s stories. Technology should be used to promote the positive aspects of humanity, and remove the negative aspects.

Fahrenheit 451 Dystopian Novels What is a dystopian society? Examples in Media Dystopian Novels cont. The Author Ray Bradbury

1 2 3 4 5 6 Fahrenheit 451 Dystopian Novels Dystopian MEANS Futuristic society or setting that portrays the issues of current times when they are blown out of proportion Usually it is because a utopian