There Will Come Soft Rains
1. For your fourth essay you will choose one of the Ray Bradbury’s stories we will study in class, namely, “The Last Night of the World,” “A Sound of Thunder,” or “There Will Come Soft Rains” and write an analysis of the story. You can analyze any of the literary elements we have studied (characters, conflicts, settings, themes, etc.). However, you can choose to analyze horror in the three stories, which I strongly recommend. If you decide to go that way, I suggest the following: • One way to start is by identifying horror. Find a suitable definition, and structure your introduction around it. Make sure your thesis refers to Bradbury’s use of horror in the three stories. You can find a good horror definition here: https://literaryterms.net/horror/ • Next, identify elements of horror in each of the three stories and the characters’ reaction to them. For example: the horror in “The Last Night of the World” is caused by the imminent end of the world. Then, there is the way in which the two main characters accept that reality.
2. Make sure you cite at least one serious source that informs your analysis. Your essay should include at least one in-text citation that corresponds to the source you cited. Consult Analysis p. 1180 in your textbook, Sixth Edition. Read the sample papers provided.
Sample Solution
Horror is a genre of literature characterized by feelings of fear, dread, and shock. Ray Bradbury’s classic sci-fi story “There Will Come Soft Rains” is an example of how horror can be used to illustrate the consequences of unchecked human arrogance. In this tale, a robotic house continues its daily routine in a post-apocalyptic world where mankind has been wiped out by nuclear war. Through elements such as foreboding imagery and suspenseful tension, Bradbury highlights the fragility of life and emphasizes mankind’s responsibility to protect our planet from destruction. His message serves as a warning against hubris – if humans do not take responsibility for their actions, we are doomed to suffer the same fate as those depicted in his story. This thesis will explore how Bradbury uses horror in “There Will Come Soft Rains” to warn readers against overestimating their own power and neglecting nature’s safety systems.
