Topic > The destructive power of technological progress in R. Bradbury's novels

Imagine if all those fortune tellers and fortune tellers were right and their “predictions” had meaning. Think about how much this would change our world today. Everyone would be given the opportunity to change the negative aspects of their future. Through his writings, Ray Bradbury can be seen as a fortune teller. Reading his stories, the reader gets the feeling that Bradbury is issuing a warning about the future and technology. In Rocket Summer, There Will Come Soft Rains, and Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury warns of technology's effect on the environment, its destructive power, and its control over society. Bradbury's writings warn the reader of the consequences that arise from the unheeded development of technology. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayBradbury warns the reader about the negative effects technology has on the environment. In Rocket Summer, Bradbury takes a winter scene and turns it summer in the blink of an eye: “The rocket stood in the cold winter morning, creating summer with every breath of its powerful exhaust. The rocket created climates, and summer remained for a brief moment on earth.” (Bradbury 1). Bradbury made the dramatic transition from winter to summer to emphasize the rockets' effect on the environment. The change of time warns not to forget the environment as technology develops, otherwise the technology will completely change it. The rocket destroyed the surrounding environment, changed the season, the landscape and therefore man: "Man's failure to live in harmony with nature is man's failure." (Eller 1). By neglecting nature, man has forgotten that the land is essential for satisfying basic human needs such as food and water. By ignoring these needs, man is unable to provide for himself and will suffer both the short and long-term consequences of the rocket's environmental impact. Bradbury creates a drastic environmental change to warn against neglecting the environment. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury takes a different approach to the destructive potential of technology on nature; completely ignores nature. Bradbury creates a world so full of technology that it distracts not only the reader from nature, but also the characters: “I bet I know something else that you don't. In the morning there is dew on the grass. Suddenly he couldn't remember whether he knew or not, and it made him quite irritable. (Bradbury 50). Montag lives in a world so overwhelmed by technology that he is distracted by the nature around him. Bradbury explores the idea of ​​being trapped in a world of overwhelming interference from technology to demonstrate man's abandonment of the environment. Bradbury uses the dramatic change in weather and disregard for nature to warn of the negative effects technology has on the natural world. Bradbury uses fire to warn the reader about the destructive power of technology. It includes a large amount of fire imagery because fire, like technology, can easily get out of control. The amount of destruction caused by fire in Fahrenheit 451 obviously has significance. The fire destroys not only books, but entire homes and people. Throughout the novel, the destruction of fire is made possible by technology: “With the brass nozzle of the flamethrower in his fists, with this great python spitting his poisonous kerosene upon the world, his hands were the hands of an extraordinary conductor playing. all the symphonies of fire and burning” (Bradbury 3) The flamethrower allows firefighters to burn books and houses, the salamander(the fire truck) allows them to reach the books. The flame gun allows Montag to kill the woman and Beatty. The technology is so developed in Fahrenheit 451 that it makes things easy that would normally be impossible to understand (burning an innocent woman alive). Technology substantially reduces the consequences of crime. Without consequences there is no incentive to stop, which leads to continued destruction. In There Will Come Soft Rains, Bradbury further expands on fire and the power of technology to destroy through the inevitable destruction of itself: “Bradbury's themes are structured around fire and death as if necessary to warn of the arrival of an America determined to destroy itself. " (Zip 11). When fire burns out of control, it burns everything around it and eventually runs out of things to burn. With nothing to burn the fire goes out. In There Will Come Soft Rains the technology does the same. Every aspect of the house is managed by technology and there is no need for human control: “The house was an altar with ten thousand servants, large, small, of service, of assistance, in choirs ritual of religion continued senseless, to no avail.” (Bradbury 3) Surprisingly, after running out of people to use it, food to prepare, dishes to clean, and dogs to pick up, the house went up in flames: “The cleaning solvent, in the bottle.” , it shattered on the stove. The room went up in flames in an instant!” (Bradbury 4) Bradbury warns that technology allows for endless destruction due to the lack of consequences and that destruction of itself is inevitable, Bradbury uses the setting to further emphasize the destructive power of technology Rocket Summer as a "classic" Ohio winter: "One minute it was Ohio winter, with the doors closed, the windows shuttered, the windows darkened by frost, icicles shredding every roof, children skiing on slopes, housewives lumbering like great black bears. in their furs along the icy roads. (Bradbury 1). Even though the setting is futuristic, it makes it very easy to visualize. The reader may have such a clear image of winter in Ohio in their mind, making the unexpected transition from winter to summer even more surprising. This emphasizes the destruction the rocket reeked on the setting when it completely changed the weather. Bradbury does the same thing in There Will Come Soft Rains. This time, however, Bradbury uses the setting of a wasteland destroyed by radiation from an atomic bomb: “The sun came out from behind the rain. The house was isolated in a city of rubble and ash. This was the only house left standing. At night, the ruined city emitted a radioactive glow that could be seen for miles. (Bradbury 4) The wasteland itself emphasizes the destruction of technology, especially nuclear war. The setting - once a thriving city - and the in-depth details of the now lonely house, allow the reader to connect emotionally with the story, making the destruction of the atomic bomb more impactful. Bradbury uses the setting to emphasize the destruction of technology, alerting the reader to its potential. Bradbury explores the idea of ​​materialism to alert the reader to technology's control over society. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury uses futuristic entertainment to demonstrate the control of technology through materialism. “It's really fun. It will be even more fun when we can afford to install the fourth wall. How long will it take before we save money and remove the fourth wall and put a fourth wall-mounted TV? There are only two thousanddollars” (Bradbury 19). Bradbury creates a company that worships technology solely for entertainment. “Bradbury drew his sword against materialism and against society understood as an equation between producer and consumer”. (Kirk 17). The control of technology lies in consumer spending. The more people spend on technologies they don't need, the more they start to rely on them, giving technology control. In There Will Come Soft Rains Bradbury demonstrates the control of technology through a self-sufficient home. “In the kitchen, the breakfast stove hissed and ejected from its hot interior eight perfectly browned slices of toast, eight sunny-side up eggs, sixteen slices of bacon, two coffees, and two glasses of fresh milk. “Today is August 4, 2026,” said a second voice from the kitchen ceiling, “in the city of Allendale, California.” He repeated the date three times for memory's sake. "Today is Mr. Featherstone's birthday. Today is Talita's wedding anniversary. Insurance is due, as are water, gas and electricity bills." (Bradbury 2). Bradbury demonstrates technology's control over humanity through the house that does everything for the people who live in it. By doing everything for the owner, technology controls everything. Bradbury stresses that people shouldn't give up control to technology by depending on it to do something as simple and necessary as making breakfast. In Rocket Summer, Bradbury shows the control of technology through the reaction of the citizens of Ohio to the rocket's impact on the weather: "The rocket stood in the cold winter morning, making summer with every breath of its powerful exhaust. The rocket created the climates and summer lay briefly on the earth (Bradbury 1). Before the rocket, people did not need to rely on technology to change the weather, Mother Nature did it for them rocket destroyed the environment, people became more materialistic and had to depend heavily on the rocket From now on, technology gained power and control over the citizens of Ohio Bradbury warns the reader against materialism and demonstrates the control of technology through entertainment, the self-sufficient home, and the rocket. To warn the reader of the control of technology through fear, Bradbury uses animal imagery. In Fahrenheit 451, animal imagery is used to demonstrate how technology controls us through the fear of what he might become: “The mechanical hound slept, but did not sleep, lived but did not live in his softly humming, softly vibrating, softly lit kennel. .” (Bradbury 64). Montag's fear of the hound influences his actions throughout the novel. Montag is reluctant to return to the firehouse because he knows the bloodhound will be there. Ultimately, it is the fear of the hound (technology) that he must overcome to escape the city. The image of the hound is used because dogs can be depicted as both ferocious and lovable. Montag is not afraid of the hound; he is afraid of what the hound can do to him. Bradbury demonstrates that it is not our fear of technology that controls us, but our fear of technology's potential. In There Will Come Soft Rains, Bradbury uses animal imagery to demonstrate how technology controls us through the fear of living without it. “He trembled at every sound, the house did. If a sparrow brushed against a window, the roller shutter would go up. The bird, surprised, flew away! No, not even a bird should touch the house!” (Bradbury 2). The house protects itself from other animals for fear that if even a bird touched it, it would break. Bradbury uses the image of a small animal to represent the caretaker's fear of the house breaking down. The.