There Will Come Soft Rains From Poem to Story - Literature Essay Samples

In a futuristic world, what part 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 used Sara Teasdale’s poem â€Å"There Will Come Soft Rains† in his story and for his title because the poem contains similar themes of nature will always prevail, destruction of humanity, and man (technology) versus nature. One evident theme that both literary works show is that nature will always prevail. In order to illustrate this theme, the Teasdale writes, â€Å"And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn/ Would scarcely know that we were gone† (Teasdale, stanza 6). 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 still remains. To further emphasize that nature will always win, Bradbury describes a fierce battle between nature and technology in which nature wins: â€Å"And then, reinforcements†¦The fire backed off as even an elephant must at the sight of a dead snake. Now there were twenty snakes†¦killing the fire†¦But the fire was clever. It had sent flames outside the house†¦The fire burst the house and let it slam flat down, puffing out skirts of spark and smoke† (Bradbury, pg. 4). Fire is part of nature; here, it is clear that the house represents technology and is fighting against nature. At the end of the battle, the house is destroyed and nature has prevailed. Therefore, based on the evidence above, both the story and the poem contain the same theme of nature will always prevail. Both Bradbury and Teasdale also convey the same theme of destruction of humanity in their works. For instance, Teasdale writes in her poem, â€Å"And not one will know of the war, not one/ Will care at last when it is done./ Not one would mind†¦If mankind perished utterly† (Teasdale, stanzas 4-5). The quote has stated quite upfront that mankind has been destroyed, presumably because of war. Therefore, it can be implied that the poem contains the theme of destruction of humanity. Similarly, Bradbury also includes the theme of mankind’s destruction in his story: â€Å"The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow that could be seen for miles†¦The house was an altar with ten thousand attendantsBut the gods had gone away, and the ritual of religion continued senselessly, uselessly† (Bradbury, pgs. 1-2). Here, it can be inferred that the city was destroyed in a war, possibly with a nuclear weapon. The house is empty, which further supports the fact that mankind is gone, at least from this city. Overall, based on parts of both the story and the poem, both 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 situation, Bradbury gives a picture of an intense clash between technology and nature: â€Å"The house gave ground as the fire in ten billion angry sparks moved with flaming ease from room to room and the up the stairs. While 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.3). In this quote, readers can see that technology is battling nature in the form of the house fighting the fire. From this, readers can then infer that the theme is technology versus nature. In the poem, however, the theme is not as obvious: â€Å"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† (Teasdale, stanzas 4-5). Here, the â€Å"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; therefore, nature must not like humanity. If you are friends with another person, you will obviously care about their well-being. On the flip side, if you absolutely detest the other person, whether they live or die is not your problem; you would not care at all. From this view point, it can be assumed that nature does not like humanity, and is therefore against it. Upon analysis of Bradbury’s story and Teasdale’s poem, we have seen that Bradbury used Teasdale’s poem in his story because both contain the same themes of nature will always prevail, destruction of humanity, and man (technology) versus nature. From battling against each other to not caring about the welfare of another, both literary works show, in their own way, the themes that they use are the same. After reading the story â€Å"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains†, readers may understand the warnings and messages about war and technology embedded in the plot. In the near future, how advanced will technology become? How dangerous will weapons used in war become? What will happen to the nature we have grown up with and known as children?

Animal Testing and Its Cruelty - Free Essay Example

The experimentation of animals and the discovery of new findings because of these testings have proven at times to be very impactful in scientific findings to human society. These findings, however, overshadow the darker, more hidden process that can be found within these operations. Many people are aware of the testing of animals, but many people fail to see how truly painful and deadly these experiments prove to be, with the countless deaths of millions of animals that are tortured and killed daily. The procedures found have proven to be cruel, inhumane, expensive, and at times even futile as the huge differences between animals and humans and the testing of trivial, useless products show how animal testing is not effective. With the constant development and advancement on the medical and technological fields, animal testing has been one of the bigger uses for discovery and experiments. The experimentation of animals, however, has been shown to be a deadly and horrific operation, and arguably even a genocide of the animals being abused. Behind the scenes of the security measures behind your favorite series of lipsticks or most frequently used colognes lies a scene of imprisonment and product placement. Countless animals are taken out of their homes, the wild, and even the streets and placed in small, cold metal cages. From then on, these animals are fed poorly and given very faulty housing arrangements, where they will live the rest of their lives to be experimented on and to be treated poorly until they die so they may be cast away. With the ongoing kill count that covers all of the animals tested on, one might think that the operation can and should be stopped. Luckily, there are alternatives that can be found in forms of computer models, cell structures, and even human testing, given that the human person gives their consent. Although some may argue that cell structures and computer modeling is an unreliable method, animal testing is found to be unreliable as well. Animals are used during scientific experimentation based on the assumptions that the animals tested on and humans are similar enough to provide the data needed. However, the biological differences found in animals can prove to be rather problematic when it comes to the translation of data. How is it that we are to assume that animals are to accurately represent the same human response. It was even concluded that research on chimpanzees, our closest genetic relative, is unnecessary and is even being phased out. Animal testing can, however, benefit the economy as new scientific and medical discoveries can be found throughout their research. But, this would only be a loss as the majority of animal testing goes to the testing of unimportant, trivial objects and products, rather than beneficial research and developments. Most of the testing presented is pointed towards the testing of products like Post-it Notes, Vaseline, makeup, Windex, and even condoms. Many other products bought by us are tested on animals beforehand too, and by purchasing these products we are only supporting their testing. If animal testing is to stay, then so be it, but if it is to be continued it should only be further pursued for the better of the economy and not that of our minor, insignificant products that are used, but not needed. The overall operation that lies behind animal testing is not a new operation, but it is still shown to be a corrupt and dark one. Behind new helpful discoveries and countless experiments lies expensive and trivial products in the works. The death of thousands of animals, thousands of dollars, and thousands of ineffective products and results should by now institute the end of animal testing.