Ms. McMillan
“The Flying Machine”
Ray Bradbury
Major Themes and Ideas:
1.
Is it ethically right to improve technology without knowing the possible
effects of machines and the impact on humanity? (Humans greed for the
best clouds their judgment)
The author explores the “should” question involving machines and technology
by weighing the benefits of a machine against its drawbacks. On one hand, a
man creates a flying apparatus of reeds and paper. With it, he is able to fly in
the sky and explore all the beauty of the world. The inventor only sees the
“good” in the machine. However, the emperor worries that the flying machine
will fall into evil hands and be used to destroy his people. On the other hand,
the emperor has a machine of his own: a scene created mechanically that is
suppose to create happiness for its viewer. The emperor makes the decision to
eliminate the machine that has the potential for destruction in order to protect
his people. At the same time, he continues to treasure the machine that poses
no threat to humanity. Therefore, the emperor has imposed his ethical ideas on
the whole group to ensure their safety and remain in power even though this
might not be the best judgment in the situation.
2.
The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.
The inventor’s life is sacrificed to save the lives of millions who could be
killed by the flying machine. Many leaders are faced with this kind of
decision regularly where the lives of a few are sacrificed to save the lives of
many. Soldiers, police officers and fire fighters risk their lives every day to
ensure that many more survive. The difference in this story is that the
inventor did not voluntarily put himself into this position. However, the
Emperor is so terrified of the knowledge and power that the inventor
possesses that he is willing to kill him to protect his people.
Setting:
The time period for this story is 400 A.D. Because the Julian calendar is being
referred to here, one could conclude that it is February 1st. However, it is also
possible that while the narrator placed the 400 A.D. into the story for the
audience’s reference, the time could also be based on the Chinese Lunar
calendar, making it later than February 1st. The land is readying itself towards
the harvest, but because we don’t know what crop is being referred to, it could
be spring or summer; this is significant because it suggests rebirth and new
beginnings. The place is the emperor’s palace in the countryside with the
Great Wall of China nearby. The atmosphere of the story is peaceful, serene
and tranquil. It juxtaposes the natural world of the setting to the mechanical
world of the inventor. The mood becomes tense at times as people are
executed.
Major Characters:
1.
The Emperor of China (Yuan) in 400 A.D.
He is an old man who likes to drink tea and has a fan. There is no other
physical description in this story of him; probably so as to keep focus on the
setting and the dialogue between characters. He respects and enjoys the
simple things in life. He is thoughtful and does not react to a situation before
careful reflection. He is also fair when he spares the lives of the servants.
The Emperor embodies the ethical dilemmas that a society must face when it
questions whether technology should be introduced or enhanced. The
Emperor sees the advantages and drawbacks of the machine but makes the
decision to destroy it because of its potential threat to take lives. This attitude
can be compared to contemporary scientists who often create things without
ethics (for example, stem cell research, nuclear technology and cloning).
2.
The Inventor
The inventor is a man with much talent, but he only chooses to see how his
invention will help him to enjoy life better than the potential for danger that
his creation could trigger. He respects the emperor. He knows enough to ask
for mercy from the emperor but he fails to see the harm his invention could
cause. Therefore, he is narrow-minded and looks at his creation with tunnelvision. There are no physical details of the inventor provided in the story
because this puts more emphasis on the invention itself and not the character.
He is also not described because then the reader can identify more with the
character since they can see themselves as that character.
3. The Servant
The servant is a loyal person to the throne. He is quick to report his findings
to the emperor and he is patient and respectful towards the emperor’s
hesitation and reflection regarding the machine. The servant is also smart
enough to consider his self-preservation by promising never to speak of this
creation again. Similarly, there is no physical description of him because he is
a secondary character. Juxtaposition is created between the servant and the
emperor highlighting how cruel the emperor is.
Plot:
1.
The incident that gets the plot rolling is the servant informing the emperor of
his discovered miracle. The reader wonders what miracle could have occurred
and continues to read on.
2.
An interesting development is that the emperor reacts with horror instead of
wonder when he sees the “miracle” for himself. It is unexpected that a person
would have enough foresight to see the evils of such a wondrous creation.
Another interesting development is the juxtaposition between the emperor’s
music box and the flying machine. The emperor demonstrates that one should
be cautious of an invention that creates such joy as the flying machine.
It is also interesting that the Emperor is one of the leaders who fostered the
development of the Great Wall. It must have been a decision made after
countless threats and events involving death and destruction. It is easy to see,
then, how the emperor is so sceptical when it comes to this flying machine.
3.
The climax of the story is the execution of the inventor. At this point, the
major problem/conflict is resolved. A second climax could be when the life of
the servant is spared because one wonders how far the emperor will go to
ensure that the threat of the flying machine is erased from his land.
4.
The denouement is the emperor returning to the music box. It is probable that
the emperor closes his eyes and imagines himself flying in the very machine
he had destroyed. It is a powerful ending as it closes with the reader
understanding that this emperor had much control to avoid possessing the
flying machine himself. Undoubtedly, the emperor would have appreciated its
value and the beauty around him; however, the threat was too great. Other
world leaders might determine that they had enough control to possess the
machine and use it for their amusement and to destroy others, but this leader is
able to practice enough restraint to protect his world and to use his
imagination to explore the heavens.
Style:
Bradbury crafts this story using many literary devices. There are three that stand
out as being exemplary. To begin, he uses
Imagery: so that the five senses are activated to bring the reader into this serene
and perfect world he has created. By referring to the taste of the tea, the air on
one’s face, the sounds of the birds, the scenery and the smell of the warm air, the
audience is right there experiencing the story and thus understands the mood as
calm.
Similes: Bradbury also employs a number of similes to make comparisons.
Bradbury writes, “a dragon of paper and bamboo coloured like the sun and the
grass” () The flying machine is described in a positive and beautiful way that
encourages the reader to think that it is, in fact, not a harmful machine. Except that
dragons are depicted as dangerous beasts that could cause damage to people and
their society, therefore; a juxtaposition is created within the simile that highlights
the beauty and danger of the machine.
Metaphor: he utilizes is the comparison of the flying machine to a dragon in a land
of ancient dragons to bring an impression of culture and uniqueness to the
invention. Which lends to a specific voice in the author’s writing by creating a
scene that is stereotypical of Ancient China. Finally, he is a master of sound
effects. The phrase “splendid snake of stones” to describe the Great Wall
represents both alliteration and consonance. The audience can easily hear the
hissing of the snake that represents the huge wall sprawling across the land. This
literary device is used to emphasize the importance of the wall to the Emperor and
its significance to the protection of his kingdom. Describing the wall as a snake
suggests that it is dangerous and not to be messed with.
By using all these devices so effectively, Bradbury demonstrates a distinguished
and unique voice that sets him apart from other authors. Often, his style is more
figurative than literal, so that the audience must pay careful attention and reflect on
his ideas. The diction is fairly straight-forward so that the audience can understand
the ideas and concepts being presented. He uses simple language in his dialogue
and injects respect into the words of the servant and inventor as well as an air of
confidence and detachment in the words of the emperor which highlights their
character traits and heightens the tone of the story so that you feel as though you are
reading a fable or morality-based tale (like a fortune cookie).
CONNECTIONS
Text to Self:
I faced a dilemma recently when I made the decision to upgrade my phone. There
was nothing wrong with my phone but it wasn’t the shiny new phone that other
people had with the touch screen and the fancy connections to the internet. I tried
to justify getting this new phone over keeping the old one. I didn’t want to be lured
in by the new technology and status that this phone would offer me. At the same
time, I didn’t want to pass up a great deal and opportunity to explore this new level
of technology. In the end, I traded up with some regret. There is a huge learning
curve with owning this new phone, and I know that I have not used it to its full
potential. I feel a lot like the emperor who is more amused by a machine than one
who is more impressed with its possibilities. I also recognize that there are some
“evils” attached to this phone which will change me as a person as I become better
at texting and less available to be face-to-face with a person. This new phone
makes it impossible for me to be out-of-touch and I hope it’s something that I don’t
regret down the line.
Text-to-text:
Science fiction movies including The Terminator series remind us about our
delicate relationship with machines. Since the industrial revolution, we have used
machines to make work easier and to make life more convenient. However, we still
need to question how far we should be going with machines. Even something as
innocent-sounding as a “flying machine” can have evil consequences, and the
Terminator reminds us that machines could one day turn on and enslave mankind.
Text to world:
The story of the Flying Machine relates to many events that have happened in the
world. For instance, the creation of the life support machine is a remarkable device
that has saved thousands of people over the years, however, the question of whether
we should keep people alive because we can or should we allow people to die when
they can no longer sustain themselves is thrown into question. There have been
many issues in the news where families have chosen to keep a family member alive
when there is no possibility of their survival without the machine’s aid. Some
family members argue that it is better to let the family member die than to keep
them alive for the good of their family relationships. This connects very well with
the story since the impact of technology is questioned by the reader when the
emperor kills the flyer.