Bradbury Essay Directions
Bradbury’s Thesis: “Science and technology should never come at the expense of human life.” The job of your
essay is to explain how his 3 stories demonstrate (show, prove) that thesis.
Step 1: After reading the 3 Bradbury stories, go back and review each story. Identify the science or technology
that caused HARM to humans.
Explain HOW it caused harm. What did it do? Be thorough and clear.
Step 2: Go back and reread each story, looking for specific places in the story where the technology caused
harm. Copy down Bradbury’s exact words. Use quotation marks and identify the page number.
Step 3: Write a Thesis Statement. Remember that a thesis statement is structured as SUBJECT + OPINION
ABOUT THE SUBJECT (This is the point you are going to prove).
My example: Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, “There Will Come Soft Rains”, and “The Veldt” clearly
demonstrate his belief that science and technology should never come at the expense of human life.
Step 4: Write a topic sentence for each body paragraph. Remember that a topic sentence is structured as
SUBJECT + OPINION ABOUT THE SUBJECT (This is the point you are going to prove).
My examples:
In “A Sound of Thunder” Bradbury uses a time machine to show how technology can deliver unintended
consequences.
*In “A Sound of Thunder”, Ray Bradbury uses a time machine to show the harm of technology.
“There Will Come Soft Rains” illustrates Bradbury’s theme by showing the devastation of a nuclear bomb.
Bradbury’s vision of how a nuclear holocaust has destroyed human life is the setting of “There Will Come Soft
Rains”.
In Bradbury’s “The Veldt”, an electronic nursery turns children into homicidal sociopaths.
An electronic nursery replaces the parent-child relationship leaving dire consequences in Bradbury’s “The
Veldt.”
Step 5: Add your short summary of the story (#4 in your journal) after your topic sentence.
Step 6: Insert textual evidence from the story (ONE OR TWO sentences-#3 in your journal) that demonstrates
the harm of the technology.
Step 7: Explain the importance of the quote. What does it prove? (Use FRAME)
Step 8: Explain the Denouement- what is the technology and the result of the harm (#2 in your journal) and
what happens next as a result of the harmful technology.
Step 9: Transition into the next paragraph.
Repeat steps 4-9 for each body paragraph. This is all done on the Graphic
Organizers.
Step 10: Write your attention getting sentence ( your “GRABBER”). This is the first sentence of your
Introductory Paragraph.
My example:
“Time travel, post-nuclear holocaust, electric rooms that kill; these are the subjects of Ray Bradbury’s
stories.”
Step 11: Write an OPINION about Bradbury’s writing.
My example: “Ray Bradbury’s stories give a fascinating glimpse into the future” is a correctly stated opinion.
“I like Ray Bradbury’s stories” is NOT a correctly stated opinion.
Step 12: Transition into Bradbury’s thesi:
My example: “Ray Bradbury wrote many stories about the future because he wanted people to think about
what could happen. Bradbury believed that science and technology should never come at the expense of human
life.”
Step 13: Add YOUR thesis.
My example: “Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, “There Will Come Soft Rains”, and “The Veldt” clearly
demonstrate his belief that science and technology should never come at the expense of human life”
My example Introductory Paragraph ( steps 10-13):
“Time travel, post-nuclear holocaust, electric rooms that kill: these are the subjects of Ray Bradbury’s stories.
His stories give a fascinating glimpse into the future. Bradbury wrote many stories about the future because he
wanted people to think about what could happen. He believed that science and technology should never come at
the expense of human life. Bradbury’s short stories “A Sound of Thunder”, “There Will Come Soft Rains”, and
“The Veldt” clearly demonstrate his belief.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Step 14: Write your conclusion paragraph, restating your thesis and 3 main ideas, and answering the question
“So What?”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This is a standard format. Can you add to it? Yes. Can you use my examples as models? Yes. Should I expect to
see them copied word for word in your essay? No.
For the Sentence Fluency Target, I will expect to see the following for Pro and HP:
Required for Pro:
1 simple sentence- "I went to the store." (red)
2 compound sentences using a semicolon correctly "I went to the store; I bought eggs." (yellow)
1 complex sentence- "Because I was hungry, I went to the store." (green) {since, when, after, while, because…}
Required for HP:
All of the above, plus:
1 compound / complex sentence- "Because I was hungry, I went to the store; I bought eggs." (purple)