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Class Period ____________
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“There Will Come Soft Rains”
English 1 CP
Science Fiction Literature
Ray Bradbury
DIRECTIONS: Write an original sentence for each of the following vocabulary words to reveal the
part of speech and the definition.
VOCABULARY
silhouette – (n.) a dark shadow or outline seen against a light background; a profile portrait in solid
black
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paranoia – (n.) a mental disorder in which a person has delusions of grandeur or persecution; an
abnormal tendency to suspect and mistrust others
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oblivious – (adj.) unaware or unconscious of something
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sublime – (adj.) noble, impressive, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner
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psychopathic – (adj.) of, relating to, or characterized by psychopathy or antisocial personality disorder
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DIRECTIONS: Read the note below and explain how the concept of a “post-apocalyptic setting” relates
to the story.
NOTE: In the original Collier's story, a series of events take place in a deserted house in the city of
Allendale, California, on April 28, 1985 (a year changed to 2026 in later printings). The story details
the daily tasks of the robotic smart house after its inhabitants have died in a nuclear war. The house is
undamaged and continues as programmed. It goes about doing its usual daily tasks for the family,
unaware that they are no longer alive. The house then burns to the ground, while continuing to repeat
the time and the date.
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DIRECTIONS: For each literary term, “quote” (Bradbury #) an example from the story and interpret
the importance of each technique in the story.
LITERARY ELEMENTS
Simile – a comparison to indicate similarities between two things; using the words “like” or “as”
Example from the story: “The house shuddered, oak bone on bone, its bared skeleton cringing from the
heat, its wire, its nerves revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries
quiver in the scalded air” (Bradbury 27).
Significance: This description creates a persona of the house as a human being – in fact, it seems more
alive than any of its missing human occupants. The image also conveys the harsh and brutal effects of
a fiery bomb blast on living tissue so we think about what happened to the occupants. Death awaits –
the tone darkens and the imagery focusses on physical senses so the reader cringes at the mental
picture.
Example from the story:
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Significance:
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Personification – a figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities
Example from the story:
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Significance:
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Setting – the time and place in which events in a short story, novel, play, or narrative poem occur
Example from the story:
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Significance:
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Imagery – words or phrases that create pictures, or images, in the reader’s mind
Example from the story:
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Significance:
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Foreshadowing – the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come
Example from the story:
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Significance:
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Theme – the general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to convey in a literary work;
author’s message
What is a main theme of the story? Write the theme as a general statement about humanity. The
following example demonstrates theme: People fear what they don’t understand.
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Allusion – a reference to a person, a place, an event, or a literary work that a writer expects a reader to
recognize; allusions may be drawn from literature, mythology, religion, history, or geography
The title of the story comes from Sara Teasdale's poem, “There Will Come Soft Rains," which had a
post-apocalyptic setting inspired by World War I. This poem by Sara Teasdale is found in her
collection Flame and Shadow, published in 1920. The subject of the poem imagines nature reclaiming
the earth after humanity has been wiped out by a war. The poem has six stanzas, each made up of a
rhyming couplet.
What might Bradbury be saying through this poem about the relationship between humans and nature?
Explain.
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THE WRITER’S VIEW: Ray Bradbury
Although he is often described as a science fiction writer, Bradbury does not restrict himself into a
particular narrative categorization. The following is a comment he has made on his writing: “I've never
set out to predict. I just write what later seems to evolve and be true."
Interpret the meaning behind this quote and discuss its connection to the story.
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