Transcript There Will Come Soft Rains”

Ray Bradbury
Pre-Reading
In your journal, respond to the
following prompt:
Technology is constantly advancing.
What new technology do you think will
exist in 100 years? How do you think
new technology affects our lives?
Setting as Character
Sometimes I feel like my only friend
Is the city I live in, City of Angels,
Lonely as I am, together we cry...—Red Hot
Chili Peppers, "Under the Bridge"
What is the non-human character in these
lyrics?
Vocabulary in Context
When determining meanings of new
words in a text, use context clues to
make an educated guess.
Vocabulary in Context Worksheet
“There Will Come Soft Rains”
Historical Background:
• Written in 1950
• During the Cold War (US and Soviet Union
were adversaries)
• People feared nuclear war.
• As we read “There Will Come Soft Rains”
notice what parts of the setting become
characters.
• Turn to page 266 in your textbook. We
will begin reading together.
Post-Reading
Answer the following questions in your notebook:
1. What is the setting of this story? How do you know?
2. At the beginning of the story, what sort of “personality” does this
automated house have? How is that personality revealed?
3. What might the silhouettes on the side of the house represent?
4. How do the sounds in the nursery differ from other sounds in this house?
How does this affect the story’s tone?
5. What change takes place in the house’s character when the fire happens?
6. What kind of fire does Bradbury describe the fire as having?
7. What details personify the house (page 271)?
What is Allusion?
Write the following definition in your notes:
Allusion is a brief, indirect reference to another
piece of writing or historically, culturally,
politically or otherwise familiar thing or idea.
Bradbury uses allusion on page 269 when he
writes, “It was the children’s hour.” “The
Children’s Hour” was a famous poem about a
grandfather playing with three children at the end
of the day. What is the contrast here?