Prompt 01
Essay task
In Ray Bradbury's short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950), the automated house continues its daily routines long after humanity has been wiped out — a narrative structure that suggests that technology, when devoid of human purpose, becomes both a monument and a mockery of civilization.
Write a well-organized essay in which you argue how Bradbury uses the characterization of the house, imagery, and irony to convey a central theme about the relationship between technology and humanity.
Your essay should:
- Present a clear, defensible thesis that articulates Bradbury's thematic message.
- Use textual evidence (direct quotations and paraphrase) to support your claim.
- Analyze at least two literary devices (e.g., personification, irony, allusion, imagery) and explain how each contributes to the theme.
- Consider the allusion to Sara Teasdale's poem of the same name and how it reinforces or complicates Bradbury's argument.
- Conclude by connecting the story's theme to a broader insight about humanity's dependence on — or vulnerability to — technology.
Suggested length
4–6 paragraphs (approximately 600–900 words) > "The house was an altar with ten thousand attendants, big, small, servicing, attending, in choirs. But the gods had gone away, and the ritual of the religion continued senselessly, uselessly." > — Ray Bradbury, There Will Come Soft Rains Use this passage as a possible entry point for your analysis, or select another moment from the text that best supports your argument.