August 2026 free essay sample

WhatHappened? In the short story, â€Å"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains† by Ray Bradbury the inevitable has happened, technology has taken over in modern day America. However, is it really inevitable? Will technology really take over our lives and eventually control our everyday actions? Yes, technology has come a long way from when this story was written, but I do not believe that technology will overtake everyone. With the way that the economy is turning, everyone will not be able to afford the technology that is coming to the newer generations; some will resort back to the way things were before technology took such a hold on the world. Will technology finally take over? I believe that the answer is, â€Å"no. † â€Å"In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-Tock, seven o’clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o’clock! as if it were afraid that nobody would. We will write a custom essay sample on August 2026 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The morning house lay empty. The clock ticked on, repeating and repeating its sounds into the emptiness. Seven-nine, breakfast time, seven-nine! † (Bradbury, 24) So many things can already be interpreted from the opening paragraph of this touching short story. Take the first sentence, the opening scene is in a house where the clock talks to you and tells you the time and that you need to get up out of bed and start your day. The second sentence then changes your mind if you assumed there would be a happy family in the house. The house was empty; there was no one there to respond to the house and its gestures that are programed into it. It repeated itself over and over again thinking that someone was there to respond to its respectful commands and helpful reminders. Although this kind of technology would be helpful to some people, I do not believe that it will come about to be the next big thing and control people and their lives. With the way technology is developing so rapidly, there is no doubt that this will be created. It will be created and it will be used by some people, and others it will be a waste of time to them. Tradition is tradition and you will not change some traditionalists of their mind. This technology is on its way; however it will not be as useful as the creators think it will be. Soon within the next few paragraphs it is revealed what has happened and why there are no inhabitants of the house. â€Å"Ten o’clock. The sun came out from behind the rain. The house stood in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles. † (Bradbury, 25) This house was the only one left standing from a disaster that wiped out an entire city, possibly multiple cities that we are possibly unaware of. The city gave off a radioactive glow, insisting that there might have been a nuclear bomb or any city wide destructive bomb that had fallen upon the city. The city was destroyed and the only house left standing was one made out of technology to make our lives easier and the human race lazier than we already are. One house out of hundreds or thousands and this was the only one standing. Staying within an invincible house of technology would have saved people from a radioactive disaster for a little while longer than others standing in the midst of confusion and destruction. Technology like that should not be used to keep the house safe; it could be used to build safe places for evacuation and temporary living and emergencies. Throughout the day, the house went on about its usual routine, telling the time and what appropriate event and action went with the time. â€Å"At ten o’clock the house began to die. † (Bradbury, 27) The house was dying due to a fire that had started after a tree fell into the kitchen causing cleaning solution to spill onto the hot stove. The house began to light up in flames, warning the nonexistent family to evacuate the house. The houses lights began to flash with caution to no one, then attempting to put the fire out. The house was not smart enough for even the simplest house fire. The house was pumping out its only water reserve; meanwhile the fire crept along the outside of the house up towards the attic to the main brain of the smart house. The fire had outsmarted the house as the control center of the house burst into sparks and flames dying slowly as the humans did. â€Å"Smoke and silence.  Ã¢â‚¬  (Bradbury, 28) With the way the world is now, this is quite an accurate assumption that something like this could happen, not only the technology but the war that could result in a nuclear bombing. However, in this economy and the way it will eventually drop again, half of America’s population will not be able to afford this technology. For the corporation this will result in a funding problem. This idea should be used for shelter instead of a home for the lazy people that will not be able to use their God given arms and legs to do their own things. America will decline back into a depression and history will soon repeat itself, just with newer technology. â€Å"Dawn showed faintly in the east. Among the ruins, one wall stood alone. Within the wall, a last voice said, over and over again and again, even as the sun rose to shine upon the heaped rubble and steam. Today is August 5, 2026, today is August 5, 2026, today is . . . † (Bradbury, 28) The last paragraphs make you think about the ending, not only of the story, but of the city and the house. How long did that last wall stand until it finally fell out of its metaphorical and lonely misery? How many days did it count until its pain and loneliness finally ended? As for the end of city, it was the last standing house in the city, if there were any existing people still, there would only be rubble and ash in piles on the ground. There was no one or nothing that anyone would know what happened, to the houses, the animals, or the people. The ending of the story is sad considering that the only thing left standing of a full and lively city was an electronic house. Although, technology has come a long way from when this story was written, I do not believe that technology will overtake everyone or any society. With the way that the economy is turning, everyone will not be able to afford the technology that is coming to the newer generations; some will resort back to the way things were before technology took such a hold on the world. Will technology finally take over? I believe that the answer is, â€Å"no. † Works Cited Bradbury, Ray. â€Å"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains,† Literature for Composition. New York: Longman, 2010. 24-28.