“There Will Come Soft Rains”, by Ray Bradbury Setting functions to relate the entire plot Becomes the major character in the work Is the motif through which the theme of technology versus nature is understood Creates the figurative richness of experience in the absence of human characters or dialogue

“There Will Come Soft Rains” Theme: nuclear war and humanity, technology versus nature Main Characters: the house, robot mice, robot firefighters, the voice box Symbols: The house—the last house on earth—shows humanity’s lack of awareness of war’s destruction Setting: (List)

Sara Teasdale: Poem + Thematic connection Nurse on WWII Her poem proves that nature will outlast humanity Nature does not need to care about humanity because they will destroy themselves Nature= freedom and life; technology = lack of awareness of humanity, and death

Contemporary Relevance What issues face our society today with respect to technological advances both positive and negative? Imagine that you are composing a story to “warn” future generations of the dangers of technology without human compassion. What issues might you raise? How does the setting effect the theme of the work?