“There will come Soft Rains” a short Story By Ray Bradbury Inspired by a Sarah Teasdale poem

Bradbury’s Early Life Ray Bradbury was born in 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois USA. He always enjoyed reading and spent a lot of time in libraries. He started writing short stories in 1931. In 1934 his family moved to Los Angeles, California where he developed a strong interest in Hollywood and the film industry. Two of his favorite authors were Edgar Allan Poe and Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Bradbury's career In 1950 Bradbury wrote “The Martian Chronicles” a collection of science fiction and horror short stories, which would become one of his most famous works. One of these short stories was “ There Will Come Soft Rains”, which was first published in Colliers magazine before the “Martian Chronicles” was released. In 1953 the novel “Fahrenheit 451” was published the story was set in a future society where books were burned by the government. This would also become one of his most noted works.

Later years Bradbury would go on to be awarded the National Medal of the Arts in 2004, an award presented to US artists in their fields. He also received the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 2007. Bradbury died in Los Angeles in 2012 at 91 years of age.

Sara Teasdale Sara Teasdale was an American lyric poet born in 1884 in Saint Louis Missouri, USA. She had a troubled life full of illness, and would die of suicide in 1933. In 1918, she received a Pulitzer Prize, and in 1920, wrote the poem “There Will Come Soft Rains” , which would inspire Bradbury to write his short story.

There Will Come Soft Rains There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground, And swallows circling with their shimmering sound; And frogs in the pools, singing at night, And wild plum trees in tremulous white, Robins will wear their feathery fire, Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire; And not one will know of the war, not one Will care at last when it is done. Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, If mankind perished utterly; And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn, Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Let Us Think About The Theme There are two stanzas in the poem that refer to the obliteration of the human race on Earth. What are they? We know that Teasdale wrote this poem 25 years before the invention of nuclear armament capability. Knowing that, what horrible historical event close to that time inspired her to write about the destruction of mankind? Does the poem reflect the belief that the Earth and nature are dependant on man, or not at all? Which stanzas reflect this viewpoint? Does the story consider technology good or bad? What are your feelings on this question?

Thank You Wonderful Brilliant People I hope to see you all soon Best wishes always, Mr. Mick