Out of all 25 questions I decided to go with question number 14 which is “What symbols or imagery are used to convey the mood, atmosphere, or thematic elements of the text?”. In relation to the text “The Machine Stops” by E.M Forster the mind is allowed to think freely as society is perceived as people not having contact with each other which creates the an atmosphere full of isolation and loneliness. In this society people are meant to be doing the same things as another, no one can be creative or try to be unique. While everyone’s routine is meant to be the same the mind will always wonder and what exist beyond the walls that seem to get higher and higher everyday will always be a risk that’s considered just to break this depressing cycle of everyday life within this society. This sadness is also shared in the text “There will come soft rains” by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury invludes things such as “the bathtub leaking…more breakfast as the house falls…”. This quote contributes to the idea of such societies ruining not only people but the order within a society which’ll ultimately lead to the world failing as a whole. In the text “From Beyond” by  H.P Lovecraft the world is introduced as being not so appealing to the eye in comparison to the worlds in the two other texts I’ve mentioned so far. We get what seems to be as a tease to what things could be if risks were taken but those dreams are then quickly crushed the fear that takes over as it interacts with the world around us that we constantly explore with our five senses everyday.
Handouts
Readings
- Aldiss, Brian–Supertoys Last all Summer
- Bacigalupi, Paulo–The People of Sand and Slag
- Bear, Greg–Shrodinger's Plague
- Bradbury, Ray–The Veldt
- Bradbury, Ray–There Will Come Soft Rains
- Butler, Octavia–Bloodchild
- Chiang, Ted–Lifecycle of Software Objects (long)
- Chiang, Ted–The Story of Your Life
- Dick, Philip K.–Autofac
- Dick, Philip K.–The Commuter
- Dick, Philip K.–We Can Remember it for You Wholesale
- Ellison, Harlan–I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream
- Forster, E.M.–The Machine Stops
- Hodgson, William–The Voice in the Night
- Kafka, Franz–In the Penal Colony
- LeGuin, Ursula–The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
- LeGuin–American Sci Fi and the Other
- LeGuin–Introduction to Science Fiction
- Lovecraft, H.P. –"From Beyond"
- Sterling, Bruce–The Bicycle Repairman
- Tiptree, James (Alice Sheldon)–The Girl Who Was Plugged in
- Tiptree, James (Alice Sheldon)–The Women Men Don't See
- Vinge, Vernor–The Blabber (long)
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My favorite part about your response was how you mentioned everyone’s routine was the same in “The Machine Stops” and related the isolation and sadness to “There Will Come Soft Rains.”
Your description of “The Machine Stops” was very well thought-out and is a very short, yet perfect summary of the tone and feeling of the story.
I like how you quoted some parts of “There Will Come Soft Rains” to support your claim about the overall atmosphere being sad .