How Does Ray Bradbury Use Imagery In There Will Come Soft Rain

“In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven o'clock, time to get up, time to get up, seven o'clock!” This opening sentence positions the reader to experience the miserable, melancholy world of Ray Bradbury’s “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains.” In his work, Ray Bradbury focuses mainly on personification to almost give a sense of life to the house while also providing strong, descriptive imagery. Meanwhile, in “A Sound of Thunder”, Ray Bradbury’s focal point is aimed at imagery to provide vivid and rich details. The usage of these literary devices play a crucial role in the emotions and interpretations of the reader and impact the effectiveness of the short stories in which they reside.

Ray Bradbury’s descriptions of the

“The sign on the wall seemed to quaver under a film of sliding warm water.” (A Sound… 1) This description of the sign paints a clear image into the minds of the readers and introduces the readers to one of many uses of imagery throughout the short story. The description of the sign invokes a feeling of interest that hooks the reader into the rest of the work. Bradbury also uses powerful diction in “A Sound of Thunder.” One example of the diction Bradbury uses is the use of the word “phlegm” to describe Eckels’ spit. This description creates a more clear and vivid image for the reader. By using the word phlegm the reader can also “feel” the foamy spit begin to form in their own mouths. “...ancient wilderness...the smell of tar...an old salt sea...moist grasses...and flowers the color of blood.” (A Sound… 6) These illustrations of the past almost transport the reader right into the past were Eckels and the time safari are hunting by flaring every sense of the reader. Touch, smell, and sight are all invoked to help get the image across but above all, the description of the Tyrannosaurus rex tops all. Bradbury starts of with the “great oiled, resilient, striding legs” of the gigantic monster. He then moves on to the height of the beast. Bradbury paints the T-rex as being thirty feet above half of the trees. Next is the

“August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains” is set in a post apocalyptic world where nuclear warfare has tarnished all of society leaving only a lone robotic house full of state of the art machinery. The machinery is personified by Bradbury as obsessed with and plagued to wait for its owners relentlessly while running the same routine everyday. This is until a tree falls into the kitchen and causes a fire that seizes the house within seconds ultimately freeing the house from its torment. This reinforces the depressing feeling the story has on the reader. On the other hand, “A Sound of Thunder” is set in the future where it is possible to time travel anywhere in the past to kill any animal you want. This short story follows a man named Eckels who goes on a time traveling safari to hunt a Tyrannosaurus rex. In the story he is instructed to not touch or shoot any animal or thing that he is not instructed to. As the story progresses it is revealed that changing one thing in the past will result in unimaginable repercussions. “With a stamp of your foot, you annihilate first one, then a dozen, then a thousand, a million, a billion possible mice!” (A Sound… 7) The death of these mice would then lead to the death of its predators. Leaving the cavemen with nothing to hunt, causing them to starve essentially wiping out an entire future