Ray Douglas Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920, in Waukegan, Illinois to Leonard and Esther Marie Bradbury. In 1931 he began using butcher paper to jot down a few stories. In 1934, Bradbury and his family moved to Los Angeles, where he went to Los Angeles High School. He was very active in the drama club at his high school, as he was looking forward to becoming an actor. His first pay as a writer was from George Burns, for contributing a joke to the Burns & Allen Show. Two of his teacher helped guide him to his writing career, Snow Longley Housh, who taught him poetry, and Jeannet Johnson, who taught him how to write short stories. Outside of school, he joined the Los Angeles Science Fiction League, and he also joined his school's poetry club. His first published short story was "Hollerbochen's Dilemma," printed in 1938. In 1945 his short story "The Big Black and White Game," was selected for Best American Short Stories. In 1946 he met his future wife Marguerite "Maggie" McClure, who he married in 1947. They had four daughters, Susan, Ramona, Bettina, and Alexandra. He currently has eight grandchildren, and lectures part time.
"There Will Come Soft Rains" is a very intriguing story that revolves around the future. At the beginning of the book, the author gives no outside information as to what is going on. It is based around a 21st Century house going on a normal schedule, but no one is home. We would say that the basic summary of the story is that you can build a knowledgeable house, that will do everything for you with, your intelligence, but if you are still fighting against mankind, what can this house do for you when you are gone? This story is kind of Ray Bradbury's prediction of the future (which is now), and how a nuclear war will wipe the entire earth out.
Analysis of the Elements Present:.
Plot: A technological house wakes up in the morning, follows it's programmed daily schedule, learns that there are no humans there, and ends up burning down.
