Response to the Veldt

Don’t let yourself get carried away.

We think that this theme is important.  Ray Bradbury is trying to illustrate that humans  should not let themselves get carried away by their own intelligence;  like the idea that they could create a room that is not only telepathically linked to a brain but also changes scenery according to that brain’s wishes. The thought is exhilarating, as is machinery doing the laundry, making meals, and changing diapers. But that is not real life.

The three themes mentioned in the prompt are closely intertwined. As an example, humans cannot appreciate the simple joys of life when machines do everything for them. There is nothing else to do. Work is an essential part of life and we can find a simple joy when we successfully complete a task. There is no joy or pride in yourself when machines take over, except perhaps that you bought such a brilliant machine. That feeling will wear off because having a machine that will do things for you does not necessarily mean it will make life better. As of now, we have a choice not to get carried away by the technological world surrounding us. In The Veldt, the family did get carried away, and that was their downfall.

 

“I don’t want to do anything but look and listen and smell; what else is there?”

This sounds eerily similar to what an animal, or a being of lower intelligence, does in its daily life. We refuse to believe that humans are on this earth without a reason. This quote confirms the themes said in the prompt. Looking and listening and smelling are obviously used and helpful when in reality, but even babies can look and listen and smell. For them to only do that is expected, because they’re infants. They haven’t grown. But when they do grow, babies are expected to do more. If you’re in a society where all that’s expected of you is to listen, look, and smell, that society is going to be a complete failure. Nothing is ever going to be accomplished because everyone expects you to act like a child that cannot support itself. There has to be something more to do. We are not mere babies.

Here is another supportive statement: If everyone on Earth were unable to smell, then no one would know what that meant, and it would be the rule, not the exception, to be unable to smell. So if looking and listening and smelling are all we’re expected to do, then we wouldn’t see anything different or unusual about the matter. We would not be thinking about this. Therefore, we can conclude that there is more to do than just that. 

~Abby and Leanna~