There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from Ray Bradbury's short story "There Will Come Soft Rains," exploring themes, literary devices, and the story's setting.

Cold War

A period of political tension and military rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union without direct warfare.

Nuclear weapons

Explosive devices that derive their destructive force from nuclear reactions, developed during the Cold War by both the US and the USSR.

Personification

A literary device in which human qualities are given to animals, objects, or ideas, as seen with the house's mechanical activities.

Silhouette

The outline of a figure filled in with a solid color; a term used to describe the painted images left on the house’s exterior.

Mechanical paranoia

A state of excessive vigilance or fearfulness, particularly in the context of the house's defensive actions.

Incinerator

A furnace for burning waste material, which in the story is depicted as consuming dirt and debris.

Altar

A structure used for religious rituals; used metaphorically to describe the house's service to its former inhabitants.

Dystopia

An imagined world that is far worse than our own; the setting of the story reflects a post-apocalyptic environment.

Anthropomorphism

Attributing human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities, applied to the house and its automated functions.

Symbolism

The use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities; the house symbolizes human achievement and the consequences of technology.

Desolation

A state of complete emptiness or destruction; describes the environment surrounding the automated house.

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory but may reveal a deeper truth; the house continues to function despite the absence of its owners.