Ray Bradbury: "August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains" Analysis

“ ‘And not one will know of the war, not one
   Will care at last when it is done.

  Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
  If mankind perished utterly;

  And spring herself, when she woke at dawn
  Would scarcely know that we were gone’” (3).

This quote struck me as quite interesting within the context of the story. I found that it was quite fitting that we read this story right after reading “Second Variety,” because the overall storyline is quite similar: a world where technology can thrive while humans can’t. One question that came to mind while reading was just how important humans actually are. We are narcissistic creatures as a whole, and we would like to think that without us the world would fall to pieces. However, it is possible that this is not the case, and this story examines that idea critically. The world would go on without us, and it is possible that it would actually be a better place without humans. It makes more sense to think that what we create is more important than us ourselves, and this is why in the story the technology is so advanced. It is somewhat ominous to imagine that we could be in the process of creating something that could be far more powerful than us, and this is one frightening aspect of technology. There is no telling when computers could become smarter than us, at which point humans would not only be unnecessary: their existence would be threatened.
This quote in particular, however, seems to emphasize not only the possibility of humans’ inevitable destruction, but also the idea that the world would be a better place without humans. The last two lines reference both spring and morning, which give the image of a fresh, new start: definitely a positive idea. Humans cause a great deal of destruction on this planet: that is not a far-fetched concept. The idea of us being more or less useless to this world is a scary thought, but that is the main idea of the quote. Not that there would be a great relief if one morning humans were gone, but that instead there would be a feeling of indifference. I think that this is an idea that can be applied to people individually. I know that I personally would like to think that I am making a difference and that plenty of people would be affected in some way if I disappeared, but the world as a whole would not be affected; no one else would drop dead without my presence. I think that staying humble while going through your life is helpful in putting things in perspective, and this quote definitely provides a needed reality check: to myself and all of humankind.