Ben Bowen
In Ray Bradbury’s story the veldt he showed us how technology could easily warp our realities. In the story a family buys a robotic home that can do everything for them, such as cooking food, creating entertainment and doing anything that one could imagine to make the people living in it more comfortable. The focus of the story is on the children and the nursery, this nursery can change its scenery to whatever the people wish and somehow bring it to life, in this story the nursery has the scenery of an African veldt in which wild animals roam. The father begins to become uneasy with the idea of the nursery because he thinks it is harming his children. On the 10th page it says “I wouldn’t want the nursery locked up,” said Peter coldly. “Ever.” “Matter of fact, we’re thinking of turning the whole house off for about a month. Live sort of a carefree one-for-all existence.” “That sounds dreadful! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the shoe tier do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?” in this quote we can see how dependent peter has become on the house to do everything for him and I think that Bradbury puts this in because it shows how if something makes us to comfortable than we will never learn or grow as a person. At the end of this story after the father tries to get the family to leave, the children trick Lydia and George (the parents) into entering the nursery only for the children to lock the door and the parents are eaten by the lions of the veldt. I enjoyed this story because it shows how easily we as human can become increasingly dependent on technology to complete tasks for us and how this is dangerous because we don’t learn anything from doing it. This story makes me think of ChatGPT and other AI websites that will do your homework and or essays for you because it is the same principle as the children not wanting to experience real life because it is hard or uncomfortable.
One thing I would like to discuss is the death of the parents. I think it could be a metaphor for the children replacing their parents with the house and withdrawing from society to maintain there comfortable life.
How did the animals come to life? George and his friend discuss this a little bit on page 11 but all they come up with is that it could be a “flaw in the machinery”.
Did the animals actually come to life or was it the children who killed their parents? I think it would make sense if the children killed their parents because Bradbury would want to show how bad it can get when people are that dependent/ addicted to something. They will do whatever they can to make sure that their lifestyle doesn’t change even if that means having to kill their own parents.
Your blog post is well-written, and you’ve made insightful observations about the story’s themes.
Your summary effectively captures the key elements of the story, emphasizing the family’s growing dependence on technology, particularly the nursery. Your analysis of Peter’s dependency on the house and the dangers of becoming too comfortable with technology is interesting. Drawing parallels between the story and contemporary technology, such as AI websites doing homework, adds a relevant and relatable dimension to your post. It helps readers see the relevance of Bradbury’s message in today’s context.
Your questions about the death of the parents, the animals coming to life, and the possibility of the children killing their parents invite readers to think deeper about the story’s nuances. They encourage critical thinking and interpretation.
When reading, I can see areas that should you want to write more, you could. For example, you can expand on your idea that the death of the parents could be a metaphor for the children replacing them with the house. By asking questions from your reader, you can delve into the symbolism behind this interpretation and explore how it relates to the broader theme of technology replacing genuine human connections.
You can further create a conversation with your reader, by asking them to consider whether it’s a mere flaw in the machinery or if there’s a deeper meaning.
Consider breaking down your paragraph about the death of the parents into smaller sections for improved readability. This can help readers navigate your analysis more easily. Also look to areas that you can add visuals/links.
Overall, your blog post is insightful, and your questions open up avenues for further discussion. Keep up the good work!
Hey Ben,
I think that “The Veldt” serves as a chilling reminder of technology’s double-edged sword. It’s so interesting to me how Bradbury hits on our modern-day anxieties about tech dependency. Just like family’s reliance on the house for entertainment and some seriously basic tasks, we often find ourselves needing our technology – in particular our phones – for convenience, sacrificing self-reliance. The tragic end of Lydia and George could indeed symbolize the ultimate cost of overdependence – losing touch with human values and relationships. The ambiguity surrounding the lions’ existence – real or manufactured – does a good job of blurring the line between the benifits and attraction of the amazing things technology can do and its very real potential dangers. Bradbury’s narrative might be more relevant today than ever, especially when considering AI technologies. They’re incredible tools, but the question becomes: at what point does reliance turn into addiction? Also just like the lions, AI and new technology can have problems and can cause serious harm if not given the appropriate consideration when using them
Hey Ben! Really enjoyed reading your blog post, I think your analysis of the underlying themes is spot on- particularly the concept of the overreliance on technology.
In regards to your first discussion question, I think that the children certainly replaced their parents with the nursery. This might sound like an unrelated tangent, but something that really struck me while reading this is how our perception of technology is entirely dependent on the context. When the topic is medical research, for example, people tend to view tech in a positive light. So then, why does technology in the Veldt make the reader feel so uncomfortable? I honestly don’t know, but I think it has to do with those inherently human responsibilities, such as a parent’s responsibility to care for their child. The parents in the Veldt gave up on raising their kids, and allowed the nursery to take their place. So then, when the nursery was threatened, did the kids view protecting the nursery as an act of self-defense on behalf of their surrogate parent? I honestly not sure exactly what is actually happening and what is a metaphor in the story, but I don’t think the story necessarily needs to make sense to get the message across.
These discussions you’ve brought up are very intriguing. The idea that maybe the children killed the parents is an interesting discussion because it truly is up to the reader to decide. This idea is a good one though, as there is a good chance that the parents became fully immersed in the nursery and believed they were killed by lions, when in reality it could’ve been the result of their kids plot to murder their parents themselves inside the nursery. Whether this theory is true or not, Bradbury effectively shows the lengths that potential victims of technology could go to maintain their lifestyle.
Hey, Ben! I enjoyed reading your interpretation of The Veldt. This is the story that I chose to focus on as well, and you bring up some interesting points. I think the questions you raised are extremely insightful and make me also wonder what the reality of the situation was. Your speculation about whether or not the children actually committed the heinous act of killing their parents as opposed to the lions was a new take that I haven’t seen before.