There Will Come Soft Rains

There Will Come Soft Rains
By: Ray Bradbury

Poll

Which piece of technology could you not live without? Choose ONE.

• cell phone

• computer

• kitchen appliances

• hot water heater (for hot water in your home)

Word Cloud

Many English words contain the root -man-, which is derived from the Latin word manus, meaning "hand." What is another word that has this root in it? (For example, In "There Will Come Soft Rains," the verb manipulated means "managed or controlled through clever moves," as though being moved by skillful hands.)

Multiple Choice

Who/what is the main character of the story?

• the fire

• the family

• the dog

• the house

Multiple Choice

Why is the house empty? Where is the family?

• 
  They moved to another neighborhood

• 
  They died in a nuclear war 

• There are no clues given about the family 

Multiple Choice

Which of the following from the story is an example of personification?

• A man mowing the lawn 

• 
  The room was ablaze in an instant 

• 
  At ten o'clock the house began to die

Multiple Choice

When a tree bough crashes through the kitchen window, what happens next?

• 
  A bottle of cleaning solvent breaks on the stove and catches on fire

• The poem is read to the homeowner.

• 
  The dog spins around frantically and dies.

Match

Match the following

• The alarm clock rings. The house begins to talk and function, preparing for the day.

• Despite the “life” of the house, the inside of the home remains quiet and still.

• A dog, hungry for food, is unable to reach the food that the house has been programmed to make and dies. The house sets out bridge tables, which go untouched. The house prepares dinner and baths, all left untouched. It is revealed that the owners of the home have had their silhouettes burned into the side of the home due to radiation from a bomb. The house reads aloud the poem “There Will Come Soft Rains” by Sara Teasdale.

Exposition

Conflict

Rising Action

• Exposition

• Conflict

• Rising Action

Match

Match the following

• A tree falls through the window. A bottle of cleaner is knocked over, and a fire breaks out.

• The house attempts to save itself, shutting doors and spraying water. The water pumps run dry.   The house collapses, except for one wall.

• What is left of the house mechanics malfunction, repeating the date over and over.

Climax

Falling Action

Resolution

• Climax

• Falling Action

• Resolution

Match

Match the following

• 
  

  being present; looking after; taking care of

• trembling; quivering; timid; fearful

• rang; made the sound of a bell

attending

tremulous

chimed

• attending

• tremulous

• chimed

​Imagery is the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word pictures for the reader. These pictures, or images, are created by using details related to the senses—sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell.

​​Imagery

​Descriptors are words that are used to describe or identify something. Writers often use descriptors, such as adjectives and adverbs, to express the mood of the writing.

​​Descriptors

​Show through descriptive details, not tell...

​Using Descriptive Language - Common Core Standards ELA - Descriptive Language (flocabulary.com)

Open Ended

Add descriptive (imagery, adverbs, adjectives) details to this sentence to make it come alive:

The waiter set the pizza on the table.

​An author's purpose is the author's reason for writing.

The three general purposes are:

• to inform

• to entertain

• to persuade

What do you think is Ray Bradbury's purpose for writing this story? Why?

​Author's Purpose:

​In stories, the setting, or time and place of the action, provides a backdrop for the action.

​​Setting

​A figure of speech in which authors give objects human characteristics, such as "the sun smiled down on her."

​​Personification

Multiple Choice

What is being "personified" in this story?

• the people

• the house

• the trees

Multiple Choice

Where are the human beings in "There Will Come Soft Rains"?

• 
  They are at work or at school.

• They have moved to a different city.

• 
  They have been killed by a nuclear bomb.

Multiple Choice

Which details show what has happened to the owners of the house?

• The stove prepares a breakfast that goes uneaten.

• The shapes of four people are burned into the side of the house.

• 
  Mrs. McClellan likes to listen to poetry in the evenings.

Multiple Choice

How does the automated house "die"?

• 
  It is blown up in a nuclear blast.

• 
  It catches on fire and is unable to put the fire out.

• 
  The electronic mice tear it down.

Multiple Choice

In "There Will Come Soft Rains," what are the parents doing at the time of the tragedy?

• They are outside working in the garden.

• They are sitting together in the nursery.

• They are downstairs in the basement.

Multiple Choice

What is surprising about what happens to the dog?

• 
  The house tries to provide medical aid to the dog, but it refuses help.

• 
  The hungry dog cannot get food even though the house can still cook.

• 
  The robot mice are trained to recognize the dog but not to help it.

Parallelism is the use of similar grammatical forms or patterns to express similar ideas.

For example: She likes to work quickly and quietly.

​

​Parallelism:

Multiple Choice

Which sentence is using parallel adverbs? (Hint: look for similar endings of the word)

• They moved through hurriedly and frantically.

• They were not quiet even after they were told to keep the noise down.

• When she laughed, it had a strange ring to it.