'The Veldt' and 'The Rocket' are stories from the novel Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury that highlights on technology and the effects it has had on the environment. Technology has been embraced over the years to solve the issues of time and efficiency. Despite the advantages, it has had which includes making work easier and hence minimizing on the reliance of human labor; it has had serious psychological effects especially on the children. Parents have abandoned their responsibilities and left everything to the machines. Children on the other hand have lost respect for their parents as they realize that the machines serve them. Technology has also made it possible for anyone to have or experience that which they have only imagined. This has enhanced life and minimized the expenses that one could have incurred in search of a particular activity.
Even though both stories touch on the issues of technology, one looks at the positive side of technology while the other looks at the negative side, this is mainly to imply that everything that has an advantage also has a disadvantage. There is also the issue of personal responsibility when it comes to technology. This depends on how the family bond has been strengthened through physical interactions. We realize that striking a balance between technology and reality will ensure that people do not suffer much with the effects of technology. We also realize that most people that are affected negatively by technology are the rich who believe they have all the money to fund their desires. By the time, they realize how negative it is, it is almost too late and that it has already taken toll on them as well as those around them (Bradbury 73).
The first story in the novel happens to the Veldt. It is an illustration of a rich family that decided to acquire a new hope where technology did all the house chores in the house. It is so exciting that it is even able to read the minds of the family members and respond to their needs with much ease. This sounds fun not only to the parents but also for the children who enjoy every moment. They grow up knowing that the only work they have is to breath, feel and eat, everything else including bathing and the machines do soothing for them to sleep.
The main reason why the story was put as the baseline of the novel is that it takes us through the virtual world of technology. Even though it ultimately tells us the negative impact of technology, it starts highlighting the wonderful world that the family was living in. it began with an idea, which was transformed into a reality. Just when everyone was enjoying it and had in fact become part of the lives of the children whose mind had been channeled into it, the sad reality hits on them. They realize that instead of having the expected positive impacts, it has affected the psychology of their children who have now developed thoughts of death. It was simply something that had already eaten them up and it was time it manifested. Unfortunately, at this late stage, this is also when the parents were thinking of a solution, which was to get rid of the nursery.
The children react negatively to the change and using the same influence of technology, they decide to get rid of the parents. It was rather unfortunate that the children now looked at their parents as enemies who wanted to get them out of their comfort rather than help them out. They had grown all this long not seeing the significance of their parents except sharing a meal. The bond that existed between them made them not bother about protecting them but rather deliver them to the hands of death. Even after realizing that their parents were missing, they seemed to be less alarmed. They somehow knew that they still have the machines, which will serve them better than their parents. They cherished the technology that had served them better than their parents. This hence made them have no choice but defend what took care of them.
The last story in the novel is the rocket, which takes a different twist from the first one. This is a story of a humble family that has established a strong bond between them. They care less about technology until when the man of the house decides to explore into the world that he ahs only imagined. He is so much fascinated by the rockets that he purposes to make it a reality to at least of the family members. Just when he is ready for the surprise, none of his children and wife is willing to travel far and leave the family behind. This means that they love and cherish the real world and bond that they share that they are willing to let such a fascinating moment pass by. The man respected their will yet did not act selfishly by travelling it. He instead invented a better technology that will ensure that the family bond remains intact (Bloom, 159).
The main reason why the story was made the peak is just to let people know that technology is not that bad. When things go wrong, especially in the family unit, we are so quick to blame it on technology and hence overlooking the part played by us. The author is trying to tell us that despite the excitement that comes with technology, it is the bond that had been formed that will determine how disciplined they will be. The story also reminds us to keep technology at its rightful place, which is luxury. When technology is replaced by important and real people in our lives, it becomes a curse rather than a blessing. The story also reveals to us how environment plays a great role in building the morals of the children. It is mainly the foundations they have been established on that will determine how they cope with the changes that arise.
Many times, we blame the decaying morals in the society on the children without considering the fact that we allowed them. When children are young, they are absolutely under our care and we hence have the responsibility of molding and shape them into what they have to be. However, parents and guardians have become so busy that they have exchanged their parenting role with technological inventions. Parents have no time to spend with their children and therefore never realize the little changes that occur to them. There is no habit that develops in an overnight, the environment they are frequently exposed to influence their thinking and attitude. Unfortunately, parents tend to realize a changed habit in their children when it has fully developed. They put in more efforts to save their children but produce no results. This is because the deep root that the habit has taken which can be tasking to reverse (Bradbury 115).
Technology is an invention that is undergoing growth. The much we are used to it and the fact that it is becoming almost impossible to do things manually; we are left with no alternative but to embrace it. This however does not mean neglecting our personal responsibilities towards those we love. One thing that stands out in spite of the inventions is the fact that technology is a passing wind and our families are there to stay. Technology always has an expiry date especially when a new one replaces the old. Our children are important assets of our generation that look to us for guidance and support. When we leave such responsibilities to technology, we are compromising the future of our children. This implies that they will not have something to run to when the technology they relied on failed or is proved futile. It is the responsibility of each parent and caregivers to build the foundations of the children on real virtues of life and let technology come is as a luxury. Avoiding over indulgence in technology will save us a lot of heartache and ensure that the children we bring up will also have a solid foundation to build their children on. With such a lifecycle, we will not have to regret about a technology that is meant to make our work easier.
Works cited
Bradbury, Ray. The Illustrated Man. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 2013
Bradbury, Ray. The Veldt. New York: Dramatic Publishing, 1972.
Bloom, Harold. Ray Bradbury. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010
