The theme of Ray Bradbury's short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" is an ironic commentary on the state of mankind in a post-atomic world. On one hand, humans have advanced to the point that they can create a house which has eliminated all of the drudgery of domestic life, including cooking, cleaning, and setting up furniture. Technology has advanced to a level where the house itself can provide entertainment, such as automatically programmed audio of the family's favorite poem and intricate video which emanates from the walls of the children's nursery. Had it not been for the bad luck of a tree limb crashing through a kitchen window, it might be presumed that the house could continue on with its daily routine far into a future devoid of humans. The house is truly a marvel of human ingenuity.
On the other hand, a culture which has advanced to the seeming pinnacle of technological invention is unable to control its lust for war. Despite major advancements in creativity and the machinery to make it a reality, humans are seemingly no different than they have been for centuries, always moving on to the next conflict that results in death and destruction. Unfortunately, a world which is willing to use nuclear weapons may be a world which, in the words of Sara Teasdale, will not mind "If mankind perished utterly."
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