Dear students,
It's the time to read our last short story for the course. Hope you've enjoyed the previous ones.
This time, we're going to read "The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury. Have fun!!!
Questions for analysis
Instructions:
Please, choose at least two questions to answer and respond to your classmates comments at least twice.
Deadline: Thursday, November 23rd , at midnight.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
3. How does the setting of the "Pedestrian" add to the loneliness and isolation felt by Leonard?
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteI dare to say that maybe the technology, the way how people are so robotized and also how the officer treat him like he was crazy because he liked to walk at night or take air. Nowadays if you are not related with technology peolpe tend to see you the same way the officer saw Mr. Mead. I hope in future won't be like this way, actually I loved this story because is reflecting the lack of interest in what being human implys.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
Probably the way how world is changing, he knew technology would bring some consequences in human. We are accustomed an easy life, through the years more and more people forget to hang out and coexist with nature, countries are destroing trees just for build buildings and give way to technology. Maybe Bradbury shows us in his words humanity decline instead of increase. We make more but live less.
We are living in world where we can't be authentic, we can't be ourselves, we need to adapt our lives to the changes the world is having and that's so sad to think about. I believe it's really courageous to keep being as real as you were created. We need to understand what does really mean to be a human being. We can let this crazy world change us. "There's nothing more beautiful than people who are unfraid to be themselves"
DeleteI think the use of technology is a big issue right now. I'm really concerned about this cause I think the situation is getting worse. Nowadays, people don't share as much as they used to; if they have an argument, they don't talk to each other but use a whatsapp message to "fix" the problem. If people want to find a date, they don't go to the park or to restaurants to meet new people, for they rather prefer to find a woman or man on line.
DeleteWe need to work hard in our own families to encourage face-to-face communication and quality time to be together.
I agree with you that people is losing the identity and the authentic as you said, and definitely is disappointed because we are becoming in an individualism and leaving the important moments to pass without enjoy
DeleteI think the only thing worth being rescued in the world where the character is lliving, is the fact that there is no more crimes, the rest is desperately sad.
DeleteI couldn't agree more with you, the people are becoming like robots because of the technology, we spend hours in front of a device. And that's true, currently if you're not related with technology people tend to see you like a weird person, like a elderly
Delete3. How does the setting of the "Pedestrian" add to the loneliness and isolation felt by Leonard?
ReplyDeleteI believe that he felt like an outsider, like if he didn’t belong there, and of course he felt just like that; lonely and isolated. I can’t imagine how alone he must felt, but what amaze me the most is that regardless all this loneliness the narrator says that Leonard loved to walk, “he listened to the faint push of his soft shoes through autumn leaves with satisfaction” it means he paid full attention to the little details of his surroundings while everyone else was locked in their houses, he enjoyed what he was doing, I imagine that helped him to keep sane and happy. Probably he felt free even though he was living in a place no different from a prison.
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
The fact that everyone prefers to stay indoors than to go outside, people locked in their houses so consumed by technology that they don’t pay attention to moments and people around them. Technology substituting people, clear example: the police car with the robotic voice and unfortunately, we are noticing that nowadays. Also, when the police took him it was because they believed he was crazy for not following what everyone else was doing, it wasn’t allow to be themselves, to be real; they were not living, they were just existing.
Yes Gina. And it so sad that nowadays we live almost on the same way- away from our family and friends because of the time we spend using our cell phones, playing video games, or just surfing the web.
DeleteWell could be true that he enjoyed the little things he did like walking or "listen to the faint push of his soft shoes through autumn leaves with satisfaction" but I think man was not happy, without relationship at all no human being can be happy, is part of our nature, to relate each other
DeleteThat's true! Currently, people prefer to stay indoors that going outside, and we can see that reflected in kids. Many years ago kids used to go outside and have fun with their friends playing games like tag, hide and seek and all that, but now, they prefer to stay indoors and play with their tablets or cellphones, they forget about living. They don't enjoy their childhood because of the technology.
Delete2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
ReplyDelete*He wants us to feel the loneliness that a person can feel in the future, or maybe, nowadays there are people with those feelings, when other people are so involved in technology that they don’t even pay attention to others around them, and how the world can become a deserted place, because we would be turning into robots and not people with feelings or people who enjoy the little things of life as Mead did when walking through those streets to observe and breathe.
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
*Mainly the problem of technology, it is very useful, but many times we are spending it a lot of time. I think everything in excess is bad, and for that reason the society is becoming more dependent on the devices. Also, that we aren’t enjoying the environment that surrounds us; besides, the few people who do and take their time to observe those beautiful things in life, are seen in a strange way because they don’t have the same pattern as them. As an example the robot voice in the taxi that arrested Mr Mead for walking for no reason, and it was simply because he liked to do it.
I definitely agree with you!!! Technology is controlling us so much that sometimes we miss the beauty and people that surround us. It's a shame, indeed.
DeleteI agree the author want us to feel how the future could be if we don't work on this, we can't allow technology to control us in the way we lose "face to face" communication. Even though there are a lot of people trying to change this, the panorama seems not to be so much encouraging, above all for the new generations.
DeleteThat's so true. Even though technology is an important and necessary tool, everything is excess is bad. I think the author wanted to give us the idea of how people would be in the future, and he was right. There's no need to wait until 2053 to see that there are already many people who live depending on technology, even obsessed with it, unable to appreciate life, the environment, and people who are really aware and who are not slaves of the technology, they're seen in a weird way.
DeleteHow is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteI’d say is almost the same, in this story we don’t see people on streets, but in our current society we neither see that closeness that there should be among human beings, is like everyone has decided to isolate in his own world and to know nothing about other people. People every time get away from each other. This man started a journey through the city to see if there was someone but all he found out was lonely, no one to talk, no one to share with, there was nothing. Many times people go through life this way looking for someone to hear them, they look for in their families, friends, hobbies and so on but at the end are a few those who really pay attention what people have to say about their problems needs and their endless searching for company.
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
A individualistic world where everyone lives by his own, loneliness, the current trend is that, live by your own and the rest goes to hell, every day less interaction among people, technology is stealing us true relationships and is making us more depending on social media where people try to pretend to live a kind of life but probably his life is a misery. To walk around the streets like Mr. Mead did doesn’t only mean not to have someone to talk or not to have friends, to walk alone around streets also means to be misunderstood by those who say are closer to you, at the end this comes to be the same, a loneliness city where there is no one but besides this we also see how society judges those who think different from them, the man in the story was judged only because was doing something different to the rest, same thing happens in our society nowadays.
I agree with you, when we meet someone that is different from what society want us to believe we judge them. We use to reject people that are not like us but they are the ones who make interesting the world.
DeleteI completely agree, we have been losing our past traditions, the costums to share with people and spend time doing special things, wich are who make the things valuables. The society should be conscious.
Delete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteMy point of view, the similarity that exists would be the use of technology, now most things, most people, one way or another we depend on technology, he told the "policeman" that he didn't have a TV, that he liked to go for a walk, the "officer" thought Mr. Leonard was crazy.
If you don´t use the technology these days it maybe that people treat you as someone very old-fashioned, someone who stayed in the past, someone strange.
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
The problems that he sees, or that he points out is the excessive use of technology, rather than that the inhabitants consume technology, the technology consumed them, nobody leaves the house, nobody enjoys walking away from home and very clear it is understood that technology replaces humans, in the case they arrest Mr. Leonard it was not a human, it was a car in which a robot voice asked him questions and ordered him to enter.
Will the future be like this?.. How ugly if that happens!
That's right, we used to think that if a person doesn't have a cellphone he or she is probably crazy but that's not true, that kind of people enjoy the life more than us.
DeleteI agree with u baby, I think that actually if someone is not taking advantage of the technology is seem as old fashioned, even strange because we don´t really pay attention to the important details.
Delete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteOur world is similar to the world of Leonard Mead in the use of technology; in fact, he says that magazines and books didn't sell anymore and in our world that happens too. We are so addict to our cellphones and computers that we forgot what read a books means, we are creating a generation of uncultured people and that is so sad.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
I think that he is trying to make us understand how sad the world looks since we start using the technology. We are losing our connection with people and I'm talking about real connections like a coffee with some friends or family, sit with someone and just talk for hours without using the cellphone. In the story we can see that Leonard walks alone every night and all what he sees is the light of the technology passing the windows, he didn't sees humans because just like us they are consume by technology.
I agree with you about that ,but I see that he's trying to show us that today we can change that horrible future like avoiding the excess of technology and share more with people.
DeleteIs true what you say, people only use their phones for everything, and are avoiding other means that we can use, such as books, they don’t know how incredible it is to spend a while reading a book.
DeleteTotally in accordance with your opinion, people are replacing everything they can by electronic devices, now few people read a book in physics, this is because as technology improves the human being is discarding what does not cause no interest
DeleteHow is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteIt is similar because of the technology, every day these functional tool is going to advance more and more and imagine how could be in 2053, if now a day’s technology is catching the attention of almost all people in that moment the new inventors probably will be more interesting and an impression for the people. Probably the life will be really automatized and easy, but it could represent a lost of the sense of the human been, of the identity, every day people are just live for themselves forgetting the around and I consider that we have to change that way if we want to enjoy more the life, our family, friends and also to accomplish the mission that God gave us
What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
The author observes some social trends like individuality that is affecting since now the society, people think just in get their goals it does not matter what they have or leave to achieve their purposed, another social trend is the globalization we are focus in have and have material objects and in almost all the time is unnecessary, people are focus in get and imitated the others. Furthermore, as the reading shows the excessive use of technology is producing a life without sense and emotion to share real moment between people.
Incredible but true, humanity is transformed into robots little by little, we lose our human identity to become a virtual identity, we feel an avatar that has to live on popularity, if that is happening right now in 2017, not I do not even want to imagine what will happen to the year 2053.
Delete
ReplyDelete3.What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
First he wants to show us how the lives would be if we don’t care about it. Even how the daily life actually is, because every of us know the technology is consuming us but we let things go unnoticed. People should be concsious of what happens around and take time to what is really important (Little details).
4.How does the setting of the "Pedestrian" add to the loneliness and isolation felt by Leonard?
I imagine him as the writers used to be, with long hair, blue eyes, moustache, and wearing formal clothes, however I think he felt completely alone, he didn’t have friends nor family and probably it was the saddest part for him. He felt alone in his house and now he had stopped writing so he went out with the hope to find colorful lights and someone who realize that he was there walking, but people never paid atenttion. Despite all, he was a happy man, he enjoyed to walk outside and appreciate the tittle things, and this is what people who appreciate and is grateful do.
I agree with you, we know that the technology is consuming us, every day more and more, in a few years it will be worse and even so we continue, blinded by technology, but we do nothing to change.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteIn the recent world, technology is developing at a very fast pace and people from different fields of the world are making many additions to it. From my point of view our world isn´t similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053 yet , but as I said at the beggining technology is developing at a very fast and is afecting our communication , today the web and the smartphones are consuming much time of our lives and sometimes we forget that we´re humans.
I think that the older people sometimes feels as Leonard Mead 'cause young people is depending more and more of technology.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
For me the idea of the author is clear , our way of live in the future is will be so diffrent and all this is going to be bad for us, but he is showing that today we can change the future as avoiding the excess of technology in our lives and I feel that we´re the uniques that can make a different in our lives.
1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteFrom my point of view, the author shows this year as an advanced years in regards to technology, but he also criticizes how technology will make us more lonely, and it’s true, since technology has been global, we are more lonely, we are in our world and sometimes we don’t realize what it’s happening around us.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
In my opinion, he wants us to think about how times change, our society changes and I felt Leonard’s capture as a critique, because sometimes when someone makes something different, people usually want them to stop doing it. In the story everyone used to stayed home at night in the dark but Leonard liked to take long walks and keep his house full of lights, so the police and the neighbors thought that he was crazy.
I agree with you, people are forgetting the feelings of humanity, all for being subject to technology, I think we are at the limit that Albert Einstein said, that where humanity will be overcome by technology and we will all be a generation of idiots .
Delete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteThe author describes a cold world, with people who do not answer anything if you ask them something, a world submerged in technology maybe? a world where the person who wants to do different things is judged by not following the "rules" and living in madness.
Currently we are not far from the same, people live focused on their technological devices, these have become our tool of work or destruction, depends on how they want to see and use, cell phones stealing the children's childhood, people they believe that their life is tied to social networks and there are some who suffer from a simple "like", like the world of Leonard Mead, people care only about themselves and their environment, you go to a meeting with friends or family and everyone uses their cell phone instead of taking advantage of the time with the people they want, our world, just like Leonard's, lives under technology.
2. What does the author want to think / feel about the text "The Pedestrian"?
My point of view on this question is that the author tries to make us understand that not everything has to be tied to technology, I feel that, through Leonard tries to explain to us that life without technology is even more beautiful, a life without stress , enjoying what surrounds us, recording magical moments in our memories, something that perhaps after dying we can remember, the rest will always remain in the land of the living and will only make us waste our time in this place.
There is also the point that if you do something different you will be judged, Leonard was a simple walker, writer and admirer of the beauties that re-read him, he was someone different in a lost world and in the end they declare him crazy for being different.
I think just like you, people are criticized for acting differently from others, for not being like robots and technology slaves, I think we should make a change for ourselves no matter what others say.
DeleteFor me it was sad to see that the police car and the people from the nearby houses found a man walking peacefully as something weird and called the police. That was dumb!
Delete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteIn the recent world, technology is developing at a very fast pace and people from different fields of the world are making many additions to it. From my point of view our world isn´t similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053 yet , but as I said at the beggining technology is developing at a very fast and is afecting our communication , today the web and the smartphones are consuming much time of our lives and sometimes we forget that we´re humans.
I think that the older people sometimes feels as Leonard Mead 'cause young people is depending more and more of technology.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
For me the idea of the author is clear , our way of live in the future is will be so diffrent and all this is going to be bad for us, but he is showing that today we can change the future as avoiding the excess of technology in our lives and I feel that we´re the uniques that can make a different in our lives.
How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteI think it is very similar to how Ray Bradbury imagined that the future could be in 2053, today our society is accustomed to depending on technology at every moment of our lives, and little by little we're more consumed as technology advances; besides that, adolescents and children are the future of our society and every time they're seen to be the most consumed by this.
Nowadays, there are many people who already live in slavery or depending on technology every minute of their lives, that is why I believe that at this rate we're going, we will be in the instances that Ray Bradbury considered, earlier than what he thought.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
From my point of view, I consider that he wants us to try to change, of not following in this path, in which sooner or later, we will be consumed by technology totally. Obviously, technology is an important and necessary tool that every day goes improving and helping us more, but at the same time we must be conscious and know that it is more important to have a life, to share with the people we have at our side and to enjoy every moment of life.
I think he wants more people like him in the future, who go out for long walks, looking for others who know what it is to have a life and who don’t let themselves be enslaved by technology.
I couldn't agree more with you second answer, maybe he wants more people how Leonard Mead, that live the life all days.
DeleteI got to say that you are right, maybe he is not trying to say that technology is something bad, maybe he is just trying to let us see that there is a time for everything, there's time for the phone and there's time for family and real life that is the most important.
DeleteHow is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteFortunately enough, the worldview the author shows us is an exaggerated view, he shows the hyperbolic future the author fears, but, there are certain things I could relate to the world in 2017, as for.example, the isolation of many people,that even surrounded by people feel alone, other aspect I could relate is the fact that the character used to be a writer, something happened to him that made him stop following his dreams. And the thing I relate most is the part of the story where a police car approaches him and he basically is talking to a machine, it is the same thing that happens today with the mobile devices, where people do not talk face to face but to a screen.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
From my point of view the author is concerned about how society is tending to become isolated, nowadays we have all the benefits our ancestors did not had, for example electricity, this makes us to not depend any longer in others for our survival, and in his fictional world, people did not even get out from their homes, somehow we become voluntarily prisoners.
1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteI guess that if may be related, as we can know, everything is a process, right now is only the beginning of a trouble like an illness where people forget the meaning of life.
It can be compare as a cancer to eating a person slowly to get to the point not be a normal human
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
Now technology, using it obsessively and uncontrolled it is making us forgetting the most important in our lives what is around us, using any technological device and spending time with them instead of spending time with what it is worth, our family, nature etc. But we must remember that is not fault of technology because it have been helping us improving in many fields, simply everyone should know how to use it moderately
I couldn't agree more with your first answer. Since now, we can see people who are obsessed with technology, cell phones, video games, etc, and we're just beginning; therefore, if we continue in this way, we will be like blind people who lives and depends on technology and that won't be able to see and appreciate the value of life.
Delete
ReplyDelete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
2017 is so similar as the world that Mead showed to his readers. Nowadays, the people spent hours in front of a screen, the people don't talk anymore, they don't go out, they don't appreciate what we have, they are like robots, hypnotized by a device. He showed a similar world to ours.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
He wants to let us know about how the world is, how the world is becoming.
It is great to read this because he had like a perfect picture about the future, that book was from 1951 in that time people didn't have the things that we have now, he knew that the technology was going to consume us.
I really like this book, because is true, If the people continue doing the same things (spend hours in front of a device) in a future or in a few years, it is going to be weird to see a person walking around just because they want fresh air or something like that.
I like your answer #2 pal, if we go on as you count the small reading, in a short time it will be rare to see someone without a technological device, it will be rare to see someone enjoying a walk at night.
DeleteI hope that's about 100 years from now and not being here anymore, otherwise it would be the worst.
I totally agree with your opinion. Nowadays, the people only care about a device, we are more care for this than live their lives, and we need to change that problem.
Delete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteI think the world of Leonard Mead, in certain aspects is very similar to ours, since we are beginning a time where everything depends on technology, where smart phones are causing stupid people, in addition, there is no doubt that people are putting their lives in technological devices.
Many people locked up, and trapped in the world of technology, without human contact, without interest in the outside world and human warmth.
What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian."
Like many authors who deal with current issues and topics whose plot reflects problems that are currently happening, in my way of thinking and what I really felt when reading Pedestrian, it is simply a feeling of guilt, the guilt we have for letting each day that passes is one more day within the technology and depending on it and another day unless it happens without realizing the brave things we are losing to our surroundings, what really matters. Although technology has brought us many advantages, for example, many improvements in health and education, has also come to destroy important elements of the human being as their coexistence with others and their own analysis.
Adiction is the word that I was looking for, I totaly agree with you, if we could see ourselfs, we'll see how stupid we look being that adict to the phone.
Delete1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteFor me, the technology, in this days the people are always in their phones, like if nothing more exist, mostly of the people only thing in check their phones, check their social media, how their lifes was that and forget to live their real lifes and I think that the future will be worst than now, the people won't care about nothing, only for the technology and they will forget the rest of the things.
2. What does the author want you to think/feel regarding the text "The Pedestrian
I think that he want that we make conscience about the all those hours that we use our phone and that we need to live more, live all those good things that the life offers us.
1. How is the world of 2017 similar to the world of Leonard Mead in 2053?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion it doesnt seem to be similar at all, 2053 is described as a safe, silent and even lonely, not really like a social future to call it somehow, the lonely streets and the dark houses arent like right now they are, at 8:30 pm there plenty of places havent close yet, at 8:30 pm mostly of the houses are as living and bright as they are at 10 am, or I guess they are, at least mine is, and city safety? If we had just 1 police car per town I bet that it would be a complete disaster, no doubt, but it would be awesome to live in a place that safety. Maybe the only thing that seems quite similar is that 2053's people sound like really "machine dependent" and we are getting close to that.
4. What social trends does the author observe and see as potential problems for society?
As I said, we are really machine dependents, every minute we have to be checking our phone, and maybe the author wants us to see that we forget to live too much moments because of the phone or tech in general, we dont really comunicate not even at the table while eating in family, even worst, we dont really eat in family anymore, so I guess that that is the most important message of the author to us.