The Illustrated Man

1. The Illustrated Man By: Ray Bradbury

2. Author Highlights • Ray Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois on August 22, 1920 • Bradbury's reputation as a leading science fiction writer occurred in 1950 with The Martian Chronicles. • The book describes man's attempt to colonize Mars

3. Bradbury is a Dystopian Writer • Genres of literature that explore social and political structures • Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world • Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world

4. Dystopian writing in The Illustrated Man • He points out the troubles with technology • Did you ever imagine that technology could be seen as a negative aspect of society? • How does technology assist society? • In what ways can technology be harmful?

5. Dystopian writing in The Illustrated Man • Examines the world from a distance • Negative point of view • Very cautious upon man’s ability to rely on modern conveniences

6. Historical Context • 1950s- What’s happening in the world? • Space Race • United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a heated competition • 1957 when the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik. • USA and Soviet Union both wanted to prove scientific superiority and to show their military strength.

7. Cold War • The Cold War began after World War Two. • The Space Race grew out of the Cold War • Democratic vs. Communist society • The main countries were the United States and the Soviet Union.

8. Science in Schools • Push for Science and Math • Science fairs evolved • Programs and course of studies centered around math and science • Influx of Technology

9. Facts about this decade(1950) • Population: 151,684,000 (U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census)* • Unemployed:  3,288,000 • Life expectancy:   Women 71.1,  men  65.6 • Car Sales:  6,665,800 • Average Salary:  $2,992 • Labor Force male/female: 5/2 • Cost of a loaf of bread:  $0.14 • Bomb shelter plans, like the government pamphlet You Can Survive, become widely available

10. Decade at a Glance • 1951 - Transcontinental television begins with a speech by Pres. Truman • 1954 - Racial segregation is ruled unconstitutional in public schools by the U.S. Supreme Court.  • 1959 - Alaska and Hawaii become the forty-ninth and fiftieth states. 

11. Welcome Television! • During the 1950s, television became the dominant mass media • Less reliance on print and radio news • In the early fifties, the number of hours young people watched TV steadily increased • What was portrayed on television became  accepted as normal

12. TV continued • 1954, black and white broadcasts became color broadcasts • Families no longer listened to radio and discussed world events • Entertained not Engaged

13. Developments from TV Era • TV Dinners • TV Guides • TV Trays • New way of life

14. Shows of the time

15. Party Line • Party line (also multiparty line or Shared Service Line) is an arrangement in which two or more customers are connected directly to the same local loop. • Prior to World War II in the United States, party lines were the primary way residential subscribers acquired local phone service

16. Life in a 360 Degree View • The Veldt- First story in The Illustrated Man • Life is viewed in a 360* theater. • Who has been to Disney?

17. The Plot of the Short Stories • A young man meets an Illustrated Man, whose tattoos are filled with the power to tell stories and see the future. • Despite the Illustrated Man's warnings, he looks at the tattoos, which tells him eighteen stories • 1st story The Veldt

18. Science Fiction • Not considered legitimate literature at the time Ray Bradbury first started publishing his books • A setting in the future, in alternative timelines, or in a historical past that contradicts known facts of history • Science fiction is largely based on writing rationally about alternate possibilities

19. Final Thoughts/Questions?