Ok, I'm getting desperate. Usually I can think of *something* for essays but for some weird reason I'm not getting anything on this one. We were supposed to read "all summer in a day" and answer the following questions. "After hearing Bradbury's short story all summer in a day, think about your reaction to the story. what can you infer Bradbury is saying about our society and where we are headed? are we as a collective group ready to take on this challenge and face a day without any "sun" or are we simply too advanced to let our light fade away?" i am soo confused! I'm kind of thinking like okay, the sun symbolizes hope for the future, happiness, .. but i really don't know what i'm talking about lol. if u have any ideas please reply.

Well, that's quite a question! The second part of the question seems, as the lawyers say, to be leading the witness/student.

I see it as a simple and particular story with a kind of slice-of-life element to it. It is a sad story about how cruel and selfish children can be. The redeeming element of it is -- contrary to what psychologists sometimes argue -- there seems to be genuine remorse by those who locked her in the closet. The guilt they feel shows they still have feelings and a sense of compassion. They are not soulless, hateful children . . . just stupid, careless and selfish. Sometimes humans are stupid and thoughtless, but I think Bradbury sees hope in their remorse.

What do YOU think the story is saying? You could look toward the sun as a symbol of something, but maybe the behavior of the kids is not symbolic so much as representative?

As far as the writing goes, it's another Bradbury masterpiece. He takes a ridiculously implausible situation, and makes us genuinely FEEL all this empathy for this poor little girl -- a girl who gets locked in a closet on Venus and misses an hour of sunlight.

I'm sure others can do better, but it's a starting point, right?


[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 03-05-2003).]

Thx! Trust me, that helped a lot! I'm more of a math/ science person, I'm not very creative when it comes to writing so I'll take anything. Thats a rly good idea though- thx.

I agree with everything Mr. Dark said, but I also like your idea of the sun being a symbol for hope. Margot needed the sun to keep her going, both literally and figuratively. She spoke of it and wrote of it so wistfully, my heart just ached for her. It was truly her hope for a better future. And the children do seem to symbolize people or other obstacles that get in the way of our hopes and dreams, the naysayers, the ones who discourage others who are different. But as Mr. Dark said, it appears that there is some hope for them. "They stood as if someone had driven them, like so many stakes, into the floor. They looked at each other and then looked away. They glanced out at the world that was raining now and raining and raining steadily. They could not meet each other's glances. Their faces were solemn and pale. They looked at their hands and feet, their faces down." (What a great paragraph!) So there still seems to be hope for them, and hope for the future. Thanks for bringing this story back to my attention. It's been a while since I read or taught it. I love it, and my students always enjoyed it as well.

ImSkipper - Great quote from the end of the story.

It reminds me of the end of "The Lord of the Flies". These kids have done real evil (murder, etc.), and when the authorities arrive, they are smitten in their consciences. Unfortunatly, I can't find my copy of the book right now, so I'm not sure this remorse evokes a sense of hopefullness (as I think it does in 'All Summer in a Day') or a sense of the despair that inheres in the soul of man. It might be worth a trip to the library to read the last few pages of 'The Lord of the Flies' and see if a comparison is in order.