Skip to main content

In “The Veldt,” Ray Bradbury replies heavily upon sensory details to create a sense of reality in this fantasy world. Review the story,...

Bradbury uses vivid sensory detail in this short story to describe the African veldt that the children watch on the viewscreens in their nursery. These details paint the picture of a savage, dehumanized world and create a sense of foreboding that foreshadows the ending.


Bradbury uses unpleasant, harsh imagery to depict the veldt. It is so hot that the landscape is "baked," and the parents smell the "rusty" odor of the animals and the smell...

Bradbury uses vivid sensory detail in this short story to describe the African veldt that the children watch on the viewscreens in their nursery. These details paint the picture of a savage, dehumanized world and create a sense of foreboding that foreshadows the ending.


Bradbury uses unpleasant, harsh imagery to depict the veldt. It is so hot that the landscape is "baked," and the parents smell the "rusty" odor of the animals and the smell of dust like "red paprika" in the hot air. All of this builds up a sense of harshness, and a feeling of foreboding comes in the "shadow" that passes across the harsh sky (the word "shadow" is used twice). These shadows are vultures, and Mr. Hadley describes them as "filthy" animals. What Bradbury shows us is not a pleasant or inviting scene, but one of fear, heat and death.


A sense of fear builds as the lions come closer, a smell of meat dripping from their mouths. The parents actually run away in terror as a lion seems to bound out at them.


Later, the parents hear the roar of lions and screaming that sounds familiar to them from the nursery. It makes them uneasy. When they end up locked in the nursery, with the lions coming at them, we are not surprised at the parents' realization that the screams they have been repeatedly hearing in the nursery are their own. We accept this easily because Bradbury has been building up our sense of fear and foreboding in his descriptions of the brutality of the veldt from the beginning of the story.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is hyperbole in the story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his... The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him plu
Post a Comment
Read more

How can I analyze Moon and Six Pence by Somerset Maugham?

In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of... In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of that society. His decision to e
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some literary devices in Macbeth, Act V, Scene 1?

Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not... Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh, oh! (5.1.53-55) Hyperbole - Obvious exaggeration  There is also h
Post a Comment
Read more