Brynnydd Hamilton
September 9, 2015
Section A
Analysis of August 2026 and The Pedestrian
The stylistic techniques of an author can be a primary influence upon a story’s impact. In order to
support the author’s personal opinion on a topic, the particular techniques implemented can change how
events within a story are received by the reader. Ray Bradbury, author of August 2026 and The
Pedestrian, was concerned that, at some point, mankind would be literally and figuratively obliterated by
technology. To support this viewpoint, Bradbury implements different stylistic techniques to cast a
negative light upon the dominance of technology over mankind. Specifically, Bradbury employs a variety
of sentence structures, word choices, and imagery to give his stories a dark and disturbing mood, proving
to the reader that, at all costs, humanity cannot rely upon technology.
Ray Bradbury’s varying sentence structure serves to exemplify key points in his stories that
convince the reader of his viewpoint. In August 2026, short, simple sentences interspersed throughout the
story draw attention to climatic points. For example, Ray Bradbury concludes the section describing a
dying dog by writing, “The dog was gone.” Bradbury typically uses rich, masterful, and drawn-out
sentences, so the shorter sentences juxtapose his normal writing style, causing the reader to absorb the
implications of the event that has just occurred. Bradbury repeats this structure multiple times in August
2026. However, in The Pedestrian, Bradbury rarely uses short sentences while describing the events of
the story. Instead, staccato sentences are used in the dialogue between Mr. Mead and the police car, where
the harsh interaction between man and machine is highlighted by the police car’s brief, militaristic
statements. In both works, however, brief sentences are used to emphasize a bizarre or ominous situation.
This emphasis often occurs at key points in the story to draw the reader’s attention to the consequences of
mankind’s poor control over technology.
Word choice is another stylistic entity that Bradbury uses to darken the mood of his short stories.
In both August 2026 and The Pedestrian, Bradbury uses very few words that have over three syllables.
Despite the disconcerting material, the simplistic language makes it seem as if these stories were written
for children. The comprehensible language creates the illusion that the events occurring within the story
are ordinary. Perhaps the events are commonplace in the setting of both stories, but they would not be
considered commonplace in reality. For instance, in The Pedestrian, Bradbury writes, “He got in. The
door shut with a soft thud. The police car rolled through the night avenues, flashing its dim lights ahead.”
These sentences could be taken from a book intended to be read by a seven-year-old, while in reality, they
detail the arrest of an innocent man by a cold and unfeeling machine. The plain language found in both
stories shows the reader that events considered horrific in our world could become customary, unless
precautions are taken in the usage of technology.
One of the most notable stylistic elements of Ray Bradbury’s writing is his rich and powerful
imagery, which is used to allow the reader to picture the events more accurately and relate to the
characters more readily. Towards the end of August 2026, as Bradbury describes the fiery destruction of
the house, he writes that, “The house shuddered, oak bone on bone, its bared skeleton cringing from the
heat, its wire, its nerves revealed as if a surgeon had torn the skin off to let the red veins and capillaries
quiver in the scalded air.” The personification of the house can cause the reader to directly identify with
the house while it is being consumed by flames. This sickening image serves to shock and frighten the
reader. While inanimate objects are endowed with human characteristics in August 2026, Bradbury does
the opposite in The Pedestrian, by comparing living humans to the deceased. He writes, “The tombs, illlit by television light, where the people sat like the dead, the gray or multi-colored lights touching their
faces, but never really touching them.” When Bradbury wrote The Pedestrian in 1951, this simile was
merely an ominous prediction, but for any modern reader, this macabre image has become reality.
Although Bradbury’s imagery could be nauseating for some readers, it emphasizes his warning of the
terrible consequences that could result from mankind’s heavy reliance upon technology.
Ray Bradbury believed that mankind was in danger of depending too much upon technology, and
he uses a variety of stylistic techniques within his stories to impress this idea upon his readers. Both
August 2026 and The Pedestrian are set in the future, and serve as a warning to the future generations that
technology will never be the answer to societal problems. The mood of these stories is used to emphasize
the negative implications of a world where technology has overcome humanity. If the stories had a
sunnier, brighter tone, the reader may not have fully comprehended the entirety of Bradbury’s message.
Ray Bradbury believed that humans needed to be cautious with technology in order to maintain their
existence. The obvious intent of these stories is that readers in the future will understand the repercussions
of allowing technology to take too large of a role in day-to-day life.