“If they give you ruled paper, write the other way.” – Juan Ramón Jiménez (Epigraph to Fahrenheit 451)

My first choice for Eminent Person is the author Ray Bradbury. He wrote Fahrenheit 451 which captured the political and social environment of the 1950s while also predicting society today. In the 1990s, Ray Bradbury also adapted his short stories for the “Ray Bradbury Theatre Television Show” I am selecting Ray Bradbury as my Eminent Person because I find his writing descriptive, imaginative and visionary. I enjoy creative writing and stories in the Sci-Fi genre. In his stories that I’ve read; “The Veldt”, “All Summer in a Day” and “Fahrenheit 451”, I love his use of description and personification within his stories. In addition, many aspects of his stories written in the 1950s and 1960s are eerily seeming true today. For example, the “Picture Painter” from “The Veldt” is almost like a modern camera, as the machine is doing things automatically for the Hadleys. 

One commonality that I share with Ray Bradbury is an appreciation of the writings of Edgar Allen Poe. Ray Bradbury was influenced by Edgar Allen Poe and he discussed Poe’s influence on Science Fiction stories. In Grade 5, I presented a speech about Edgar Allen Poe in front of my school. Poe’s stories influence my creative writing, specifically “The Raven”, “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”. Additionally, we are both curious explorers aby nature. We both value detailed descriptions in our writing in both plot and character building. We are both determined to capture our understanding of the world around us and portray our concerns of society’s problems that may lead to future negative consequences. Although we share many passions and interests our background and upbringing is very different. On one hand, Ray Bradbury was an American writer whose parents couldn’t afford to send him to university or college. On the other hand, I am a British-Japanese-Canadian whose parents will support me through University. Ray Bradbury was a self-directed learner who designed “Futuria Fantasia”, a fan magazine of his creative stories. I aspire to become self-directed like him. Finally, Ray Bradbury exemplifies my own goals in TALONS of improving my creative writing ability and communication skills. He said “Everyday of my life I’ve worked only for myself and for the joy that comes from writing and creating. The image in the mirror is not optimistic, but the result of optimal behaviour”. In TALONS, I strive to have a similar perspective in creative writing. 

 

One barrier I might face in connecting with my Eminent Person is that we belong to different generations. Ray Bradbury was born in 1920, while I was born in 2005 (85 year difference). Furthermore, we differ in cultural backgrounds because Ray Bradbury was Swedish-American and I am British-Japanese-Canadian. Moreover, he was from a working class family (his father was a Telephone Lineman) whereas my parents are university educated professional accountants. In order to address these differences, I plan to research life in the 1950s when Ray Bradbury became a writer. 

 

Ray Bradbury has contributed to American literature through over 50 story collections, novels, plays and screenplays. Over the course of 60 years, he commented on society as well as influenced other media and American culture. His stories are convincing reminders to critically think and not over rely on technology. Ray Bradbury couldn’t afford to go to college or university, so he decided to visit the library 3 times a week for 10 years as an alternative education. He overcame this obstacle through determination and hardwork. He was driven to create, whether it was through stories, television shows or movies. I think Ray Bradbury is worth acknowledging at the Night of the Notables because he was one of the major American science fiction writers of the 20th century. His writings provide a commentary on major issues including the use of technology, the role of government and exploration. Our class studied “The Veldt” recently as part of our short story unit and I think many people might be curious to learn more about this amazing author. By studying Ray Bradbury, we might better understand how the process of creating brought him both joy and success. I believe that he had a very positive outlook on life.

Goal: As my next step, I would like to read more of his writing to further my understanding.

Citations:

  1. Jonas, Gerald. “Ray Bradbury, Science Fiction Master, Dies At 91”. Nytimes.Com, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/books/ray-bradbury-popularizer-of-science-fiction-dies-at-91.html.
  2. “Ray Bradbury Theatre, The | History Of Canadian Broadcasting”. Broadcasting-History.Ca, 2019, https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/programming/television/ray-bradbury-theatre.
  3. Jordison, Sam. “Fahrenheit 451: Reading The 1950S”. The Guardian, 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/sep/21/fahrenheit-451-reading-the-1950s.
  4. Static.Episodate.Com, 2019, https://static.episodate.com/images/tv-show/full/6052.jpg.