The Illustrated Man

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man was published in 1951 and reflected many prevailing issues of the time. What do you know about the mid-20th century? What historical events or conflicts do you associate with this period?

Teaching Suggestion: The mid-20th century was marked by social, political, economic, and ideological shifts that occurred on a massive scale as the world recovered from the devastation of World War II (1939-1945). In politics and economics, the competing ideologies of communism and capitalism fueled the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. These two countries became the two “superpowers” of the world, and their conflict spurred significant technological advancements (e.g., space travel) as well as changes in literature and the arts. This question connects to the themes of Technology and the Dysfunctional Family and Cultural Conflict and Consumerism. As students begin researching and responding to the prompt, consider introducing them to these themes, which may help strengthen their understanding of the effects these conflicts had on 20th-century American society.  

• This article from the National World War II Museum discusses the advances in science and technology sparked by World War II.