One of the missions of Socratica is to share the joy of learning, especially the power of reading. Kimberly Hatch Harrison (co-founder of Socratica) created this podcast to share her favourite reading experiences. Today Kim talks about her favourite part of I Sing The Body Electric by Ray Bradbury.

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I Sing the Body Electric by Walt Whitman

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Transcript:

Welcome Everybody! To Socratica Reads. My name is Kimberly Hatch Harrison, and I’m the co-founder of Socratica. We make beautiful, futuristic educational videos. You might wonder where we get our vision of the future. Why do we look forward to a better future? A lot of it comes from growing up on a steady diet of Ray Bradbury who was a real visionary. Today is his birthday. He would have been 102 today, and I wish he were here so we could talk to him.  I’d like to think he’d have some thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful reaction to the strange times we’re living in. Thankfully, we have Bradbury’s stories, and as long as we’re reading him, he will live forever.

None of us knows what the future brings, but the wonderful thing about reading science fiction is that we can “try on” different possible futures. We learn a lot about ourselves by observing how we react to the possibilities. And then—we can use our reactions to guide how we go about preparing for the future. It’s a little like magic. Read about a possible future, decide how we feel about it, and change course if necessary. In this way, writing about the imagined future becomes a way to change the actual future! 

A lot of sci fi is dark. Dystopian. And Bradbury certainly didn’t shy away from that darkness. I’ve spoken before about his Fahrenheit 451 as a cautionary tale. But even in the midst of great sadness, Bradbury always was there to show us the way through, with that flicker of hope and humanity. 

Today I want to share with you another one of my favourites from Ray Bradbury—a short story called “I Sing The Body Electric.” You may recognize the title from a Walt Whitman poem, which is a rich and meaty thing to read. Please read it. 

The poem is all about the mystery and glory and holiness of being incarnate. Of having a body, of BEING a body. Which is great fun to keep in mind as you read Bradbury’s story about a robot grandmother.

Like the best science fiction, by imagining a possible future, touched by technology, certain truths about the human condition are made more clear to us. Here’s my favourite part of I Sing The Body Electric—a family dinner. I’ll read it to you now. Are you ready? Let’s begin. 

{Kim reads excerpt}

What a lovely, lovely man Ray Bradbury was. We remember him. Thanks for listening.