house left standing at the edge of a ruined radioactive city. The house seems to be a model of efficiency and comfort, but Bradbury gives a vivid picture of the horrific nuclear explosion that destroyed its former inhabitants as he describes one wall that is charred black except for the outlines of a mother, father, and two children.

It is ironic that the house continues to function after its owners have died. However, eventually, natural circumstances come together to destroy the house. A tree branch breaks a window and starts a fire, and though the house's safety features attempt to compensate, they are unable to cope with the disaster and the house burns down and collapses.

As part of the house's programming, it reads a poem in the evening for the woman of the house. Since the woman is no longer there to express a preference, the house selects what it refers to as her favorite. This is a real poem called "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Sara Teasdale. It first appeared in the July 1918 issue of Harper's Magazine.

The poem comprises the heart or message of the short story. In the poem, Teasdale writes of a war in which "mankind perished utterly" and springtime, representing nature, "would scarcely know that we were gone."

Bradbury's point is that if nuclear war decimated humankind, which was a widespread concern in 1950 when the short story was first published, nature would take over the world again. Rain would continue to fall, birds would fly and sing, and trees would bloom despite the extinction of humanity. The poem expresses this theme in a succinct manner.

The story itself is about how mankind has perished and been destroyed, but how even in its absence, the earth still functions, moves on, and barely notices that people are gone.  The poem itself, in its last lines, addresses this very issue:

"And not one will know of the war, not one/Will care at last when it is done,/Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,/If mankind perished utterly;/And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn/Would scarcely know that we were gone."

These lines basically state that if war comes and wipes mankind out, none of nature's creatures or functions would mind or know, that spring wouldn't even realize that we weren't here.  This is similar to the story.  The family is gone, but the house still functions as if the family is there.  It still has all of its programs functioning for the life of the family.  At 2:35 "bridge tables sprouted from the patio walls" for players that would not play.   At 5:00 "the bath filled with clear, hot water" for someone who was not there to bathe.  So, just as nature barely notices we are gone, so does this pre-programmed house.  So the poem ties up with that connection, that mankind really does not have an impact on nature and on the functioning of certain arenas of existence.  I hope that helps a bit; good luck!

The title of this great futuristic short story is actually an allusion to a poem bearing the same name by Sara Teasdale. This poem appears as part of the short story and is obviously intimately linked with the theme and message of what Bradbury is trying to say. Perhaps the key quote of the poem is as follows:

And not one will know of the war, not one

Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,

If mankind perished utterly...

The whole poem presents nature carrying on completely as normal without regard for the loss of mankind, which we assume, like in the story, has managed to wipe itself out. Central to the story then is an essential irony: we are presented with a house that displays such levels of technological sophistication that it really doesn't need man at all to keep on going. The scientific level of man is shown to be incredibly high. However, at the same time the absence of any human characters whatsoever forcibly reminds us that man also invented weapons capable of destroying himself. This disparity confronts us with a vital question: what is the point of all of our cleverness if we are unable to realise and accept our vulnerable position in the universe?

One of the primary themes Bradbury explores throughout the short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" concerns the dual nature of technology, which has the potential to be both convenient or destructive. In the story, Bradbury illustrates a fully automated smart home, which completes everyday functions that make life easy for the McClellan family. The smart home cooks, cleans, entertains, and reminds the McClellan family of upcoming events, making their lives easy and pampered. The computerized, futuristic home performs countless functions and even attempts to preserve itself when a fire erupts in the kitchen. The automated, self-sufficient home emphasizes the convenience of technology and represents the positives attached to innovative technological advancements.

Despite the numerous helpful, convenient aspects of technology, Bradbury also depicts the destructive nature of technology by setting the automated home in the midst of a nuclear wasteland. Similar to the smart home, the nuclear bomb is also a product and symbol of technology. However, the nuclear bomb completely eradicates civilization, leaving nothing but radioactive residue and destruction in its wake. By juxtaposing the advanced smart home in the middle of a desolate nuclear wasteland, Bradbury examines the dual nature of technology, which can be helpful or destructive. It is ultimately up to humans how they choose to utilize advanced technology, which has the potential to improve or destroy civilization.

“There Will Come Soft Rains” contains an obvious statement of its theme in the Sara Teasdale poem from which the title is taken. This theme is the complete annihilation of humankind. The two most relevant lines are

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly

The story is notable partly because it has no living human characters. The entire story is a description of an empty house and a narrative of the house’s self-destruction. The action takes place during the course of a single day in the year 2026.

Given the lack of human characters, Ray Bradbury makes considerable use of personification, endowing the inanimate objects with human qualities. Their actions also connect closely with the language of the animals in the poem by Sara Teasdale. For example, in the story’s first line, the “voice-clock sang,” and later in the poem, “frogs ... [are] singing.” Other inanimate objects also sing, as well as sigh, hum, and speak. In contrast, “The house was silent.”

Mentions of the nuclear war that killed the people include the images of their vaporized bodies and the information that only one house remains in the radioactive landscape.

The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow.

The specific mention of war comes in the poem, which the automated voice reads. The poem begins by describing the “soft rains” that come after a war, when swallows circle, frogs sing, and robins whistle, while the wild plum trees blossom. These things happen despite the reality of the war, which the animals and plants do not know or care about. The natural world would continue even if the war did kill everyone—exactly as it has done in the story.

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

This story was written at a time (1950s) when the threat of nuclear war was becoming more and more plausible. This story describes a time in the future when humans have destroyed themselves in a nuclear war. Bradbury supposes that by 2026, humans will have supremely advanced technology. With that technology, we will be able to create a fully functional, automated house. The house in the story functions as a maid, electrician, garbage disposal, entertainment center, daily reminder, etc. Nuclear technology will also be advanced. The irony is that instead of improving life, that technology has led to the nuclear weapons that has wiped out the human race. 

The significance of the setting is that it is not that far into the future. From the time the story was published (1950), it would have been just 76 years until the end of human civilization. While there are pros and cons to technological advances, Bradbury's story is a warning about the dangers involved in that technological development. 

Both works use the theme of death to emphasize the meaninglessness in human action.  In the poem, the theme of death is seen in how nature moves on, almost outside of the realm of human action.  The wars that have been waged for lofty principles and ideals have little in terms of relevance.   “If mankind perished utterly” is reflective of the poem's theme of death.  This same sense of meaninglessness is present in Bradbury's story, where human action has helped to construct the greatest in technological marvels.  Yet, it has also played a role in its own extinction and destruction.  

Both works develop themes in which human action has resulted in the vast reality of death, a condition in which individual action is reduced to a condition of absurd meaninglessness.  The element of detachment in both works help to establish this.  Bradbury and Teasdale feature conditions in which an existential reality of human destruction is a part of being in the world.  The continuation of nature in Teasdale's work and the function of Bradbury's house are elements that will continue on long after human beings are gone, helping to enhance the theme of detachment in both works. 

Whether the Sara Teasdale poem adds or takes away from the development of the central theme in "There Will Come Soft Rains" is an opinion question that has multiple answers.

Ray Bradbury’s short story was first published in 1950, yet it feels quite relevant as it foresees the rise of the “smart home.” The house is full of automated processes with machines and bots cleaning, cooking, and communicating reminders to the house’s departed occupants. Here, the central theme ties into technology. The technology humans create can function separately and continue to work once they’re gone. The Teasdale poem arguably adds to this theme because technology can preserve human art forms like poetry even when there are no people around to hear it.

It’s also possible to claim that the central theme of Bradbury’s story is destruction and war. Often, his narrative is interpreted as a stark warning about the consequences of nuclear weapons. One can argue that Teasdale's poem adds to the anti-war theme since her poem addresses how war can bring destruction and annihilation to “mankind.”

Conversely, one can contend that Teasdale's poem detracts from the anti-war theme because it makes the theme too explicit. Bradbury includes all of “There Will Come Soft Rains.” It’s possible to say that the story would have been stronger if Bradbury had only alluded to Teasdale’s poem and not featured the entire text. Perhaps the poem made the theme heavy-handed and less impactful.