my pedestrian essay

(First: the title of this post is an homage to Leonard Mead.  If you have any idea what I mean, or if you have questions about the words "homage" or "pedestrian" that will help you understand what I mean, please comment to this post.  Yes, I will shower you with laurels and extra credit.)

Today I'm writing the essay along with you.

Here is the first installment, which I wrote just before 2nd period.  I will add paragraphs throughout the day and finish no later than the end of 6th period.  We will discuss in class.  Please feel free to use the ideas you read and discuss to improve your essay.
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Every day it happens.  Every day I walk on campus, and every day I say hello to someone, and every day they stare straight ahead into the distance like I don’t even exist.  That’s when I notice the little white pieces of plastic stuck in their ears, and I realize that, even though we’re standing right next to each other, we’re on opposite shores of a technology ocean.  They’re listening to music, or staring at some stupid video on Instagram, or scrolling through endless messages searching for a sign of love or friendship or just maybe something that will help them forget that if they don’t hurry up some teacher will count them tardy.

It wasn’t always this way.  Phones and screens didn’t always dominate or make us feel alone even in the middle of a crowd.  People were more important.  The simple pleasures of life were more important. 

Ray Bradbury knew this and he worried about what might happen if tools and toys continued to isolate it.  He didn’t live to see the rise of the smart phone, but he did see people isolate themselves in metal boxes (cars) instead of taking buses, trains, or subways together, and he saw how people retreated from their own neighborhoods to shelter in the dark in front of their televisions.

Bradbury didn’t want that life.  He didn’t drive.  In the evenings, he walked the streets near his house.  That’s a healthy thing—pick up any magazine that emphasizes self-improvement, or sports, or creativity, or business success, and you’re likely to find an article about how taking a walk can help you physically, mentally, and even spiritually.  The only thing weird about walking is the fact that so many of us don’t do it when we don’t have somewhere to go.

But our communities are no longer built for walking.  Everything is so spread out, and the connecting tissues aren’t sidewalks but streets wide enough to make you feel lucky to get to the other side without getting killed on the way.  Traffic deaths are down, but bicyclist and pedestrian deaths are up.  I used to ride hundreds of miles on my road bike every month, and it’s been in the garage for years because I’m terrified of drivers who are distracted by their screens in their speeding metal boxes.

Some people wonder why anyone would go for a walk.  One night, when Bradbury was enjoying an evening stroll, the police rolled up and asked him what he was doing.  Bradbury said, “I’m putting one foot in front of the other.”  The officer didn’t like that reply and the conversation became intense.

It can be intimidating to face a person in authority who confronts us, especially when we feel like we’re right we are powerless to call out the injustice.  I imagine that Bradbury felt afraid, frustrated, and angry.  When he got home, I picture him shaking with rage as the numbness wore off and the adrenaline kicked in.

That’s when he sat down and wrote “The Pedestrian.”

When you read “The Pedestrian” you come away with a lot of ideas.  This is a major accomplishment, because the plot itself couldn’t be simpler: a guy goes for a walk and gets questioned by a police car, which arrests him and drives off.  If you’re taking an English class I suppose you could analyze this in terms of exposition (8:00 P.M. a cold November evening in 

2053 A.D.), the inciting incident (the car turns a corner and shines a light on Leonard Mead), rising action (the interrogation), climax (he gets arrested), and falling action (the car drives off, past Leonard’s house), and resolution (there isn’t one).

The thing is, Bradbury weaves his themes of humanity, technology, and authority with a vivid description of setting and dialogue that creates sympathy for the protagonist and a sense of tone throughout the story.

[I STOPPED HERE TO TEACH SECOND PERIOD.]