2. Explain what George and Lydia see in their first visit to the playroom; be specific. Why does it make him laugh when she almost cries? Give quotes as evidence. Answer: They see the savannah when they first visit they playroom, but they sense that something is amiss. Lions approach them and lunge for them. George was laughing presumably about how he was scared of a screen. "Walls, Lydia, remember; crystal walls, that's all they are. Oh, they look real, I must admit - Africa in your parlor - but it's all dimensional, super reactionary, supersensitive color film and mental tape film behind glass screens. It's all odorophonics and sonics, Lydia. Here's my handkerchief." Lydia was crying because she was scared and the lions seemed all too real to her. "I'm afraid." She came to him and put her body against him and cried steadily. "Did you see? Did you feel? It's too real."
3. Why is Lydia unhappy in her home? Contrast this with the way George seems to feel. Give quotes as evidence. Answer: Lydia is unhappy because she feels like she isn't providing for her family in the roles of wife and mother. George likes the advanced technology because it makes their lives so much easier. That's just it. I feel like I don't belong here. The house is wife and mother now, and nursemaid. Can I compete with an African veldt? Can I give a bath and scrub the children as efficiently or quickly as the automatic scrub bath can? I cannot. And it isn't just me. It's you. You've been awfully nervous lately." "But I thought that's why we bought this house, so we wouldn't have to do anything?"
4. What did the kids used to create in the playroom? Give quotes as evidence. Why is it so important to the adults that the room has not changed lately? Answer: The kids created a volatile, violent African savannah with their own thoughts and desires. It was so important to the adults that it hadn't changed because that meant that the children had not stopped thinking their volatile thoughts. "And it was clearly indicated that the children had been spending a little too much time on Africa. That sun. He could feel it on his neck, still, like a hot paw. And the lions. And the smell of blood. Remarkable how the nursery caught the telepathic emanations of the children's minds and created life to fill their every desire. The children thought lions, and there were lions. The children thought zebras, and there were zebras. Sun - sun. Giraffes - giraffes. Death and death"
5. Describe and explain the conversation George and Lydia have with their children. Give quotes as evidence. Answer: George and Lydia talk to their children about spending too much time absorbed in technology. "I thought we were free to play as we wished." "You are, within reasonable bounds." "What's wrong with Africa, Father?" "Oh, so now you admit you have been conjuring up Africa, do you?" "I wouldn't want the nursery locked up," said Peter coldly. "Ever." "Matter of fact, we're thinking of turning the whole house off for about a month. Live sort of a carefree one-for-all existence." "That sounds dreadful! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the shoe tier do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?"
6. Did Wendy change the room? Give quotes as evidence. Answer: Yes, Wendy changed the room. She did this presumably to keep her parents from finding out about Africa. In the middle of the night he was still awake and he knew his wife was awake. "Do you think Wendy changed it?" she said at last, in the dark room. "Of course." "Made it from a veldt into a forest and put Rima there instead of lions?" "Yes." "Why?" "I don't know. But it's staying locked until I find out." Later the brother admits to knowing about Africa.
7. Describe and explain Peter’s conversation with George. Give quotes as evidence. Answer: Peter's conversation with George is highly disrespectful. Peter is kind of a spoiled brat and all he cares about is the technology that has consumed his life. "Matter of fact, we're thinking of turning the whole house off for about a month. Live sort of a carefree one-for-all existence." "That sounds dreadful! Would I have to tie my own shoes instead of letting the shoe tier do it? And brush my own teeth and comb my hair and give myself a bath?"
8. How much control do these parents have over their children? Give quotes as evidence. Is this a good or a bad thing? Answer: These parents have absolutely no control over their children. They basically let them do whatever they want and let their children walk all over them in the process. "We've given the children everything they ever wanted. Is this our reward-secrecy, disobedience?" "Who was it said, 'Children are carpets, they should be stepped on occasionally'? We've never lifted a hand. They're insufferable - let's admit it. They come and go when they like; they treat us as if we were offspring. They're spoiled and we're spoiled."
9. Maclean explains what’s wrong and gives advice. Summarize and give your own opinion of his ideas. Give quotes as evidence. Answer: Obviously his instincts are spot on. He senses that something is wrong with the room and that it has become very unbalanced. He then says that this is a reflection on the kids, because they control the room, and then he recommends they shut off the house, send their kids to therapy, and try to live as normal people without relying so much on technology for everyday life. I think that is a wise assessment, and the parents were smart to follow his advice, at least for a while. "Everything. Where before they had a Santa Claus now they have a Scrooge. Children prefer Santas. You've let this room and this house replace you and your wife in your children's affections. This room is their mother and father, far more important in their lives than their real parents. And now you come along and want to shut it off. No wonder there's hatred here. You can feel it coming out of the sky. Feel that sun. George, you'll have to change your life. Like too many others, you've built it around creature comforts. Why, you'd starve tomorrow if something went wrong in your kitchen. You wouldn't know bow to tap an egg. Nevertheless, turn everything off. Start new. It'll take time. But we'll make good children out of bad in a year, wait and see."
10. How do his family members react when George shuts off the playroom? Give quotes as evidence. Answer: The children go completely crazy, with almost withdrawal-like symptoms. Lydia feels bad for her children and begs George to turn the power back on for at least a few minutes. "The two children were in hysterics. They screamed and pranced and threw things. They yelled and sobbed and swore and jumped at the furniture." "George," said Lydia Hadley, "turn on the nursery, just for a few moments. You can't be so abrupt."
11. Does George regret his decision to turn off the playroom? Give quotes as evidence. Answer: I don't think that he regrets his decision per se. I believe that he thinks that shutting off the playroom is in the best interest of his children, but when they pitch a huge fit, he gets more or less fed up with them and agrees to turn the playroom back on for a minute or two. "Wendy was still crying and Peter joined her again. "Just a moment, just one moment, just another
moment of nursery," they wailed. "Oh, George," said the wife, "it can't hurt." "All right - all right, if they'll just shut up. One minute, mind you, and then off forever."
12. Why do George and Lydia go back in the playroom? Why can’t they get out? What do they realize? Give quotes as evidence. Answer: George and Lydia go back into the playroom to check on their children. They can't get out because their children have locked them in from the outside. They realize that the lions are going to eat them. "Open the door!" cried George Hadley, trying the knob. "Why, they've locked it from the outside! Peter!" He beat at the door. "Open up!" The lions on three sides of them, in the yellow veldt grass, padding through the dry straw, rumbling and roaring in their throats. The lions. Mr. Hadley looked at his wife and they turned and looked back at the beasts edging slowly forward crouching, tails stiff.
13. What happened to George and Lydia in the room? How is this possible? Answer: George and Lydia were killed by lions. I think that this is possible because the room creates whatever the children desire. The children must have wanted their parents dead for it to come to fruition in reality.
14. When Maclean comes back, what does he find? How are Peter and Wendy different? Why? Give quotes as evidence. Answer: Maclean comes back to find the children sitting in the playroom just enjoying themselves, with absolutely no remorse after what they have just done to their parents. They are different in that they are now completely psycho killers. They have a completely calm exterior. "The children looked up and smiled. "Oh, they'll be here directly." "A cup of tea?" asked Wendy in the silence."
15. What do you think happens next? Answer: I think that Maclean realizes what has happened to the parents and has the children committed to mental institutions for the rest of their lives, or maybe that is just what I would have done.
16. The story ends in violence and death. Would you call it an accident, or murder? Who is most responsible for what happened? Who is innocent? How could this ending have been avoided? Answer: I would definitely call it murder. At age 10, the children are beyond the age of reason and they should know that killing people is not okay. All this being said, I think that the parents are the most responsible because they did such a horrible job of raising their children, and allowed them to be so obsessed with technology that they went crazy. However, I don't believe that the children are completely innocent either. I think the ending could have been avoided if the parents actually took some time to raise their kids properly.
17. Authors often put their own ideas in the voice of a character. Which character speaks for Ray Bradbury? Why do you say that? Explain the message of this story: what was Bradbury trying to say? Is the play a warning? Answer: I think that the character of Maclean speaks for Bradbury, because Maclean is the voice of reason in the story. I think the message of this story is to not get so caught up in social media that you neglect human contact and responsibility. I think this play is a warning because it gives you an insight into an extreme scenario of what could happen if the world centered around technology.
18. Is “The Veldt” still applicable today? Answer: I think "The Veldt" is possibly even more applicable today. The world is beginning to delve headfirst into the world of technology. The younger generations especially are becoming wrapped up in social media and the Internet and are often too busy looking at their phones to actually interact with others. Teenagers are becoming glued to their phones, and I am guilty of this also. I have also seen a couple at a restaurant that were so engrossed in their phones that they didn't talk to each other almost the whole time. Albert Einstein said "I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." I think that this story offers somewhat of a wake up call to a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology.