ST. LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL
A JESUIT CHRISTIAN MINORITY INSTITUTION
CLASS - IX
ENGLISH TEXT STUDY MATERIAL
TOPICS: ALL SUMMER IN A DAY DATE:06.05.2020
All Summer in a Day
Author
Ray Bradbury was an American fantasy and horror author who rejected being categorized
as a science fiction author, claiming that his work was based on the fantastical and unreal.
His best known novel is Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian study of future American society in
which critical thought is outlawed. He is also remembered for several other popular works,
including The Martian Chronicles and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury won the
Pulitzer in 2007, and is one of the most celebrated authors of the 21st century. He died in
Los Angeles on June 5, 2012, at the age of 91.
Plot Summary
In ‘All Summer in a Day’, a group of school children live on planet Venus with their families,
or in the author’s words, a group of rocket men and women who has gone to Venus to set
up civilization. The children, mostly around 9 years old, are waiting eagerly for a special
occasion; for the sun to come out. It has been raining continuously 7 years in Venus. The sun
would come out for a short period of time on that particular day, after that it’s 7 more years
of continuous rain. One can imagine how overwhelmed and excited the kids must be feeling.
The children in the schoolroom chattered and presses on to each other. They peered out of
the window to look at the hidden sun. The sun had been out before once when the kids
were just two years old so they don’t remember anything except a warmth like a blush on
the face and something similar to a study lamp’s light. In other words, they literally don’t
remember anything about it.
All day yesterday they learnt about the sun that it was like a lemon and very hot. They had
written small stories, essays or poems about it.
The rain finally stopped. There were no motions or tremor but peace. The children put their
hands on their ears to feel the sound of the silence as the silence was immense.The children
stood apart. The door slid back. And the sun came out in all its glory. The sun was the colour
of flaming bronze and very large. The sky was blazing blue. The jungle burned with sunlight.
The kids run out into the lawn and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
