The Machine Stops Analysis

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Pages: 4

“Technology is the use of science in industry, engineering, etc., to invent useful things or to solve problems,” according to Merriam Webster ("Technology"). Sadly, technology is being used as a crutch and not a problem solver. Society is becoming more dependent on technology than ever before. As a result, people are losing their grip on their lives and not even realizing it. Complacency has always been a problem, and with technology constantly advancing, it will only become worse. While the society described in “The Machine Stops” and the society today can be compared through a discussion of the technology available to each – communication, entertainment, daily life, and transportation, both societies share the prospective threat of technology …show more content…
A first example would be food delivery. For instance, the inhabitants in “The Machine Stops” are able to receive food instantly just by pressing a button. However, the inhabitants have no choice in what food they would receive. The Machine will decide for them. Certainly, this is very different from today’s society. Yes, people have the availability to order food, but they have a say so in what they are receiving. Another difference would be the button itself. In “The Machine Stops,” the inhabitants are able to push a button for their lights to turn on, their bed to fold out, and basically their whole life to function. Similarly, this is very close to how today’s society works. People today can essentially live out their lives from one room, just like the inhabitants did in “The Machine Stops.” Everything that is needed to sustain life comfortably could be reached by a button. Furthermore, only showing how societies in the past and societies today continue live out their lives through technology, and not actually …show more content…
In “The Machine Stops,” an air-ship is one of two forms of transportation available to the inhabitants. This air ship is worn down, outdated, and obviously slow. According to “The Machine Stops,” the air-ship barely takes two days to fly between me and you. ("Forster) Certainly, this shows just how slow and outdated the air-ship really is. This air-ship is very different from today’s air-craft. Today’s aircraft is a lot more advanced; not being able to travel to place in two days or less by air craft is very unheard of. In addition to the air-ship an underground train is also available, but it is not any better. Just like the air-ship, the underground train is slow and outdated, once again, very different from the trains in today’s society. The trains today are very fast and very popular. In “The Machine Stops,” transportation is looked down upon. This is certainty very different from today’s world. Today, travel is basic occurrence in people’s lives. Another difference in transportation would be the available options. In “The Machine Stops,” there are only two options as stated before. Today, there are several different options, such as car, aircraft, train, and boat. These many options can lead people to become highly dependable on always having open access to them. Imagine if one of these options were to just