The Fun They Had, Isaack Asimov

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Essay How will technology evolve in the future? Will it become such a necessity to us, that we can't live without? A lot of people today couldn't imagine their lives without their laptop or Smartphone. We've become addicted to the Internet, and taking our work with us home. Checking our e-mail every 10 minutes. A new notification from Facebook? Got to check it out! But what happens when technology takes over every aspect of our lives? In such a degree that we become isolated from any social gathering? Isaac Asimov tries to predict how the technology will affect our society with his short story. "The fun they had" is a science-fiction short story written in 1951 by Isaac Asimov. The story takes place in the future, May the 17th, 2155, in what appears to be the main character Margie's home, as well as school. The story starts in medias res, where Margie and Tommy finds a real book, as opposed to their television screens. The old book is about how the educational system was centuries ago, before technology replaced real teachers. When Margie hears about it, she gets a sudden longing for the feeling of unity that these kids must've had, being together, and helping each other. She thinks about how happy they must've been. Margie would clearly prefer the old schools and teaching method as described in the book. She hates school, and is a bit behind. As the story unfolds, Margie's view on what a good school system is, changes significantly. In the beginning of the story, she is a bit suspicious of the yet unknown school system, ("I wouldn't want a strange man in my house to teach me." ), but slowly she grows fond of the idea of a school with teachers and students, as seen in the following example: "If you don't like it, you don't have to read the book." "I didn't say I didn't like it," Margie said quickly. She is a curious girl, who seems a bit naïve, and sensitive

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