“February 1999: Ylla”

“August 1999: The Summer Night”

“August 1999: The Earth Men March 2000: The Taxpayer”

“April 2000: The Third Expedition”

Meeting 2 Date: 1/19/24
Chapters:

“June 2001: —and the Moon Be Still as Bright”

“August 2001: The Settlers”

“December 2001: The Green Morning”

“February 2002: The Locusts”

Meeting 3 Date: 1/30/24
Chapters:

“August 2002: Night Meeting”

“October 2002: The Shore”

“February 2003: Interim”

“April 2003: The Musicians”

Meeting 4 Date: 2/7/24
Chapters:

“June 2003: Way in the Middle of the Air”

“2004-2005: The Naming of Names”

“April 2005: Usher II”

“August 2005: The Old Ones”

Meeting 5 Date: 2/16/24 (NO MEETING, VIRTUAL DAY)

Meeting 6 Date: 3/4/24
Chapters: 

“September 2005: The Martian”

“November 2005: The Luggage Store”

“November 2005: The Off Season”
“November 2005: The Watchers”

Meeting 7 Date: 3/12/24
Chapters:

“December 2005: The Silent Towns”

“April 2026: The Long Years”

“August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”
“October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic”

“August 2001: The Settlers”

“December 2001: The Green Morning”

“February 2002: The Locusts”

Members Present: Danny, Dante, Paul

Discussion Highlights:

"June 2001: And the Moon Be Still as Bright":

- Main theme: In this chapter Danny noticed that the main theme was the arrival of the fourth expedition to Mars and their encounter with the Martian atmosphere.

- Important actions: Some important things that happened in this chapter was the expedition landed on a cold Martian night. The auxiliary rocket crew reported that the Martian atmosphere is too thin for human survival.
 
- New characters: As a group we noticed that some of the new characters in this chapter consist of Captain Wilder, Hathaway, and Sam Parkhill.

- Roles of characters: Danny noted that the role of Captain Wilder is the leader of the expedition. Dante noted that Hathaway and Parkhill’s roles are to be a part of the crew within the expedition. 

"August 2001: The Settlers":

- Main theme: Danny and Paul both noted that the main theme of this chapter was the arrival of the first settlers from Earth and their initial experiences on Mars.

- Important actions: Some important actions in this chapter is the settlers begin to build houses and towns on Mars. Dante noted that the settlers seem to be experiencing loneliness due to the fact that only small number of settlers have settled so far.

- New characters: Paul noted that Benjamin Driscoll is a new character in this chapter. 

- Roles of characters: Danny indicated that the role Benjamin Driscoll is to show the affect of a settler in a foreign land. In this chapter we see Driscoll plant thousands of trees on Mars to improve the oxygen levels.

- Personal connections: Paul and Danny made a connection of the themes in this chapter to that of the United States in Latin America in the early 1900’s as the United States took full imperial control of many Latin American nations.

"December 2001: The Green Morning"

- Main theme: Dante noted that this chapter of the novel carried a similar theme from the last chapter when Benjamin Driscoll made it his mission to plant trees on Mars.

- Important actions: As a group we noted that an important event in this chapter was when Benjamin Driscoll fainted due to the thin Martian atmosphere but is revived. He is told that he might have to return to Earth.

- New characters: There were no new characters introduced in this chapter of the novel.

- Roles of characters: Danny noted that Benjamin Driscoll has continued to become a symbol of human resilience and adaptation to new environments.


"February 2002: The Locusts"

- Main theme: As a group we identified that the main theme of this chapter was the arrival of a large number of new settlers from Earth as well as the transformation of Mars by these new settlers from Earth.

- Important actions: Within this chapter, Paul noted that something important was when the new settlers swarmed onto Mars and begin building houses and towns.

- New characters: We noted that a new character to this chapter was Tomás Gómez.

- Roles of characters: Dante noted that in this chapter when Tomás Gómez has a brief conversation with an attendant about the qualities of living on Mars, it truly reflected his qualities as well as the inherent human notion to take over.

- In this chapter we finally see a theme that has been strung along in every chapter. That theme is the rapid colonization of Mars and the human desire for familiarity and community in a new environment.

“October 2002: The Shore”
“February 2003: Interim”

“April 2003: The Musicians”

Members Present: Danny and Dante

Discussion Highlights:


“August 2002: Night Meeting”

- Dante talked about how in this chapter a man on his way to a party is caught in a time distortion and speaks with a Martian from the time of their ascendancy in “The Night Meeting.”

“October 2002: The Shore”

- Danny talked about this chapter and he explained that in the chapter one of the new characters, Nathaniel York, finds himself on Mars with a group of other colonists. They are all excited about their new home, but Nathaniel feels out of place. He has a strange dream of a Martian woman who speaks his name.

“April 2003: The Musicians”

- Dante spoke about this chapter and when the Martian warrior Tom revealed his true form. Dante goes on to recount when Tom began to play a haunting tune on a flute made of bone. The colonists were impressed by the music that Tom had been playing. Dante brings up the new plot line where the Martians are now using music to summon their ancestors' spirits and bring about their revenge on the Earth people.

“2004-2005: The Naming of Names”

“April 2005: Usher II”

“August 2005: The Old Ones”

Members Present: Danny and Dante

Discussion Highlights:


“June 2003: Way in the Middle of the Air”

- In this chapter, Danny highlighted that a Southern hardware proprietor, is upset all the black people in town are planning on leaving to Mars in a rocket. The Southern proprietor tries to convince them to stay, but they are determined to escape the oppression they have endured for so long.

“2004-2005: The Naming of Names”

- Danny recounted this chapter and talked about when the Martian archaeologist found an ancient human skeleton and became obsessed with learning the dead man's name. 

“April 2005: Usher II”

- Dante explained how this chapter was a humorous and somewhat satirical story about a man named William Stendahl who built a replica of the House of Usher in the hopes of impressing a famous author. Things go wrong when the author arrives and finds the house filled with strange and unsettling decor. Dante thought that this chapter seemed out of place in the book but Danny reassured him that it made sense and it was just a part of Bradbury’s unique writing style.

“August 2005: The Old Ones”

- Dante explained how in this chapter, the tourists who have colonized Mars begin to realize that the Martian civilization they thought they had destroyed was not as completely extinct as they believed. They started to see ancient Martian structures appearing and heard creepy Martian music playing in the distance. Danny and Dante make the connection of a plot line that had happened in a previous chapter the meeting before and now it is coming to fruition when the Martian people are using music to summon their ancestors' spirits and bring about their revenge on the colonists.

“February 1999: Ylla”

“August 1999: The Summer Night”

“August 1999: The Earth Men March 2000: The Taxpayer”

“April 2000: The Third Expedition”

Members Present: Danny, Dante, Paul

Discussion Highlights:

- In the first chapter, "Rocket Summer (January 1999)”, we discussed the rocket that launched from Ohio to create a summer's day on Mars. Danny notes that this marked the start of human exploration and colonization.
- We then discussed the second chapter of this session, "Ylla (February 1999)”, when the Martian woman Ylla begins to dream of an Earth man, Nathaniel York. Paul highlighted the theme of human loneliness and the impact of human presence on Martian society in this section. We as a group were impressed with Paul’s observation of theme and collectively made note of this.

- The third chapter of this session was "The Summer Night" (August 1999):” when the Martian women dream of Earth tunes and humans. This led to mass hysteria as their telepathic inhabitants sense the incoming human consciousnesses. Dante noted the same themes that were previously present in this chapter. 

- The fourth chapter in this session was "The Earth Men (August 1999)” when the Earth men land on Mars and finally intertwine with Martian customs and behaviors which evidently lead to confusion and discomfort. In this chapter Danny started to more distinctly notice the theme of the human need to colonize and change everything that once was. 

- The fifth chapter of this session was "The Taxpayer" (March 2000)” where one of the characters Ohioan Pritchard tries to board the Third Expedition's rocket, ultimately asserting his right as a taxpayer. As a group when discussing this chapter, we all noticed qualities of Ohioan Pritchard such as entitlement and escape.

- In the final chapter of this session, "The Third Expedition" (April 2000)”, The Third Expedition lands on Mars and finds a town straight out of Earth's 1920s. When discussing this chapter we related it to America’s imperial role in the late 19th century and early 20th century. We believe that Bradbury is possibly making a nod to the imperialistic characteristics of America as well as providing a satirical approach. 

“November 2005: The Luggage Store”

“November 2005: The Off Season”
“November 2005: The Watchers”

Members Present: Danny, Dante, Paul

Discussion Highlights:


“September 2005: The Martian”

- Paul talked about how in this chapter the character Samuel Teece tried to convince the black residents of his town in the American South to abandon their plans to escape to Mars in a rocket. Paul made the observation that Teece is deeply invested in preserving normalcy and fears that his power would be taken away by the Martians. 

“November 2005: The Luggage Store”

- Dante talks about the story of the proprietor who runs a luggage store on Mars. When news broke out about a war with Earth he realizes that more people would want o by his products. Dante tells Danny and Paul how this guy stocked up on supplies and prepared for the rush of customers who will be returning to Earth. Danny noted that within this chapter Bradbury explores themes of anticipation, preparation, and the unpredictability of human migration patterns.

“November 2005: The Off Season”

- Danny talks about one of the main characters of this chapter which is Sam Parkhill. Danny says that Sam was a man from the fourth expedition to Mars and he had opened a hot dog stand with his wife Elma on Mars. In this chapter Sam and Elma are stopped when a bunch of Martian sand ships approached as well as the Martian army. Sam and Elma escape and leave their hot dog stand behind. Danny noticed that this chapter had reoccurring themes of unexpected dangers and challenges for human settlers on Mars. 

“November 2005: The Watchers”

- Paul explains that this chapter takes place in the aftermath of a nuclear war on Earth. The human settlers on Mars are scared nd shocked when the Martians burn Earth into flames. The human settlers now have no place to live. The settlers are distraught and filled with grief as the loss of they no longer have a home. Paul noted that this chapter displayed themes of loss, isolation, and the tragic consequences of war.

“April 2026: The Long Years”

“August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains”
“October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic”

Members Present: Danny, Dante, Paul

Discussion Highlights:

“December 2005: The Silent Towns”

- Danny tells Paul and Dante about the main character of this chapter, Walter Gripp, who is the last man on Mars. This character reflects on his loneliness and his longing/wish for companionship. Eventually a few more people show up. These people are Michelle Burke and Captain Wilder, the only other survivors of the nuclear war that destroyed Earth.At the end of the chapter Gripp, Burke, and Wilder leave Mars together, marking the end of human presence on the planet.

“April 2026: The Long Years”

- Paul explains how in this chapter Dr. Hathaway talks about his time alone on Mars. Dr. Hathaway tells the story about the Fourth Expedition and the isolation of the humans who remained on the planet after the rest of humanity abandoned it.
Paul tells us at the end of the chapter, Hathaway is unsure about whether he will live and the legacy he will leave on Mars.

"August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains“

- Dante tells us how in this chapter a random sentient house on Mars is still up and running despite the fact that the human occupants have abandoned the planet. At the end of the chapter, the house slowly begins to collapse and then the house explodes. Paul thought it was really weird how the house continued to operate despite the fact that there were no humans.

“October 2026: The Million-Year Picnic”

- Danny finally tells Paul and Dante about the final chapter in this book. Danny explains the family that was from Earth went on a fishing trip to Mars and they thought they were going to stay for a short vacation. When they finally got to Mars this family’s rocket had malfunctioned and exploded. Danny says how the family was now stuck on Mars forever. The story ends as the family struggles to adapt to their new life on Mars knowing they will never go home again. As a group we all thought this was a great end to the book because it shows how the tables are turned and how this family now has to live with their consequences forever.