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The Fun They Had
Setting the Future: The story is set in the year 2157, a time when education is entirely digitized and traditional schools and printed books no longer exist.
The Discovery of a "Real" Book: Thirteen-year-old Tommy finds an old, physical book in his attic. For Margie, who is eleven, this is a shocking discovery because she has only ever read "telebooks" on screens.
Contrast in Technology: The children find the paper book strange because the words remain still instead of moving across a screen, and the pages are yellow and crinkly. Tommy considers physical books a "waste" because they can't be updated or reused like their television screens, which hold millions of books.
Margie’s Schooling Experience: Margie hates her school, which is just a room next to her bedroom. She is taught by a mechanical teacher—a large, black, and "ugly" robotic machine that delivers lessons and demands homework through a specific punch code.
The County Inspector's Visit: After Margie struggles with geography tests, a County Inspector is called to repair her mechanical teacher. He discovers the geography sector was "geared a little too quick" for an eleven-year-old and slows it down to an average ten-year level.
Learning About the Past: Tommy explains to a skeptical Margie that "centuries ago," schools were special buildings where children from the neighborhood went to learn together. Most surprisingly to Margie, the teachers were human beings rather than machines.
Social Learning: Tommy describes how all kids of the same age learned the same things together, allowing them to discuss their lessons and help one another with homework—a concept entirely foreign to Margie’s isolated education.
The Longing for Connection: While Margie is forced to attend her arithmetic lesson on proper fractions, her mind wanders. She ignores the flashing screen of her mechanical teacher to dream about the old days.
Final Reflection: The story concludes with Margie wistfully thinking about the children of the past and "the fun they had," highlighting the emotional and social void left by her sterile, automated future.
Summary of "The Fun They Had" by Isaac Asimov
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