Study Guide for Bradbury's a Sound of Thunder Answers
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Study guide for bradbury's a sound of thunder answers Continue Summary in Bradbury Sound of Thunder, a hunter named Eckels pays $10,000 to travel with Time Safari, a time machine company that takes hunters back to the time of the dinosaurs and allows them to hunt Tyrannosaurus rex. The company does not guarantee anything - neither your safety nor your return, and there are strict instructions and expectations of how hunters should behave as soon as they travel in time. Eckels and two other hunters, Billings and Kramer, must obey their guide, Travis, at all times. Before leaving, Ekels looks through this information with a man at the table, and they both engage in a small conversation. Everyone is happy because President Keith has just been elected, and many saw time travel as a way to avoid the present day was Deutscher, another candidate and potential dictator, won. When they traveled sixty million two thousand fifty-five years ago in time, Eckels is incredibly excited about the idea of conquering the beast of Tyrannosaurus rex. He observes, My God, every hunter who has ever lived will be jealous of us today. This makes Africa look like Illinois (3). Before they get out of the time machine, Travis points out the path laid by Time Safari. It floats six inches about the ground and is the only way that hunters have to travel. They don't touch anything during their stay in the past and they only shoot when the guide and his assistant instruct them to shoot. When Eckels asks about this particular rule, he is struck by the seriousness of Travis' reaction. Travis insists that interrupting any of the natural processes in the past can have irreparable consequences for the future. He paints an example of killing one mouse and formulates potential tremors: Step on a mouse and you leave your mark, like the Grand Canyon, through Eternity. queen Elizabeth may never be born, Washington can't cross Delaware, there can never be the United States at all (4). Stepping on the mouse has a much wider reach than Eckels originally thought. Together, the five go on a journey to find their prey. Tyrannosaurus rex was carefully scouted by Travis during a previous trip back in time, where he waited for one of the dinosaurs to die naturally, and then settled the next hunting trip accordingly. In the case of this particular monster, the tree limb was going to fall and kill it. Travis and Time Safari are very careful with getting out of the past just as it should have unfolded. When they reach the clearing where the Tyrannosaurus rex is due to appear, Ekels begins to have a second thought, and he becomes more scared as the dinosaur comes into view. Eckels describes the encounter as the sound of thunder. Eckels is paralyzed by fear, and Travis yells at him, telling him to go back to the time machine and wait for the others. Because Eckels had to shoot. now he has endangered the lives of the rest of the group, and Travis is furious with him. Astonished and confused, Eckels stumbles over the path of Time Safari and into the jungle, the grass going off to his feet. Meanwhile, the rifle cracked furiously as others tried to take down the giant beast. Like a stone idol, like a mountain avalanche, Tyrannosaurus fell (7). Burned with blood, the rest return to the time machine, where they find Eckels shivering on the floor. He managed to find his way back to the time machine. They all hear a crackle - a tree branch has now fallen on a dinosaur, as has been seen. After seeing Eckels, Travis says he can't go back to the future - he sees dirt on his boots and knows he's gone out of his way. They have no idea what damage Ekels has caused to future generations and species. Travis softens a bit, though, and allows Eckels to return to the future as long as he removes the bullets from the monster's skull. Eckels returns, soaked in blood, and loses blood immediately after the bullets return to Travis. Travis is still outraged and threatens to kill Eckels, but eventually they clean up and begin to return to the present day. When they get out of the time machine, Travis anxiously registers with the person at the table to see if everything is ok, and the person tells him that it is. The man, however, behaves a little differently than when they went on safari, and Ekels notices a strange smell in the air. He's weak, but he's something else. He looks around, trying to understand what has changed. The immediate thing he noticed had changed was the sign on the wall. The words were written in different ways, and Eckels begins to panic, seeing firsthand the consequences of his walking out of the way. He sits down and examines himself, especially the bottoms of his shoes. Built in mud, shiny green and gold and black, was a butterfly, very beautiful and very dead. Panicked, he asks the man at the table who won the election the other day, and the man replies: Are you kidding? You know damn well. Deutscher, of course! Who else? (11.) The death of a butterfly has changed - another man has won the presidency of the United States, and people believe he will be a dictator. Eckels screams in disbelief, begging to go back in time and somehow undo what he did. He sits down with his eyes closed and feels Travis enter the room; Travis breathes loudly and removes the protection from the rifle. Suddenly, all Ekels hears the sound of thunder, and he's dead. Analysis in The Sound of Thunder, Bradbury offers a poignant and effective interpretation of the dangers of time travel and the possible effects of ripples, emphasizing our interconnectedness with each other. He also explores the links between past, present and future, and he does through vivid descriptions and thrilling storytelling. Bradbury's prolific ability to paint a vivid picture shines in his description of Tyrannosaurus Rex, the prey that hunters came to kill. Metaphors fill his descriptions. Dinosaur has watchmaker claws, foot pistons and steel thighs (6). He ran like a ballerina, but loomed like an evil god. As effective as metaphors are in themselves, they are even more powerful when matched with each other, as well as more realistic dinosaur descriptors. Despite the fact that the reader has never seen a living Tyrannosaurus Rex, Bradbury's descriptions make it appear that the dinosaur is standing right in front of you. The most powerful part of Bradbury's story is its articulation of the relationship between the past, the present and the future. Travis's tirade at the beginning of the story outlines the possible ripple effect that one ill-fated step can have for the future. Unfortunately, Eckels and the rest of the group realize that it is really possible when they return after the trip. The death of one butterfly dramatically changed the world they once knew. The language developed in a different way, and important presidential elections were decided differently. This is strong advice to consider how your actions today might affect the future. These ties are delicate and weak, further underscored by the fact that the little butterfly had such a huge impact on the world. Even if we are aware of the potential effects of ripples, we cannot consider the fact that a small decision can make a big impact. It's both precautionary and empowering. While the potential for failure exists, the potential to make a positive difference is also present and real. Bradbury's story is also an exciting story of an environmentalist. Not only are different periods of time connected, but all living things are also part of an interconnected world. Its history helps us to see the importance of protecting the natural environment, which is an important issue in today's world. Welcome to The LitCharts' guide to Ray Bradbury's Thunder Sound. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literary guides. Bradbury spent his childhood in Waokegan, Illinois, with his parents Leonard and Esther before the family moved to Los Angeles, California in 1934. An insatiable reader, Bradbury decided to become a writer at the age of about 12. After graduating from high school, however, Bradbury could not afford to attend college and instead received an education by reading in the public library. He made a living selling newspapers when he worked on his writing, finally selling his first Pendulum story in 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War II. Bradbury was not called up because of his poor eyesight and managed to become a staff writer during the war. He his first storybook, The Dark Carnival, in 1947. In the same year he married Marguerite Maggie McClure, with whom he will have four daughters. Bradbury published his most famous work, Fahrenheit 451, in 1953. The book, which was incredibly well received, spoke of the age's fears about censorship and conformity. Bradbury has also written numerous screenplays and television adaptations of books, including his own works. During his long career he has received many literary awards. Bradbury reportedly wrote daily throughout his life, allowing him to publish more than 30 books and more than 600 short stories. He died at the age of 91, leaving behind daughters and several grandchildren. The Sound of Thunder was written shortly after World War II and during the Cold War, which is reflected in Bradbury's concern for authoritarian rule.