by Ray Bradbury

A Sound of Thunder�Meet the Writer

Most noted for his short stories, Ray Bradbury has also written novels, children’s books, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and poetry. His vivid imagination, lively style, and social commentary have set him apart in the world of fantasy and science-fiction writers.

Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois, in 1920. His family moved to Los Angeles in 1934. He became interested in books and writing early in life.

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury

• Bradbury’s work is full of childhood imaginings, fantasies, and nightmares – portraits of Venus and Mars, time travel, ageless children, never-ending rains – but Bradbury the grown-up is a concerned citizen.
• His fantasy stories are often warnings against blind faith in science, but they’re optimistic. By giving strange twists to everyday objects and events, Bradbury challenges his readers to look at them as if for the first time. As a writer he lets readers see science through the excited years of children, but he also informs, suggesting ways to use technology more responsibly.

Genre

• A genre is a category or type of literature, such as fiction or poetry. Each genre can be subdivided into more specific categories that can be identified by subject matter, content, or style. Identifying the genre of a selection helps a reader to establish expectations for the work.
• Readers can understand the genre of a literary work by analyzing its characteristics. As you read “A Sound of Thunder,” notice the clues that reveal the common elements of science fiction.

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Science Fiction

Science fiction is defined loosely as fiction that deals with the impact of science and technology on the world. Sometimes the technology is real, sometimes it is entirely imagined, and sometimes it has been imagined by an author and then brought to reality by scientists. Science fiction themes often warn of the potential for disaster when technology is abused.

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A Sound of Thunder�by Ray Bradbury

“Who controls the past controls the future.”

—George Orwell

A Sound of Thunder

In the following short story, Ray Bradbury implies that seemingly unimportant actions can change the future for an entire generation.

Before you read the story, think about the following questions:

• How might your actions during your lifetime affect someone living one hundred years in the future?
• Do you believe that you have a responsibility to future generations?

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A Sound of Thunder�Introducing the Story

It’s the year 2055. Eckels, a wealthy hunter, wants to travel back in time to shoot a ferocious dinosaur. But he gets in over his head when he books passage with Time Safari, Inc.

• This story explores the possibility that even tiny changes to the environment of the past can drastically alter the future.

Tyrannosaurus Rex

• The Tyrannosaurus Rex lived during the late Cretaceous Period, between 97 and 66 million years ago. Scientists estimate its length at about 40 to 50 feet, its height at about 15 to 20 feet, and its weight at about 5 to 7 tons.
• The dinosaur’s open mouth revealed frighteningly sharp six-inch-long teeth with serrated edges.

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A Sound of Thunder�Introducing the Story

T-rex lived during the late Cretaceous Period. What other life forms were around then?

insects similar �to today’s

marine �invertebrates

the first �flowering plants

A Sound of Thunder�Literary Focus: Style

Ray Bradbury tells this science-fiction story in a lush style.

• The setting and the figurative language shape a tense and suspenseful mood, or atmosphere.

• He uses vivid images �and imaginative figurative language to create an exotic setting.

A Sound of Thunder�Literary Focus: Style

As you read “A Sound of Thunder,” notice the elements of Bradbury’s style.

• Images: Which of your senses do they appeal to? What feelings do they evoke for you?

• Diction and sentence patterns: How do they create a distinctive writing style?

• Figurative language: How does it help create the setting? the mood?

A Sound of Thunder�Reading Skills: Cause and Effect

The plot of “A Sound of Thunder” is based on a theoretical cause-and-effect chain that might look something like this:

A Sound of Thunder�Summary

• This science fiction story begins in the year 2055, the day after an election in which Keith, a democrat, wins out over Deutscher, a fascist. Time travel is possible and Eckels, a wealthy hunter, goes, goes on a prehistoric safari to shoot a dinosaur.
• As Eckels’s party travels back in time, Travis, the leader, warns the hunters not to stray from a prelaid anti-gravity Path, theorizing that the minutest damage to the environment could have serious reverberations for the future.

A Sound of Thunder�Summary

• Even the tyrannosaur they are going to shoot is chosen because it would have died minutes later anyway. When the time comes to make the kill, Eckels panics and runs away, stumbling off the Path. Travis is furious.
• After the party returns to 2055, Eckels senses that things are subtly different. He then discovers a dead butterfly on the sole of his shoe. After
• After finding out that now Deutscher has triumphed over Keith, Eckels realizes the magnitude of his actions – he has changed the course of his country’s history. The story’s climax comes when Travis shoots Eckels.