General
Themes in "A Sound of Thunder"
-All living things are interconnected; mankind is not separate from animals and their ecosystem.
-Fear breeds tyranny.
-Every creature, no matter how small, matters and plays its part.
-Small changes can have both subtle and monumental consequences.
Not necessary; can be sacrificed.
What is expendable?
Bradbury implies this about the relationship between nostalgia (longing for the past) and the political climate.
What is an intense longing for the past that could awaken authoritarianism or fascism in the United States?
I have a thousand things to do today.
What is hyperbole?
Same initial consonant sounds repeated for effect.
What is alliteration?
When Eckels panics and becomes so scared that he flees, ultimately falling of the anti-gravity path.
What is the climax?
Becoming foul or rotten from lack of movement.
What is stagnating?
When Eckels returns to the future and realizes he has stepped on a butterfly, thus changing the future forever.
What is the resolution of the story?
Watchmaker's claws, pistons for legs, thighs of steel
What is a metaphor?
This refers to a universally recognized character type that embodies specific traits or qualities, often representing a fundamental human experience or stereotype.
What is an archetype?
Killing something so small can cause such a great impact (hint: this is not something we would expect to be the case!
What is irony in the story?
or What is a theme of this story?
Enclosed in a protective covering.
What is sheathed?
The part of the story when Eckels arrives at Time Safari nervous to travel and hunt dinosaurs.
What is the exposition?
Time was a film run backward.
What is a metaphor?
Descriptive language appealing to the senses.
What is sensory imagery?
The central conflict in the story (generally speaking - man vs....)
What is man vs. tech, man vs. nature, man vs. society?
Not obvious; delicate and precise
What is subtle?
When Eckels questions Time Safari's rules, but he agrees to go anyway despite his growing anxiety.
What is the rising action in the story?
The jungle brooded.
What is personification?
A technique where a scene ends abruptly at a moment of suspense, leaving unresolved questions to be answered in the next installment.
What is a cliffhanger?
When Eckels is forced by Mr. Travis to retrieve bullets from the dinosaurs mouth.
What is the falling action? (Also called denouement)
To have a mutual relationship or connection.
What is correlate?
When Eckels hands over his check for $10,000 to secure his place on the safari expedition.
Its mouth gaped, exposing a fence of teeth like daggers.
What is simile or what is imagery?
Hints about future events.
What is foreshadow?
The character archetype that Travis most exemplifies.
What is a mentor?
To destroy completely or wipe out.
What is annihilate?
Bradbury's implication regarding technology.
What is the idea that humans should be careful regarding technology and should not underestimate its potential power?
Thump. Thump.
What is onomatopoeia?
A central character who lacks conventional heroic qualities. They blur the line between hero and villain
What is an anti-hero?
Travis and Eckels are opposites. Their characters highlight the qualities of the other through their differences.
What is a foil?
To surround or cover completely.
What is engulf?
The final resolution to the story.
What is the shooting of Eckels by Mr. Travis?
The butterfly = chaos theory
What is symbolism?
A character who contrasts another.
What is a foil?
Eckels is nervous to ride the time machine to the past, Eckels questions Travis about staying on the path and why its important not to touch anything, and Eckels shakes as he approaches the T-Rex. (These events indicate something later)
What is foreshadow.
Able to recover quickly or return to original shape.
What is resilient?
Deutschland is the German name for Germany. Bradbury purposely chooses this name for the new president for this reason.
What is the implication that this person would turn the US into a fascist or authoritarian society?
The machine howled.
What is personification?
A figure of speech where the author refers to a subject matter such as a person, place, event, or literary work in a passing reference. It is up to the reader to make a connection to the subject being mentioned. (It is often a well known reference)
What is an allusion?
Eckels changes or grows from beginning of the story to the end. This makes him this kind of character.
What is a dynamic character?
Extremely small; tiny beyond measure.
What is Infinitesimal?
The irony or paradox about Eckels' character.
What is the fact that he wants adventure and to be brave, but he doesn't want to be put into any danger.
The jungle was high and the jungle was broad and the jungle was the entire world forever and forever.
What is hyberbole?
What is imagery?
What is metaphor?
The underlying message or idea.
What is theme?
What the altered sign indicates or implies upon their arrival back to the future.
What is the catastrophic consequences of Eckels stepping of the path?
An optical illusion caused by atmospheric conditions.
What is a mirage?
Eckels pretends to shoot his gun despite warnings to take the safari seriously. This character trait is indicated or inferred by this event.
What is immaturity or carelessness?
It could reach up and grab the moon.
What is hyberbole?
The point of highest tension or drama, where the main conflict reaches its peak and the outcome is about to be determined.
What is the climax?