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  • Essay / Review of A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury

    “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury is an interesting commentary on causality and fate. Bradbury, well known for his science fiction stories, uses the concept of time travel to demonstrate how our decisions have great consequences. The story explores themes related to the butterfly effect, which states that the flapping of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. This story explores the idea of ​​actions and their consequences, showing how even the smallest change can create a ripple effect that causes major disruptions in a predetermined destiny. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Set in 2055, “A Sound of Thunder” tells the story of a man named Eckels who embarks on a safari sixty million years ago. in order to kill a Tyrannosaurus Rex. He begins the journey with great confidence in his abilities as a hunter, but the moment he lays eyes on the enormous creature, he becomes numb with shock. In his state of terror, he does the one thing he was ordered not to do; he departs from the Path. Now, I know this may not seem life-changing, but it turns out that touching even a single blade of grass off the Path can change the course of history. Once the group returns to the present, Eckels notices a dead butterfly under his shoe. His unintentional killing of the butterfly ultimately changes the course of history as they knew it. I enjoyed this short story because the author delivered the message in an entertaining way. The science fiction elements mixed with vivid descriptions of the scenes make this an engaging read. I liked the overall storyline, although in my opinion there are still technicalities in time travel. No, I'm not talking about any changes to the future, but rather I find myself questioning the logic and rationale of why one thing might radically change the future, but another thing won't. I guess I'm just skeptical about the randomness of it all. Nonetheless, the author provided enough detail that my imagination was able to fill in the missing elements of the practicality of the situation. I have to say my favorite part of the story was the clever use of imagery. I found that the symbolism allowed the story to be more accessible. The main symbol of the butterfly was a clear allusion to the butterfly effect and made it clear that small things can have a big impact. When Eckels noticed the impact of his action at this time, he said: “It's not a small thing like that! Not a butterfly!'. The irony of the situation is that killing a giant who "loomed thirty feet above half the trees, a great evil god, folding his delicate clockmaker's claws close to his oily reptilian chest" brought no change. , while killing a simple butterfly completely reshaped the story. . This message really resonated with me because it shows that even if you think your actions are insignificant, they have a bigger impact than you think. Regarding the symbolism, I must mention an important element of the story; the Path. For me, the Path represents destiny. Eckels is explicitly warned to never leave the path, but he did and that's what made the proverbial dominoes fall. Just like our own destiny, the path “does not touch a single blade of grass.” It's untouchable. This shows that destiny is written for us and it's not something we can go back in time and change., 1952)