A Sound of Thunder

The main metaphor in this story is, as the first answer says, thunder. The metaphor of thunder seems to be used just to describe the sheer physical awesomeness of the dinosaur, but it is much more...

Before Eckels leaves with his safari guides to shoot a dinosaur from the prehistoric past, he says, If the election had gone badly yesterday, I might be here now running away from the results....

I think there's an argument that we don't entirely know the full nature of the changes Eckels has created in the timeline. Afterall, what we see at the end of the story is, more than anything else,...

In Ray Bradbury’s short story “A Sound of Thunder,” Eckels wants to go back in time to hunt dinosaurs because he is what is commonly called a “trophy hunter.” Trophy hunters are those who crave the...

One could make the argument that Eckels is the protagonist and Time Safari, Inc. is the antagonist of Bradbury's celebrated short story "A Sound of Thunder." Eckels is certainly the protagonist of...

In "A Sound of Thunder," Ray Bradbury explores how apparently minor changes in the past might create catastrophic changes to the future. With this in mind, Time Safari has set up various safeguards...

I would say that the overall mood of Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" is suspenseful and intense. Both of those feelings are given to the reader because Bradbury makes sure that the reader...

The short answer to this question is: We don’t know for sure. What we do know is that a group of hunters went back to prehistoric time with the Time Safari leaders to shoot and kill a Tyrannosaurus...

As a writer, Bradbury was renowned for his highly lyrical prose. Much of his writing was extremely imagery intensive and flooded with metaphor. "A Sound of Thunder" is no exception. In this short...

The time travel paradox is that you might go back in time and meet yourself. A paradox is a contradiction. The problem with time travel is that if it were really possible, nothing could change....

Ray Bradbury had a very florid writing style, rich in description and metaphor, and "A Sound of Thunder" is no exception. Consider the following passage, when Bradbury describes the Tyrannosaurus:...

As Ray Bradbury's story "A Sound of Thunder" introduces its characters, setting, and plot and as it builds tension toward its climax, it incorporates several details that foreshadow occurrences...

Eckels is an arrogant person; he is used to being in charge, yet he lacks self knowledge. He doesn't consider the serious ramifications of time travel. It's simply another experience he can...

When the time travelers return to 2055, they immediately notice that the man behind the desk in the office has changed in a subtle way. As Bradbury writes, "the same man did not quite sit behind...

When Eckels confronts the dinosaur, his initial reaction is one of disbelief. He says that it is "impossible" to kill this dinosaur and that they were "fools" to come. In other words, Eckels has...

In the famous science fiction short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury, a man named Eckels books a place in an unusual hunting expedition through a company called Time Safari, Inc. He and a...

Because "A Sound of Thunder" is an exploration and critique of the hubris of using advanced technology for frivolous purposes, the story has two settings: the age of dinosaurs and the "present day"...

Personification is the attribution of human characteristics to something that is not human. As we read through Bradbury's short story, we find a great deal of figurative language, and...

The title is a phrase taken from the narrative of Bradbury's short story; it is used twice. The first time it is a description of the footsteps of the Tyrannosaurus Rex that Eckels has contracted...

At the beginning of the story, Eckels arrives at the office of the Time Safari and remarks to the employee behind the desk that they are fortunate President Keith won the election. The man behind...

The first sound of thunder that Eckels hears are the steps of the gigantic Tyrannosaurus Rex walking through the forest. The thunderous steps drown out the myriad of forest sounds as Eckels and the...

The point of view of any story is the perspective from which it is told. In Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder," we are told the story from the perspective of Eckels, in a "third-person limited"...

I would not describe Eckels in very positive terms. I have never liked the character of Eckels. The fact that he messes everything up in the present doesn't exactly endear him to me. I would...

When he travels into the pre-historic past, Eckels steps off the anti-gravity path made by Time Safari, Inc., and in so doing, he kills a butterfly. This act has consequences that reach all the way...

In "A Sound of Thunder," hunters time travel. When they travel back in time, the hunters must be extremely careful not to alter anything at all that exists in the previous time in which they insert...

Before Eckels embarks on the Time Safari, President Keith recently won the election over a dictatorial candidate named Deutscher. Both Eckels and the man behind the desk are glad that Keith won the...

The climax of a story is the turning point. It's the point where everything changes. The climax of this story occurs once Eckels and the safari group return to the present. They realize that the...

The only similarity between Eckels and Travis is their feeling of awe towards the dinosaurs. Travis, for example, calls the dinosaur his "Royal Majesty," suggesting that he feels respect towards...

An allusion is a reference in one work of literature to another piece of literature or to historical events or figures. In 1952, when "A Sound of Thunder" was first published, World War II had...

Eckels made the mistake of walking off the edge of the floating path while hunting dinosaurs in the past. "This fool nearly killed us. But it isn't that so much, no. It's his shoes! Look at...

Hyperbole, deliberate exaggeration for dramatic effect, is used in interesting ways in Ray Bradbury's “A Sound of Thunder.” It is used several times by characters who are deliberately exaggerating,...

"A Sound of Thunder" begins with Eckels standing before the Time Safari Sign, then paying the ten thousand dollars to travel back in time. I feel that this decision, to go back in time to kill the...

In the Bradbury story "A Sound of Thunder," Time Safari, Inc. brings travelers to previous eras in time to hunt the animals of their choice. At the beginning of the story, a man named Eckels hires...

A theme throughout Bradbury's work is the need to for humans to be in control of the powerful technology we have developed or might develop in the future. We should handle it with care and not...

The basic setting in which the story takes place is a jungle in which a safari is being conducted. The characters are on a type of safari- like hunt for a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The safari is taking...

The only dinosaurs that are killed are about to die anyway. The time travel safari company Time Safari, Inc. allows its customers a unique experience. They get to go back in time and kill a...

Eckels is a nervous man. Eckels is a big game hunter. He hires Time Safari, Inc. to take him back to the days of the dinosaurs so he can shoot a Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, Eckels is a bit of a...

In Ray Bradbury's celebrated short story "A Sound of Thunder," Eckels signs up to participate in a Time Safari, where he will have the rare opportunity to travel sixty million years back in time to...

"A Sound of Thunder" describes the misadventure of a rich big-game hunter, Eckels, who has paid for a "time safari" - a trip to the distant past using a time machine, in order to hunt animals that...

Bradbury's celebrated short story "A Sound of Thunder" includes several elements of a dystopian society. The story is set in the United States in the year 2055 A.D., which is a futuristic setting...

"A Sound of Thunder" Bradbury employs metaphor, simile, parallelism, irony, and paradox. In the exposition of the story Bradbury writes in metaphor and simile, using parallelism to enhance the...

Time Safari Inc. is certainly a disreputable business which relies on government corruption to remain open while jeopardizing the future of humanity to make a profit. Travis explicitly tells Eckels...

Bradbury initially creates suspense when one of the Time Safari officials tells Eckels that their company does not guarantee his safety during the expedition. Eckels's expedition to the distant...

The most re-published short story in science fiction history, Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" deals with the idea of time travel and how subtle changes in the past can drastically affect the...

The irony in Ray Bradbury’s 1952 short story A Sound of Thunder lies mainly in the story’s ending. Eckels is a man on a mission: hunt and kill a dinosaur. Towards this end, he arrives at the...

"A Sound of Thunder" concerns a group of hunters using a time machine to travel into the distant past, in order to hunt animals that are extinct in the modern era. In this particular case, they are...