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A Sound of Thunder

by Ray Bradbury

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Student Question

What connections can be made between "A Sound of Thunder" and real or fictional worlds?

Quick answer:

"A Sound of Thunder" connects to both real and fictional worlds through its exploration of the butterfly effect, where small actions can lead to significant consequences. This concept is prevalent in time travel narratives, such as the "Back to the Future" series, where altering the past dramatically impacts the future. In real life, seemingly minor decisions can have unexpected, major outcomes, as illustrated by the legend of Buddy Holly and the coin toss that led to his death.

Expert Answers

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The short story "A Sound of Thunder" is largely about unintended consequences.  It is called the ripple effect or the butterfly effect.  The story has entered our culture, because the butterfly effecf is referred to often by people.  Many stories involving time travel also refer to the problems that can be caused by going back in time and changing the future.  Consider the "Back to the Future" movie series, for example.  In these movies, going back in time dramatically changes the future, and like in this story the future is far worse.  In your personal life, you have probably made a choice that seemed small at the time, but had great consequences.  Consider the legend of the man who gives up his seat on the plane, and then the plane crashes.  Apparently this happened to Buddy Holly, a singer.  Legend goes that it was a coin toss that resulted in his death.

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