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 has written over 500 published works and is recognized as one of America’s most creative & imaginative writers to have ever lived! Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury Ray Bradbury calls himself a teller of tales and a magic realist. He also claims to remember everything – every book he’s ever read, every movie he’s seen, all the events of his life back to and including his birth, in Waukegan, Illinois, on August 22, 1920. All those memories and a big imagination are the materials for the fiction and poetry he’s been publishing for more than fifty years.

Genre What was the GENRE of The Monkey’s Paw? A genre is a category or type of literature, such as fiction or poetry. What was the GENRE of The Monkey’s Paw? Look at the pictures to the right. Take a guess: what will be the GENRE of our next story, written by Ray Bradbury?

GENRE: Science Fiction SCIENCE FICTION is a genre of FICTION in which the stories often talk about: SCIENCE and TECHNOLOGY of the FUTURE. The remote past, including all time travel stories Space, aliens, outer dimensions, etc. catastrophes, natural or manmade

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.

THINK, PAIR, SHARE What are some science fiction books or movies you can think of? List at least TWO. And then share with your neighbor.

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 insignificant 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?

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT DEFINITION: The scientific theory that a single occurence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever. Examples: 1. The flap of a butterfly's wings changed the air around it so much that a tornado broke out two continents away. 2. The Pilgrims on the Mayflower (boat) ran out of beer, which is why they landed on Plymouth Rock. 3. A Vienna Art Institute rejected a student’s application (twice), which is why the Holocaust happened. http://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-477-a-sandwich-caused-wwi-20-real-cases-butterfly-effect/

So… what is it really?? Let’s break it down: Something small and seemingly inconsequential can actually have a life- long effect. For example, if Mrs. Vazquez had never gone to that job interview at Oaks High School, she would have never been hired to teach, and then Adrian would have never been inspired to attend the science fair and learn about human body. Then, he would have never become a world-class scientist and would have never found the cure for cancer.

WATCH AND LEARN SHOW VIDEO. What is the first thing that happens which causes everything else to ultimately happen? What ultimately happens? List the cause and effects.

A Sound of Thunder About 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.

A Sound of Thunder Reading Skills: Cause and Effect A relationship between two or more events in which one event brings about another. The event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the effect.

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: Time-traveling human steps on butterfly in past. Butterfly population declines. Entire ecosystem is upset. Humans evolve in different environment. Modern civilization is altered.

A Sound of Thunder Literary Focus: Style Ray Bradbury tells this science-fiction story in a lush style. He uses vivid images and imaginative figurative language to create an exotic setting. The setting and the figurative language shape a tense and suspenseful mood, or atmosphere.

A Sound of Thunder Literary Device: IMAGERY As you read “A Sound of Thunder,” mark all examples of imagery by highlighting it and labeling it with an “I” . Imagery is when an author uses figurative language to create VISUAL pictures in our minds and which appeal to our physical senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch).

A Sound of Thunder Literary Device: IMAGERY Examples: It was dark and dim in the forest. – The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images. The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. - “Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing or auditory sense. He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. – “whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of smell or olfactory sense. The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric. – The idea of “soft” in this example appeals to our sense of touch or tactile sense. The fresh and juicy orange are very cold and sweet. – “ juicy” and “sweet” when associated with oranges have an effect on our sense of taste or gustatory sense.

A Sound of Thunder Literary Device: SIMILE Imagery needs the aid of figures of speech like simile, metaphor, personification,etc. in order to appeal to the bodily senses. SIMILE: Comparing two unlike things using like or as. *Challenge: Find a Simile and earn a squishee. Go!

A Sound of Thunder Literary Device: METAPHOR METAPHOR: Comparing two unlike things WITHOUT using like or as. *Challenge: Find a Metaphor and earn a squishee. Go!

A Sound of Thunder Literary Device: PERSONIFICATION PERSONIFICATION: Giving human qualities to something non-human. *Challenge: Find Personification and earn a squishee. Go!

WORDS TO KNOW Annihilate (v): Destroy; wipe out Expendable (adj): Worth sacrificing (to gain what you want) Paradox (n): Something that seems to have contradictory qualities.

WORDS TO KNOW Resilient (adj.) Able to return to its original shape quickly after being stretched or compressed; elastic. Remit (v.) – Return payment Revoke (v.) – Cancel; withdraw

WORDS TO KNOW Primeval (adj.) – Primitive; of the earliest times Subliminal (adj.) – Below the level of awareness

Complete Vocab exercise 1. Complete Vocabulary Worksheet. 2. Complete TWO visual representations of two of the words of your choice. On the back, write the word and the definition. (teacher will model)

LET’S READ! As we read, paraphrase and annotate the text. Put an “I” next to ex of imagery (think: 5 senses), “S” for simile, “M” for metaphor, “P” for personification, and “O” for onomatopoeia. After, complete the Comprehension and Response Questions.

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.