Nathan Reddy

Mar 1^st, 2019

English 11

Mr. Barazzuol

A Sound of Thunder – Paragraph One

The short story, “A Sound of Thunder,” by Ray Bradbury is about a hunter, using

a time machine, going back 60 million years into the past to kill a dinosaur. The

theme of the original story is how small changes can impact many different

paths within history and society. In recreating this short story, the new theme

that will be applied to this story is about how even though these small changes

happen, one can prevent it from happening, thus altering and resetting history

and society for how it originally was. Some original techniques of suspense

 in the short story are keeping the stakes high, applying pressure, complicating

matters, and making situations unpredictable. The new techniques that will be

used in the short story are the same as the original ones. The stylistic choices

that are made include a new ending type, different techniques of suspense, and

the conclusion. In the original ending of this short story, the hunter, Eckles, after

he accidently alters history by breaking a rule, is sentenced to execution by the

stories team leader, Travis. This ending type of this story is most likely either

expository sad or cliff-hanger. The new ending for this short story will be,

instead of Eckles dying, him being forced by Travis to go back alone 60 million

years into the past and prevent his past-self from ever leaving the path in the

first place, this type of ending will be expository happy and cliff-hanger. In

conclusion, time travel is unique and an interesting thing to do, but this short

story explains how negative results can occur when one changes one little thing

in the past.

                                        A Sound of Thunder – Paragraph Two

Eckels gave out a long, low cry as if in pain. He dropped to his knees. He tried to

pick up the green and gold butterfly with shaking fingers. “Can’t we,” he pleaded

to the world, to himself, to the officials, to the Machine, “can’t we take it back,

can’t we make it alive again? Can’t we start over? Can’t we…”

He did not move. Eyes shut, he waited, shivering. He heard Travis breathe

loudly. He heard Travis lift his rifle, click the safety catch, and raise the weapon.

Then Travis put down his weapon and demanded Eckles to stand on his feet.

Travis then demanded Eckles to use the time machine to go back to the past

again and stop Eckles past-self from leaving the path, thus preventing the

butterfly from dying, and restoring the original future. At first Eckles refuses,

but then Travis forces him into the time machine by pointing his rifle at him.

Once he is inside, Travis activates the machine and, yesterday, the day before,

last week, 2016, 1997, 1957, Gone! Eckles was gone, along with the machine.

When the machine stops, Eckles steps outside and, moments later, sees the

Safari team. As future Eckles waits patiently for past Eckles to play out the exact

same events future Eckles played out, the team encounters their target dinosaur

(as before). Future Eckles quickly runs up to his past-self and alerts him, past

Eckles, shocked to see future Eckles, learns from him of his mistake in the

future, before the dinosaur runs up to the team (as before). However, from what

future Eckles remembers what happens at this point, when everyone in the team

gets distracted by noticing two Eckles at the same time, the dinosaur manages to

pick up and devour Travis. After his death, future Eckles suddenly disappears,

seemingly being erased from reality since Travis would have never forced him to

come back here alone. A giant tree branch then breaks off and crashes on the dinosaur, killing it originally as it was supposed to die. The remaining four

survivors of the team then flee back to their time machine and return to the

future. When they arrive, past/present Eckles learns that his future-self

succeeded in restoring the original future, and with Travis now dead, the team

makes Eckles their new Safari leader. As a proud and honored Eckles thanks

them,

there was suddenly a sound of thunder.

Part 2: