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Literature Picture Project

In the short story “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury, a man named Eckles decides to go on a hunting safari 65 million years in the past.  The story focuses on Eckles as he goes into the past to hunt a tyrannosaurus rex.  Him, Travis, Lesperance and two other hunters go into the time machine and travel back in time to the dinosaurs era.  The hunters only rules are to listen to the safari leader when to shoot and never step off the path.  Once the t-rex appears, Eckles backs out and in an attempt to get back to the time machine but ends up stepping off the path.  Travis was furious and was going to leave Eckles behind unless he dug out all the bullets from the t-rex.  Once back in the present, Eckles found that he had stepped on a butterfly and changed the future.  The English language has different ways of spelling and the presidential election results were different.  Below, you’ll find 13 different literary elements, pictures that show them and an explanation on how it connects to the story.

Exposition

“TIME SAFARI, INC. SAFARIS TO ANY YEAR IN THE PAST. YOU NAME THE ANIMAL. WE TAKE YOU THERE. YOU SHOOT IT.”

This quote concerns the words that are in the agency’s sign. It evidently shows that the society has advanced to the place of time travel, and Time Safari Inc. can send people back in time to hunt large monsters, in this case the Tyrannosaurus. 

Rising Action Example #1

“First a day and then a night and then a day and then a night, then it was day-night-day-night. A week, a month, a year, ten years! A.D. 2055. A.D. 2019. 1999! 1957! Gone! The Machine roared.”

This quote shows the moment when the time machine takes the guide and Eckels through the years. It can be understood that it wasn’t a joke and that the agency did had not made  fun of him.

Rising Action Example #2

“They’re marked with red paint,” said Travis. “Today, before our journey, we sent Lesperance back with the Machine. He came to this time and followed certain animals.” 

This quote shows the moment when the guides explain to Eckels how to recognize the dinosaur to shoot and how to shoot it. It’s a rising action because in also in the quotes before and after, the moments before the shot at the dinosaur are highlighted, one of the most important and interesting parts of the story.

Rising Action Example #3 

“‘Stay out of this!’ Travis shook his hand away. ‘This fool nearly killed us. But it isn’t that so much, no. It’s his shoes! Look at them! He ran off the Path. That could destroy our business! We’ll lose thousands of dollars.'”  

This quote is situated when Travis, realizing that Eckel’s stepped off the path, he has anger and worries about the money that that action could take away from the society. It’s important because he also could kill all of them and he also didn’t respect their rules.

Climax 

“‘Eckels!’  He looked as if he could not understand what was happening, and took a few small steps. ‘Not that way!'”

This quote shows that the climax is when the guides sees Eckels stepping off the path, one of the only things he said him absolutely not to do during the experience.  The climax of the story is a turning point, the point where everything changes. In this case, the action of Eckels changes all the cards of the story.

Falling Action 

“Eckels stood smelling the air. There was something different about it, a difference so slight that he could not identify it. The colors, white, gray, blue, orange, in the wall, in the furniture, in the sky outside, were not quite right. And there was a strange feel.”

This quote shows the moment when Eckels understood that, because he stepped off the path, he changed the whole course of history. In this moment, he discovers that all of the thing he saw in the office some time before are different and he’s terrified about this thing.

Denouement 

“His face was cold. He asked in a frightened voice: ‘Who… who won the presidential election yesterday?’  The man behind the desk laughed. ‘You joking? You know very well. Deutscher, of course!'”

This quote shows the moment when Eckels, hoping that not everything has changed, asks the man sitting behind the desk who won the presidential elections and, from the answer, discovers that also the president is different.

Physical Setting

“The Machine sat in the ancient jungle. Distant bird cries blew on a wind. There was the smell of wet grass and an old salt sea. There were huge flowers on the trees the color of blood.”

This quote helps to paint an image of what the jungle is like.  It gives sounds, scents, and sights.  How the bird cries and the wind create distant sounds, the grass and an old salt sea create a smell that fits a jungle, and giant flowers that are blood red.

Emotional Setting 

“I’m shaking like a kid.”

Eckles says he’s shaking like a kid inside the time machine before the get to the jungle. This shows he’s nervous, excited and anxious about the safari trip.  He’s unsure about what it will be like, but he is anxious about hunting the t-rex.

Conflict Type 

“The rifles fired again. Their sound was lost in scream and dinosaur thunder. The reptile moved its great tail from side to side. Trees exploded in clouds of leaf and branch. The Monster moved its small hands down toward the men, to break them in half, to push them into its teeth and its screaming throat. Its eyes leveled with the men. They saw themselves mirrored. They fired at the wild black circle in the center of each eye.”

This conflict type is person vs environment because the hunters have to kill the t-rex to survive after the dinosaur spotted them.  Once the t-rex spotted them, it wants to kill them so it goes to attack them.  The hunters have to protect themselves.”

Ending Type

“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.  There was a sound of thunder.”

The ending of this story is unresolved/cliffhanger.  The story ends with Travis lifting his rifle and then a sound of thunder.  The reader can infer what happens but the author never says for certain so what happens after the thunder is unknown.”

Irony Example 

“I didn’t think it would be this big,” said Eckels. “I made a mistake, that’s all. And now I want out.”

This example of irony is situation.  Eckles talks about all his previous hunting expeditions and how he just wants to hunt the t-rex.  When he’s presenting with the chance he backs out which the reader doesn’t expect since he talked like he was an experienced hunter who was confident about hunting a dinosaur.

Suspense  

 

“Travis raised his hand. “There,” he whispered. “In the mist. There he is. There’s His Royal Majesty now.”  The jungle was wide and full of sounds.  Suddenly it all stopped, as if someone had shut a door.  Silence.  A sound of thunder.  Out of the mist, one hundred yards away, came Tyrannosaurus Rex.”

The suspense in this example is unpredictable.  The t-rex is appearing, and the hunters finally see it.  The reader knows that the men are going to hunt it, but they don’t know what is going to happen.  It’s unpredictable because the readers don’t know what is going to happen when the t-rex sees the hunters.