Comparing 'By The Waters Of Babylon And A Sound Of Thunder'

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The Risks of Uncontrolled Technology

Environmental Destruction can have disastrous results, emphasizing the significance of making responsible decisions and respecting the natural environment. This belief is seen clearly in Stephen Vincent Benet’s post apocalyptic short story, “By The Waters of Babylon,” through the plot development seen throughout John’s Journey. Additionally, this is seen in Ray

Bradbury’s Sci-Fi short story, “A Sound of Thunder,” through the plot development seen after

Eckels killed the butterfly in the past. Both "By the Waters of Babylon" and "A Sound of

Thunder" show the devastation that human activity has caused to the ecosystem, serving as a warning that our choices

He comes to understand that the destruction of the old world was largely caused by humans mindlessly using destructive technology, and that the ruins of the old world still hold dangerous secrets that could harm the living. According to the text, "Very great they were, and wonderful and broken—broken in the time of the Great

Burning when the fire fell out of the sky" (Benet 39). This event caused widespread destruction and is attributed to the use of harmful technology. Similarly, in "A Sound of Thunder," the time travelers are warned not to make any changes to the past, as even the smallest changes could have devastating consequences on the future. Eckels killing of the butterfly is shown to have impacting effects. According to the text, “ A small thing that could upset balances and knock down a line of small dominoes and then big dominoes and then gigantic dominoes, all down the years across Time.”(Bradbury, 128) This quote from Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder"

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English 1 ADV emphasizes the idea that even seemingly small actions can have huge consequences, just like