Nethergrave Summary

In the short story, “A sound of Thunder”, Ray Bradbury used figurative language to make a bigger impact on the story. When Eckels goes into the office he sees and hears, “... A sound like a gigantic bonfire burning all of Time, all the years and all the parchment calendars- all the hours piled high and set aflame.” The author, Ray Bradbury, wanted his audience to have a specific image set in the audience’s head. By using a simile he help the reader imagine how Eckle’s is going to get to the past. Once they are in the past and see the Tyrannosaurus Ray Bradbury uses imagery to explain what the dinosaur looks like. The Tyrannosaurus was described as, “...thirty feet above half the trees, a great evil of god, folding its delicate watchmaker’s

The stories “A Sound of Thunder” by “Ray Bradbury” and “Nethergrave” by “Gloria Skurzynski” were both very interesting to read. However one story had more of the sci-fi elements to it than the other. “A Sound of Thunder” by “Ray Bradbury” is a better example of a science fiction story than “Nethergrave” by “Gloria Skurzynski” because it is more focused on the technology in the story. The setting in “A Sound of Thunder” is more based on the future. The last reason “A Sound of Thunder” is a better example of a science fiction is that the characters are using more types of science for example time travel from the future going to pre historic times of when there were dinosaurs.

"Nethergrave" and "A Sound Of Thunder" are both short stories both written in Third person limited point of view. These stories are both considered Science Fiction and have a setting of alternating life. Nethergrave was set in present day and A sound of thunder was set in the past as well as the future. Both stories use great sensory details to thoroughly explain the story and feel as if you were in the story.

The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury is a futuristic science fiction short story about a hunter named Eckles, he visits the Time Safari, a company that sends you to the past. Eckles travels back in time with a group of three to shoot and kill a prehistoric dinosaur. Nethergrave is about a young boy named Jeremy, who plays sports, and has a group of internet friends. Later, Jeremy is faced with a decision whether to stay in the real world, or leave it for the virtual introduced by a great being. This critical response will be comparing, and contrasting both stories by making points such as, how the stories fit into the science fiction genre, the characterization between Eckles and Jeremy, the theme/message of the stories, dialogue, and writing style.

Sci-fi writers and scientists are both starting to believe that science fiction may be the key to advancing our technological futures. Two different theories have been made to explain this reasoning: Inspiration theory, the idea that sci-fi will inspire people to create new technologies, and Hieroglyph theory, the idea that fully fleshed out and logical sci-fi technologies could be usable by scientists and engineers. I agree with both theories, however because both theories are inherently optimistic, I’ve begun to wonder if science fiction could also be distorting our perception of what technological progress looks and feels like.

The theme of Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder" is enhanced by his use of foreshadowing throughout the story. The story follows a man named Eckles on his journey to the past on a hunt for a real dinosaur. As the events in the past unfold, Eckles ultimately alters the future forever by taking a small step off the Path. The path is there to make sure the time travelers do not affect the future. Unfortunately, Eckles learns the true consequences of his actions when he returns to a changed future. After reading the story, the reader gains insight on the interconnectedness of our present and our future. The choices we make can have a great impact on the destiny of the world. Through foreshadowing, Bradbury makes this theme clear to the reader.

Although both Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, and Ray Bradbury, author of A Sound of Thunder, use foreshadowing, A Sound of Thunder creates more suspense for readers. Both are excellent, but Bradbury uses outstanding diction to emphasize the importance of certain events in the plot. While the pair of stories are equally well written, A Sound of Thunder uses it's foreshadowing to allure readers into continuing the short story.

Both stories, Frankenstein and Rebellious Robots have a few similarities and some differences. Rebellious Robots is the story of Frankenstein but it was written in modern day. Frankenstein is about a guy who thinks the monster he created is in his room, but there ends up being nothing there. Rebellious Robots is about a guy who created a machine that does his chores and it backfires. The author put a spin on Frankenstein and created Rebellious Robots by using new characters and a different point of view.

In Frankenstein, on Victor’s way home after being away for six years, a key moment in the novel that weather sets the mood is when “It echoed from Saleve, the Juras, and the Alps of Savoy; vivid flashes of light dazzled my eyes, illuminating the lake making it appear like a vast sheet of fire; then for an instant, everything seemed of pitchy darkness, until the eye recovered from the preceding flash” (Shelley 50). The author, Shelley uses weather to describe the murder of his young brother, William. The weather conditions effect Victor’s mood and convey his emotional feelings of Victor as being scared, sad, or depressed. The imagery in the quote relates to the thunder thus a way to broadcast the murder of his younger brother across the land and

Gloria Skurzynski’s background to writing “Nethergrave” was because of science fiction. Gloria says, “In fantasy, the cause is magic. In science fiction, the role of magic is replaced by advanced technology.”

The short story, “A Sound of Thunder” uses two separate time periods, snobbish and cautious characters, a breathtaking and frantic plot, and multiple forms of conflict to convey his theme of showing the Butterfly Effect and demonstrating how causes for your actions can sometimes be gigantic.

Games, Divergent, and much more. What we do not know about these books is that their is a deeper meaning, trying to teach us about a flaw in our society. In the Giver and Harrison Bergeron their are these themes that are trying to teach us about our world. The Giver and Harrison Bergeron’s themes are commentary on our unwillingness to accept our differences, and constant worry of making wrong decisions.

The classic novel Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley in 1818, displays the use of literary devices, foreshadowing, allusions and figurative language, which aid the reader in understanding the authors opinion on scientific exploration. These techniques are used to arouse anticipation within the reader, therefore engaging them throughout the text. Along with providing a greater understanding of the novel, by referring to other books, and using the novel to portray the authors own perspective on scientific exploration. All these devices are effectively used within the novel to provide a deeper understandings of Mary Shelley’s work.

“Ray Bradbury’s writing danced along the boundaries between mystery, sci-fi, horror and fantasy”. (Brin 1) Ray Bradbury is an Author, famous for his science fiction short stories and novels. Many of his ideas influenced the stories of Hollywood. His short story “The Veldt” is similar to that of the movie “Smart house”. His idea of childhood not being completely innocent that he establishes in “The Small Assassin” can be seen in many horror films both past and present. The ‘butterfly effect’ that Bradbury uses in his short story “The Sound of Thunder” was used in the Doctor Who episode “Father’s Day.

The Holocaust was an absolutely devastating time period, killing over 6 million innocent Jewish people. Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel lived through the tortuous time and wrote a meaningful memoir called Night. He also made a visit to Auschwitz, a concentration camp he stayed at. The visit to Auschwitz was made into a moving documentary called “Winfrey & Wiesel:Auschwitz”. A memoir and a documentary are both ways to convey and expose the events of the Holocaust and their severity.