Literary Elements in A Sound Of Thuder Essay

A Sound of Thunder

In Ray Bradbury A Sound of Thunder Eckels, a nervous hunter on a time safari panics and makes a seemingly minor mistake that results in the unthinkable. Bradbury uses foreshadowing, imagery, and diction to create suspense in his riveting short story.

Bradbury utilize foreshadowing to create suspense. The man behind the desk warns Eckels that [they] guarantee nothing. This shows that Eckels does not have the assurance of safety. Later Travis monishes Eckels, stating that a stamp of [his] foot would annihilate future species including mankind. This shows that one missed step by Eckels could have cataclysmic consequences. This also shows that Eckels is likely to alter the course of history. Due to one careless mistake. The foreshadowing creates a sense on tension.

Bradbury uses imagery to create anticipation. When Eckels sees the time machine for the first time he sees an aurora that flickered now orange, now silver, now blue. This shows that Eckels sees the time machine as a huge colorful aurora floating in space. This also show the anticipation in Eckels mind. Later on when Eckels arrive in the jungle he hears and sees far birds cry blew on a wind and the smell of tar and an old salt sea, moist grasses, and flowers the color of blood. This

shows that the jungle is humid and moist with many brightly colored flowers. This also states the sense and tone of the eerie jungle. The imagery creates a sense of agitation.

The author also uses diction to show deliberately thoughts of the characters mood. When the T-Rex finally appears Bradbury uses carefully thought out words to describe this terrifying image of this animal. It came on great oiled, resilient, striding legs. It towered thirty feet above half of the trees, a great evil god. This shows that the T-Rexs legs are showing its determination and strength. This also reveals that there is something supernatural about its appearance. When Travis and the crew tried to shoot the T-Rex its legs appeared as if Each lower leg was a piston, a thousand pounds of white bone, sunk in thick ropes of muscle, sheathed over in a gleam of pebbled skin like the mail of a terrible warrior. Each thigh was a ton of meat, ivory, and steel mesh. This shows that the skin compared to mail adds to the impression of impermeability. This also suggest that the sheer weight of the thing and its strength causes us to question the impact that the bullets can have.

In conclusion, Ray Bradburys creative use of foreshadowing and vivid language keep readers turning the page for more, as his plot creates a sense of wonder in our minds. As we read, Bradbury leaves subtle hints as to what will come. We all know what it feels like to have second thoughts, and Eckels, having second thoughts himself, asks, ""Does this safari guarantee I come back alive. We guarantee nothing, said the official. All of us wonder at some point in our lives if it would be worthwhile to go back in time and fix a few mistakes, but would fixing our mistakes make life better.