PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Where is the story located?
This short story is set in a modern, idyllic, picaresque suburban area of New York with green lawns, neat trees good for climbing, cute beetle like cars buzzing along the road or beside each house and rockets flying overhead.
We know this because of the following sentences:
- The children catapulted this way and that across the green lawns, shouting at each other, holding hands, flying in circles, climbing trees, laughing. Overhead the rockets flew, and beetle cars whispered by on the streets, but the children played on."
- Hello, Mary. How are thinks in New York?
What year is it?
The year that this story is set in is not specified, but I predict that it is set somewhere in the future, as there are certain significant technological advancements mentioned.
I think this because:
- many of Bradbury's other stories are set in future, and we also see it in these following sentences:
- She poked a red button on the kitchen butler, and ten seconds later something landed with a bump in the rubber receiver.
- overhead the rockets flew.
What does the setting look like? Describe.
The setting of this story is, as stated earlier, a typical well-balanced and picturesque suburban area. Along the streets are perfect houses with green lawns and neat, green climbing trees.
We know this because of the following statements:
- The children catapulted this way and that across the green lawns, shouting at each other, holding hands, flying in circles, climbing trees, laughing. Overhead the rockets flew, and beetle cars whispered by on the streets, but the children played on.
- The streets were lined with good green and peaceful trees."
How does the setting influence the characters?
This setting influenced the characters to be happy and to keep peace with each other. This is because the environment that they lived in was already perfect, peaceful and well maintained and they wanted to keep it that way.
Do we have similar settings in the real world? Include an example.
Do we have similar settings in the real world? Include an example.
Yes, we do/did. A similar setting to this would be the idyllic 1950's suburbia. They are similar in the way that they both have/had mostly very well maintained, peaceful neighbour hoods and towns. This seems to be the idea and setting that Bradbury has adapted for this short story.
Why do you think the author used this setting?
I think that the author, Ray Bradbury has used this setting to show that no matter how peaceful and perfect a place looks, there are always problems or issues that are harder to see or notice.
CHARACTER COMPARISON ESSAY
In Ray Bradbury,s short stories, A Sound Of Thunder and Zero Hour, two main characters from each story are Mr. Eckels and Mink. These important characters have few similarities and many differences known. These include the fact that they are both impatient, Mink is brave whereas Mr. Eckels is fearful, and that they are also both very inquisitive.
Of the few similarities between Mink and Mr. Eckels, the most obvious of all is that they both are very impatient. This means that neither of them enjoy waiting for instructions, others or delays and so forth. Being the energetic, young girl that she is, Mink is impatient when listening to her mother, as she just wants to play. This is the case with most young children and sometimes teens. We see this when Mink's mother asks her to slow down, can't , said Mink. "Drill's waiting for me." Mr. Eckels is also impatient. We see this when he finally sees the Tyrannosaurus and is frightened. He is told to wait or go back to the machine, but when the dinosaur finally sees the
group of men, Mr. Eckels does not wait for them to shoot, instead he starts begging to go. "Get me out of here," said Eckels. "It was never like this before." In summary, both Mink and Mr. Eckels are impatient. They both are eager to do what they want, even when told not to. By using these character traits, Ray Bradbury has shown that impatience can be a sense of urgency and may be both a bourdon or an advantage in life.
Each character has their own set of traits. Some that mink and Mr. Eckels have in common, and some that are complete opposites to each other, including Mink's bravery and Mr. Eckels' fearfulness. Mink's bravery is useful when taking risks, but may also end badly. We witness this when twelve year old Joseph Connors approaches mink and her peers, asking to play. Mink does not like the older kids as they "make fun" and mock the younger children. "Go away or we'll kick you," said Mink. This is brave because Mink took a risk, as Joseph could have been offended by the remark and attempted to hurt Mink or her friends. Mr. Eckels is quite the opposite to mink in this way
as he is very fearful. To be fearful can have a positive or a negative result and means to be scared or afraid of many things. Mr. Eckels' fearfulness had a negative result in the story, causing him to remain in a state of shock and walk in the wrong direction. "He took a few steps, blinking, shuffling" "Not that way!" In conclusion, Mink's bravery and Mr. Eckels' fearfulness are completely opposite characteristics. Ray Bradbury's use of these personal attributes teach the reader that bravery is not always better than being fearful, as they both may have positive and/or negative consequences.
Mink and Mr, Eckels' inquisition is a key characteristic of each character's personality. Being inquisitive is to seek answers or ask questions in order to learn. We witness mink's inquisition when she asked her mother the definitions of certain words used by her alien friend, Drill. "What's lodge-ick?” Mink asked her mother. "...And what's im-pres-sionable?" Mr. Eckels' inquisition is portrayed when Lesperance informs the group of hunters of how he tracked the dinosaur earlier that day. "But if you came back this morning in Time," said Eckels eagerly, "you must have bumped into us, our safari! How did it turn out? Was it successful? Did all of us get through
alive?" To summarise, mink and Mr. Eckels are both inquisitive learners. We know this because they were constantly seeking answers and asking questions. A likely reason that Ray Bradbury had used this specific characteristic is to show that you will learn more of you ask questions. This is important in everyday life as the answer may help better explain something to you.
In conclusion, main characters Mink and Mr. Eckels from Ray Bradbury's short stories, Zero Hour and A sound of Thunder, have few similarities and many differences. Such as their common impatience, mink's bravery and mr, Eckels' fearfulness, and their inquisition and tendency to ask questions. All of these personal traits have both positive and/or negative consequences. This is a likely reason for Ray Bradbury's use of them. Also, to show the reader that the immediate judgment of a so called "negative trait" is not always accurate.
