Language of Ray Bradbury
Authors use magnificent language and description to enhance their stories. In "A Sound of Thunder", Ray Bradbury uses descriptive language to enhance the reading experience. Bradbury uses detailed description, foreshadowing, and symbolism to make the stories a first hand experience for his readers.
Bradbury uses amazing description to make the reader feel as if they are in the story, not just reading it. For instance, he uses tremendous detail in "A Sound of Thunder" when he writes "Eckels glanced across the vast office at a mass and tangle, a snaking and humming of wires and steel boxes, at an aurora that flickered now orange, now silver, now blue"(17) Bradbury is recounting what Eckels sees upon entering the Time Safari, Inc. office. Once again, he could have simply stated that Ecklels walks into an office and sees a time machine, but he does much more. He defines the colorful glows coming off of the time mechanism, and the machinery lying about in heaps around the floor to make the reader feel as if they are the ones stepping into that office for the first time.
Bradbury also uses the tool of foreshadowing to help the reader better understand the story and plot line and to let the reader know a little bit more about the mystery of a story without giving anything away too quickly. Bradbury uses foreshadowing in "A Sound of Thunder" to give the reader an idea of what might happen in the future. For instance, Eckels shows his insensitive personality when he states "‘So they’re dead. So what?’"(20). An another example of foreshadowing is the sign shown at the beginning of the story. This sign is grammatically correct. However, the same sign which Eckels notices when they return later that day is filled with errors. This foreshadows that something has changed, i.e. a different person has been elected President. This is significant because of Bradbury’s description of the two candidates at the story’s beginning. One is highly educated and the second finds education to be less important.
Bradbury establishes his characters’ personalities through dialogue. He lets you know that Eckels is boastful on the outside, but scared on the inside by the way he speaks. A reader can tell that Eckel’s priorities are not in the right place, which serves as a foreshadowing of future events.
To sum up, Bradbury uses detail to make the reader feel as if he or she is the main character embarking on adventures. He uses foreshadowing to give hints to the reader of future events, and makes use of symbolism (e.g.Time machine, Butterfly effect) to strengthen the stories’ plot lines. On the whole, Ray Bradbury uses special skills to enhance his remarkable stories
Thursday, December 13, 2007
MORE TO COME
Grandmother poem
The relationship that the writer describes that she has with her grandmother is that they didn’t seem to be very close. They never spent any time together. The writer says that she was “afraid” of her grandmother. This may have been because she was scared to get too close to her in case she lost her, as she was so old. The writer also says that all she felt was guilt when her grandmother died because she never went out with her. There was probably a lot of tension between the two when the grandmother was alive because the writer was scared to be with her.
I think that that the poem is separated into 4 stanzas because each stanza seems to describe a different part of the grandmother’s life. In the first stanza, the writer explains what her grandmother used to do; the second stanza goes on to say how she thought that her grandmother felt hurt that she did not want to go out with her. The third stanza talks about her getting too old to look after the antique shop and probably being on her last legs. The final stanza talks about when she died, and what was left of her antiques and the memories that were left of her in the room where all her things were.
In the first stanza there are many ways in which the writer has created the atmosphere of an antique shop. “Apostle spoons” and “Bristol glass” are the most obvious in the first stanza; this is because they are both collectables and are treasured by antique lovers. The writer also uses phrases such as “faded silks” and “heavy furniture”. The faded silks could have been describing her grandmother as well as what was in the shop (double entanger). Heavy furniture would have been in the shop because years ago the heavier the furniture, the more expensive it would be.
There are many couplets in the poem that do not have ‘full’ rhyming patterns: prove – love
afraid – said
guilt – felt
then – again
there – air
room – come
All of these couplets that are not “full” are either at the end of a stanza or near the beginning.
In the second stanza, there are a lot of simple words used. This may have been because when she refused to go out with her grandmother she was probably very young. The simple words reflect that because it is the sort of style that a child would write in if they were writing a poem. The use of simple words also makes it quite strong and makes the stanza stick in your head.
I think that Jennings is trying to tell us that growing old is all about memories. This is because she describes her grandmother as always keeping her memories with her, even if she didn’t need what she had in that room where she kept all her antiques. “I walked into her room among tall Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used But needed:” Jennings is also telling us about a memory that she has of being young.
“I could still feel the guilt Of that refusal, guessing how she felt” I think that this is an important line in the second stanza because it does not show any finality. The writer is showing how she felt about what she said to her grandmother, but she was not sure how her grandmother felt about it. It is the writer’s own feelings and draws you into the poem.
The last line “Only the new dust falling through the air” is significant because it is saying that this is the only thing that is left of her grandmother. All she has to remember her by is the antiques that she used to collect. The dust seems to mean that she is thinking about her grandmother and could signify memories of the antiques and her grandmother.
The relationship that the writer describes that she has with her grandmother is that they didn’t seem to be very close. They never spent any time together. The writer says that she was “afraid” of her grandmother. This may have been because she was scared to get too close to her in case she lost her, as she was so old. The writer also says that all she felt was guilt when her grandmother died because she never went out with her. There was probably a lot of tension between the two when the grandmother was alive because the writer was scared to be with her.
I think that that the poem is separated into 4 stanzas because each stanza seems to describe a different part of the grandmother’s life. In the first stanza, the writer explains what her grandmother used to do; the second stanza goes on to say how she thought that her grandmother felt hurt that she did not want to go out with her. The third stanza talks about her getting too old to look after the antique shop and probably being on her last legs. The final stanza talks about when she died, and what was left of her antiques and the memories that were left of her in the room where all her things were.
In the first stanza there are many ways in which the writer has created the atmosphere of an antique shop. “Apostle spoons” and “Bristol glass” are the most obvious in the first stanza; this is because they are both collectables and are treasured by antique lovers. The writer also uses phrases such as “faded silks” and “heavy furniture”. The faded silks could have been describing her grandmother as well as what was in the shop (double entanger). Heavy furniture would have been in the shop because years ago the heavier the furniture, the more expensive it would be.
There are many couplets in the poem that do not have ‘full’ rhyming patterns: prove – love
afraid – said
guilt – felt
then – again
there – air
room – come
All of these couplets that are not “full” are either at the end of a stanza or near the beginning.
In the second stanza, there are a lot of simple words used. This may have been because when she refused to go out with her grandmother she was probably very young. The simple words reflect that because it is the sort of style that a child would write in if they were writing a poem. The use of simple words also makes it quite strong and makes the stanza stick in your head.
I think that Jennings is trying to tell us that growing old is all about memories. This is because she describes her grandmother as always keeping her memories with her, even if she didn’t need what she had in that room where she kept all her antiques. “I walked into her room among tall Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used But needed:” Jennings is also telling us about a memory that she has of being young.
“I could still feel the guilt Of that refusal, guessing how she felt” I think that this is an important line in the second stanza because it does not show any finality. The writer is showing how she felt about what she said to her grandmother, but she was not sure how her grandmother felt about it. It is the writer’s own feelings and draws you into the poem.
The last line “Only the new dust falling through the air” is significant because it is saying that this is the only thing that is left of her grandmother. All she has to remember her by is the antiques that she used to collect. The dust seems to mean that she is thinking about her grandmother and could signify memories of the antiques and her grandmother.
How to quote GRANDMOTHER
This is a poem about a memory. The poem describes the writer’s grandmother and the grandmother’s love for antiques and how she had previously had a antique shop, before having to give it up due to her age. The writer describes her emotion - guilt of how she wished she had gone out with her grandmother, and not been too afraid.
The poem is descriptive. The first stanza captures the picture of the antique shop which the grandmother kept. We get the impression that the grandmother was rather lonely since antiques is all she seems to have. - perhaps because these antiques remind her of life when she was younger? The way the grandmother watches her own reflection in the brass suggests that she was lonely. (‘She watched her own reflection in the brass Salvers and silver bowls’) I think because she seemed lonely, it created a sensation of solitude and a strong feeling of emptiness.
In the second stanza, the writer describes her guilt. She describes how she refused to go out with her grandmother. It’s like she did not realise how the grandmother must have felt at the time - but as she looks back - she realises and feels the guilt. As a child - you don’t realise how she might have been hurt by it, which makes the reader feel quite sad for the writer.
In the Third Stanza, the atmosphere of old-loneliness is brought alive - by the writer talking about the smell of the place. (The place smelt old, of things being kept to shut’) Also, the writer describes the smell of absences - which again creates the lonely feeling. The idea of things being kept shut, may describe the Grandmother, due to her loneliness, she may have felt she was kept shut. (‘The smell of absences where shadows come that can’t be polished’) I get the feeling that the grandmother is perhaps more lonely by the third stanza because the reflection that she once used to look at, is not there anymore. (‘There was nothing then to give her own reflection back again.’)
On the last stanza, the writer describes how she felt no grief at all, which gives us the impression that she wasn’t very close to her grandmother. (‘An when she died I felt no grief at all.’). It shows that the only emotion she had was guilt, which is sad for the reader. When the writer speaks about the antiques, (‘Sideboards and cupboards - things she had never used’) she compares it to the relationship she had with her grandmother.
I think that the writer wanted us to think about how when she was a child, she did not realise the loneliness of her grandmother and did not realise how much it would have hurt her, which applies to most children. I think the writer took interest in her grandmother more after she had died, which makes us, as a reader think about spending time with our elders before they die and not to end up like the writer did (‘A wish not to be used’)
The poem is descriptive. The first stanza captures the picture of the antique shop which the grandmother kept. We get the impression that the grandmother was rather lonely since antiques is all she seems to have. - perhaps because these antiques remind her of life when she was younger? The way the grandmother watches her own reflection in the brass suggests that she was lonely. (‘She watched her own reflection in the brass Salvers and silver bowls’) I think because she seemed lonely, it created a sensation of solitude and a strong feeling of emptiness.
In the second stanza, the writer describes her guilt. She describes how she refused to go out with her grandmother. It’s like she did not realise how the grandmother must have felt at the time - but as she looks back - she realises and feels the guilt. As a child - you don’t realise how she might have been hurt by it, which makes the reader feel quite sad for the writer.
In the Third Stanza, the atmosphere of old-loneliness is brought alive - by the writer talking about the smell of the place. (The place smelt old, of things being kept to shut’) Also, the writer describes the smell of absences - which again creates the lonely feeling. The idea of things being kept shut, may describe the Grandmother, due to her loneliness, she may have felt she was kept shut. (‘The smell of absences where shadows come that can’t be polished’) I get the feeling that the grandmother is perhaps more lonely by the third stanza because the reflection that she once used to look at, is not there anymore. (‘There was nothing then to give her own reflection back again.’)
On the last stanza, the writer describes how she felt no grief at all, which gives us the impression that she wasn’t very close to her grandmother. (‘An when she died I felt no grief at all.’). It shows that the only emotion she had was guilt, which is sad for the reader. When the writer speaks about the antiques, (‘Sideboards and cupboards - things she had never used’) she compares it to the relationship she had with her grandmother.
I think that the writer wanted us to think about how when she was a child, she did not realise the loneliness of her grandmother and did not realise how much it would have hurt her, which applies to most children. I think the writer took interest in her grandmother more after she had died, which makes us, as a reader think about spending time with our elders before they die and not to end up like the writer did (‘A wish not to be used’)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Grandpa
Grandpa he was a man
He taught me the things that mattered
how to eat oxtail soup before
fishing on Saturday morning to
keep you warm how to
cast a line into a
streamful of angered anglers and
be the only one to
come home with anything worth
bragging about how to
set teeth in any saw and
dovetail a joint in a
chair leg and roof a
house and weld a
straight seam on a
kitchen pipe and make a
home out of a
workshop out of a
two-car garage and
smoke Granger’s tobacco and
love work out kids and
fishing for ‘a Man’s
life is his work and
his work is his life’ and
Once you take away his work
you pull the plug of his life
and it takes too long
for it to drain silently away.
one day the came and
told him to go home and
rest old man it’s time
that you retire he begged
them ‘let me stay’ but
they of course knew best for
every one knows at sixty-five
all men are old and useless and
must be cast off to
rot so he came home and
tried to fish and
couldn’t and tried to joke and
couldn’t and tried to live and
couldn’t Every morning he was
up and four and cooked breakfast for
grandma and warmed up the house and
went to the workshop and filed saws for neighbors but
they told him to stop that too
so he put all his tools away and
cleaned up the workshop and
came into the house for his
daily afternoon nap and
died. They didn’t know
what I knew because he didn’t tell them but
he showed them
Grandpa he was man.
W.M. Ransom
IMPORTANT NOTES
He taught me the things that mattered
how to eat oxtail soup before
fishing on Saturday morning to
keep you warm how to
cast a line into a
streamful of angered anglers and
be the only one to
come home with anything worth
bragging about how to
set teeth in any saw and
dovetail a joint in a
chair leg and roof a
house and weld a
straight seam on a
kitchen pipe and make a
home out of a
workshop out of a
two-car garage and
smoke Granger’s tobacco and
love work out kids and
fishing for ‘a Man’s
life is his work and
his work is his life’ and
Once you take away his work
you pull the plug of his life
and it takes too long
for it to drain silently away.
one day the came and
told him to go home and
rest old man it’s time
that you retire he begged
them ‘let me stay’ but
they of course knew best for
every one knows at sixty-five
all men are old and useless and
must be cast off to
rot so he came home and
tried to fish and
couldn’t and tried to joke and
couldn’t and tried to live and
couldn’t Every morning he was
up and four and cooked breakfast for
grandma and warmed up the house and
went to the workshop and filed saws for neighbors but
they told him to stop that too
so he put all his tools away and
cleaned up the workshop and
came into the house for his
daily afternoon nap and
died. They didn’t know
what I knew because he didn’t tell them but
he showed them
Grandpa he was man.
W.M. Ransom
IMPORTANT NOTES
- grandson sees grandpas as role model
- grandson has a good relationship with his grandpa who has taught him many things
- grandpa was a man whose life was devoted to his work
- metaphor: grandpa stops working "Once you take away his work you pull the plug of his life and it takes too long for it to drain silently away"
- pull the plug "when he's forced to retire" > drain silently away "his life going to end"
- grandpa has been objectified as rotting plants - his life is no longer worth living
- the shape of the poem is irregular and the lines seem to drag on endlessly, echoing the image of water going down the drain
- all grandpa's words are direct speech- suggest a close relationship between the writer and his grandpa - grandpa's words are meaningful to the writer
- Grandpa has taught the writer
- how to eat oxtail soup
- cast a line into a streamful of angered anglers
- set teeth in any saw and dovetail a joint
- weld a straight seam on a kitchen pipe
10. Grandpa was a working man
- smoke Granger's tobacco
- love work
- love kids
- love fishing
My grandmother (MUST READ)
“My Grandmother” by Elizabeth Jennings explores the relationship between the personae and her grandmother. It focuses on the remorse and guilt she felt after her grandmother passed away.
The first stanza begins by saying that Elizabeth’s Grandmother owned an antique shop, which she cherished more than anything or anyone. She kept lots of antiques. She kept so many of them that they became to dictate your life. She has a great relationship and a passion with her possessions. This can be found in Line 1.
‘She kept an antique shop – or it kept her.
Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glass,
The faded silks, the heavy furniture…’
In the antique shop there was heavy furniture, which had been faded over the years. There was a good atmosphere in the shop. She polished the objects and antiques very well. It was a well-run shop. When she looks in the brass she sees her own reflection. She has a better relationship with the shop than any of her family, or friends. This can be found in Line 4.
‘She watched her own reflection in the brass
Slavers and silver bowls, as if to prove
Polish was all, there was no need for love.’
In the second stanza, Elizabeth is describing a particular incident that happened in her childhood. This can be found in Line 7.
‘And I remember how I once refused
To go out with her, since I was afraid.
It was perhaps a wish not to be used
Like antique objects…’
Her Grandmother asked her Granddaughter if she would go out with her but she refused and thought her Grandmother would own her but not love her. She felt abstinent, and felt she should have gone with her, but also had to say what she felt. She did not want to go with her, so she said 'no'. Line 10.
Though she never said
That she was hurt, I still could feel the guilt
Of that refusal, guessing how she felt.’
She was starting to feel guilty about refusing to go out with her Grandmother. Elizabeth did not know what her Grandmother was thinking or feeling when she refused to go out, but she guessed she was not happy. Even though her Grandmother said nothing she still felt guilty about what she had said.
The third stanza is when her Grandmother gets more frail, and is not able to keep the antique shop running. The third stanza is what the Grandmother does in retirement. She has a sense of loneliness because she spends more time with her shop than with the people who care about her. She replaces her family with her hobby and her passion for the antique shop. When she excessively polishes she is trying to escape from reality. This can be found in Line 13.
‘Later, too frail to keep a shop, she put
All her best things in one long, narrow room.’
In the next four lines of stanza three we can see that the place she had gone to smelt old, and the smell of absence where the shadows come that could not be polished. This meant that she had gone to a place where she could not clean.
‘The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut,
The smell of absences where shadows come
That can’t be polished. There was nothing then
To give her own reflection back again.’
In stanza three the Grandmother has died. When it says that the ‘shadows come’ it means that death has arrived and has come for the Grandmother. She would not be able to use polish to make her reflection return or return her life back out of reality, and into her dream world.
In the forth and final stanza the Grandmother has died and nobody is looking after her antique shop. The echoes of death have been surrounding the shop, because it has lost its life, just like her Grandmother. This can be found in line 19 to the end of the poem.
‘And when she dies I felt no grief at all
Only the guilt of what I once refused.
I walked into her room among the tall
Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used
But needed: and no finger - marks were there,
Only the new dust falling through the air.’
In these lines of stanza four we can see that Elizabeth Jennings’s felt no grief of her Grandmother, but she still felt the guilt about her refusal in stanza two. She may not have felt any grief when she dies because she was not that close and had nothing to do with her. Most people expect to feel grief when a family member, friend or pet dies but some people feel more grief for a friend or pet than a distant or closer family member.
She walked into her Grandmothers room and saw all of her belongings, which was in there, and realised that she needed none of it. She never used any of it. It was just wasted. In her room there was no dust or finger marks where the dust would be collected over a day or two. It was beginning to show because she was not there to clean it.
The language used in the poem was quite simple. The poem was set in the mind of a child and the memory of Elizabeth Jennings’s. There is a rhyme pattern. In the first stanza we can see that in the first and third line there is rhyme. In fifth and sixth line there is eye rhyme. This is when you read it out – loud it does not sound as if it would rhyme, but when you look at it, it looks similar because both ‘prove’ and ‘love’ end with ‘. ove.’ Half rhyme has been used in the second stanza when it says ‘ guilt’ and ‘felt’. These two words sound nothing like each other or look alike, but the last letter of either word is the same, which makes them end on the same note when you say them.
The first stanza begins by saying that Elizabeth’s Grandmother owned an antique shop, which she cherished more than anything or anyone. She kept lots of antiques. She kept so many of them that they became to dictate your life. She has a great relationship and a passion with her possessions. This can be found in Line 1.
‘She kept an antique shop – or it kept her.
Among Apostle spoons and Bristol glass,
The faded silks, the heavy furniture…’
In the antique shop there was heavy furniture, which had been faded over the years. There was a good atmosphere in the shop. She polished the objects and antiques very well. It was a well-run shop. When she looks in the brass she sees her own reflection. She has a better relationship with the shop than any of her family, or friends. This can be found in Line 4.
‘She watched her own reflection in the brass
Slavers and silver bowls, as if to prove
Polish was all, there was no need for love.’
In the second stanza, Elizabeth is describing a particular incident that happened in her childhood. This can be found in Line 7.
‘And I remember how I once refused
To go out with her, since I was afraid.
It was perhaps a wish not to be used
Like antique objects…’
Her Grandmother asked her Granddaughter if she would go out with her but she refused and thought her Grandmother would own her but not love her. She felt abstinent, and felt she should have gone with her, but also had to say what she felt. She did not want to go with her, so she said 'no'. Line 10.
Though she never said
That she was hurt, I still could feel the guilt
Of that refusal, guessing how she felt.’
She was starting to feel guilty about refusing to go out with her Grandmother. Elizabeth did not know what her Grandmother was thinking or feeling when she refused to go out, but she guessed she was not happy. Even though her Grandmother said nothing she still felt guilty about what she had said.
The third stanza is when her Grandmother gets more frail, and is not able to keep the antique shop running. The third stanza is what the Grandmother does in retirement. She has a sense of loneliness because she spends more time with her shop than with the people who care about her. She replaces her family with her hobby and her passion for the antique shop. When she excessively polishes she is trying to escape from reality. This can be found in Line 13.
‘Later, too frail to keep a shop, she put
All her best things in one long, narrow room.’
In the next four lines of stanza three we can see that the place she had gone to smelt old, and the smell of absence where the shadows come that could not be polished. This meant that she had gone to a place where she could not clean.
‘The place smelt old, of things too long kept shut,
The smell of absences where shadows come
That can’t be polished. There was nothing then
To give her own reflection back again.’
In stanza three the Grandmother has died. When it says that the ‘shadows come’ it means that death has arrived and has come for the Grandmother. She would not be able to use polish to make her reflection return or return her life back out of reality, and into her dream world.
In the forth and final stanza the Grandmother has died and nobody is looking after her antique shop. The echoes of death have been surrounding the shop, because it has lost its life, just like her Grandmother. This can be found in line 19 to the end of the poem.
‘And when she dies I felt no grief at all
Only the guilt of what I once refused.
I walked into her room among the tall
Sideboards and cupboards – things she never used
But needed: and no finger - marks were there,
Only the new dust falling through the air.’
In these lines of stanza four we can see that Elizabeth Jennings’s felt no grief of her Grandmother, but she still felt the guilt about her refusal in stanza two. She may not have felt any grief when she dies because she was not that close and had nothing to do with her. Most people expect to feel grief when a family member, friend or pet dies but some people feel more grief for a friend or pet than a distant or closer family member.
She walked into her Grandmothers room and saw all of her belongings, which was in there, and realised that she needed none of it. She never used any of it. It was just wasted. In her room there was no dust or finger marks where the dust would be collected over a day or two. It was beginning to show because she was not there to clean it.
The language used in the poem was quite simple. The poem was set in the mind of a child and the memory of Elizabeth Jennings’s. There is a rhyme pattern. In the first stanza we can see that in the first and third line there is rhyme. In fifth and sixth line there is eye rhyme. This is when you read it out – loud it does not sound as if it would rhyme, but when you look at it, it looks similar because both ‘prove’ and ‘love’ end with ‘. ove.’ Half rhyme has been used in the second stanza when it says ‘ guilt’ and ‘felt’. These two words sound nothing like each other or look alike, but the last letter of either word is the same, which makes them end on the same note when you say them.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
T-Rex in Sound of Thunder
“A sound of thunder” is a science-fiction story by Ray Bradbury. It is set in the future at “Time Safaris Inc.”. Time safaris Inc. are a company which allows serious hunters to live their dream: to travel back in time and shoot a live dinosaur. This story focuses on one hunting party’s encounter with a T-rex, during which Bradbury uses various techniques to make us feel both horror and sympathy simultaneously. I will now look in detail at the way Bradbury depicts the T-rex.
Bradbury begins by entering the dinosaur on “great oiled, resilient, striding legs”, which gives the impression of power, of the dinosaur being able to withstand anything. The word “great” helps give an impression of size, and you can really imagine the “oily”, shimmering scales. “Striding” makes you imagine huge, clawed feet gliding over the ground: you can almost picture the immense mass of oily scales and claws. This opening phrase helps to draw tension.
Next we are told how “each leg was a piston”, which is especially effective as a piston is part of a machine, therefore giving us the image of the monster as machine-like. This, once again, gives the impression of how powerful the creature is, as well as making it seem as though, like a machine, the great lizard does not have the ability to feel emotion. This draws a feeling of horror, adding to the tension at the same time.
Bradbury then uses “sheathed over in a gleam of pebbly skin”. This metaphor, if just for a moment, makes the dinosaur sound almost beautiful. The choice of “gleam of pebbly skin”, likes the gleam of water trickling over pebbles on a river bed, makes us feel sympathy for the great creature: how could anyone want to kill something so beautiful and tranquil? However, as soon as the phrase “like the mail of a terrible warrior” is introduced, our image of the dinosaur is changed once again, making him sound powerful, deadly, ready to attack and able to withstand anything that should be stupid enough to attack him once more, Introducing the feeling of horror back into the description.
The adjective “delicate”, which Bradbury chooses to describe the dinosaur’s arms, gives an amazingly different view of the monster. It makes it sound fragile, as though it could be hurt, a contrast to the earlier description which made it sound almost indestructible! This word he has chosen helps us to sympathise with the dinosaur once more.
“The snake neck coiled” is a really effective metaphor as it gives the dinosaur more of a reptile feel, and the decision to compare it with a snake, a feared and sometimes deadly creature, increases tension and makes the monster sound even more deadly, adding to our feeling of horror. The verb “coiled”, is an unusual choice as it is used to describe coils, concentric rings, making it sound as though the dinosaur has layers of fat round it’s neck, encrusted with scales. This stops us feeling so much sympathy for the dinosaur, and makes it sound a bit ugly.
The description of the head as “a ton of sculptured stone, lifted easily upon the sky” is a very effective metaphor as stone is amazingly strong, and can withstand almost any thing, emphasising once again the indestructibility of the dinosaur. Describing it as “a ton” shows us just how heavy it is, and how strong the dinosaur must be to lift it, as well as giving us an impression of the sort of size it must be.. Telling us how it was “lifted easily upon the sky” shows us how the monster lifts his head to the sky with almost no effort, showing how strong he is. At this point you almost admire the great beast, wonder why anyone would want to kill it...
However, Bradley soon snaps us out of this trance by combining a simile and a metaphor to build “a fence of teeth like daggers”, once again alerting you to the fact that this monster is deadly. Comparing the teeth to daggers gives the impression of just how sharp they must be, and really draws the tension. You can just imagine the teeth glinting in the prehistoric sun, like the way a dagger might glint in the sunlight now. This phrase definitely helps reinforce the sense of horror once more.
Bradley soon calms us down, however, with the metaphor “gliding ballet steps”, which he uses to describe the way in which the dinosaur moved. It makes it sound almost graceful, and contrasts the description he has used earlier. The verb “gliding” in particular helps the dinosaur’s new, innocent image. Here, instead of making the dinosaur sound dangerous, evil and machine-like, he makes it sound innocent and dainty, fragile and graceful. It doesn’t sound like the same dinosaur described earlier. This certainly helps you feel sympathy for the dinosaur, knowing it is about to be killed.
“Death grin”, however, soon brings us back to reality. This oxy moron combines grin, which we associate with being happy, with death- something horrifying which most people would choose not to talk about. This gives it an almost sinister feel, and helps to draw both tension and horror.
Next, Bradbury helps us to sympathise with the dinosaur once more, telling us how “it moved into a sunlit arena warily”. This choice of adverb combined with the metaphor makes the dinosaur sound shy, as though it doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, as though, perhaps, it knew it was being watched. It makes it sound as though, maybe, it is a bit scared, nervous- contrasting the earlier description which made us think of the dinosaur as cruel and unfeeling- as though it were scared of what might happen to it if it edged into the light. It really helps you to feel sympathy and perhaps even pity for the dinosaur.
He then describes how the dinosaur’s hands are “beautifully reptile”, once again beautifying the dinosaur and making us wonder why anyone would want to harm it.
To finish his exquisite description, Bradbury tells us how, when the dinosaur exhaled, “the stink of raw flesh blew down the wilderness”. This is a final reminder of how this beast eats meat, and would happily munch up one of us any day. Describing how it “blew down the wilderness” gives a last impression of the immense power within the dinosaur, its breath strong as a wind, blowing back trees and plants. This phrase turns the dinosaur into a terrible monster for one, last time.
Bradbury begins by entering the dinosaur on “great oiled, resilient, striding legs”, which gives the impression of power, of the dinosaur being able to withstand anything. The word “great” helps give an impression of size, and you can really imagine the “oily”, shimmering scales. “Striding” makes you imagine huge, clawed feet gliding over the ground: you can almost picture the immense mass of oily scales and claws. This opening phrase helps to draw tension.
Next we are told how “each leg was a piston”, which is especially effective as a piston is part of a machine, therefore giving us the image of the monster as machine-like. This, once again, gives the impression of how powerful the creature is, as well as making it seem as though, like a machine, the great lizard does not have the ability to feel emotion. This draws a feeling of horror, adding to the tension at the same time.
Bradbury then uses “sheathed over in a gleam of pebbly skin”. This metaphor, if just for a moment, makes the dinosaur sound almost beautiful. The choice of “gleam of pebbly skin”, likes the gleam of water trickling over pebbles on a river bed, makes us feel sympathy for the great creature: how could anyone want to kill something so beautiful and tranquil? However, as soon as the phrase “like the mail of a terrible warrior” is introduced, our image of the dinosaur is changed once again, making him sound powerful, deadly, ready to attack and able to withstand anything that should be stupid enough to attack him once more, Introducing the feeling of horror back into the description.
The adjective “delicate”, which Bradbury chooses to describe the dinosaur’s arms, gives an amazingly different view of the monster. It makes it sound fragile, as though it could be hurt, a contrast to the earlier description which made it sound almost indestructible! This word he has chosen helps us to sympathise with the dinosaur once more.
“The snake neck coiled” is a really effective metaphor as it gives the dinosaur more of a reptile feel, and the decision to compare it with a snake, a feared and sometimes deadly creature, increases tension and makes the monster sound even more deadly, adding to our feeling of horror. The verb “coiled”, is an unusual choice as it is used to describe coils, concentric rings, making it sound as though the dinosaur has layers of fat round it’s neck, encrusted with scales. This stops us feeling so much sympathy for the dinosaur, and makes it sound a bit ugly.
The description of the head as “a ton of sculptured stone, lifted easily upon the sky” is a very effective metaphor as stone is amazingly strong, and can withstand almost any thing, emphasising once again the indestructibility of the dinosaur. Describing it as “a ton” shows us just how heavy it is, and how strong the dinosaur must be to lift it, as well as giving us an impression of the sort of size it must be.. Telling us how it was “lifted easily upon the sky” shows us how the monster lifts his head to the sky with almost no effort, showing how strong he is. At this point you almost admire the great beast, wonder why anyone would want to kill it...
However, Bradley soon snaps us out of this trance by combining a simile and a metaphor to build “a fence of teeth like daggers”, once again alerting you to the fact that this monster is deadly. Comparing the teeth to daggers gives the impression of just how sharp they must be, and really draws the tension. You can just imagine the teeth glinting in the prehistoric sun, like the way a dagger might glint in the sunlight now. This phrase definitely helps reinforce the sense of horror once more.
Bradley soon calms us down, however, with the metaphor “gliding ballet steps”, which he uses to describe the way in which the dinosaur moved. It makes it sound almost graceful, and contrasts the description he has used earlier. The verb “gliding” in particular helps the dinosaur’s new, innocent image. Here, instead of making the dinosaur sound dangerous, evil and machine-like, he makes it sound innocent and dainty, fragile and graceful. It doesn’t sound like the same dinosaur described earlier. This certainly helps you feel sympathy for the dinosaur, knowing it is about to be killed.
“Death grin”, however, soon brings us back to reality. This oxy moron combines grin, which we associate with being happy, with death- something horrifying which most people would choose not to talk about. This gives it an almost sinister feel, and helps to draw both tension and horror.
Next, Bradbury helps us to sympathise with the dinosaur once more, telling us how “it moved into a sunlit arena warily”. This choice of adverb combined with the metaphor makes the dinosaur sound shy, as though it doesn’t want to be in the spotlight, as though, perhaps, it knew it was being watched. It makes it sound as though, maybe, it is a bit scared, nervous- contrasting the earlier description which made us think of the dinosaur as cruel and unfeeling- as though it were scared of what might happen to it if it edged into the light. It really helps you to feel sympathy and perhaps even pity for the dinosaur.
He then describes how the dinosaur’s hands are “beautifully reptile”, once again beautifying the dinosaur and making us wonder why anyone would want to harm it.
To finish his exquisite description, Bradbury tells us how, when the dinosaur exhaled, “the stink of raw flesh blew down the wilderness”. This is a final reminder of how this beast eats meat, and would happily munch up one of us any day. Describing how it “blew down the wilderness” gives a last impression of the immense power within the dinosaur, its breath strong as a wind, blowing back trees and plants. This phrase turns the dinosaur into a terrible monster for one, last time.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
The Sound of Thunder
The sound of thunder (part 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkLT57mVnGE
The sound of thunder (part 2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqd4Ol8FlGc&feature=related
The sound of thunder (part 3)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xuq3kOwGGw&feature=related
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