Nethergrave Short Story

In his intriguing story There Will Come Soft Rains, Ray Bradbury portrays a dystopian future wherein all of humanity has been destroyed and all that remains is their creations, more specifically the technology they’ve created. By portraying this haunting image of a world decimated by simple human nature, Bradbury illustrates the idea that we, as a species, cannot resist our nature to expand beyond current limits and to explore unchartered territory, and in doing so, will have reached and will continue to reach places, literal and figurative, that we never should have visited or even had been willing to visit. The inevitable result is our demise.

In Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains,” the author reminds the reader how the technology advancement can be wondrous yet dangerous. He shows the world in the 2026, how it’s going to go on without the life of humans. As technology has been misused, it became the ultimate destruction of humans. People depended too much on technology and had faith to it.

Saying that World War II transformed the world may sound like either a massive understatement or a trivialization of the discord; however, the simple fact is that the war revolutionized everything, including the ushering of a new technological age. From pressurized cabins in airplanes to penicillin, the products of government-funded research began to enter ordinary households, leading to more comfortable lifestyles. In spite of this, the world witnessed the adverse effects of technology on mankind, specifically with the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Author Ray Bradbury offers insight into the destructive potential of this new age in two of his short-story dystopias: “The Pedestrian” (1951) and “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains” (1950). Through the short stories’ distinct settings, unique moods, and similar usages of symbolism, Bradbury

Many science fiction shows, films, and novels today have been influenced by science fiction novels from the past. A few examples are Frequency,The Butterfly Effect, and A Sound of Thunder relating to A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. These films all express Bradbury’s idea of the butterfly effect and that time traveling can change the past, therefore changing the future. Although they share the same idea, they each have different outcomes.

Eaton presents both settings as hostile and daunting. The desert is depicted as being a dangerous prison from which escape is impossible as described as “Dry, thorny bushes formed a natural, almost impenetrable wall of spinifex.” (Pg.145) and Port Barren as described as “A hot, dusty, dry hole with flies.” (Pg.17) by Jamie. The reader is positioned to sympathize with Jamie’s predicament of being stuck in this unfriendly environment. Jamie’s relationship with the setting by the end as he is accepted by the locals and earns a sense of belonging. As a short extract from the story represents: “I meant to ask you, what do you reckon I am? Neither mate. You’re local.” (Pg.

The short stories both written by Ray Bradbury “A Sound of Thunder” and “The Veldt” share many similarities as well as differences. “A Sound of Thunder” is about a man that assumes the name Mr. Eckels who goes on an expedition sixty-five million years into the past to hunt dinosaurs. When they are hunting they cross paths with A Tyrannosaurus rex. Eckels and the others kill the reptile and Eckels becomes traumatized. He then proceeds by stepping on a path a crushes a butterfly under his boot accidentally. He doesn’t find out until he gets back to the future to see a new timeline. “The Veldt” is about a family who lives in a fifties-esque common concoction of a future home. The HappyLife Home is a type of smart home. The home has a room

Connell utilizes the strength of the story by combining the setting with mood to observe the reaction of the characters when the environment around them changes. For example, as the "poisonous [air]'; engulfs the yacht, it gives Whitney "a mental chill; a sort of sudden dread'; as Rainsford and him sail precariously towards the island (62). Whitney, frightened by the grim nature around him, feels like a wounded bird fighting for its life among the hungry predators hiding in the unknown. The shroud of darkness completely surrounds not only Whitney, but the entire yacht which leaves him in a state of anxiety because of what lies in cover amid the dreadful island. Furthermore, as the eyes of Zaroff scatter over the island, searching for Rainsford, "Rainsford froze there, every muscle tensed'; afraid that the eyes will see (73). With shelter high above in the trees, away from Zaroff, Rainsford awaits for the perfect moment where he will jump down from among the sky and pounce on Zaroff like a leopard killing its prey. Consequently, while Rainsford keeps repeating the moment of victory inside his mind; the self-confidence, overflowing out of his veins, develops into uncertainty. Since Zaroff possesses the island and with his military expertise, scouts the island for any advantages in hunt; Rainsford fears that Zaroff will counter the surprise attack and kill him, making the hunter become the prey. When Connell interweaves setting into mood, the method he uses touches

A lawless, mysterious region is the perfect backdrop to allow for Connell’s characters in his story to further explore reason and instinct within themselves.

The authors in the narratives, “The Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury and “Nethergrave” by Gloria are each about technology altering the life of the main characters. Although both narratives include many different subjects as the story progresses, both explore the idea of emotions affect the way technology is used. Due to their theme, conflict, and setting, the story “The Sound of Thunder” is a better novel than the narrative “Nethergrave”.

Lastly, Jack forms relations with the new outside world, and consequently he further explores his role within society. According to a specialist, Jack’s limited exposure to the world will create a barrier towards interaction with the community and environment. “‘Like a newborn in many ways, despite his remarkably accelerated literacy and

In the stories “Nethergrave” and “The Sound of Thunder”, there are lessons and examples of real-world problems. However, I think that the problems that are in “Nethergrave” can be most associated with kids of today. While “The Sound of Thunder” addresses a similar topic children and teens can relate more to “Nethergrave”. Children, but mostly teens, can relate to Jeremy because he does not fit in much, doesn't like hanging out with people, and likes to be alone and play one the computer. These kids should realize that the online-world is not always going to be nice and happy, something may go wrong they will end up getting hurt.

The best science fiction stories, are those stories that captivate the readers attention from beginning to end; that manage to exploit all the elements of literature and that are “based on imagined future scientific or technological advances and major social or environmental changes, frequently portraying space or time travel and life on other planets.” “A Sound of Thunder” by Ray Bradbury is about a man named Eckels that pays ten thousand dollars for the opportunity to travel back in time to the era of the dinosaurs. Prior to going on the Safari hunt, that guarantees nothing but the “severest thrill” of killing a T-Rex, he is given clear-cut instructions as to what he can and cannot do. To Eckels disgrace, he fails to follow instructions, which results in losing his own life and changing the course of history forever. In the other hand, “Nethergrave” by Gloria Skurzynski is about a young boy named Jeremy who is always bullied by his peers, not good at sports, and feels abandoned by his parents. Nonetheless, Jeremy is given the opportunity to escape his harsh world through an online chartroom, and later by entering a different dimension—Nethergrave. Jeremy is given the opportunity to choose to be strong and powerful and living forever in Nethergrave with the promise of never feeling lonely or abandoned again. Though both stories are captivating and interesting, in my opinion, based on the use of technology, the development of characters, and the main message of the stories,

‘A Sound of Thunder’ is better than ‘Nethergrave’ because the use of technology, role of science and the main message. Its role of technology is unique and the role of science is unusual. Its main message was to ‘be careful’ because every little or big thing ‘has an effect on someone, somewhere’. This message is true and can be incorporated in life as well as technology. This is why I know that ‘A Sound of Thunder’ was an overall better choice of sci-fi fiction than ‘Nethergrave’.

Having spent one’s entire childhood through war and bombings can inspire many ideas, both positive and negative. From the fear of a nuclear bomb to the proud feeling of witnessing the first American man on the moon, Ray Bradbury took his experiences during World War II and the International Space Race and transformed them into literary pieces, such as “There Will Come Soft Rains”, “The Sound of Thunder”, and “The Pedestrian”. In these short stories, Bradbury includes elements of his own life into the plot, creating a message of caution to the readers through his riveting genre of dystopia. Some topics he stresses include time, technology, and its possible threats to human interaction. Through Bradbury’s unique style, he encapsulates the major issue of the rapid development in society and how it affects people in a social aspect. As new technology and science is innovated, there are many people who debate whether or not it can have harmful side effects to mankind. Among these three short stories, Bradbury uses the stylistic techniques of diction, imagery, and figurative language to convey that as society progresses through time, people lose their sense of humanity.

When Vera grabs up Wargrave, he laughs showing no remorse for what he had done. As she struggles to get his body to the dock a fisherman stops. “What’s going on?” he asked. Wargrave smiles and says “I killed them. They needed to be punished.” The fisherman took Wargrave to the mainland and called the police. They waited for a couple hours until the police arrived, and they take Wargrave into custody. As they were arresting Wargrave, Vera is questioned as to what happened to the rest. The rest of the day the police collect the bodies and search the house for each murder weapon. When they brought the bodies in, Vera identifies them. While looking at Lombard, Vera cries and says “I have something to confess.”