Examples Of Diction In A Sound Of Thunder

Throughout the short story A Sound of Thunder the author, Ray Bradbury, shows Travis’ demeaning tone towards Eckels through diction and detail. Travis’ diction and word choice throughout the short story show his degrading tone towards Eckels. After the dinosaur was shot and killed by the group, they are back at the Time Machine when Travis says, “‘Stay out of this!’ Travis shook his hand away. ‘This fool nearly killed us. But it isn’t that so much, no. It’s his shoes! Look at them! He ran off the Path. … He left it. Oh, the fool!’” (p.7) Travis’ tone is shown through his repeated use of the word “fool” by calling Eckels names it proves his disapproving feelings towards him. The word “fool” demises Eckels and takes any dignity he once had within the

Travis humiliates Eckels through his use of detail when speaking to him. When the group met back up with Eckels at the Time Machine, Travis orders Eckels by saying, “‘The Monster’s dead, you idiot. The bullets! The bullets can’t be left behind. They don’t belong in the Past; they might change anything. Here’s my knife. Dig them out!’” (p.7) Describing things he has already explained to Eckels makes him seem redundant, which in turn makes Eckels seem ignorant. Travis also makes sure to state things throughout the text that are already implied if not stated. By doing so, he further diminishes any credibility Eckels had. This makes Eckels seem inferior to Travis, which is exactly what Travis believes to be true. Travis’ tone is shown further through his diction when talking to Eckels. Just after they see the dinosaur for the first time, Travis says to the horrified Eckels, “‘Sh!’ Travis jerked angrily. ‘He hasn’t seen us yet.’... ‘Shut up!’ hissed Travis.” (p.5) Travis’ choice of using words like “shut up” and “sh” give a demeaning tone that makes Eckels seem like an annoying