One individual’s action may alter the lives, destinies, and future of millions of other people. In A Sound of Thunder, the killing of a single butterfly alters the course of evolution. Bradbury observes how a careless action by one traveler alters the destiny of others. “With the death of that one caveman, a billion others yet unborn are throttled in the womb” (Bradbury 3). Creating destiny is about being careful in actions. Human beings should learn how to create destiny by sticking to or changing their actions. A person should not reject doing one act of kindness even when it appears to be of no significant importance, neither should one commit a bad act even if it appears to cause an insignificant harm. Bradbury emphasizes on the significance of this argument, “destroy a single man, and you destroy a whole race of people and eventually an entire life history” (Bradbury 3). A single act of good or bad can impact or alter the future in unimaginable ways.
Similarly, in Lian-Fan’s Four Lessons, an old man advised Lian-Fan telling him that one day he was would attain a government official status in future and that he will attain the rank of Erudite First Level Scholar the following year; however, he was worried that Lian-Fan was not studying for his exam
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(Zhi-Hai 34). His point was that a single act of not studying for his exam could make him not become what the old man had envisioned him to become in future. In the same paper Master Yun-Gu advises Lian-Fan to recognize his shortcoming and work towards changing and reforming his misdeeds (Zhi-Hai 35). This means that there are events that act as signs signaling impeding danger or of coming good fortune. Therefore, an individual must make good judgment of the event at hand or choose to do or abstain from doing a certain action. In this era of technology, one act of misuse could bring the world to an end. Technology is driving people to reach for things that will bring them fame and in the process many have died; many who would have become great people; and who would have invented vaccines to killer diseases among many other achievements. In A Sound of Thunder, a single decision by a small group of time travelers to look for material things and pleasure alters the course of human evolution and almost destroys human existence. This was a group of rich people seeking their personal pleasure and ignoring the lives and future of other human beings. This leads to the theme of Butterfly Effect which states that a small difference can have an enormous impact on future events. In his book, Butterfly Effect: How Your Life Matters, Andrews quotes Edward Lorenz who came up with Butterfly theory which states, “a butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules of air, eventually capable of starting a hurricane on the other side of planet” (Andrews 6).
If a single butterfly, despite its size, can cause such an impact, how much can a human being impact the world with his/her deeds/actions? Though Lorenz’s idea appeared ridiculous and was taken as a joke by the conference attendees, his idea is very significant today such that it has become a staple of science fiction. A single act of good or bad can impact the future in unimaginable
ways.
...are confronted with the question of moral absolutes, we are forced to wonder when and to whom justice truly applies. Hopefully, we will look at our world and our ideas of right, wrong and retribution in different ways, ways that will enlighten and enrich our lives, and the those of the an audience of readers 2,000 years from now.
Have you ever read short stories by ray bradbury? In this essay i will be taking you through the similarities and differences i found while i was reading the three stories. I will also be discussing the characters and how they helped to give a better picture of the settings. Shall we begin.
If this man wants to eat a cookie before dinner, he will eat the cookie simply because he chooses to. The cookie is irrelevant. He begins to form new values with his choice as the guiding force. No more blindly obeying codes previously laid down in the past, this man has see...
The choices people make lead them to where they end up, which may be interpreted as the opposite of fate. However, when some people believe something is meant to be, they are determined not to stray from where they think they should end up, even if it means throwing away their principles and values in the process. Through Shakespeare's Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth’s original character and values are destroyed because of the influence from the witches' prophecies, Lady Macbeth's greed, and his own hidden ambition.
Even still the unknown beckons forth and the uncertainty of life provides a larger, more enthralling sense of mystery within the Quest journey, and the unsureness every Hero must face creates life-changing decisions and the adornation of peril to path of the Hero sparks the growth in the Hero’s self. Whether it be celestial Thunder speaking of peace beyond understanding, a crazed fortune teller speaking of death, suspicious eyes watching over the, “dead lands” (Eliot, “The Hollow Men” 39) , or a renegade angel choosing to, “Better reign in Hell than serve in Heaven” (Eliot, Paradise Lost 263), no decision is ever made for the hero. The all encompassing Butterfly Effect revels within the decisions of the Hero, yet Fate always seems to throw
We make choices every day, from waking to sleeping our day is composed of choices and the results of these choices. These choices help to shape us to who we are and want to be. But, these results may not be foreseen and may be adverse or favorable depending on the situation. Topics and events in our history ranging from the literacy of common man to unnecessary gun violence were a result of un-foreseen consequences. Our world’s history has been shaped by these consequences forming the world to where we are today.
Since the beginning of mankind, it has been the need to attain a specific goal, which has driven humans to work hard. Without any ambition, humans would not be inspired to overcome adversities and challenge themselves to become increasingly adaptable. When one is motivated by certain factors in their environment, the probability of them being satisfied with the results of their deeds depends on the moral value of their inspiration. If the individual is aware of the fact that their deed is immoral, then no matter how dire their circumstances which forced them to perform the actions, they will not be content. The irony establishes itself in the fact that those characters who are motivated by a cause bigger than themselves, tend to be happier,
The question “What makes us who we are?” has perplexed many scholars, scientists, and theorists over the years. This is a question that we still may have not found an answer to. There are theories that people are born “good”, “evil”, and as “blank slates”, but it is hard to prove any of these theories consistently. There have been countless cases of people who have grown up in “good” homes with loving parents, yet their destiny was to inflict destruction on others. On the other hand, there have been just as many cases of people who grew up on the streets without the guidance of a parental figure, but they chose to make a bad situation into a good one by growing up to do something worthwhile for mankind. For this reason, it is nearly impossible to determine what makes a human being choose the way he/she behaves. Mary Shelley (1797-1851) published a novel in 1818 to voice her opinions about determining personality and the consequences and repercussions of alienation. Shelley uses the ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau to make her point. Rousseau proposed the idea that man is essentially "good" in the beginning of life, but civilization and education can corrupt and warp a human mind and soul. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (hereafter referred to as Frankenstein), Victor Frankenstein’s creature with human characteristics shows us that people are born with loving, caring, and moral feelings, but the creature demonstrates how the influence of society can change one’s outlook of others and life itself by his reactions to adversity at “birth”, and his actions after being alienated and rejected by humans several times.
Throughout the hundreds of years, individuals have pondered the impact of heavenly or insidious force, environment, hereditary qualities, even excitement, as deciding how free any individual is in settling on good decisions. Fate, a result of the past, is often described as the advancement of occasions out of man 's control, dictated by an extraordinary force. In any case that someone may utilize their freewill can reflect upon their outcomes, decided upon a supreme force, whether they are positive or negative. In the novels “A Lesson Before Dying,” Ernest Gaines and “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck, the authors explore the trials and tribulations of self influenced fate controlled by an higher force.
One cannot just choose to ignore, one cannot just choose to observe and still do nothing, and one cannot just simply walk away. The reader is taught the momentous moral of not being a bystander, the importance of moral responsibility, and the great significance of learning to overcome the ethical issues in society.
In Ray Bradbury’s short story, “Sound of Thunder” he conveys an important lesson about human behavior through the character of Eckels. This theme is expressed clearly through the short story, but it doesn’t have value to Eckels until it is too late. Bradbury conveys the theory that small changes can have astronomical consequences through changing the future by electing a new president, changing the language and killing Eckels.
In Conclusion, The world should create better influences, end all violence, and have better places to live for the children of the future. If the world could change its ways and begin to make better choices instead of continuing the repetitive cycle of terrible judgment than the world could be a much more safer place. Change the aberration of everyone’s actions.
Decisions change and shape the world and the people that have lived throughout the centuries of time. From the little decisions like what one should eat for lunch to the more harder decisions like if the allied nations should have bombed Japan. While these decisions can be dangerous, they are necessary in moving the human race and culture along. In stories like “The Lady and The Tiger” decisions could be the difference in life or death.
power of one person to make a difference, we must also note the contributions of
One simple consideration that can change the course of how people think about their approach to life is, the examination of the influences that they have on other people’s lives. An individual could also look outwards and analyze the impact that other people have on that individual’s life. One should also self-reflect and search for how their thoughts and actions craft a pathway towards their own destiny. The statement by Socrates, “the unexamined life is not worth living,” is an interesting statement that requires a considerable amount of analysis.