Mr. Kolade’s 8th grade English Weblog

58 responses so far ↓

• 1    P.J. // Nov 7, 2006 at 12:53 pm

  A butterfly dying in the past may cause people to never learn about certain colors. That could be why the colors in the room were diffrent when the group returned.

  I think that the reason that RAY Bradbury did just come out and says what happened in the end was so that the reader would use their imagination and not just assume that something happened.

  -P.J.

• 2    Victoria // Nov 7, 2006 at 12:54 pm

  1. I think the world post butterfly stomp is very different. People are talking incorrectly and the air smells very different.
  2. The butterfly symbolizes peace. Peace can change the world because without peace the world would be filled with chaos.

• 3    Nia // Nov 7, 2006 at 12:54 pm

  The butterfly maybe symbolizes peace or an inspiration of peace. Since Eckels stopmed the butterfly, in the future Deutscher won.

  Deutcher represents war and everything anti-peace.

  -Nia

• 4    Jeremy // Nov 7, 2006 at 12:55 pm

  I think that Ray Bradbury does not explicitly say what happens beacuse he wants your mind to wander and to fill in the blanks yourself.
  Jeremy

• 5    Yinka // Nov 7, 2006 at 12:55 pm

  1. I think the new world is not a good place and that the there is something wrong with the enviornment.

  2. I think the butterfly symbolized purified air because of it flapping it’s wing’s.

• 6    William L. // Nov 7, 2006 at 12:56 pm

  1. I think the new world will be revitalized extremely.
  2. A butterfly could smbolize progress and change because a buttterfly goes through drastic changes and becomes completely different.
  3. At the end of the story, the people receive a new president and the people begin to think that the bad person is good.

• 7    Kevin // Nov 7, 2006 at 2:07 pm

  I think the gunshot in the end of the story wasn’t aimed to kill Eckles. It is possible that Travis shot himself so he would’nt live in such a world. Or maybe the dinosaurs never became extinct, and he was shooting one; I think any thing is possible in this new and unique world.

• 8    Angelica Conway // Nov 7, 2006 at 2:11 pm

  I think that it was extremly probable that Eckles wasn’t the one who was shot. I belive that Travis ( or anyone else who went on the safari ) could’ve comited suicide due to thier new and strange enviornment. The book does imply that Eckles was shot but then again the book does have alot of twists and turns. It is probable that he was destroying the time machine in rage.
  I think that the author Ray Bradbury didn’t tell us exactly what happens to keep us guessing and compile the characteristics from the Main Charactersand draw our own conclusions.

• 9    Angelica Conway // Nov 7, 2006 at 2:15 pm

  I think that butterflies symbolize peace and beauty. In the past by destroying this symbol of beauty it stopped beauty from prospering in the future. The idea of beauty has not been thought ofin the society.

• 10    Romel // Nov 7, 2006 at 2:20 pm

  1. The butterfly is important because it would have given birth to caterpillers. those caterpillers would have been food to foxes then the foxes food to humans.
  2. the butterfly symbolizes sanity and peace and without this the world would be a dictatorship.

• 11    Mr. Kolade // Nov 7, 2006 at 2:23 pm

  I personally like the idea that Travis shot himself. What would be worse punishment for Eckles? Being killed? Or being forced to live and know that he messed up the world?

• 12    Ian // Nov 7, 2006 at 3:18 pm

  i think that the reason Ray Bradbury didn’t explain what had happened because of maybe two reasons. one that he wanted to keep the readers guessing about why a butterfly dying changed the world entirely or maybe he wanted to write a sequel to the story explaining how it happened or the story about how the characters try to use the time machine to “fix” history

• 13    Emmanuel // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:14 pm

  I think that when the butterfly was killed in the past, it kept others from learning beauty and colors. at the end of the book when Travis shot the gun, I think he shot himself because since Eckels messed up the future, he would have to pay a lot of money.

• 14    Emmanuel // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:25 pm

  I think that at the end of the book, when the Travis shot the gun, is that he shot himself because when Eckels messed up the future, he would have to pay a lot of money. I think that when Eckels killled the butterfly, it caused people not to know of color and beauty so when they returned to the future, the world was dull and gray.

• 15    Troy // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:33 pm

  1. I think that the butterfly was important becuase it represented tranquility and color. After Eckles stomped on the butterfly and went back to present, day you saw the dullness of color because that butterfly died.This might have led to a series of events that caused maybe some one not to see the butterfly or even butterflies not to exisit because that one butterfly died.

  2. I still think that Travis shot Eckles. My reason to come to this this conclusion is that maybe Travis was angry or furious that Eckles did what he did and now has to deal with the results like the rest of the world. If Travis shot himself it would mostly be because he felt going on to deal with the mistakes that Eckles cause were to much and unable to be changed.

  3. I think Ray Bradbury did not explictly say what happend at the end because he wanted to know what the reader thought.( Wanted to know reader’s ending)

• 16    Andrew // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:42 pm

  I think that Travis did shoot Eckles because it was his fault for messing up the future but it is still possible that he could have been killing himself or destroying the time machine like other people have said. I think that not killing Eckles, letting him live knowing he messed up the world, would have been a worse punishment than killing him. Killing him would have been an escape from failure for Eckles.

• 17    Andrew // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:52 pm

  I think that Travis did shoot Eckles because Travis was already mad at Eckles so when he found out that Eckles messed up the entire world, he shot him. It is still possible that Travis shot himself or the time machine like other people said.

  I think that Travis letting Eckles live, knowing he messed up, would be the better than killing him. If Travis had let him live, the guilt of messing up the entire world would eat away at Eckles until he went insane. All killing Eckles solves is Travis’ anger. Death would be an escape away from the guilt for Eckles.

• 18    David Abercrombie // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:54 pm

  1. This new world is confusing and hard to understand. This world’s confusion contains words being arranged as if you were a dyslestic.

  2. The butterfly symbolizes peace & tranquility. Also the butterfly represents color because of its many colors on its wings.

  David

• 19    Ashley // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:57 pm

  What do you think happens at the end of the story and why? If someone does die, who do you think dies?

  Answer: I think that Eckels got shot by Travis at the end of the story because Travis said that he would shoot Eckels if he messed anything up in their “present day”. Travis shooting Eckles was a punishment to Eckles for messing up the past and the future.

• 20    Allen // Nov 7, 2006 at 4:58 pm

  I think the butterfly couldn’t or shouldn’t do that much damage.
  Allen

• 21    Romel // Nov 7, 2006 at 5:04 pm

  being forced to live, because then he would have to live with the guilt that he was the one that messed up the world.

• 22    Kelsey // Nov 7, 2006 at 5:04 pm

  I think that at the end of the story Eckles was killed. I think that if he was killed, he might be dead before he went into the Time machine. I think that Ray Bradbury did not say if some one was hit with the gun or if someone died because he wanted people to guess what happened.
  I think that Eckles should not have died because otherwise he would have just changed the world and not have to think about it. If he did live then he would always have to know that he changed the world for the worse. I dont think that any one but the other two people in the group would know any diffrent way of life. So he would think that he was mad because no one else would think of the world any diffrent but him. He would have to live a lonely, sad life untill he died

• 23    Nate P // Nov 7, 2006 at 5:22 pm

  I think this new world has people that want dictators in office. This world has more problems than the world did before Eckles killed the butterfly. The butterfly represents beauty and and light and brightness. Knowing that you messed up the world, because if you die you don’t have to deal with the pain of knowing that you changed the world from the way it was before you traveled back in time. It could have been Travis because he would have not have wanted to live in this new world

• 24    Yasrian Carvey // Nov 7, 2006 at 5:25 pm

  I think the world was way differet post butterfly stomp because every thing was older and not as advanced and technological as it was before the stomp because even though it was one little butterfly it caused a chain reaction betwee everythign over the years

• 25    Jordan // Nov 7, 2006 at 5:32 pm

  I think that the ’sound of thunder’ heard at the end of the book was actually Travis shooting himself. It would be natural to think that Travis would be shooting Eckles since he was the one who altered the future, but shooting Eckles would not be punishing him; it would be saving him from a world very different from which they left it. Ray Bradbury probably wanted the readers to have an open mind about the outcome of the story and why the outcome actually happened, which explains why he ended the story openly. I think that Ray Bradbury wanted the readers to think that Travis shot Eckles, even though that might not have been the case.

• 26    Maya Jefferson // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:01 pm

  I think that the New World is very differnt. To me, anything that is different from the way it should have been is bad. Thigs that should have happen never do. The New World seems almost like the enviroment of “The Giver” How everything is dull. The New World seems troubling and confused to me.

• 27    Neil // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:03 pm

  When Eckels returned from the future it had changed. The characteristics of his world was now color dullnes, dictatorship by a mean dictator, and changes in the English language. I believe the butterfly represents evolution, because without the butterfly other animals could not have evolved etc. and thus leading to a world, that is not fully evolve. Also the butterfly can also represent misery and death. This is only because by killing an [innocent] creature it results in the misery or failure of the world.

• 28    Maya // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:07 pm

  I think that it would be worse punishment for Eckles if he were to live because, he didn’t just effect his town, city, country, or state he has effected the whole entire world. I would feel horrible about myself.

• 29    Maya Jefferson // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:11 pm

  Mr. Kolade,

  I have a question? I still cannot figure out what Deutscher represents. I think that he represents now, everything that the butterfly doesn’t. Am I right? Or even close?

• 30    Mr. Kolade // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:14 pm

  In this new world, where colors are bland, creativity is unappreciated and not wanted, Deutscher is the perfect person to lead. He is anti, all of those things that people appreciated before. He is the opposite of everything that Keith is. That should help you out some.

• 31    Allen T // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:14 pm

  I think the new world has a different English way of spelling words based on the changed sign. (p. 223)

  I think Ray Bradbury did not say exactly what happens at the end of the story so the reader could form all sorts of endings of their own.

  It is a possibility that Eckles was not shot at all. Travis could have shot his weapon in the direction of Eckles just to scare the daylights out of him!

• 32    David Abercrombie // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:23 pm

  Worse punishment for Eckels would be to have to live knowing he messed up the world because he can start to feel guilty. He may feel this way because other people may have to suffer for his mess up. David

• 33    Aliyah // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:37 pm

  I think the new world is different. I think in the new world you have to be more careful because its the new world and your really not sure of what goes on. I think the butterfly symbolizes change because it goes through change like everyone and everything else. I think the author really doesn’t say who dies at the end of the story. I personally think Travis killed Eckeles because Eckeles had changed the world and because Travis was upset with Eckeles for stepping of the path whether Eckeles did it on purpose or not.

• 34    Aliyah Johnson // Nov 7, 2006 at 6:43 pm

  I think the new world is different because to me you have to be more careful more so than before. I think the butterfly symbolizes change because a butterfly changes itself. I think the author really doesn’t say who dies at the end of the story. I personally think Travis kills Ecklles because Eckles has now changeed the world and because Travis was upset with Eckles for getting of the path in the first place whether he meant to or not.

• 35    Raya // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:01 pm

  I think that the butterfly represents beauty, grace and fun. If the butterfly is dead none of these will exist. No beauty or grace in life; life has become dull and boring and there is no reason to get out of bed.

• 36    Kevin // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:03 pm

  Whats to say that Travis even shot his gun? Maybe it was a dinosaur like before. It could have been anything that makes a sound of thunder. Could it have been thunder itself?

• 37    William J. // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:04 pm

  The hunters should embrace their new “Post Stomp World” and see how much of a difference (besides appearance) this new world is. Maybe they could see some of the mistakes that their old world made and learn from it. And if they do not like it, they can always go back and change the past to correct the future. (Though I wouldn’t advise it!)

  The butterfly is a symbol of beauty, color, life, radiance, evolution (caterpillar to butterfly), and all that good stuff. Which are most of the things that people who have changed the world, have used. Without, maybe they wouldn’t have been inspired to change the world.

  Maybe Mr. Bradbury wanted to keep you guessing and see whether or not you really were paying any attention to the story.

• 38    Allen T // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:14 pm

  Eventhough Eckles thought killing a butterfly was harmless or shouldn’t, or couldn’t make a difference in the world, it made a big difference in the story. The butterfly symbolized life, color, and freedom. When Eckles killed the butterfly it altered the beautiful colors of the world. (p. 222)

  That might have been the butterfly that flew past the person who formed the English language as we know it today. Since the butterfly was killed, it is possible the person who would form our English language was never born.

• 39    Deji M // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:22 pm

  I’m having mixed feelings if Travis shot Eckles or himself. After reading the some parts of the book again, it seems to be clear that if Eckles were to mess up the present day Travis would kill Eckles one way or another. But it seems stupid for a person to just shoot someone in the open like that. So it could be a possibility that Travis shot himself, as he did not like the direction of the new world. I don’t see how living in the new world would be punishment though. You would get used it anyway.

  As for the butterfly, it represented peace and beauty, which Deutscher obviously did not have. And when Eckles killed that butterfly it altered the future making everything not as colorful as it was before, making Deutscher the better leader over Keith.

• 40    Blair Winchester // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:24 pm

  I agree with Allen when he says that it is a possibility that Eckles never got shot. Yes, I also agree with Mr. Kolade that that would make it more interesting at the end of the story if this were true.

  Maybe the author left it as unknown so that people could think about it after the story was finished, as we are now. So i guess everything has to happen for a reason and he obviously didn’t end the story this way on accident.

  Well I think I know what the butterfly could represent, but I’m not sure why that would change the world……Does that mean that my idea was wrong?

  Maybe the new world is dull. Maybe the reason it is dull is because the butterfly that died held the beauty within the world. And now that it is gone the world is no longer interesting.

  Yet things now.. (Post butterfly stomp) are different and my first thought of the butterfly was that it represented change. Like, at fist, it is a caterpillar, and then the cacoon, and then the butterfly. so when it died things wouldn’t change but that was obviously was not right. Because things changed.

  But as I write this I am beginning to wonder, Mr. Kolade, what would you say about these questions?

• 41    Alec Kanyuck // Nov 7, 2006 at 7:43 pm

  I think that kevin’s interpretation of the ending was very interesting, like the movie trailer, there may be dinosaurs or some other creatures, still living in the world that maybe didnt become extinct becuause of the buterflies non-existentence.

  Also, living in this new world would probably not be sutableble to the 5 time travelers, becuase of their tottally different development, but it would be just fine for everyone else, so they should either killl themselves, go back in time and live somewhere else.

• 42    melissa // Nov 7, 2006 at 8:06 pm

  Iagree to Angelica and Kevin about mr. travis shoting him self. i think Mr. Travis shot him self because he was going to get alot of money through his time machine bussines, and since Eckels changed the future, he could have got fired and he could have lost alot of money.

  If Mr. Travis didnt shoot himself, i think he could have shot Eckels because Eckels ruined the future by stepin off the path. Mr. Travis also said to Eckels on the way back to the future, that he will kill him if he changed any thing in the future.

• 43    **Veronica** // Nov 7, 2006 at 8:17 pm

  The New world created by a butterflys death would be full of people with less developt brains (slow people). After the butterfly was stomped on by Eckols the butterfly might have died out hence leaving fewer colors for man kind to discover. Maybe the butterfly was attached to something that helped us to developt a spoken language. Its very possible because everything is attached to everything else even in the slightest way. I think and agree with Mr. Kolade that Travis killing himself would make a more exciting ending because then Eckols would be in extra extra extra shock and who knows what would happen then. I think Ray Bradbury at the end of the book wanted to get you thinking about possibilities that might happen at the end of the story. It is also possible that Travis got so fed up with Eckols that just out of spite he killed him well maybe not spite but something.

  I think that the worst thing that you could do to Eckols would be to take his money away and in the new world make him poor very poor and then he would hate himself so much that if not dead already he would commit suicide thats very likely to me.

  bye every body see you tommorow at school have a good night

• 44    Melissa // Nov 7, 2006 at 8:20 pm

  I think the new world (post the butterfly stomp) is very complicated because of the new english language. if I were in that world, I would be very confused and I would feel like I dont know how to spell because I am used to spelling the words the right way.

  I think the butterfly represents color and beauty, and brightness. I think the butterfly changed the future’s colors because, somehow, when Eckels steped on it, somehow the butterfly effected on how bright colors are, and changed future colors brightness because the colors (post the butterfly stomp) are are very dull.

• 45    Valerie Holt // Nov 7, 2006 at 8:26 pm

  If the idea hadn’t been thought of after this story was written, I would say that the butterfly represented the Butterfly Effect, the theory that if a butterfly flaps its wings, the slight change in the atmosphere could lead to a hurricane, or prevent a hurricane.

  Perhaps, since the Butterfly Effect came after A Sound of Thunder, the idea was named after the story?

• 46    Victoria // Nov 7, 2006 at 8:57 pm

  It is possible that Eckles wasn’t the one that was shot because everyone that went hunting had a gun, so you never know.

  A worse punishment for Eckles would be having to live the rest of his life knowing that he chnged histroy by killing that butterfly. I would hate to live with that guilt for the rest of my life.

• 47    Jordan // Nov 7, 2006 at 9:20 pm

  I don’t see how just because the butterfly represented “change” that without it the world would not change. I get the idea, but I don’t think that’s the case.

  I think that the butterfly served as motivation or encouragement to people, and without it people just don’t seem to have that sort of hope anymore. Without the butterfly, people became less aesthetic and hopeful so I think they gave up.

• 48    Chris // Nov 7, 2006 at 9:26 pm

  I think that the new world is a lot more dull, but not just with colors. I think so because one of the butterflies family could’ve inspired someone to do something very important.

  I think that Travis shot himself. He could’ve shot Eckles but that would lead to going to jail. If he shot someone else like the person at the desk and went on a rampage shooting everyone then that would mean he was crazy but he wasn’t.

• 49    alec Kanyuck // Nov 7, 2006 at 9:44 pm

  I dont think the butterfly actually changed the world directly like chris said, but i do think that travis shot himself….
  One other thing that i didnt agree with chris, was that if he shot Eckles he would go to jail.. becuase of their lack of emotion, and personality, i dont think that they would have cared…. also it probably helped him, so he would’t have to live with himself

• 50    DeAndre Says: // Nov 7, 2006 at 10:34 pm

  1. I theink the new worlg is boring, it has no bright colors, and everybody is stoic because they think emotion display’s weakness. In the story on pg. 223 the fifth paragraph the man at the desk called Kieth a weakling and I gues Deutscher displayes power.
  2. The butterfly could’ve symbolized happiness and life and since the butterfly is dead all of the colors tha t could’ve made the people happy were not there.
  3. I think that travis kills himself to make Eckles feeleven worse about messing up the future.
  4. The author of the story wanted us to think about what had happend in the end and how the world was after Eckles messed it all up.

• 51    Philip // Nov 8, 2006 at 11:57 am

  I think that the new world is really boring and bland. The government is headed by a dictator. These people have no say now and no chance of making their own decisions. The English language looks like how you pronounce things, not how you actually spell it. This world is turning into a Dystopia and is a real place to be very depressed.

  In the end I think that out of clear frustration Travis killed Eckels. Eckels, by walking off the path and killing a harmless butterfly. I some weird way this one butterfly changed History and caused the world to become a Dark and scary place. Travis by shooting Eckels expressed his anger at what the world had become.

• 52    Taylor // Nov 8, 2006 at 1:59 pm

  As we all know, butterflies all come in various colors. When he killed that butterfly, some of the bright and colorful colors may have not existed anymore. The out come of Eckles stepping on the butterfly is that the worl was dull, and uncolorfull.

• 53    Taylor // Nov 8, 2006 at 2:08 pm

  I also think that Eckles did not have to get shot by someone, because he could have shot himself from being stress out, and he felt liker it was because of him that he changed the world from what it was. At the end of the story, the author did not say who actually shot him, because he wanted to keep the readers guessing. Eckles could have shot him self, or he also could have been shot by someonelse…..who knows?

• 54    Malcolm // Nov 8, 2006 at 4:04 pm

  I think that the butterfly may symbolize freedom and and peace. Since Eckles stepped on the butterfly in the future Deutscher had won and took away peace and freedom.

• 55    Steven // Nov 8, 2006 at 6:08 pm

  At first I thought that Travis might have shot Eckels because he changed the future. But now I am thinking what good would that do and how would that be punishement when you dont have to live in a unknown world ruled by a dictator. I also thought about what Travis said when they were travleing in the time machine, he actually said that if Eckles changed the future he would shoot him himself

• 56    Breanna // Nov 16, 2006 at 4:24 pm

  I think the butterfly shows that even the little things can cause a big effect. Who ever thought that someeone killing a butterfly would end up throwing of the way things were run. I think Travis killed eckles just because of how they told him not to painc and he panics and throws of nature.

• 57    Nia Simmons // Nov 16, 2006 at 7:04 pm

  I bet you that Eckels would have rather wanted to die, because since the butterfly was stomped on, and apparently changed history, he would not want to live in a world knowing that he SCREWED it up…..BIG TIME!

• 58    Nia Simmons // Nov 16, 2006 at 7:06 pm

  Eureka!! The butterfly represents beauty in the world. There were no more butterflies to inspire color, and beauty……AND PEACE.

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