Question

“i’m innocent. i’ve done nothing!” 1999. 2000. 2055. the machine stopped. “get out,” said travis. the room was there as they had left it. but not the same as they had left it. the same man sat behind the same desk. but the same man did not quite sit behind the same desk. travis looked around swiftly. “everything okay here?” he snapped. “fine. welcome home!” travis did not relax. he seemed to be looking at the very atoms of the air itself, at the way the sun poured through the one high window. “okay, eckels, get out. don’t ever come back.” eckels could not move. “you heard me,” said travis. “what’re you staring at?” eckels stood smelling of the air, and there was a thing to the air, a chemical taint so subtle, so slight, that only a faint cry of his subliminal senses warned him it was there. the colors, white, gray, blue, orange, in the wall, in the furniture, in the sky beyond the window, were... were... and there was a feel. his flesh twitched. his hands twitched. he stood drinking the odd - ness with the pores of his body. somewhere, someone must have been screaming one of those whistles that only a dog can hear. his body screamed silence in return. beyond this room, beyond this wall, beyond this man who was not quite the same man seated at this desk that was not quite the same desk... lay an entire world of streets and people. what sort of world it was now, there was no telling. he could feel them moving there, beyond the walls, almost, like so many chess pieces blown in a dry wind.... but the immediate thing was the sign painted on the office wall, the same sign he had read earlier today on first entering. somehow, the sign had changed: predict pause at line 415. do you think that eckels will find that he has “done nothing” when he gets back to the future? identify underline clues in lines 416 - 418 that indicate that eckels’s actions have had an effect on life in his present. vocabulary subliminal (sub - limʹə - nəl) adj.: below the level of awareness. interpret circle the sensory images in lines 428 - 442 that describe eckels’s feeling that something is not right. why does he compare people to chess pieces?

Explanation:

1. PREDICT: Eckels' actions likely have consequences. Given the changes he notices upon returning (the man behind the desk is not quite the same, a chemical taint in the air, and a changed sign), it is unlikely he will find he "done nothing" when he gets back to the future.
2. IDENTIFY: Clues in lines 416 - 418 include "The same man sat behind the same desk. But the same man did not quite sit behind the same desk", suggesting a subtle but significant change due to Eckels' actions.
3. INTERPRET: Sensory images in lines 428 - 442 are "a chemical taint so subtle, so slight", "The colors... were...", "His flesh twitched. His hands twitched", "He could feel them moving there, beyond the walls, almost, like so many chess pieces blown in a dry wind". He compares people to chess pieces to imply that small actions (like moving a chess - piece) can have far - reaching and unpredictable consequences in the complex 'game' of life.

Answer:

1. PREDICT: No, Eckels will not find that he "done nothing" when he gets back to the future.
2. IDENTIFY: "The same man sat behind the same desk. But the same man did not quite sit behind the same desk".
3. INTERPRET: Sensory images: "a chemical taint so subtle, so slight", "The colors... were...", "His flesh twitched. His hands twitched", "He could feel them moving there, beyond the walls, almost, like so many chess pieces blown in a dry wind". Reason for comparing people to chess pieces: To show that small actions can have large, unpredictable consequences in the complex web of life.