The Sound of Thunder was inspired by the final movement of T.S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land', 'What the Thunder Said'; and also by the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, from which it draws heavily. Each movement is based on one of the four concepts from the Upanishad, as used by Eliot: Datta (Charity), Dayadhvam (Mercy), Damyata (Restraint), and Shantih (Peace). With the exception of Peace, which we have allowed to stand alone, the movements are intended to represent the conflict and resolution between these virtues and the 'undesirable' qualities that they are meant to keep in check.