"How does Dickens' create mystery and suspense in his writing?"

"How does Dickens' create mystery and suspense in his writing?" Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. Most of his books were written in the mid-eighteen hundreds and some of them include Great Expectations, Hard Times, and Little Dorrit. The three I will be referring to are Oliver Twist, The Signalman and A Christmas Carol. Back in Dickens' time there was a lack of education, a huge wealth divide between the rich and the poor, and the environment was unpleasant compared to todays. Dickens' creates mystery and suspense in his books through techniques of writing language, the background, the characters, and the weather. Dickens often has moralistic themes to his books, in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge changed from being a horrible man who hated Christmas, into a nice, pleasant gentleman, who came to like Christmas. One of Dickens' main techniques is his use of language. He used elaborate descriptions, alliteration, repetition, listing and onomatopoeia. An example of his elaborate descriptive writing is shown in 'A Christmas Carol' - "A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner." Another example of Dickens use of language is also in 'A Christmas Carol' -"The phantom slowly, gravely, silently approached." This is an example of tripling, and the word 'gravely' again refers to death. This piece of writing certainly does create mystery and

  • Word count: 1147
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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"In Batiste's determination to continue the struggle lies the essence of Blasco Ibaez's optimism. La barraca is a novel of protest, not of hopelessness" (G. Cheyne). To what extent do you agree with this statement?

"In Batiste's determination to continue the struggle lies the essence of Blasco Ibañez's optimism. La barraca is a novel of protest, not of hopelessness" (G. Cheyne). To what extent do you agree with this statement? I do not fully agree with the above opinion given by Cheyne. I do think that what he says is partly true but to say that the novel is lacking the theme of hopelessness would be wrong. It is more apt to say that the novel displays both a sense of protest from its characters and also a sense of hopelessness. In this essay I intend to explore the themes of hopelessness and of protest, discussing how they interact and thereby provide a sense of fate in the novel. Furthermore I will talk about what devices Blasco uses to emphasise these themes to the reader. From the beginning of Batiste's arrival in the huerta, the fields in which he works and lives have a sense of doom attached to them. Pimentó assures the huertanos that Bastiste's farming of the fields will not be successful and his efforts to do so would be stopped: Él, lo único que podia asegurar es que el tal sujeto no cogería el trigo, ni las habas, ni todo lo que había plantado en los campos de Barret. Aquello sería para el demonio.1 I would say that the way in which the whole of the village side against Batiste is a negative value of society that Blasco wishes to display through the device of the

  • Word count: 2896
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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What does Jane Austens The Three Sisters show us of the lives of women in the nineteenth century through the letters of Mary and Georgiana?

What does Jane Austen's "The Three Sisters" show us of the lives of women in the nineteenth century through the letters of Mary and Georgiana? Jane Austen's The Three Sisters is a short story written in epistolary form around 1792. It deals with the situation of three young sisters, of whom the eldest, Mary, receives a proposal of marriage. As the story is written in epistolary form, the reader is given a personal insight into the mind of the character and subsequently the story becomes more real. The theme of marriage is extremely common among Jane Austen's works including Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park. She was fascinated by the question of who married whom and why. In her writing she examines all sorts of types of courtship thus showing how important marriage was in society at the time. The story begins with a letter written by Mary, the eldest of the girls. She has just received an offer of marriage from 'Mr Watts' and it is the 'first' Mary has ever had. This suggests that was not uncommon for young women to receive many offers of marriage. In Jane Austen's time there was no real way for young women of the 'genteel' classes to strike out on their own or be independent, the real purpose of life was marriage. Jane Austen was herself seventeen years old when she wrote the story, and therefore only just entering onto the marriage market. Along with the fact

  • Word count: 2104
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Equiano, the Free Man.

Ashley Abboud Dr. Keegan English Literature II 5 December 2002 Equiano, the Free Man Black Trans-Atlantic writers tend to be placed into three categories such as American, British or African. Many of these authors fit nicely into such categories, and would believe that Equiano is just another African author. There in lies a problem, his writings do not reflect an African mentality, Equiano has made a category for himself, authors of the "free" category. In his autobiography, as do many other black Trans-Atlantic authors, he writes about the trouble and troubles faced in slavery. This is not the central motif of his autobiography, but rather a record of his work to earn his freedom. Through Equiano's narrative The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, this essay will illustrate Equiano's desire to be in a category all his own. His curiosity with the "white magic," helps him forge relationships with men aboard the ship and aids in his persual of education. Another aspect that gains Equiano freedom is his education which makes him a viable person in the "European world." His ability to trade and be trusted, gains him the money to buy his freedom. His inclusion of the letter of manumission at the end of his narrative, symbolizes his idea of earned freedom. Finally the title alone speaks for itself. These instances through interpretation, argue

  • Word count: 2648
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Duffy obviously takes the figure of Miss Havisham from Dickens's Great Expectations. But the question then is: why? to what effect? what, in this pre-existing figure, presents itself as an opportunity for the writer? how is Duffy's figure different fro...

Duffy obviously takes the figure of Miss Havisham from Dickens's Great Expectations. But the question then is: why? to what effect? what, in this pre-existing figure, presents itself as an opportunity for the writer? how is Duffy's figure different from Dickens's? One simple thing: The title is Havisham, rather than Miss Havisham - which is how the character is always referred to throughout Great Expectations. Why, to what effect? Perhaps Miss defines the character socially - whereas the poem concentrates on the nature of the character's individual feelings - the character's psychological/sexual nature, rather than her social being. The absence of the formal title also makes the 'feel' of the poem blunter, more simply there, perhaps. Duffy's poem gives Miss Havisham a body, a knot of desires which Dickens does not attempt. beloved sweetheart bastard The poem begins as if addressed to the jilting bridegroom. It doesn't continue in this direct address - by the end of the poem the male figure will have become a male corpse - any male (generalised), and radically rendered into an object (no longer even alive). The most striking thing about the first sentence is the combination of 'love' (beloved sweetheart) and hatred (bastard). Dickens's character is motivated by revenge alone - against the male sex in general. Duffy is interested in the unstable combination of desire

  • Word count: 970
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Compare The Awakening to Madame Bovary

Compare The Awakening to Madame Bovary Kate Chopin's The Awakening and Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary are both tales of women indignant with their domestic situations; the distinct differences between the two books can be found in the authors' unique tones. Both authors weave similar themes into their writings such as, the escape from the monotony of domestic life, dissatisfaction with marital expectations and suicide. References to "fate" abound throughout both works. In The Awakening, Chopin uses fate to represent the expectations of Edna Pontellier's aristocratic society. Flaubert uses "fate" to portray his characters' compulsive methods of dealing with their guilt and rejecting of personal accountability. Both authors, however seem to believe that it is fate that oppresses these women; their creators view them subjectively, as if they were products of their respective environments. Chopin portrays Edna as an object, and she receives only the same respect as a possession. Edna's husband sees her as and looks, "...at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage." (P 2 : The Awakening) Chopin foils their marriage in that of the Ratignolles who, "...understood each other perfectly." She makes the classic mistake of comparing one's insides with others' outsides when she thinks, "If ever the fusion of two human begins

  • Word count: 1206
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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In "Emma" Jane Austen presents a picture of an inward looking community, limited in outlook. Does this view fit with your reading of the novel?

Romi Verstappen In "Emma" Jane Austen presents a picture of an inward looking community, limited in outlook. Does this view fit with your reading of the novel? In Jane Austen's novel "Emma", the purpose of the limited setting is to demonstrate life as it would be in Highbury around the same time as Austen was writing the novel(around 1815). The setting mostly refers to the period that is set in the novel as well as the place. However, Jane Austen's main concern in the novel was to express social convention, an aspect of life which would have a major affect on the characters in the novel. In "Emma", the setting for the novel is a 'large and prosperous village' called Highbury, and it is supposed to be situated 16 miles from London and 9 miles from Richmond in Surrey. Emma and her father live on the edge of this village in what is unquestionably its Principal house, named Hartfield. "Emma" is set in a very fixed environment; practically the entire story is set in the village and a small surrounding area. Although Austen focuses on one small community and is limited in outlook I don't think this is a negative point. It is this small community displayed in the novel that allows Austen to focus on certain relationships and develop them to the reader in more detail. Therefore the novel is microcosmic as even though it is focusing on a small community it tells us about how

  • Word count: 709
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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While Heathcliff and Edgar act as foils for one another, it is more useful to consider their function in the novel as individuals. Discuss

While Heathcliff and Edgar act as foils for one another, it is more useful to consider their function in the novel as individuals. In the novel, if Heathcliff is to be considered the primary protagonist, then Edgar is the primary antagonist. Heathcliff's greatest desire is Catherine and the main obstacle that stands in his way is Edgar who, with his greater wealth and higher social status manages to keep her out of his reach. There is therefore a great connection between these two characters which could be explored in great detail; but is it more useful to consider them as two separate entities in the novel, with their other connections having greater importance? When viewed together it can be claimed that as the reader we understand the characters more clearly when they are contrasted against each other. Bronte has set up a possible juxtaposition between Heathcliff and Edgar as it allows the reader to gage the extremities of the two men who are, in many respects polar opposites. This is evident in the most immediate of ways: physical appearance. There is an instant difference in the "long light hair" of Edgar whose figure is "almost too graceful" to the face of Heathcliff that is "half covered with black whiskers" with eyes "deep set and singular". Further and possibly more useful comparisons include the gulfs in class and wealth of the two men. This is obviously an

  • Word count: 698
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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"'Frau Brechenmacher' is a cry against the stupidity and brutality of men and the women who support arrangements through sentimentality or weakness; it is written with feminist rage." Do you agree with the above quote? Discuss.

"'Frau Brechenmacher' is a cry against the stupidity and brutality of men and the women who support arrangements through sentimentality or weakness; it is written with feminist rage." Do you agree with the above quote? Discuss. I do not fully agree that 'Frau Brechenmacher' was written with feminist rage. The suppression of woman and the dominance of men had always appeared in most of Mansfield's writings. However in her biography it has been stated that she does not view herself as a feminist. I think 'Frau Brechenmacher' is more of a psychological exploration of women who let men deny them of independent roles and a reminder as well of what is lost once a woman is married. Also, being that the story was set in Germany, we have to take in the account that women, socially and culturally, were viewed and expected to be nothing more then an extension of the men they were with and were primarily viewed just as objects in the German society. Throughout the story, Mansfield reveals with clarity, how the men completely dominates the women. The opening paragraph of the story immediately gives us a sense of Frau Brechenmacher's strict household. There is also a sense of rush or hectic as she 'runs over [Herr Brechenmacher's] best shirt with hot iron' and prepares the rest of his uniform. The mentioning of uniform in the first paragraph, paints a picture of a military structure in

  • Word count: 1346
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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"A blaze of love and extinction, was better than a lantern glimmer of the same which should last long years" Analyse Hardy's presentation of Eustacia Vye in Book One in the light of this comment.

"A blaze of love and extinction, was better than a lantern glimmer of the same which should last long years" Analyse Hardy's presentation of Eustacia Vye in Book One in the light of this comment. In "Return of the Native" we first come across the character of Eustacia Vye in Chapter 7. In this chapter Hardy gives us an in depth description of the character, for example we learn that she "was the raw material of a divinity". Here Hardy is comparing her to a godlike figure which immediately gives us an impression of a character that is above the rest of the characters of the heath. Further divine imagery is used throughout this chapter, other examples are, "On Olympus she would have done well with a little preparation", "In heaven she will probably sit between the Heloises and the Cleopatras." And "She had the passions and instincts which make a model goddess, that is, those which make not quite a model woman." All of these add together to present her as something not of this world, this in a way shows the audience how she doesn't belong with the 'lower' members of society. In a way Hardy is also ambiguous about the presentation of Eustacia, as he seems to be torn between her divinity and her humanity. This is particularly apparent in the quote "She had the passions and instincts which make a model goddess, that is, those which make not quite a model woman." Although we

  • Word count: 1137
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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