Comparing the Whole Town's Sleeping With a Terribly Strange Bed

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Comparing the Whole Towns Sleeping

 With a Terribly Strange Bed

In both stories the setting is used as a powerful technique for creating tension.  In the Whole Towns Sleeping the town is described as being “a little town, far away from everything,”

“Separated from the rest of the world.” The town is also described as having “half empty streets,” this suggests that people are scared of something or someone, as there are not many people on the streets.  The Ravine is described as being “black,” and having “secret odours of a rank greenhouse.”  This suggests that there have been deaths in the area and the bodies are rotting and creating the odours of a rank greenhouse.  

Both stories use suspense.  In the Whole Towns Sleeping suspense is used often when Lavinia is walking home and she hears a man singing and thinks it is the Lonely One “she heard a man singing far away,” then further on she says “and that’s who it was of course Officer Kennedy.”  This suggests she did not know who it was but was relieved when it was Officer Kennedy.  In a Terribly Strange Bed suspense is used when the narrator is being attacked by the bed, you never know what is going to happen, whether he is going to wake up and it be a dream or it actually kill him.  

When comparing the Whole Towns Sleeping with a Terribly Strange Bed the gaming house is described as being a place where blackguards and the poorer people visit, “the dirty wrinkled old man with vulture eyes,” this creates an uneasy atmosphere because a vulture is a predator.  This suggests that most of the players are dirty old men.  The gambling house was described as having “nothing but tragedy.”  This suggests that there is a sense of death and danger. This creates a frightening atmosphere because of the tragedy associated with the hotel.  The atmosphere makes the room seem scary because of the death and danger associated with tragedy.  

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Ray Bradbury uses the device of tension and relief convincingly.  He does this by using short and long sentences he mixes them around creating tension and relief.  An example of this is when Lavinia Nebbs is walking home and she has to cross the Ravine she is scared that the Lonely One will catch her.  Ray Bradbury here uses short and long sentences for example here is a short sentence “I’ll be safe home.” And here is a long sentence used “Home. Oh safe at home.  Safe, safe, and safe at home!  The effect is that it makes you ...

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