How typical of the murder mystery story is “The Speckled Band” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl? Which of these stories do you prefer and why?
How typical of the murder mystery story is "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl? Which of these stories do you prefer and why? These two stories were both written at different times in history. "The Speckled Band" was written in 1892 during the 19th century, whilst "Lamb to the Slaughter" was written in the middle of the 20th century in the 1950's. Immediately the reader can observe differences in style the way the stories are written, the words used in each and technique. The opening paragraph in "The Speckled Band" is written as a narrative, spoken by Dr Watson, Sherlock Holmes' assistant. He begins by talking of the past and the experiences he has enjoyed and endured with his friend. The sentences are longer and Watson speaks in a very formal way. He uses what is now archaic language, which adds to the formality and the way the reader perceives him as 'old fashioned'. The archaic words used are very rarely used in modern day language, but when sir Arthur Conan Doyle was writing they were common and in everyday use. A quote such as: "...Very sorry to knock you up Watson " Is used very rarely nowadays, but in its time meant to wake somebody up. When this is compared to the language used in "Lamb to the Slaughter" the language is quite the opposite. Shorter sentences and less formal language is a key feature in Roald
Morals and values learnt in " Under a ramshackle rainbow".
Morals and values learnt in " Under a Ramshackle Rainbow" " Under a Ramshackle Rainbow", is a very deep poem in which the poet uses dark and morbid images and symbols to get across morals and values to the reader. The underlining theme of the poem is how one should treat their surroundings and what the consequences to their actions will be. From the immediate start of the poem, a creepy and eery atmosphere is created by casting a dark image in the reader's mind. ' A dead tree. On a rotten branch sit two wingless birds.' The words 'dead' and 'rotten' show the sincerity of the issue. The mentioning of two wingless birds is very significant as they portray the poet's first message to the reader. The wingless birds basically defy their objective in life. Birds need wings to fly and without wings not only do they not have their freedom, but they have no means of survival; they cannot avoid predators or catch prey. Therefore death is inevitable. After only reading the first two lines the reader may feel confused to why the birds are wingless and why their habit is in such an unusual state. The ending to the first stanza clarify the confusion. ' Among leaves on the ground a man is searching for his hands. It is fall. By this, the poet is explaining the cause of the dead tree and the wingless birds. When saying that the man is ' searching for
Essay on "My Grandmother" By Elizabeth Jennings
Essay on "My Grandmother" By Elizabeth Jennings The relationship that the writer describes that she has with her grandmother is that they didn't seem to be very close. They never spent any time together. The writer says that she was "afraid" of her grandmother. This may have been because she was scared to get too close to her in case she lost her, as she was so old. The writer also says that all she felt was guilt when her grandmother died because she never went out with her. There was probably a lot of tension between the two when the grandmother was alive because the writer was scared to be with her. I think that that the poem is separated into 4 stanzas because each stanza seems to describe a different part of the grandmother's life. In the first stanza, the writer explains what her grandmother used to do; the second stanza goes on to say how she thought that her grandmother felt hurt that she did not want to go out with her. The third stanza talks about her getting too old to look after the antique shop and probably being on her last legs. The final stanza talks about when she died, and what was left of her antiques and the memories that were left of her in the room where all her things were. In the first stanza there are many ways in which the writer has created the atmosphere of an antique shop. "Apostle spoons" and "Bristol glass" are the most obvious in the first
The subject of Night of the Scorpion is literally that a scorpion has stung the mother and actions are taken to deal with it. It is effective because it is also easily understood and the writer refers to it several times like Hughes in Wind.
Poetry Coursework Ted Hughes wrote Wind and he lived from 1930-1980. He is from Yorkshire. Hughes published his first book of poems when he was 27. Hughes lived close enough to nature to know, at first hand, the cruelty that exists beneath the beautiful surface and he presents these facts vividly often-arousing negative emotions. Hughes was brought up in a working class background winning a scholarship to Cambridge University. Whilst at Cambridge Hughes got married to Sylvia Plath within four months. In 1984 he was appointed Poet Laureate, was awarded an OBE and in 1998 the Queen awarded him with Order Of Merit. Nissim Ezekiel wrote Night of the Scorpion and she is from India she was born in Bombay during the British rule in India. She came to England and she is one of the first Indian poets to write in English. As you can see Hughes was born in England but Ezekiel was not. Hughes went to a University in England but Ezekiel did not. Hughes was awarded for his writing but Ezekiel was not. Hughes was recognised for his writing but Ezekiel was not until after he was dead. The title of 'Wind' this is effective because it is simple it has impact and it is bold. In Wind Hughes has used a few metaphors have been used, an example been 'This house has been out at sea all night' this is effective because it makes the house seem isolated; it also makes the house to be surrounded
'Metaphors' by Sylvia Plath - critical review.
Metaphors The poem 'metaphors' by Sylvia Plath deals with strong issues of pregnancy. The poem was written when she was pregnant. She wrote about her mixed feelings and emotions. The poem itself is a metaphor. In the word 'metaphor' there are nine letters. There are nine lines, and nine syllables in every line. Apparently there are also nine months of pregnancy. Each line is a metaphor and each line represents different stages of pregnancy. Line nine "Boarded the train there's no getting off" suggest that it is inevitable. There is no turning back. She has no control over her future. She is going through the firstly month of pregnancy and so fears about the outcome. It's also a humorous line because "no getting off" in colloquial terms means they'll be no sex for a while. Line eight represents the second month of pregnancy. "I've eaten a bag of green apples". "Bag of green apples" could suggest lumpiness, perhaps she is starting to feel the weight of the baby. The words, digestion, queasiness stomach ache all relate to morning sickness. Morning sickness is essential at the early stage of pregnancy. The line could also suggest that a fresh, new baby is developing, as for the colour 'green' represents fresh, new- life. It also represents nature, which suggests that pregnancy is a natural act. Line seven represents the third month of pregnancy. "I'm a means' a stage, a cow
Dolce et Decorum est
Difference and Similarities in language between 'From War Music' and 'Dulce et Decorum est.' The first of the two poems I am studying is 'From War Music'. This was written by Christopher Logue in 1988. The poem was taken from a long narrative poem from Homer's epic poem 'The Iliad.' This poem describes an incident from the siege of troy, adapted into modern day English. At this moment the Trojans have the upper hand. They have driven the Greeks back to the beach, and threaten to burn their ships. The Greek warrior Ajax is physically massive but slow at thought, he is taunted in the poem by Prince Hector of Troy. In the poem, one of the many literary devices used is onomatopoeia. The words 'Tickered' and 'Slapped' are both onomatopoeia creating sound images. This is used in the poem to paint a picture in the readers mind. The onomatopoeia plays a large part in the poem as it helps bring out the themes. This is because one of the main themes of the poem is noise and, as there are many words, which create sound imagery. Also another one of the themes is movement and most of the words, which create the sound imagery are noises created from movement. An example of this is 'Ajax' helmet slapped his cheeks' this is onomatopoeia and the sound imagery is created from movement. Another device used is Alliteration. An example of this is 'Came clamouring.' This is used to create a
miracle on st davids day
Appearance and Reality: Compare Miracle on 'St David's Day' with one other poem. Miracle on St David's Day is an optimistic poem relating to the theme of identity. The poem tells the story of a man in a mental institution, who exceeds the expectation of both the nurses and his fellow patients, when he regains the ability to talk. It is based upon the theme of appearance and reality . The poem opens with a quote from Wordsworth's poem. The Daffodils which says that we not only see the beauty of nature but also absorb it through our inward eye. In the first stanza Gillain Clarke describes the idyllic setting: "an after noon yellow and open mouthed." Like the shape of a daffodil and the sun is also personified "treads amongst the trees". She says "It might be a country house," this immediately shows the readers the pleasent appearance of the situtation. However with opening of the second stanza - "I am reading poetry to the insane." Clarke sharply destroyes this appearance and shows the reality that the setting is in fact a mental home. The line "I was reading poetry to the insane." Ends with a certain finality; it is so abrupt that it disturbs the flow of the poem.This serves to empahasise the reality of the situation, as this poem has an autobiographical element. Calrke uses short, sharp scenteces repeatedly throughout the poem to jolt the reader back to reality: In
A Network of Comparisons and Contrasts in Dylan Thomas's
A Network of Comparisons and Contrasts In Dylan Thomas's "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and Catherine Davis's "After a Time," there is a very clear concept of differences and similarities between the two poems. From a reader's standpoint, they seemed to be quite a bit more alike than dissimilar. Through an investigative analysis, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" and "After a Time" were proven to be comparable in almost every aspect in poetry, such as structure, rhyme scheme, and meter. At a first glance, both poems strike as death related pieces of writing. That is where the contrast of the two is distinguished. "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" sees death as something we can fight to avoid. If one is able to "rage, rage against the dying light," he or she will be able to shy away from this life-ending situation. This author states that no matter the person or circumstances, everyone should envision death as a negative thing and resist as long as possible. This does not necessarily give a positive twist on death, but it does give one some insight into why there is a reason to rage until the end. In a stanza-by-stanza analysis, there was a more complex interpretation of the meaning. First in "Do Not Go...," the first stanza states that one should be able to feel old age creeping up on our bodies, yet we must fight against it. The
Discuss the extent to which the characters and setting in Lambs to the Slaughter and the Speckled Band are typical of a horror story.
Discuss the extent to which the characters and setting in Lambs to the Slaughter and the Speckled Band are typical of a horror story. In defining horror stories it is possible to suggest that they include elements showing a fear of some thing or someone. Stereotypically they include victims, murders, detectives, gruesome scenes and twists in the plot. All of these factors usually add up to a successful horror story which shall leave the reader on the edge of their seat. However there are many different horror genres such as comic, gothic, mystical including witches and ghosts and psychological . In this case we are dealing with only one strand and it can be identified as murder-mystery horror. As we come up to the times twentieth and twenty-first century films include twists in the plot where possible for originality. Thus because people in these centuries have literally become immune to the gory and bloody effects of the horror and therefore want more out of it to interest them psychologically. The villain in Lambs to the Slaughter , Mary Maloney is very clear right from the start that she committed the murder. This is more psychological seeing as the reader is given the chance to think more about her character. However, the villain is not revealed until the end of the Speckled Band and this may lead the reader into feeling some fear and
The Charge of the Light Brigade and The Brook
Tennyson The essay will discus the different techniques used by Tennyson in two of his poems, The Charge of the Light Brigade and The Brook, both of which are very unalike. The two poems will be compared for the use of literary devises and the affect that they have on the reader. The first poem The Charge of the Light Brigade is a poem that is about an event that took place, which was the charging of six hundred soldiers in to a battlefield. We are told from the poem that all but a few of the six hundred died, and that it could have all been prevented if some one had not "...blunder'd". The second poem is of a river that is flowing through the countryside and about the journey it takes through the countryside to join the "Brimming River". We are informed of all the different landmarks and sights it passes. The main emphasis of the poem is that nature will continue to flourish where as men and women will come and go. The visual structure of both poems is very different, in that The Brook is made up of thirteen, four-line stanzas and has a regular structure to it. Where as The Charge of the Light Brigade is the exact antithesis of The Brook, as it is made up of 6 irregular stanzas and has no apparent structure to the layout of it. The impact of this on the reader is that The Brook comes across as being more of flowing poem and one that will have rhythmical flow to it.
