"Lamb to the Slaughter" and "The Speckled Band" are two very different types of murder mystery. Describe some of the ways in which they are different and some of the ways in which they are the same.

"Lamb to the Slaughter" and "The Speckled Band" are two very different types of murder mystery. Describe some of the ways in which they are different and some of the ways in which they are the same. "Lamb to the Slaughter" is a short murder mystery story written by Roald Dahl a Norwegian author, in 19 54. It is a Black comedy and was very macabre and startling for its time, and still is now, but it isn't seen as quite so shocking and politically incorrect "Did they kill them both- mother and child?" Roald Dahl is more famous for his children's stories such as "James and the Giant Peach" and "The Twits", than his stories for adults, these include "Kiss, Kiss" and "Tales of the Unexpected", which was also televised as a series of short stories. "The Speckled Band" is also a relatively short murder mystery story. It was written in 1892 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It features Sherlock Holmes, who is the detective that Conan Doyle writes his murder mysteries about, he is the stereotype of a Victorian detective. He is what Victorian people would want all detectives to be like, he always solves his cases, he respects others and is strong, in body and in mind. "He unravelled problems which were submitted to him." He makes "rapid deductions...founded on a logical basis." and is admired by many for this, "I have no keener pleasure than in following Holmes." The stories

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What are the similarities and differences in the two stories? (Roald Dahl-Lamb to the slaughter, The Speckled band-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Comparative Stories Essay By Owen Convey What are the similarities and differences in the two stories? (Roald Dahl-Lamb to the slaughter, The Speckled band-Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) Theses two stories have many similarities and differences at the same time. First off we start with Lamb to the slaughter by Roald Dahl. This is a story about a housewife who finds out that her husband is cheating on her and plans to leave her even though she is pregnant. Mary Maloney is a normal woman who has everything timed to perfection she knows when everything will happen. She is in the last few months of pregnancy and is at peace with the world. When her husband comes in and tells her he's leaving her she is shocked. "This is going to be a bit of a shock to you, I'm afraid, he said. "But I've thought about it a good deal and I've decided the only thing to do is tell you right away. I hope you don't blame me too much" And he told her. It didn't take very long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror as he went further and further away from her with each word. "So there it is," he added. "And I know it's kind of a bad time to be telling you but there simply wasn't any other word. Of course I'll give you money and see you're looked after. But there needn't really be any fuss. I hope not anyway. It wouldn't be very

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With reference to 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and 'Lamb To The Slaughter' by Roald Dahl, compare the ways which the writers create atmosphere and tension, give us clues to the endings and suspend our disbelief.

Comparative Coursework With reference to 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and 'Lamb To The Slaughter' by Roald Dahl, compare the ways which the writers create atmosphere and tension, give us clues to the endings an suspend our disbelief. The main characters in Lamb To The Slaughter are Mary Maloney and Patrick Maloney. They are husband and wife. The story is about Mary, a woman who loves her husband dearly. She waits on him and gives him everything he asks for. She is six months pregnant with his baby. Patrick is a detective, and when he comes home from work one day he is acting very strangely. Mary is worried about him having something to eat. He tells her that he has some bad news; he tells her that he is leaving her. Mary is in shock, and she carries on down to the cellar to get him something to eat. She gets a leg of lamb for his supper, she comes back up the stairs and sees him standing by the window, he tells her not to bother with supper, and that he is going out. She walks up to him and hits him over the head with the lamb. He is left standing there for about four or five seconds, he then falls to the floor. The noise of him hitting the floor makes her realise what she has done. She begins thinking and realises that she could go to prison. She takes the lamb and puts it in the oven. She then goes out to the grocery store as normal, saying that she

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Both 'Lamb to the Slaughter' and 'The Speckled Band' share some of the characteristics of murder mysteries. Explain the similarities and differences between the two stories and say which one you think is more compelling to read.

Both 'Lamb to the Slaughter' and 'The Speckled Band' share some of the characteristics of murder mysteries. Explain the similarities and differences between the two stories and say which one you think is more compelling to read. The authors of the two books are Conan Doyle and Roald Dahl. The speckled band was written by Conan Doyle in 1892, but Doyle started writing Sherlock Holmes stories in 1887. The Sherlock Holmes stories followed a 'who done it' theme, and were published in a weekly magazine, which gave a new clue, to the story it followed, the following week. Roald Dahl write Lamb to the Slaughter in 1954, a more up to date story as it may be. Dahl started writing war theme stories at the beginning of his career, then he moved onto writing adult stories in the 1950's. Some of these later were turned into screenplays. Lamb to the Slaughter is written in third person, where The Speckled Band is written in first person. Speckled band starts off with Sherlock Holmes' side-kick telling us about previous cases. Then moving on to the case, the story is based on. This case was the ' Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran'. The mood set out at the beginning of the story is tense, this is because the way in which new clues are given out to us after a few paragraphs. This makes us want to now what comes next and carry on with the story. We also get a tense mood at

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In "Lamb to the Slaughter," Roald Dahl effectively develops the protagonist, MaryMaloney both directly and indirectly.

*Character Sketch Essay Character Essay Characterization is a method an author chooses to develop his/her character, is a very important element in a story. In "Lamb to the Slaughter," Roald Dahl effectively develops the protagonist, Mary Maloney both directly and indirectly; however, the use of indirect characterization is more dominant because it reveals her actions and how she deals with her conflict, her words, and creating a dynamic character with her words and personality, such as her calmness and serenity, her self-consciousness and lastly her deceitfulness. In the beginning of the short story "Lamb to the slaughter," the main character Mary Maloney, portrays her calm and serene character trait in various different scenes. As a role throughout her daily life routine, Mary is a perfect and devoted house wife, "there was a slow smiling air about her, and about everything she did... was curiously tranquil." (Dahl 10) The following quote expresses her as a calm and serene person by how tranquil her actions was, and how she was physically and mentally through her day-to-day life. Mary Maloney awaits happily each night for the arrival of her husband, Patrick home from work, now and then she would she would glance at the clock, without anxiety merely to please herself with the thought that each minute gone by made it nearer to the time he would come.

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  • Level: GCSE
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Discuss the difference between The Withered Arm and Lamb to the Slaughter.

The Withered Arm and Lamb to the Slaughter This essay is aimed at discussing the difference between the short stores, called The Withered Arm and Lamb to the Slaughter. These stores have similar plots and both deliver and contrast these in their very own clever ways. They are both based on the idea of revenge, involving two women and a man. In the story Lamb to the Slaughter there is a couple named Mr and Mrs Maloney, when Patrick comes home from work he wants to tell Mary Maloney something, Mary knew that Patrick was seeing another woman so she takes her revenge on him. The Withered Arm is about a middle aged couple called Farmer Lodge and his wife Gertrude. Another main character is Rhoda Brook a lady who takes revenge on Farmer Lodge because Rhoda has Farmer Lodge's child and he does not help her bring him up. The author of 'Lamb to the Slaughter' is Roald Dahl who was from a poor background he was born in 1860. His books are mostly fantasy, and full of imagination. Roald Dahl wrote a collection of 18 short stories called 'Someone like you'. In these stories he examines the dark side of human nature or mental illness in characters that initially appear to be normal. For example In 'Lamb to the Slaughter', Mary Maloney appears to be like a normal housewife. Patrick her husband, is a policeman. Their life is boring and repetitive; they have drinks each night before cooking

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How did Roald Dahl create atmosphere and tension in the story Lamb to the Slaughter?

Lamb to the Slaughter How did Roald Dahl create atmosphere and tension in the story Lamb to the Slaughter? Lamb to the slaughter is a short story written by Roald Dahl. He is most famous for writing children's stories. This is a short story about contradicting feelings. Initially we have a woman waiting for her husband to return home from work, she is waiting, content in her warm and cosy chair, the house is "warm and clean, the curtains drawn and the two table lamps alight" an atmosphere of a nice home, an ideal one for Mr Maloney to come home to. Right from the beginning of the story, a warm and cosy atmosphere is created. She is safe in the knowledge that her husband will be arriving home soon, "Now again she would glance up at the clock, but without anxiety, merely to please her with the thought that each minute gone by made it nearer the time when he would arrive". This quote shows that she is not impatient or worried and when Mr Maloney will arrive home. Her husband is always on time, and she is becoming excited now that it is drawing near to the time that he would normally arrive. "When the clock said ten minutes to five she began to listen, and a few moments later, punctually as always, she heard the tyres on the gravel outside". When he pulls into the drive she can see "the flash of light through the gap in the curtains" now that he has arrived the

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Compare the two approaches to the detective story as shown in "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl.

February 2001 Wider Reading Maryanne Parker Mrs Anderson Compare the two approaches to the detective story as shown in "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. Both of these short stories, "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl and "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, are written by very famous authors. They are also both detective stories. However apart from this they have very little in common. Although both stories do reflect the language and customs of the era in which they were written. The woman's roles, for example, reflect the times in which the stories were written. In Lamb to the Slaughter Mary Maloney is a typical 1950's housewife, she tries to please her husband by fetching drinks, hanging up his coat and feeling anxious of his dinner. "She took his coat and hung it in the closet." Similarly the role of Helen Stoner is very much of a 'damsel in distress' who requires male assistance. She has no money or access to it until after marriage. She also has no means of escape from Dr Roylett except through marriage. She is possible still mourning for her sister "A lady dressed in black and heavily veiled" this is not unusual for the 1890's. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has written his story to appeal to the 1890's audience. When books were expensive and were one of the few means of

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Speckled band detectives

Speckled band detectives The detective in the Speckled Band is Sherlock Holmes. His associate is Dr Watson. Sherlock Holmes is a very knowledgeable man and he has very good detective skills. We know this because when he takes the first look at Helen Stoner he realises that she travelled by train as she had a train ticket on her hand. Sherlock Holmes does not take any money from Helen Stoner and he asks her to pay him when it suited her. This tells us that he loves his job and that money is not his main concern. Sherlock Holmes is also very strong, we know this when Dr Grimsby Roylott bends a steel poker and Sherlock Holmes reshapes it. Sherlock Holmes always tries to find a logical explanation for everything as any other detective would. He is not worried about his own safety, we know this when Dr Roylott barges in and threatens Sherlock Holmes while Sherlock Holmes intimidates him. Sherlock Holmes is brave, intellectual and quick thinking. Sherlock Holmes wears normal clothes and a long cloak. He also carries a magnifying glass and his smoking pipe. Lamb To The Slaughter The detectives in Lamb To The Slaughter are not named. The policemen are Noonan and O'Malley. Noonan and O'Malley are friends with the victim. The detectives and the policemen get paid a salary. The detectives are not very clever. We know this when the detectives rule out Mary as a possible suspect in

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For my essay I am going to compare the signalman and lamb to the slaughter. I am going to look at the differences and the similarities in these two short stories.

Lamb To The Slaughter And The Signalman For my essay I am going to compare the signalman and lamb to the slaughter. I am going to look at the differences and the similarities in these two short stories. Lamb to the slaughter starts with a warm setting in the Maloney household. Unlike the signalman which starts off with tension and mystery. The importance of mystery is very important in this story, as there are many parts of the story that contain mystery. E.g. the man at the bottom of the cutting. The signalman is a horror story contrasting lamb to the slaughter, which is a murder story. There are many different words that are different in the story. Both writers use different words to describe what the setting is like. Dahl uses warm, clean, fresh, smiling, soft, blissful, rested, and silent but Dickens used stronger words like anger, violent pulsation, rapid and clammy. These words by dickens give out a stronger atmosphere. Mrs Maloney is the wife of a policeman named Patrick Maloney. Lamb to the slaughter starts with 'the room was warm and clean.' This tell the reader that the room is clean and looked after by the person in the room. This brings a warm atmosphere. This is the complete opposite to the signalman. The story starts with 'Halloa! Below there' this does not contain a warm atmosphere at all. Straight away there is some type of tension because you do not know

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  • Subject: English
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