Referring closely to the text, discuss the techniques that Charles Dickens uses in "The Signalman" to build up tension and explain how effective a ghost story it is. Explore the social and historical context in your answer.

Khalid Attia English Coursework The Signalman Referring closely to the text, discuss the techniques that Charles Dickens uses in "The Signalman" to build up tension and explain how effective a ghost story it is. Explore the social and historical context in your answer. "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens is a very pre 20th century novel. There are many clues given to the reader about the period in which it was written. The first and most obvious clues are the multi-clausal sentences. These long-winded sentences are all descriptive passages, split up in between by the use of commas. There are quite a few of them in the story. One example is: " In a word, I should have set this man down as one of the safest of men to be employed in that capacity, but for the circumstance that while he was speaking to me he twice broke off with a fallen colour, turned his face towards the little bell when it did NOT ring, opened the door of the hut (which was kept shut to exclude the unhealthy damp), and looked out towards the red light near the mouth of the tunnel." All of this is one sentence. Another clue that leads us to the conclusion that it is pre 20th century written, is that the idea of class is brought up, "If I telegraph danger, on either side of me, or on both...they would displace me." The signalman is frightened because if he signals danger and can't give a reason for it,

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Comparing The Signalman and The Darkness Out There

Ryan Smith 3.1.02 Comparing The Signalman and The Darkness Out There Language The language that Charles Dickens applies to The Signalman is a complete contrast to the language used in The Darkness Out There. In The Signalman the language is very old fashioned and rather formal. Whereas, the language used in The Darkness Out There is very modern and in most cases casual. A few examples of the language used in The Signalman . "Halloa below there." . "One would have thought." . "I was never there, may you swear it?" A few examples of the language used in The Darkness Out There . "I didn't know you were in The Good Neighbours Club." . "Not that you'd put it quite like that yourself." . "A nice style. I expect your mum made it, did she?" Just from the two sets of examples shown above, you can already see that we are dealing with two types of language, one: 19th century Victorian language and two: 20th century modern language. Atmosphere and Setting Although the language used in The Signalman is completely different to the language used in The Darkness Out There, both of the stories have similar settings that conjur up the same sort of atmosphere. For example: The Railway Cutting and Packer's End Both the Railway Cutting and Packer's End are similar settings because they are both haunted and feared places. The Railway Cutting and Packer's End also

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  • Level: GCSE
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A good ghost story has to include certain writing techniques to give it a certain cutting edge of horror.

Wider Reading A good ghost story has to include certain writing techniques to give it a certain cutting edge of horror. The setting of a good ghost story is always important. A very common setting could be a sinister graveyard or an old eerie mansion, anyone that adds to the spooky atmosphere. Description needs to be used to the maximum effect to create a frightening atmosphere. Everything from the creaking door to the rocking chair must be described used selectively creepy language. There are many telling signs to show when the ghost is going to make his appearance. This is because the writer usually prepares the atmosphere for its entrance. Techniques used for this are things such as drops in temperature, sudden noises, howling winds, swirling mists and others. There are a variety of different ghosts used in this genre of stories. These poltergeists that don't usually emerge and have tendency to steal or move things around. Even though you can't see them visibly you can still feel their presence, which can be said for a lot of other ghosts. Other types of ghosts are ones that are visible to the eye. These are usually dressed in old clothes and have ashen white faces. These ghosts are usually somebody from the past that has been disturbed or wants to seek revenge. In this essay I will be dealing with the supernatural types of specters only. All these are visible to

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How does Dickens's retain the interest of the reader in "A Madman's Manuscript"?

How does Dickens's retain the interest of the reader in "A Madman's Manuscript"? "A Madman's Manuscript" was written by Charles Dickens in 1837 and is a short story of the Victorian era. Dickens's (1812-1870) was a British writer who mainly wrote about poverty. The interest in poverty could be because his father was imprisoned for debt. "A Madman's Manuscript" comes from the novel "Pick wick Papers" which was a short story about everyday people, but as someone in the story is mad t shows that not all people know who other people are. The theme of madness appeared in a number of Victorian novels. It often featured a mad woman who killed her children. Victorian novels that include madness would be the, "Haunting Of Someone". Dickens would have been interested in madness or imprisoned life as his father was imprisoned. In "A Madman's Manuscript" Dickens's draws from four main genres. Which are gothic, romance, diary and short story. One of the typical ingredients for romanticism is that it focuses on desires more than everyday realities, "He wants to kill." "He wants to be seen as mad." Extreme emotions of joy or misery are the sadness before he accepts madness and joy when he accepts madness. The joy of killing his wife, "For many weeks I thought of poison, and then of drowning, and then of fire." This tells us that his greatest passion is for being mad and not for love. One

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Compare the two short stories, "The Signalman" by Dickens and "The Withered Arm" by Hardy.

Compare the two short stories, "The Signalman" by Dickens and "The Withered Arm" by Hardy. The story of "The Signalman" opens with the words "Halloa! Below there", this short, but effective line is very significant to the plot of the story. A questioning atmosphere is already created, as it is not clear to the reader as to who is speaking, or whom the anonymous figure is being shouted at? The opening paragraph of the "The Signalman" is unexplained, leaving the readers questioning. For example when the Narrator is shouting from above, the Signalman behaves strangely as he looks round to face the tunnel, whereas a normal person would look upwards in response to this. Dickens portrayal of the "black tunnel" that has a "barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air" to it creates a mood of anticipation. Moreover, the words expressed are so effective that the reader immediately gets an apparent image of the tunnel and feels more involved in the story. It also raises the question as to why the Signalman looked down there, and this maintains the curiosity. The mood becomes more intense and penetrating as Charles Dickens's explanations give the impression that one or both of the characters might be spectres. The reason being, that the Narrator considers the Signalman as having something "remarkable in his manner", and how he cannot say for his "life what." On the other hand, the

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Examine the settings which the writers have chosen for their stories 'The Signalman' and 'The Man with the Twisted Lip'. Consider the effects that the writer has created and how they contribute to the atmosphere.

6th October 2004 Philip Murphy Examine the settings which the writers have chosen for their stories 'The Signalman' and 'The Man with the Twisted Lip'. Consider the effects that the writer has created and how they contribute to the atmosphere. Both stories are set in England in the second half of the nineteenth century and both are tales of mystery. The Signalman, however, is an eerie supernatural tale whereas The Man with the Twisted Lip is an analytical detective story involving the unravelling of a mystery. The writers, Dickens and Conan Doyle, have used their settings to create different effects in order to influence the atmosphere and mood specific to these two particular genres. In The Signalman, Dickens uses a single location as the backdrop to his supernatural tale. The story unfolds in a lonely and isolated railway cutting, in an undisclosed part of the English countryside. For almost the entire tale only three people are involved: the narrator, the signalman and the apparition. In contrast, Conan Doyle's detective story is set both in the city of London and in the surrounding countryside and involves many people. The events in both stories occur over a few consecutive days but, whilst the events in The Signalman take place mostly in the evening or night time reflecting the darkness of the story, the events in Conan Doyle's story span both day and night. The

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How does Dickens create suspense in 'The Signalman'?

In the following piece I will describe how Dickens creates suspense in "The Signalman" by exploring the settings and the characters. The novel was written by Charles Dickens in the 19th century, and is set in a deep cutting adjacent to a tunnel with a railway running through. Suspense is created through supernatural, horror and ambiguity. Dickens' 'The Signalman' has all of these factors, which combine together excellently for a thrilling suspense story. The novel opens with the quote "Halloa! Below there!" This short, but effective line becomes very decisive as the story unfolds. We don't know who is speaking and so it already creates a suspicion, which is initially adding tension. The man he is shouting at below "Looked down the line". In most circumstances, any person would look upwards in response to this. Dickens has initially created the unexplainable which builds up the tension and suspense further. At this time we don't know who the men are. What Dickens' is attempting to do is to make you curious, to make you think as the plot unfolds which adds suspense. Dickens then goes on to describe the man below "There was something remarkable in his manner of doing so". Once the reader has figured this novel contains a ghostly theme, Dickens lets the reader assume that he is possibly the ghost because of his weird actions. The actions create mystery which is effective to

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Both 'The Signal man' and 'The darkness out there' have unexpected endings. Compare the way the tension is built up in both stories so that the reader is surprised by how the stories end.

BOTH THE 'SIGNAL MAN' AND 'THE DARKNESS OUT THERE' HAVE UNEXPECTED ENDINGS. COMPARE THE WAY THE TENSION IS BUILT UP IN BOTH STORIES SO THAT THE READER IS SURPRISED BY HOW THE STORIES END. Penelope Lively wrote the Darkness Out There. It is about two children who are in the good neighbours club. They are sent to go and help an old lady called Mrs Rutter. She lives in an isolated house in the countryside. The Signalman is about a man who goes to visit a signalman. The signalman tells this visitor that he is troubled. He is expecting a disaster and he has sightings of a ghost now and then. The Darkness Out There begins with a description of an idyllic countryside. "brushing through the grass, polleny summer grass that glinted in the sun." It does mention a darker place in the countryside which is called Packers End. When the children were young they believed that witches and wolves lived there. "When they were small, six and seven and eight, they'd been scared stiff of Packers End. Then, they hadn't known about the german plane. It was different things then; witches and wolves and tigers." As they got older rumours went around that somebody got raped at Packers End. Mrs Rutter comes across as a typical nice old lady. She treats the two children well. She offers them biscuits. Then Mrs Rutter tells the children about when a german plane crashed down at Packers End. She

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Looking Closely At The Nineteenth Century Short Stories: The Adventure Of The Speckled Band, The Signalman And The Red Room, Compare How Suspense And Tension Is Built Up In Each Story.

Looking Closely At The Nineteenth Century Short Stories: The Adventure Of The Speckled Band, The Signalman And The Red Room, Compare How Suspense And Tension Is Built Up In Each Story. The three stories I am comparing are The Red Room by H. G Wells, The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and The Signalman by Charles Dickens. I will be comparing how the tension is created by the writer in each story, as they are all based on the mystery/horror genre. In these types of stories it should have suspense, horror, and ambiguity to keep the readers interest. The Red Room, by H.G Wells was a nineteenth century story. During this time supernatural powers were believable, so someone reading it at the time would feel tenser. It is about a man (narrator) who seeks spirits in a castle. He has heard about "The Red Room" and wants to find out, however, the three old people try to warn him but still he goes ahead in search for the room, completely oblivious to what awaits him. The Signalman was also nineteenth century story. This is about a man who sees ghosts. He also has a premonition of his own death. The Adventure of the Speckled Band was written in the pre-20th century. It was based on a murder mystery where Dr Roylott (main character) aimed to kill his two daughters to gain their property. When he kills the eldest, the younger sibling gets suspicious

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In what ways do you believe Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde reflects the interests of Victorian Britain?

Megan Field 10MJO. February 19, 2004 In what ways do you believe that the literature you have reflects the interests of Victorian Britain? Queen Victoria reigned in Britain between 1937-1901. During this time in British history a large degree of change occurred. The writers of the time often reflected these substantial changes in their literature focusing on the interests of society. I have studied a variety of literature from the Victorian period and have chosen to write about three particular pieces; 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens (a short story), the novel 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley and another short story called 'The Tell Tale Heart' by Edgar Allen Poe. At the point when these stories were written, there were a wide range of issues touching society. However, for the benefit of this essay I am only going to focus on three of these; the role of God, the increasing advances in science and technology, the supernatural and insanity. The point which I am going to focus on first is about the role God played in many people's lives and how this is reflected in the literature of the Victorian period. In 'Frankenstein' Mary Shelley's point of view about the advances occurring in the progress of medicine and technology can be seen. She also explains the dangerous issues connected with man trying to copy the role of God. The central characters in 'Frankenstein' are Dr

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