Who or what do you think is to blame for the tragic events at the end of three or four of the short stories that you have read?

Who or what do you think is to blame for the tragic events at the end of three or four of the short stories that you have read? In considering the question, I found that it applied very well to "The Black Veil", and "The Signalman", both by Charles Dickens, "The Monkey's Paw", by W.W.Jacobs and "The Yellow Wallpaper", by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. The stories all have their own tragic endings. These short stories reflected the times, a time where religious and supernatural beliefs were a lot stronger than they are today. Therefore, stories involving supernatural activity were especially popular. I think the Victorian writers took advantage of short stories to leave the reader asking many questions, adding a degree of mystery and freedom for the reader to believe different endings. "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens is a story of isolation and loneliness, with the visitor acting as the narrator. The signalman was "educated above his station", but he had to spend "many long and lonely hours", trapped "in between high stone walls". I think there is a particular importance of the setting of story. He is "trapped", in his own "world", beneath ground level. He knows nothing else. He is almost doomed to die in the noisy grave before seeing the "angry sunset". The place is carved out of "clammy stone which became oozier and wetter", as it gets deeper.Because of his loneliness, one of

  • Word count: 1487
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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An analysis of the characteristics of the horror genre with particular reference to 'The signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The pit and the pendulum' by Edgar Alan Poe.

Comparative essay. Task: An analysis of the characteristics of the horror genre with particular reference to 'The signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The pit and the pendulum' by Edgar Alan Poe. After studying the two short stories I have analysed the characteristics of the horror genre with close reference to 'The signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The pit and the pendulum' by Edgar Alan Poe. The characteristics of the short stories that show the horror genre is the way in which they have been constructed the short sentences, the punctuation such as the over use of exclamation marks, the suspense, and the description of mental and physical torture. Both stories are written in the 19th century and symbolise the horror theme in a variety of styles. 'The pit and the pendulum' is a story of a man condemned to death by the Inquisition. This death is not a simple one, since he is thrown in a dungeon with no light and lots of dangers. 'The pit and the pendulum' is about a prisoner in a nightmare tale who is disturbed by a pendulum blade that is gradually descending towards him, terrifying him each time it comes closer. Imprisoned in absolute darkness by the Spanish inquisition the prisoner slowly becomes aware of how his tormentors will make sure his death is long and painful there are points where we are very aware of the torture and imprisonment. Poe shows us with vivid

  • Word count: 1519
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How is language used to create atmosphere in The Red Room and The Signalman

How is language used to create atmosphere in The Red Room and The Signalman? In this essay I will be comparing two stories The Signalman and The Red Room, I will be looking at the language techniques and how they are used throughout the stories. All language techniques are used for a reason and in this case it is used to create atmosphere and also keep the readers attention. The stories are both Victorian and remembered for their supernatural content as well as the actual story. The Signalman and The Red Room are both Victorian stories. The Signalman first appeared in 1866 in a Christmas magazine. Since then the story has become very popular, this was because the Victorians enjoyed supernatural stories. They liked reading ghost stories and stories in which there were mysteries to be solved. The story itself had a very modern setting for its time, and it being at a railway station was different because in those times it had just become popular. Charles Dickens saw trains as dangerous and destructive, which is why in another story, 'Dombey and Son', a train killed a character in it. He may have seen them as dangerous because in 1865 he was in a train crash but luckily survived. Archaisms are used throughout both stories. Archaisms are works which are old and not used today. Words such as 'apopelexy' and 'alcoves' aren't used today but are likely to still be found in the

  • Word count: 2431
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Review three of the short stories you have read and say how they were typical of their genre and what ideas they explore that are still relevant today

Review three of the short stories you have read and say how they were typical of their genre and what ideas they explore that are still relevant today Originally stories were sung or spoken and handed down through word of mouth from one person to another. There were thousands of traditional stories all over the world, from King Arthur and his knights of the round table in Britain to Hercules and the Gods on Mount Olympus in Greece. In the middle ages this was how stories were told, these stories were sometimes shown as plays, which many people could pay to watch. These plays were based on love, war and religion and were very popular with everyone. Some mystery plays were based on bible stories and shown throughout Europe. Others were based on the courtly love tradition where women were worshipped like Gods. In contrast other stories were shown as having the "damsel in distress" such as Robin Hood, with knights and a great battle of good versus evil. Some even took the myths and legends and included them in their stories; this could have been where princesses were saved from a beast such as a dragon or a small boy performing the colossal act of defeating a giant. The Signalman By Charles Dickens The setting is a railway line at the bottom of a steep cutting, where the sunlight "barely penetrated". It was a "dark, dank, gloomy and depressing place near a tunnel with a red

  • Word count: 2839
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the effectiveness of the ghost stories by Dickens, Hughes and Rhys. Show some awareness of social, historical and cultural influences on the stories; be sure to include some comparisons of texts.

Coursework Assignment - Wider Reading Discuss the effectiveness of the ghost stories by Dickens, Hughes and Rhys. Show some awareness of social, historical and cultural influences on the stories; be sure to include some comparisons of texts. We have three different ghost stories to compare in this assignment. They are: 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens, 'The Ghost' by Richard Hughes and 'I Used to Live Here Once' by Jean Rhys. The three stories, although all ghost stories, differ by a great deal. The Dickens story is the longest, about thirteen sides, and the Rhys story is the shortest, just the one side, with the Hughes story in between at around four and a half sides. In this essay I am going to talk about the effectiveness of each one individually and then compare the stories against each other. At the end I will say which story I liked the best and why. I will start by talking about the Dickens story. The Dickens story is like the classic ghost story with all the dark, Gothic descriptions and the close comparisons with hell. It is there to give you a good scare; that is its purpose. He is attempting to entertain. However, there is some moral significance to the story (see later). The descriptions are extremely detailed and vivid and although a short story, it does not lack punch and immerses the reader into the story making them feel like they are actually there.

  • Word count: 5228
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Examine the setting and atmosphere in three Gothic Stories: The Red Room by H.G. Wells, The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell, and The Signalman by Charles Dickens.

Examine the setting and atmosphere in three Gothic Stories: - The Red Room by H.G. Wells - The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell - The Signalman by Charles Dickens Gothic stories are a type of romantic fiction that predominated English Literature in the last third of the 18th century and the first two decades of the 19th century. During the nineteenth century, short stories written in gothic tradition became extremely popular. It was a time when supernatural powers were still believable. These stories, with elements of vengeance, trickery, imprisonment and fear were conceived during the gothic era and are still read today with the power to enthral and chill their audience one hundred years on. All gothic stories are recognisable, for they all incorporate numerous elements that are unique to the gothic tradition. Gothic stories rely on the atmosphere and setting to create tension. The setting is usually a grand, secluded castle or abbey. Gothic stories emphasise mystery and horror and are filled with ghosts, haunted rooms, underground passages and spiral stairways. The Red Room, The Old Nurse's Story and The Signalman are examples of Gothic stories which demonstrate the importance of setting. The settings in these stories convey how remote and desolate the locations are, which is a typical feature of gothic stories to build mood and atmosphere. The Red Room is

  • Word count: 3579
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the portrayal of fear in "The signalman" by Charles Dickens and "Night Fears" by L.P Hartley.

Wider Reading Assignment - Discuss the portrayal of fear in "The signalman" by Charles Dickens and "Night Fears" by L.P Hartley. In "The Signalman" and "Night Fears" both the men experience some kind of fear. The reader has to distinguish whether the fear is supernatural or psychological. In both stories the signalman and night watchman work alone making them vulnerable and susceptible to the psychological fear. The central characters are isolated by their jobs this creates suspense and tension. "The Signalman and "Night Fears" were written seventy years apart yet the stories use very similar elements in them for example the isolation of central characters, darkness and a twist at the end. The signalman was written in the 1850's when trains were starting to be used regularly yet people were scared of trains this could be linked back to how the train plays apart in the signalman's death. "Violent pulsation" Night Fears was written in the 1920's just after the First World War. The night watchman's wife mends a pair of black-out blinds used from the war. "Old blue-paper blinds used once for the airaids" This links to fears connected with war. In "The Signalman" and "Night Fears" both the stories are set in isolated places. The signalman is set in the middle of two bankings. Which has a zigzag decent that leads you to the signal box. The language used to describe the

  • Word count: 932
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Dickens create interest, tension and suspence for the reader of The Signalman, by Charles Dickens.

HOW DOES DICKENS CREATE INTEREST, TENSION AND SUSPENCE FOR THE READER OF "THE SIGNALMAN"? BY CHARELS DICKENS The story of "The signalman" was a very popular story when it was written, because at the time it was written it was very modern because the steam train was a very new invention and the Victorians also enjoyed ghost stories. Dickens has created tension in the story very well because right at the start the narrator shouts "Halloa! Below there" this may not seem to be anything right at the start but later we find out that these are the exact words that the ghost has used to get the signalman's attention. Interest and tension are created by Dickens describing the tunnel as if it was something from hell by using words like "dungeon, gloomy red light, gloomier entrance, barbarous, depressing and forbidden air, deadly smell and struck chill to me as if I had left the natural world", this would have been very disturbing for the Victorians at the time as people were much more religious than they are now. Another way that Dickens builds up tension in the story is that when the signalman is talking to the narrator he does not tell him the whole story until the next day so therefore you have to wait so it leaves us on a bit of a cliff-hanger. Dickens also builds up tension by the signalman telling the man that he should not call out to him, this builds up a lot of tension as

  • Word count: 744
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Compare and Contrast the ways in which Charles Dickens and Ray Bradbury create Tension and Suspense in "The Signalman" and "The Crowd".

20. March. 2002 Compare and Contrast the ways in which Charles Dickens and Ray Bradbury create Tension and Suspense in "The Signalman" and "The Crowd" Both "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens and "The Crowd" by Ray Bradbury create a brilliant feeling of tension and suspense. Each story is worked around events that seem inexplicable. The protagonist characters and the reader becomes unsettled as these events unfold. Each story contains accidents, death, the supernatural, and an underlying sense of an unresolved mystery. Charles Dickens, writing in the nineteenth century, uses fear of modernization, mechanization and the belief in ghosts to his advantage, appealing to the fear of the unknown and the future. With the Industrial Revolution, and its new developments in science and technology, Dickens introduces the fascination with supernatural phenomenon. Ray Bradbury, writing in the middle of the twentieth century, uses a different pace, and a change in lifestyle to incite fear rather than addressing his own personal views through literature as Dickens does. However the impact of cars and television are aspects of modernization and are used to extend the sense of fear about the misunderstood. Making a later impact, the Cold War and its general political climate of suspense involving different countries and different leaders can easily be compared to the confusion and tension

  • Word count: 1806
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"The Signalman" and "A Christmas Carol" look closely at the creation of the characters and atmosphere in both books.

Charles Dickens A good friend of Charles Dickens named John Foster said that there was nothing Dickens liked more than to be told a good story. We have been given "The Signalman" and "A Christmas Carol". We are going to be looking especially closely at the creation of the characters and atmosphere in both books. "A Christmas Carol" was set in London. This story is about a businessman who is known for being very anti-social and bitter. He has no emotional connections with other people. Every night he returns from work to a small house. He lives in an apartment above storage areas, it is very crammed. One night when he gets home the ghost of his very good friend Jacob Marley, that died years ago visits him. The ghost begs him to change his wicked ways and appreciate life more or threatens he will regret it. Scrooge refuses to change his lifestyle for anyone, so three ghosts come to visit him to continue to persuade him. The three ghosts show Scrooge scenes from past, present and future Christmases. Eventually after all three ghosts have left Scrooge is horrified and disgraced of what he has seen so he changes and becomes a better person. "The Signalman" is about a lonely man, who has no one to talk to or to keep him company. One say he meets a man passing by and the Signalman tells him about his ghostly troubles, and begs him to come back the next day so he can tell him the

  • Word count: 1508
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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