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Analysis Of Dog Of Pompeii By Robert Silverberg

Decent Essays

As Mount Vesuvius shook the earth, the people of Pompeii were terrified. Not only was it a celebration, but all the pompeians were in the center of town. Right in front of the dreaded Vesuvius. Each convulse, throwing lapilli (rocks) at the citizens of Pompeii. Some started to scream. Others tried to remain calm and lead their family to the ‘safety’ of their basements. But most stood in shock. This day will be remembered for many millenniums. There are many points of comparison a reader can make to “Dog of Pompeii” by: Louis Untermeyer and “Pompeii” by: Robert Silverberg. Tone and point of view are among a few of the largest similarities in these stories. They both portray the ominous hardship of this time. They also portray how even in times …show more content…

“ How about the towns of Sicily that have had been ruined three times within fifteen years by the eruptions of Mount Etna? And were they not warned? And does that column of smoke above Mount Vesuvius mean nothing? “That?” Tito could hear the grunt with which one question answered with another. “That's always there. We use it for our weather guide. When the smoke stands up straight, we know we’ll have fair weather; when it flattens out, it's sure to be foggy; when it drifts to the east--” “Yes, Yes” cut in the edged voice. “I’ve heard about your mountain barometer. But the column of smoke seems to be hundreds of feet higher that usual and its thickening and spreading out like a shadowy tree. They say in Naples--” The person who thinks the smoke means what the weather is going to be like has a very doubtful point of view. This man talks in a way that suggests he is the boss around here and no one should think otherwise. The man who is arguing with him, has a very different point of view. The point of view of this man is that yes, he knows how the Pompeians use the mountain to tell the weather, but also that this much smoke can't be normal or good. He also thinks that the man who is arguing with him is arrogant and stubborn. “Pompeii” has a very indistinguishable point of view : “ The rich man Diomedes was another of those who decided not to flee at first sign of alarm. Rather than risk being …show more content…

Just because the two stories have a comparable tone and point of view readers get a new understanding because of symbolism. “Pompeii” gives you the facts, but incorporated into an easy to understand story. “Dog of Pompeii” gives the readers a straightforward story with a non-fiction setting and time period. In the end of “Dog of Pompeii” the reader never finds out who brought Tito to the boat. Why did Bimbo not go on the boat with Tito? When they were digging up Pompeii did they find

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