In the inky abyssal darkness of the pre-dawn horizon, the eerie silence of the still sleeping world was distributed only by the soft sound of a knife digging into wood that emitted from a pitch black wood and brick home, which sat upon a towering hill that overlooked a sprawling town that lay still as it slumbered.
From within a dimly lit room that shone like a brilliant beacon in the darkened night, my tanned and taut hands gripped a simple yet exquisite knife. Wavy steel connected to a dark oak wood, fresh enough to smell the forest it came from, that was engraved with flowing designs of grace. Graceful against the flickering flames of a dying candle, the blade moved without flourish or excessive movement as it bit into the wood, slowly whittling away strips of material as the shape of an elegant young girl in a summer dress took form. My steady hands gripped the handle, letting the blade dance across the timber as the figurine exposed its beauty and sprung to life.
Sweat dripped from my brow and into my eyes, aiming to distract my intense focus. Still, the blade moved without pause as it etched life to the marvelous figure of a dazzling young girl. Her hair flowed with a life that betrayed its wooden origin, and its eyes held a strange gaze of life which combined with its petite lips, gave off the feeling of a mischievous cat.
Finally, only until the absolute blackness of the night was overcome by the brilliant red and orange hues that bled like a fire over the eastern hills did my hands pause as blinding light seeped in through the paned windows of father's and mine workshop.
With a tired sigh of accomplishment, my figure cloaked in the shadows rose as I stretched my mammoth frame that dominated the cramped room strewn with tools and timber. Muscles, bunched from hours of sitting in one position, groaned as I stretched and flexed them. Still, my eyes remained fixated on the figurine with a gentle fondness, as I searched for any corrections with the same care and respect an undertaker would have for a recently departed. However, before I could scrutinize my work further, a piercing call coated in sweetness carried through the house in a muffled echo.
"Julian...Julian! Breakfast is ready dear!"
At the
It is a challenge for many children as they grow up to learn to be more independent. It can be particularly difficult for people with learning disabilities to learn how to move through the world on their own. In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, Christopher Boone matures into an independent person after experiencing internal and external conflicts. Christopher struggles with his search for independence, and becomes an extreme example of this integral part of growing up.
	In Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Black Cat," symbolism is used to show the narrator’s capacity for violence, madness, and guilt. "The Black Cat," written by Edgar Allan Poe serves as a reminder for all of us. The Capacity for violence and horror lies within each of
In the Novel, The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, we are shown that the truth is not always accurate and that lies are sometimes necessary. Christopher Boone is a 15 year old who has Asperger’s Syndrome, which lies in the Autism Spectrum. Due to this condition Christopher does not understand emotion, metaphors – which he considers a lie – and knows all the prime numbers up to 7,507 as well as all the countries and cities of the world. Christopher’s life revolves around the truth and throughout the novel he is seen to grow and learn to cope with different things when dealing with lies. Most events in this novel are situated around a lie that has been told; nearly every character tells one and has to face the
Edgar Allen Poe’s short story The Black Cat immerses the reader into the mind of a murdering alcoholic. Poe himself suffered from alcoholism and often showed erratic behavior with violent outburst. Poe is famous for his American Gothic horror tales such as the Tell-Tale Heart and the Fall of the House of Usher. “The Black Cat is Poe’s second psychological study of domestic violence and guilt. He added a new element to aid in evoking the dark side of the narrator, and that is the supernatural world.” (Womack). Poe uses many of the American Gothic characteristics such as emotional intensity, superstition, extremes in violence, the focus on a certain object and foreshadowing lead the reader through a series of events that are horrifying
Growth is a characteristic that comes with time. It can define the path of one’s personal success. That path or journey, our strengths and weaknesses can be tested. We can be pushed past our limits and bring out the fear in us. It is a learning experience that can shape the person that we grow up to be. New and different experiences help add to our knowledge and personality. It can also change our ways of living and beliefs. These experiences can take us on a journey with new people that can help you learn new things about yourself that you never discovered. The knowledge taught by these people can assist in your growth ,spiritually and emotionally. In Michael Ondaatje’s novel, The Cat’s Table, eleven year old Michael is taken out of his
Her lips formed strange and unusual sounds, her eyes closed softly and her cheeks paled. From her side belt she withdrew a small knife, a dagger. With a quick movement she cut her left hand with the dagger. As the drops of blood hit the cold marble floor the knife also clattered to the ground. The girl remained speaking her foreign tongue and let her life's blood run down her outstretched arm.
This essay will be an analytical essay where the novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon will be analyzed and interpreted. The focus will be on the language of the novel and the themes and messages.
Smooth, thin, and cold, the sharp object lying in her hands trembled due to her petite quivering fingers. The unforgiving sharp blade effortlessly sliced through her skin, pain and then numbness overshadowed her thoughts. With the world weighing down on her shoulders and with the sense of oppression, the girl carved into her arm without a feeling of regret. Daring, she placed the knife parallel to her veins located under her thin pasty skin. Finally, with resolution, digging the knife into her small arm, the young tortured girl could feel the deadly weapon tearing and mutilating her long tender veins. Gasping for breath, the pain surged throughout her body. However, with agony coursing through her body, the victim would not stop her leisurely stroll to the grave.
In Mark Haddon's contemporary novel, "The curious incident of the dog in the Night-Time", the protagonist, Christopher Boone, does seem completely unsuited to narrating a novel, as he takes on his authorial voice, thus demonstrating symptoms of his disability, 'Asperger's Syndrome.' This is a syndrome that enables him to see the world only through his limited perspective, which is closed, frightened and disorientated - which results in his fear of, and inability to understand the perplexing world of people's emotions. His description of events can be somewhat unreliable as he is unable to see the real truths that lie before him. As he narrates, readers are confronted with his peculiarities - whether it is not liking to be touched, his fear
Similarly, in “The Black Cat,” the nameless protagonist defends the reliability of his narrative. He, too, tells his story from a prison cell after committing murder. His victim, however, was his wife. The narrator tells us that he and his wife were very happy, and together they loved and owned a variety of pets. The narrator cannot fully explain his transition to cruelty, however. On the one hand, he blames his alcoholism as a rational explanation for his mood swings. On the other hand, he faults an innate spirit of perverseness that he says forced his hand. Both, he says, led him to abuse his favorite pet, “a remarkably large and beautiful [cat], entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree.” He cut the cat’s eye from its socket
When Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Black Cat” in 1843, the word “paranoia” was not in existence. The mental illness of paranoia was not given its name until the twentieth century. What the narrator is suffering from would be called paranoia today. The definition of paranoia is psychosis marked by delusions and irrational decisions. This definition could best be described in the nineteenth century as being superstitious and believing that supernatural powers are affecting our decisions. Superstition and being taken over by the supernatural is a recurring metaphor for paranoia in Poe’s story.
Edgar Allen Poe was one of the most influential and important writers of the nineteenth century. He was the first writer to try to make a living only writing. One of Poe’s most popular short stories, “The Black Cat”, is considered horror fiction or gothic fiction which Poe is known for in his books and short stories because it was a popular genre during his days. In Poe’s short story, “The Black Cat”, Poe uses a horror fiction genre, a mentally deranged and evil narrator/character, and symbolism of death to make a thrilling story with tons of suspense, drama, and gruesome detail.
Throughout the novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, emotions are the most challenging problems of all for Christopher. However, beyond the drama of Christopher’s crises involving feeling, or interaction with other people, we glimpse a more general idea – that dealing with people and feelings is difficult. Discuss in relation to the themes and characters of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
“The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe is one of Poe’s greatest literary works that embodies his signature themes of death, violence, and darkness. Poe’s main character begins his narration of his horrible wrongdoings regarding them as a “series of mere household events” (Poe 705). However, this is where Poe’s satire and irony begins and the story progresses to show the deranged mindset of this character as he tries to justify his actions. As the main character proceeds to rationalize his crime, Poe is able to convey a sense of irony through his use of foreshadowing, metaphors and symbolism.
When reading a short story many people take the details given to be the unconditional truth. This is probably why so many of these people are confused or repulsed by a story like “The Black Cat.” Throughout the story, the narrator makes numerous contradictions. These contradictions, combined with his actions make me doubt the legitimacy and truth of what he says.