The Monkey's Paw Essay

“Live with your head in the lion’s mouth” is a phrase his dying grandfather told him on his death bed. The lion represents white males on how dangerous they are. The lion also represents the world and how African Americans haven’t been accepted as humans yet. The mouth represents the terror and events that take place. As a lion is a predator and goes after what he wants. The lion is also a representation of white male society on the supremacy because they are the kind of the jungle. The head represents the physiological standpoint of an educated African-American male. His thoughts on what white

W. W. Jacobs wrote the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” in 1902. A great number of adaptations of the story have since been created using different forms of media. The two which are being compared here are the play adaptation The Monkey’s Paw dramatized by Mara Rockliff and the 2011 film version The Monkey’s Paw by Ricky Lewis Jr. Both the play and film feature the White family receiving a monkey’s paw by which three wishes may be granted. The paw had a spell put on it by a holy man who wanted to show that fate rules people’s lives and that if people try to interfere, they will be sorry. The main differences between the play and the film are that film gives more background information about how and why the paw was obtained, uses more

The night is crisp and black as the moon lets off an eerie glow, leaves rustle and fall somewhere in the distance. A silhouette dwarfs the blackberry bush in the corner as one’s footsteps refrain, they move closer; you run. Suspense is a state of tension and anxiety which was used in the sentence above and is common in books and short stories. In the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W Jacobs suspense is created in a variety of ways. Jacobs demonstrates this by using foreshadowing, conflict and surprise endings.

Greed is a sin of excess that every single human being has at least a little bit of. When someone has the opportunity to get as much of something as they possibly can, they will go to great lengths to get everything out of it. In the story “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W. W. Jacobs, the White family experiences a big test of greed, and they even tamper with their fate to get it. Before the Whites even knew about the paw, they were living a normal, but decent, lifestyle that got them by day-to-day without any troubles. Once they received this one idol in their life that could grant any three wishes that they could possibly think of, their mind set was altered and their greediness to change their fate kicked into play. Jacobs uses themes of

     If one is making a wish then it must be a smart one or don't make one at all. Weeks after their son’s death Mrs. White thinks to use the monkeys paw. She suggests that her husband wish for their son to be alive again with their second wish. He raised his hand "I wish for my son alive again" (Jacobs 8). He made his son come back to life in the same way he was killed. To bring his son to life was a mistake because he does not know what he will be like when he's brought back. The first wish had a negative effect to getting the wish granted so it is only natural that the others will have some kind of consequence to them. To use the monkey's paw again to wish for Herbert to be alive after the talisman had killed him was the biggest mistake. Wishing their son back from the dead will probably result in he not being the same person that he once was. Making a reckless wish to try and make up for the mistake that had been caused by the first wish was a total and utter waste. If Mr. White had listened to the warning that was given to him he wouldn’t have had so much anguish.

Every year movies come into theaters that are based on popular books and stories. In these movie blockbusters, the general ideas are the same as in the written stories, but the details may contrast from the original plot in the text. In the short story, “The Monkey’s Paw” written by W. W. Jacobs, circles around the idea that this paw of monkeys' holds a special capability to grant three wishes to the person who receives the paw. Coming from India, Sergeant-Major Morris visits the White family and brings the intriguing paw with him. Explaining its purpose and use to them, they are all very fascinated with the idea of what potential power it holds within. Disregarding the warning Sergeant-Major Morris supplied, Mr. White wishes for 200 pounds in the short story, and 300 pounds in the cinematic production.. The consequences would soon become known and affect the White’s stable lives forever. Two other wishes are made to try to reverse the repercussions of the first wish, leaving the White family in despair. When comparing two tellings of the same story there may be many similarities and differences that emerge, providing distinct examples of what is relatively the same and what is definitely not.

First of all, the first wish in both stories was for an item or person. They wished for something they each wanted without being very specific, therefore there were consequences. Mr. Peters didn’t exactly wish for a human to be his wife, he only specified “a wife as beautiful as the forest.”. In the case of the old man, his son, Herbert, was killed at work. The old man did not specify how he would get the money. The second wish in both stories was correcting the consequences of the first wish. Such as the fact the Herbert was dead or Mr. Peters’ wife turned into a swan. Finally, Mr. Peters and the old man learn a valuable lesson, be more specific.

In the beginning, the grandfather says “Live with your head in the lion’s mouth. I want you to overcome’ em with yeses, undermine’em with grins, agree’em to death and destruction, let’em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open.” The grandfather wanted his family to obey the whites to succeed in their world. The only way to get ahead in life

Monkey: Journey to the West is a story of an adventure for enlightenment to India in order to find ancient Buddhist scriptures. The story consists of Chinese legends, tales, and superstitions. Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism play a huge role throughout this story. Monkey: Journey to the West is a story that discusses religion, and moral issues. The monkey acts the way he does due to underlying religious themes played throughout the story. At first understanding why the Monkey acts the way he does may seem difficult. However, after reading deeper through the story one learns that social satire in the Monkey is what gives him his rebellious personality. The end of the story reveals the hidden spiritual meaning behind the monkeys change in

In the beginning of the short story, the narrator’s grandfather on his death bed says, " Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome 'em with yeses, undermine 'em with grins, agree 'em to death and destruction, let 'em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open” Ellison 1). The narrator’s grandfather tries to tell him to conform and live a life subservient to whites. He wants him to agree with them and try to be like them to win them over. The narrator calls the words his grandfather shared with him on his death bed his, “grandfather's curse” (Ellison 2). His grandfather’s words acted as blindfold to keep him from seeing the injustice in the way he is treated because his focus becomes doing and saying whatever pleases the whites making him a “traitor” as his grandfather calls it (Ellison

Imagery is used very often in “The Third Wish”. Joan Aiken frequently uses imagery in his writing piece. Imagery can describe how the man wants things he does not need and takes things others do not want. Joan Aikens shows his use with Imagery in certain ways that help prove his theme and help readers get a better understanding of the theme and purpose of his writing. One piece from the text on page (105) is, “He stooped down and kissed her goodbye, then took another leaf from his notecase, blew it out of the window, and used up his second wish. Next moment instead of Leita there was a sleeping swan lying across the bed with it’s head under it’s wing,” This piece of evidence from Aiken’s piece shows that not everybody wants what you want, and just because you want it does not mean you need it. The wife that the man was granted with, was living a miserable life while she was his wife as a human, because that time was spent doing whatever the man wanted her to do. Another piece from the text that shows imagery is, “But I miss the old life in the forest, the cool grass and the mist rising off the river at sunrise and the feel of the water sliding over my feathers as my sister and I drifted along the stream” (105). This piece of evidence shows that not everyone around the man wants exactly what he does. His unwilling wife was miserable while doing exactly what Mr. Peters asked for. The man did

If one has everything he desires, why ask for more? In the passage, “The Monkey’s Paw,” by W.W.Jacobs, it makes clear that sometimes wanting more comes with a well effect. In this dilemma, The White family inherits a monkey’s paw that modifies the nature of the family. Therefore, the general theme of the story is to be cautious in hunger for things because it may come increased with unexpectancies. To commence, the White’s conformed and made an inane wish for two hundred pounds.

I-The writers are trying to persuade the audience by showing them you better be careful for what you wish for, and those wishes can make a man be full of greed. C- In the film, Arthur had 3 wishes and when he knew he could have anything he went completely out of control and there were many emotions that made Arthur act crazy, he lost his mind. E- 1. This shows that to give men or women the power to have anything, whomever is desperate or greedy will reveal their evil side. 2. Arthur was a colossal mess and every time he wished for something it came true but everything just went south. 3. Arthur realized there were many hazards in making wishes. 4. So finally Arthur realized

With Jacob’s overall message of the dangers of greed throughout the story, someone might perceive the natural eagerness to make one's life better a positive trait instead of a negative trait. However, the first sentence of “The Monkey’s Paw” is the quote “be careful what you wish for, you may receive it” written by Anonymous can be inferred that people can wish for anything they desire, but they are advised to think strongly about their wish. This is because when a wish becomes true it can either make life better, solving current/potential problems, or create a newer and larger problem causing a negative effect on the lives of others in addition to their own. Human nature's natural greed is the root cause of the misfortunes of the White family. Intrigued by the possibility of gaining three wishes, the White’s salivate over the possibility of attaining the monkey’s paw by trying to persuade Sergeant Morris to give it to them. In Part One of the story when Herbert notifies the family of the arrival of Sergeant-Major Morris, Mr. White rises quickly from his chair to open the door and proceeds to offer the guest whiskey in the hopes of loosening him up and make him vulnerable. It can be inferred that Mr. White is interested in attaining the monkey’s paw Sergeant-Major Morris has in his possession. The use of courtesy is just a disguise to take

The story begins on a rainy evening with Mrs. White, Mr. White, and their son Herbert gathered in the parlor. Mrs. White is sitting in her chair knitting as she looks on as her husband is losing to Herbert in a game of chess. From the inside, Mr. White can hear the footsteps of someone walking along their walkway and onto their porch. Mr. White immediately gets up to answer the door and is happy to see his longtime friend Sergeant-major Morris. Mr. White introduces Sergeant-major Morris to his wife and son and invites him into the parlor where they could have drinks. After a couple of drinks, Sergeant-major Morris begins entertaining the family about his adventures in India, when Mr. White