Discuss the social and historical context of each text reflected in The Speckled Ban by Arthur Conan Doyle and Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. In this essay, I intend to compare and contrast the two short stories "The Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle, and "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl, picking out techniques used which make it exactly, or exactly the opposite of a typical detective story/murder mystery. Both "The Speckled Band" and "Lamb to the Slaughter" have ingredients for a detective story, i.e. they both have a cold murderer who is just a little mad. On the other hand, they are presented to us very differently, making one story very formulaic, and making the other very untypical of the murder …show more content…
In "The Speckled Band, the setting of the main part of the story is very formulaic of the murder mystery genre. The story is set in an old house. Just the look of it could make you think twice about going inside; after all, 'it could collapse on you any moment', as Dr Watson described. The manor of Stoke Moran is the kind of place that you would expect to be the setting of a murder mystery, the Maloney residence is not. The setting for the story is a warm 1950's family home, belonging to Mr and Mrs Patrick Maloney. Dahl starts the story with a short description of the setting. 'The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight, hers and the one by the empty chair opposite.' This description is not the typical setting for this type of story, and definitely nothing like the description of Stoke Moran. This technique makes the reader feels secure and unaware of what is eventually going to happen. With the murderers, Conan-Doyle uses the formulaeic character of Dr Roylott, a very violent man. You can assume that he is the murderer in this story just by the description Dr Watson gives of him. He describes Dr Roylott as 'a huge man', who possessed 'A large face seared with a thousand wrinkles and marked with every evil
“And the Destiny of Earthseed is to take root among the stars.” (Butler 77) The books “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia E. Butler are both science fiction novels warning of a dangerous potential future. Frankenstein looks at the dangers of creating artificially intelligent beings, while Parable of the Sower explores human savagery in the collapse of American civilization as the result of poor political decisions. Each addresses concerns of the time they were published. While both are pessimistic views of the future and both require the suspension of disbelief, the concept of dystopia and utopia is definitely apparent in both novels. A dystopia being a world in which nothing is perfect and a utopia being a “perfect” world. Frankenstein addresses a timeless issue that modern science may soon make a reality, while Parable of the Sower creates an alarming depiction of conservative leadership.
In the short stories A Rose for Emily and The Story of an Hour, Emily Grierson and Louise Mallard are both similar women, in similar time periods but they both are in entirely different situations. This essay will take these two specific characters and compare and contrast them in multiple, detailed ways.
I found this story very exciting but most of all I like the part when
Child abuse, in any form, is cause for outrage. This makes the question of whether neglect, benign or otherwise, is better than violence hard to consider. According to Canada’s Public Health Agency, parental neglect, at 34% of cases, is the most commonly reported form of child maltreatment (31). In Roald Dahl’s Matilda and Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, parental neglect is contrasted against violence as both are shown to be psychologically detrimental to a child, while the impact of these imperfect parents is able to help a child redefine their sense of self.
'The Landlady' is a short story about a young lad called Billy travelling to Bath on a business trip. He arrives in Bath in the evening and looks for accommodation. Bath was an unfamiliar place to Billy so he was unsure of the area. Billy was guided by a porter who recommended the 'Bell and Dragon' because it was close by, but Billy never went. Although the landlady offered cheap prices and cosy surroundings, she changes her attitude towards Billy as the story unfolds. He then realises that this landlady doesn't appear to be all that she seems to be. He begins to become concerned during his stay but never manages to uncover the landlady's secret before she murders the young lad.
Aspiring to be free, to be successful, to be a picture perfect family, and to be happy; these are the traits of the American dream. Although, in one 's mind a specific picture forms when reading about the American dream this does not mean everyone is seeing the same landscape. A prevalent theme in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Flight by Sherman Alexie is the potency and prevalence of diversity on the American dream. In each of these compelling works, connoisseurs get a taste of life from different demographics’ viewpoints and a measure of what it means to be yearning for the diverse definition of American ideals.
Coming of age is defined as the transition from one’s youth to his or her adulthood. Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, and Lord of the Flies by William Golding all explore this concept. Romeo and Juliet is a story about two star-crossed lovers in the depths of forbidden love despite an ancient family feud. House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes about a young Latina girl’s life growing up in Chicago. Lastly, Lord of the Flies is about a group of abandoned children who work to survive on a deserted island. Each of these stories provides details as to what characteristics define a mature individual, and they also show the various processes to achieve this maturity.
Can a person kill someone they really love. Roald Dahl’s mysterious story, ”Lamb to the Slaughter,” takes place in the 1950’s. Dahl introduces Mary Maloney, the protagonist, as a conformable, obedient women, who is six-months pregnant and is obsessed with her husband, Patrick Maloney-a detective. The story begins with Mrs. Maloney eagerly waiting for her husband. When he arrives, Dahl makes it obvious that there is something wrong with the dialogues of his mood, which were very harsh towards Mary. The revelation of Patrick Maloney leaving her completely transformed the once gratified, loving Mrs. Maloney into a brutal, cold-hearted murderer. One lesson the story alludes to is that when people withstand heartbreaking incidents, it is easy for
Over the span of one century, the world has had significant changes to society, such as advancements in transportation, fashion and technology. However, not all industries have had significant advancements in today 's modern world. For example, the food industry has been lacking in the basic necessities needed to sustain a safe, humane work environment, especially in the meat industry. Excerpts from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser elaborately explain the horrible environments inside the factory. Schlosser mainly addresses how unfit the conditions are for the workers, while Sinclair informs the reader of how the animals have been neglected in such poor conditions before death. Despite their differing
Thesis Statement- Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax and Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky, though created in different time periods, share a lot of the same literary techniques and ideas. However, there are also many differences in the way word choice is used, the overall tone of the story, and whether or not there is a moral of the story.
The difference between men and women is a very controversial issue, while there are obviously physical differences; the problem is how the genders are treated. It is stereotypically thought that the men do the labor work and make all the money, while the women stay in the house, cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. While this stereotype does not exist as much in the 21st century, it was very prevalent in the 1900s. By using many different literary tools such as character development, symbolism, and setting, Alice Munro’s Boys and Girls and John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums challenge this controversial topic of the treatment of women versus men in the 1900s.
The theme of The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, is the reason society is flawed is because people are flawed. Although Piggy is knowledgeable, he has many flaws including his laziness and physical inabilities. Ralph is an authority seeker. He sets rules and laws, yet does little to enforce them. Ralph wants to be the ruler, without doing the work to enforce his laws. Jack is persistent. He is rude, harsh and violent in order to get what he wants. He wants to be supreme. Piggy’s flaws are impactful in the story. His laziness and lack of physical ability hurt him in his quest for survival.
Stephen Crane’s short story, “The Open Boat” speaks directly to Jack London’s own story, “To Build A Fire” in their applications of naturalism and views on humanity. Both writers are pessimistic in their views of humanity and are acutely aware of the natural world. The representations of their characters show humans who believe that they are strong and can ably survive, but these characters many times overestimate themselves which can lead to an understanding of their own mortality as they face down death.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley are both novels that deal with the theme of dystopia. Both novels depict societies in which mind control is used to create social stability. There are also individuals who rebel against this loss of freedom and identity. However, these individuals lose their fight for freedom because of unsuccessful escape methods, acts of violence and effective conditioning.
The difference between “Serpents of Paradise” by Edward Abbey and “Thinking Like a Mountain” by Aldo Leopold is specifically that one essay focuses more on the hunting aspect of life. Both essays seem to care about the environment. In Abbey’s essay he tries to figure out how to avoid killing the snake; he needed to stay calm and move it without getting bit. In Leopold’s essay he killed a wolf to save the deer population; allowing him to hunt more deer. Each essay was written with great description, yet showing one author cared more about the animal and its environment over the other. In both Leopold and Abbey essays they wanted to alter their environment, but only Abbey succeeded due to Abbey having the correct knowledge when it came to his environment.