Comparing Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle :: Roald Dahl Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Essays

Comparing Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Both ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ and ‘The Speckled Band’ is detective murder mysteries. They share some similarities but have many differences. In my essay I will discuss these and the effects they have on the story. Roald Dahl wrote ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ in 1954. It is much more modern than Conan Doyle’s ‘The Speckled Band’ of 1892. In ’Lamb to the Slaughter’ the main point to the story is to find out whether Mrs. Maloney will get away with committing a murder. Dahl also tries to illustrate that appearances can be deceptive. However, in ‘The Speckled Band’ the reader continues to read the story to find out who the murderer was and whether Holmes will discover how the crime was committed. The stories are both murder mysteries yet their shapes are almost opposite. The setting of ‘The Speckled Band’ is a typical old mansion. ‘The manor house is very old’. This lends an atmosphere of foreboding and suspense to the story. This is because it is natural to find dark and sinister places scary. Conan Doyle uses descriptions such as ‘A picture of ruin’, ‘Ill trimmed lawn’, ‘the building was of grey lichen-blotched stone’; to show this age. The setting is important in that the atmosphere and the suspense, which keeps the reader interested, are dependant upon this. In Victorian times, this type of setting would be more suited to the audience than that of a warm and cozy house. Conan Doyle was not challenging stereotypes, instead using them to his own advantage. However, in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ the scene of the crime is the complete opposite. ‘The room was warm and clean’. This causes the reader to feel relaxed without any suspicion that events such as a murder would occur. Roald Dahl uses this homely image ‘the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight’ to contrast sharply with the murder – shocking the reader – and to support the impression given by Mary Maloney’s character, so forcing the reader to challenge their preconceptions. Whereas great attention to the setting is given in ‘The Speckled Band’ it is no longer needed after the initial description in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ as suspense is built in different ways. This is a large difference between the two. The main character in ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ is Mary Maloney. Dahl spends a long time at the beginning of the story creating an impression of her as a loving wife and house-proud women. ‘Mary Maloney was waiting for her husband to come home’, ‘She took his coat

Isolation in “Lord of the Flies” and “Heart of Darkness” Essay

This is an awsome essay! Feel free to use it. Great comparison of books, excellent work. novels. Throughout Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness the importance of restraint is greatly stressed. This being the restraint to remain human and maintain sanity. In Heart of Darkness, Marlow was able to remain his restriant despite how difficult it was for him. He was always surrounded by cannibals and constant chaos. On the other hand, Kurtz was unable to keep his restriant, as a result he lost his humanity and sanity, and eventually died because of it. In Lord of the Flies, Ralph is able to restrain restrain, and he therefore remains human. He found it difficult though, because there was only one other person who was able to do the same- Piggy. Ralph was determined to maintain order, and he was very alone because of it. Jack on the other hand, gave in to the temptationof simply hunting and playing, and lost his humanity in the process. He became a savage – not a human being, but a savage with a painted body and strange barbaric ways. In contrast, the cannibals in Heart of Darkness, (who are starving) could have easily had many satisfying meals. After all, they outnumbered the whites thirty to five, but they still had necessary restraint to refrain from savagely feasting on some of the easily accessible seamen. Towards the end of the novel, Marlow becomes becomes very close to losing his sanity, but also has the necessary restraint to maintain it. He confuses the beat of a drum (the call to man’s primative side) with his own heartbeat, but is still able to restrain from slipping over the edge as Kurt did. Ralph in Lord of the Flies is constantly faced with temptation to join Jack and all of the other boys, especially when Piggy dies and he is all alone. This makes it even more difficult to restrain from giving in to Jack and his animalistic tribe. Therefore, it is evident how important restrain is in t hese two novels. The ability to do so may be the difference between life and death, and the one who can restrain himself teh most is the one who prevails in the end. In conclusion, it is evident that the authors of these two novels wrote about their own life experiences because they were able to draw emotion form things that actually haopened to them. Also, through Lord of the Flies and Heart of Darkness, Golding and Conrad were able to express the isolation that some of the characters were forced to endure, and the importance of restraint in dealing with one’s humanity. These compelling novels leave the reader with two possible questions. Would I be able to cope with the intense isolation? And, do I have the necessary restriant to maintain the humanity which so many people take for granted? finally, the reader would be left with a better understanding of the darkness, which Golding and Conrad believed, each and every one of us possess somewhere, deep down inside.

The Dead Poets Society s Central Theme - 875 Words

In your opinion, which character is transformed the most through his experiences in the film? Explain and support your argument with specific proof. Todd Anderson transformed the most throughout the film. He started out as a character that was afraid to be in front of the class and then was the first person to stand up for Mr. Keating. Todd refused to read a poem in front of the class and by the end of the movie he was the first person to stand on the desk and say â€Å"my captain, oh captain† towards Mr. Keating. Theme: As the film progresses, it becomes readily apparent that each primary character faces a challenge. These conflicts help suggest a theme, or central message, that the author and director are trying to impart to the audience. What do you consider to be Dead Poets Society‘s central theme? The Dead Poets Society’s major theme is Carpe Diem or seize the day. This was the message that Mr. Keating sent to all of his students through his lessons. He wanted them to stand out, find out who they are, and seize every moment. The characters faced a conflict because they were struggling with what seizing the day meant to them. Would Neil still have committed suicide if Mr. Keating had never come into his life? Consider multiple perspectives here as you draft your group response. This question has been keeping me up at night! I keep wondering what would have happened to Neil if Mr. Keating was never in his life. Honestly, I have come to the conclusion that no Neil wouldShow MoreRelatedLycidas Analysis1492 Words   |  6 PagesMilton’s friend Edward King. The theme of the elegy is mournful or sadly reflective. Though lyrical, it is not spontaneous, and is often the result of deliberate poetic art. The elegy is a conscious work of art, and not a spontaneous expression of sorrow. The elegiac poet engages himself in discursive reflections. Death, the primary theme of most elegies, is a vast evocative theme. 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Poetry enables a writer to express his or her feelings. Like painting or music it is an art, an art that supplies the reader with an insight to the poet’s mind. Poetry is a response and an evaluation of the author’s world and life. A poem can represent sorrow, joy, love, anger, despair, or it can simply be a reflection of an event or memory. Poems frequently have hidden meanings, but many areRead MoreDiscuss the Theme of Love and Longing in the Poems You Have Studied.2799 Words   |  12 PagesDiscuss the theme of love and longing in the poems you have studied. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Poetry enables a writer to express his or her feelings. Like painting or music it is an art, an art that supplies the reader with an insight to the poet’s mind. 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