Discuss the ways in which The Red Room, The Signalman and The
Inexperienced Ghost create and sustain atmosphere and tension.
It is clear that atmosphere and tension are of fundamental importance
to the success and effectiveness of a ghostly tale. As Susan Hill, a
prolific writer of ghostly tales, says ‘one thing a ghost story must
have is atmosphere’. Also it is clear that ‘The Red Room’, ‘The
Signallman’ and ‘The Inexperienced Ghost’ create tension and
atmosphere at varying degrees.
The role of the narrator is of fundamental importance when creating
atmosphere and tension in the ghostly genre. In ‘The Red Room’, the
narrator goes to a castle to investigate a haunting. The reader
throughout the story is restricted from knowing of the history of the
narrator and reasons questions such as ‘Why is he there?’. For
example, in ‘The Red Room’, the narrator says, ‘“It is what I came
for”’, he does not ellaborate on this at all. Similiarly the narrator
of ‘The Signalman’ is vague about why he is there, he seems to just
want a chat with this lonely man. In both stories both narrators are
extremely curious, this curiosity can help to explain the strange
reasons of them being there, although it would not seem to be a
satisfactory reason. The vagueness and curiosity of these narrators
adds uncertainty to the readers mind and so aiding the atmosphere,
though not necesarilly creating it. Also having a narrator helps to
increase a story’s credibility and it also adds emotion. In ‘The Red
Room’ the narrator describes his time in the red room and how he tried
to reasure himself that there are no such things as ghosts, even when
faced with clear evidence of it. He helps the tension to climax by his
increased desperation, ‘I was now almost frantic with the horror of
the coming darkness, and my self-possesion deserted me’. His attempts
at being logical had failed and this helped the tension more than if
he had believed in ghosts all the way through. In ‘The Inexperienced
Ghost’ it would appear that at the start the role of the narrator is
to detract tension from the story. However, towards the end it is this
casual friendliness that helps to increase tension and atmosphere, ‘I,
at least, with a sort of tight, stiff feeling about me…’. There is a
much greater change in atmosphere and tension than in ‘The Red Room’
and ‘The Signalman’, which both start off extremely dreary. It is
clear that in all these stories the narrator is put to great effect in
creating atmosphere and tension through their very pronounced human
Every story, every book, every legend, every belief and every poem have a reason and a background that creates them. Some might be based on historical events, some might be based on every culture´s beliefs, and some others might be based on personal experiences of the authors. When a person writes a literary piece, that person is looking for a way to express her opinion or her feelings about a certain situation. A good example is the poem “Southern Mansion” by Arna Bonptems. The main intention of “Southern Mansion” could have been to complain, or to stand against the discrimination and exploitation of black people throughout history. However, as one starts to read, to avoid thinking about unnatural beings wandering around the scene that is depicted is impossible. The poem “Southern Mansion” represents a vivid image of a typical ghost story which includes the traditional element of the haunted house. This image is recreated by the two prominent and contradictory elements constantly presented through the poem: sound and silence. The elements are used in two leading ways, each one separate to represent sound or silence, and together to represent sound and silence at the same time. The poem mixes the two elements in order to create the spooky environment.
In comparison The Red Room was written only thirty years later in 1894 by HG Wells although it feels more timeless. At that time technology had improved intensely, nevertheless Wells still imitated the old fashion gothic literature style writing, which is ironic, due to the time. Both stories have managed to engage its audience by creating suspense and tension. Besides that both stories have been written in first person, this in sequence makes it sinister, in a way because we get to know the narrator’s impressions and feelings. The authors of both stories have selected discomforting places in which to set their story, they are made more eerie because that in the 19th century time many people believed in ghosts and the supernatural.
Suspense is the feeling of uncertainty or excitement, in waiting for an outcome or decision. Edgar Allan Poe uses suspense in his story “Masque of the Red Death” by using objects and great descriptive detail. Poe’s story is about a prince that tries to escape from the inevitable. He tries to lock himself away from the ‘red death’ and has a masquerade ball that doesn’t end happily. Prince and all of his guests die inside or around the seventh apartment room. The seventh room is preceded by six colored rooms which are meant to symbolize either the stages of life, or the seven sins. Inside the last room there are black velvet tapestries that hang all over the ceiling and down the walls. The window panes are a deep blood red color which gives the room an unwelcoming atmosphere. On the western wall, there is a gigantic clock of a deep black wood. Inside it has a pendulum that swings back and forth with a dull monotonous clang. When the minute hand marks a new hour, there is a clear, loud, deep sound, which can be heard from far away. Although it can give off an eerie feeling, the great eb...
There are innumerable conspiracies regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but according to the film “Oswald’s Ghost”, after forty years none of the theories have panned out. Certainly, it is human nature to find solutions, to solve the mystery, and to have the answer pan out. That is why countless people have tried to solve the mystery by delving into the past of Lee Harvey Oswald to find out if he was the perfect assassin or if he the perfect patsy.
Like all the best ghost stories, this begins with the most innocuous of introductions: “…life is complicated”, a quote by Patricia Williams that Gordon will remind us repeatedly is “the most important theoretical statement of our time” (3). What obscures, obfuscates, thwarts and yes, haunts us and our work, she argues, is not what is seen but what isn’t, the notable absences out of the corner of our trained eye, those ghosts who may be invisible (especially to the discourse) yet still exact attention from their hidden presence. Perhaps anticipating the confusion of my book’s previous reader, Gordon patiently (and poetically) expands on her conceptualization – ghosts are those whom, through the “complicated relationship between reality and its mode of production” (11) have been relegated to that void between the s...
How Tension and Suspense Is Built Up In The Red Room There are many different ways in which HG Wells builds up tension and. suspense in The Red Room. One way in which he does this is through the use of language in the process. One of the main effective uses of language in The Red Room is the use of personification; "made the shadows cower" and quiver. The shadow embeds fear into the reader, as they wonder if the shadow is alive, which creates tension as the reader wonders what.
In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet’s father is intended to be seen as a real ghost. Around 1600, when the play Hamlet was written, many people believed in mystical creatures like witches, monsters, and most importantly: ghosts. With so many people believing in these characters, it makes sense that Shakespeare portrays the ghost of Hamlet’s father as a real figure. Many examples support this, such as when the guards in Act I scene i see the ghost, which proves it’s not just in Hamlet’s imagination. But some people can not see the ghost, such as Hamlet’s mother in Act III scene iiiii. Hamlet sees the ghost but she can not. This could be used as evidence to say the ghost is not real though. Shakespeare shows us though this information, the high complications oh having ghosts in a story.
Ghost stories have been popular throughout the ages. During the nineteenth century, there was a sudden boom and ghost stories were made popular. Storytelling was the main source of entertainment as there weren't any films, TV's or computer games. People would gather around in groups telling or reading each other stories. The stories were made more real by the superstitions people kept and as the rooms were lit by dim candle light, it built a sense of atmosphere. Most ghost stories were written in the nineteenth century period, so people could imagine such things happening to them, in the places they lived. As storytelling was the main form of entertainment, people had nothing to compare it to, so it built tension, suspense and fear. In the nineteenth century there weren't many scientific advances. Everything was blamed on higher or supernatural forces, therefore, people believed the explanations given in ghost stories. I will be comparing and contrasting four ghost stories which were all written in the nineteenth century. They are ?The Old Nurse?s Story? by Elizabeth Gaskell, 1855 and ?The Ostler? by Wilkie Collins, 1855.
From the perspective of a ghost story, the narrator makes references to some “creepy” ideas early in the story, noting her first impression of the house is, “it is haunted” (Gilman 746). Beyond the aesthetics of the house, we see a level of fear overcoming the narrator in: “there is something strange about this house-I can feel it” (Gilman). What about the house makes it appear and feel haunted? Not the aesthetics of the home, but what’s inside…..inside the wallpaper. Almost immediately we see the issues...
ghost come back to life, a random woman who came to fulfill the needs. of the protagonists, and the view of, does it really matter? These possibilities will be discussed throughout the duration of this essay. and it will be left to you to decide what you think. In the support of Beloved actually being the baby ghost re-born, you could use the fact.
While viewing the film King Leopold’s Ghost one could not ignore the fact that the filmmakers had a position that was critical to the idea of imperialism in the Congo as well as in the rest of the world. This is an understandable view as the depictions of the horrible atrocities in the Congo were beyond deplorable. The enslavement of the populace is unforgivable and the physical as well as emotional torture imposed on the population was truly disturbing. The film portrays Leopold as ruthless, he is fully aware of the conditions in his colony but the misery of the people has no effect on him. He is only concerned with the exploitation of the region and the profit that it will bring him. The film depicts the conditions that were inflicted on the native population during colonial rule as well as the exploitation of the Congo after independence had been won.
The atmosphere of each novel plays a significant role in setting the scene for the ensuing horror to evolve. The atmosphere in each novel is different; the horror in each novel is different
In discussions pertaining to the nature of Hamlet’s ghost, there is much debate. On the one hand, authors such as W.W. Greg believe that Hamlet’s ghost was merely a hallucination, but on the other hand, Maurice Egan believes that Hamlet’s ghost was a real character who truly existed. Egan also contends that the ghost is sent from purgatory, however, authors such as Roy Battenhouse believe that the ghost is pagan and came from hell. Others such as Robert West maintain that the ghost is neither from heaven or hell, but was written to be purposefully confusing so that any audience member could think of the ghost in many different ways. I personally believe that the ghost was a real character who came from hell and appeared before Hamlet in order to have him exact his revenge on Claudius.
A determination is a driving force that helps people through rough times in their lives. Without determination, people would no longer strive for their goals. Throughout the short story, ‘Then Later, His Ghost,’ Sarah Hall shows how strength and determination can get you through these tough times. This theme is made clear through the severe setting the characters are faced with and her use of symbolism.
When you hear the word haunted you probably think of a haunted house or a haunted mansion. The exact definition of haunted is a place frequented by a ghost. But haunted can mean so much more. Haunted can be a feeling, a place, or a state of mind. Some carry the haunted feeling around with them. They bring it with them wherever they go.