The Signalman by Charles Dickens and The Red Room by H.G. Wells
'To be denied of information as a reader is far more powerful than to
know the truth.'
In this assignment I will be looking at the two short stories written
in the 1800’s: “The Red Room” by H.G.Wells where a man goes into an
apparently haunted room and although he is warned by other old
characters he does not listen and the tension builds up as he goes
into the room where fear gets the better of him in a room which might
not be haunted in the end. The other short story is “The Signalman” by
Charles Dickens. In The signalman a man lives separated from the real
world living a lonely life as a signal man at a train station and
thinks he might be being visited by a spectre. I will examine the
similarities and differences between them in content, style and
language and I will say something about the influences of the writers’
backgrounds and will be comparing how each story creates suspense and
tension within them.
Both stories fit in to the Gothic genre with different elements
associated with the conventions of a gothic genre. The gothic genre of
stories was brought to life in 1764 with Horace Walpole's 'The Castle
of Otranto' during the Victorian ages. It included the classic
conventions in the setting, atmosphere and story line mainly to create
an effect of suspense, tension and mystery used in the gothic genre
since then. The Red Room is the more typical Gothic genre and Wells
makes it clear how ancient and old fashioned everything is in the
castle and includes spiral staircases, secret passages, a suspected
ghost haunted room and an eerie atmosphere. Gothic literature attempts
to terrify the reader and it nearly always involves the su...
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The Signalman descends the cutting and when, looking at the signalman
whose actions are very weird and in The Red Room how the old people
warn the young man not to go in the room. Suspense is also created as
the signalman tells the gentleman of the weird happenings recently and
in The Red Room how tension is built while he stays in the room for
longer. The settings are very mysterious and quite typical of the
gothic genre and are even prone to unexplainable events happening.
They use the characters' actions, language and the atmosphere in
different ways to add to the suspense and tension. Dickens' story is
based on a more contemporary idea. Both writers also include first
person narrative adding up to make two suspense filled stories and
keep the overall idea that:
'To be denied of information as a reader is far more powerful than to
know the truth.'
The chaos and destruction that the Nazi’s are causing are not changing the lives of only Jews, but also the lives of citizens in other countries. Between Night by Elie Wiesel and The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom, comradeship, faith, strength, and people of visions are crucial to the survival of principle characters. Ironically, in both stories there is a foreseen future, that both seemed to be ignored.
2011 Two Different Mice and Two Different Men To the average reader, “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck may initially look very similar, but after carefully critiquing and comparing their abundance of differences, their opinion will change. Steinbeck found his inspiration for writing the novel after reading that poem. His novel is set in Salinas, CA during the 1900s and is about migrant farm workers while the poem is about the guilt felt by one man after he inadvertently ruins the “home” of a field mouse with his plow. Even though they are two different genres of literature, they share a similar intent. The poem is written in first person, while the novel is written in third person.
The time and way people are brought up in society makes a huge difference on how they will climb up the social scale in life. In the classic novel House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton and Call it Sleep, by Henry Roth the main characters experience totally different upbringings into society. While Lily Bart is brought up into a high class society, David is born into an immigrant family in a part of the city, which has similar people as his own country. The two characters in the novels both have different and some similar views on how to climb up on the social scale. Although they would give different advice to each other on how to climb the social scale, and have different views on life, one thing that would be common would be to have money.
During the adolescence of modern American literature, two authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, fabricated the definition of American literature with new writing styles. These pieces of literature include “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Masque of Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. Throughout these stories, Hawthorne and Poe develop the common theme that denial of imperfections, by personal choice, leads to physical and psychological separation from society. Those who remain isolated will endure more psychological suffering than those who are part of society. In “Young Goodman Brown”, the protagonist, Goodman Brown, mentally isolates himself from his peers because he cannot accept that sin is an integral part of society. However, as a result of his dissociation from society and the isolation thereof, Goodman Brown endures even more emotional suffering. In “The Masque of Red Death”, the protagonist, Prince Prospero, isolates himself from society in order to escape death. Because of his isolation, he endures more mental suffering than if he remained incorporated within society.
The aim of this essay is to explore the way in which the two authors
eyes of a child so it will be memorable to him as he will never forget
Comparison between The Body Snatchers written by R.L Stevenson in 1884 and The Landlady written by Roald Dahl in 1960 In this assignment I am going to compare and contrast the way that Stevenson and Dahl create and maintain dramatic tension. Both of these texts contain many similarities as they both involve death and deceit, which is conveyed in the characters. In The Body Snatchers there are several people involved in the deceit, which encapsulates the relationship between the characters. The landlady is the only person involved in the murders, deceit and stuffing of the victims in The Landlady. This conveys loneliness and she seems to be withdrawn from society.
Context: After striking down the old pawn lady, Raskolnikov carefully pulled out the keys to unlock a wooden chest in the bedroom. Raskolnikov becomes paranoid as he struggles to find the right key to fit the lock. He soon opens the box and begins pocketing the various gold articles. Meanwhile, he hears steps in the room where the old woman lay. Fear gained mastery over him as he stood in silence.
The red room is the place that ignites Jane's passion. The red room is one of the novels great paradoxes as it parallels with ice in that it restricts Jane's freedom and imprisons her; yet the experience gives her the courage to stand up to her aunt. The fire that the red room ignites in Jane allows her to jump the 'containment lines'; to break the bonds of her Aunt that are restricting her, and achieve freedom. The red room becomes very symbolic of Jane's fight for freedom. Whenever she suffers from there on, Jane emotionally comes back to the red room, and adds new fuel to the fire, as she reminds herself why she wants to break free of oppression.
First, a key method used to create suspense is the usage of the setting. When a character is in an unwelcoming or uninviting location, uneasy or tense feelings can be formed. When there is a sense of not knowing what is around the corner or lurking in the shadows, suspense is created. Also, ominous weather, such as threatening thunderstorms, can lead the reader to anticipate an unfortunate event occurring. An example of an uncomfortable setting is the secret passageway, which is dark, dirty, and most often only occupied by a single individual. Under these conditions many people become anxious, and because of these uneasy feelings that one may encounter, when a character is subjected to these conditions, the reader may become apprehensive, which leads to the formation of suspense. When Dan Needham shuts John Wheelwright in the secret passageway while both are in a drunken stupor, a high level of suspense is created. The description of the secret passageway adds to the suspense of the scene, "The passageway was dark; yet I could discern the scurrying of spiders.
silent entrance, so as not to disturb the child, scares the mother violently and she
In Bleak House, by Charles Dickens, Mr. Vholes is Richard Carstone’s legal advisor. Introduced to Richard by Mr. Skimpole, Vholes encourages and assists Richard as he attempts to unravel the mysteries of the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case in Chancery. Vholes, however, may not have the best intentions. Through descriptions of his gloomy physical appearance, suspicious actions, and unfortunate connections to English law, Dickens paints a vivid image of Mr. Vholes—a man who cannot be trusted. Vholes, therefore, is made up of multiple layers; as each layer peels away, the reader understands a little bit more of this secretive man. Surprisingly, Mr. Vholes is seen as more and more evil as readers journey to the center of his being.
Inside the room, there is relentless pursuit, where this young man continues to be in search of this woman, crying, “ She has been in this room…. that she
The producer was aiming to create mystery and fear. The dark of the night and the description of the house as feeling dead in the protagonist’s narration sets a suspenseful scene filled with fear and tension. The young girl is followed by the camera as she explores the mansion. When entering the room suspected to be that of her aunts the camera leaves her side to pan around the room. The darkness doesn’t reveal everything but one becomes aware of a search. The revelation of little secrets leaves the viewer with many questions. The room is familiar to the protagonist as she finds items symbolic to her and familiar photographs. This familiarity however does not retract from suspicions that something sinister has been hidden. The producer has successfully captivated the viewer. The protagonist is being followed throughout the scene and has thus allowed for the viewer to bond with them. They are engaging with the audience through narration and have in return enticed the viewer to follow them along their journey. One feels nervous for the young girl however through tension in the scene one does not want them to discontinue the journey as too many questions have been left unanswered. One has been drawn into the world of which the protagonist dwells and is intrigued as to how the drama is
at a warehouse in London. David feels his "hopes of growing up to be a