Which text, A Story of Don Juan or The Red Room is the more
effective ghost story? Discuss with reference to structure, character
and language.
In this essay, a comparision will be made of two texts, 'A Story of
Don Juan' by V.S Pritchett, a twentieth century text and 'The Red
Room' by H.G Wells which is a pre- twentieth century text. In order to
compare them it will be necsessary to analyse the character, structure
and language of each text to determine which text is the more
effective ghost story.
Firstly the characters of both texts have to be examined. 'Don Juan'
has two main characters, Don Juan and Quintero. Don Juan is a happy,
lively womaniser and it is written that he may have had to sleep alone
for one night. "It is said that on one night of his life Don Juan
slept alone althought I think the point may be disputed." This
quotation illustrates Don Juan's reputation as a womaniser. When he
was a guest at Quintero's house, he thought he would have to sleep
alone for one night because there were no women in Quintero's house as
even the servants were male. In contrast, Quintero is an angry, upset
widower and he wants to get back at Don Juan. Whilst Don Juan has
liaisons with inumerable women, Quintero has lost the one woman that
he truly loved. The reader is led to think that Quintero is planning
something for Don Juan and this increases the level of tension as the
reader doesn't want anything bad to happen to Don Juan because he is
the likeable character of the story.
The characters in The Red Room are very different. The main character
of The Red Room is also the narrator. He is presented as a very
arrogant man because he tells us that "it will only take a very
'tangible' ghost to frighten me." This quote shows that he thinks he
is brave and this is what makes the reader think he is arrogant.
However, later we find out that even the shadows frighten him. Also we
know more about his thoughts and feelings because he uses the first
person narrative and less about the other characters' thoughts and
feelings. We do know the other characters have some sort of deformity
"more bent, more wrinkled , more aged than the first his eyes were
covered by a shade" These descriptions make the other characters seem
mysterious and grotesque. However, it is important to point out that
these are the sort of characters that the reader would expect to find
in a ghost story.
Alfredo Corchado — is the author of the book named " Midnight in Mexico:A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness”. We are, probably, all interested in finding out the facts, news, and gossips about Mexico. This country was always associated with something mysterious. For me personally, the title of the book seemed to be very gripping, I was interested in revealing the secrets of life in Mexico, thus I decided to read this book. I was really curious, what can Alfredo Corchado tell me about the life in this country, the country, where the constant massacre is the picture, people used to see. In his book, the author tells the reader about the real situations, which took place in Mexico, reveals the secrets of the people’s lives and tells the story from the “inside”. He describes the way he lives his life, and does his work. The " Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey through a Country's Descent into Darkness” is a memoir. Author tries to transform his own experience into the story line. Corchado shows the reader the darkest episodes of Mexican society, while relying on his own experience.
In both the movie, La Misma Luna, and the newspaper series, Enrique’s Journey, there is a demonstration of abuse of power. Judicial policemen, immigration officers, and bandits all take part in hurting migrants in various ways. If a migrant is lucky enough to make it across the borders, then they will most certainly have physical and emotional scars. They also have their own story of survival to tell. One of the main messages sent relating to this topic is immigration officers, judicial policemen, and bandits abuse their authority by beating, robbing, and raping vulnerable immigrants in fragile situations.
In the text “Seeing Red: American Indian Women Speaking about their Religious and Cultural Perspectives” by Inés Talamantez, the author discusses the role of ceremonies and ancestral spirituality in various Native American cultures, and elaborates on the injustices native women face because of their oppressors.
If you are studying the colonization of the America’s, the majority of the stories you will hear are about the great Spanish conquistadors. These explorers acted more so as military leaders, but are shown in a light of heroism when looking at history. When the conquistadors came across new lands in the America’s the only thing they were concerned about was their own fame and accomplishments. If anything or anyone got in their way of achieving greatness they would often destroy it. The indigenous people living in the Americas already are included in this statement. The time when someone finally stood up to these Spaniards and told them what they were doing was ethically wrong did not arive for nearly 25 years. This man was Fray Bartolome de Las Casas (Gonzalez, 11). Fray Bartolome
As his intimate family life at home ended, so did his childhood. The sounds of his family speaking Spanish were sounds of his childhood. When his family stopped using Spanish as their home language it shattered an intimate bond. Only when he established trust though friends in English and distinguish intimate voices, he was able to hear himself addressed as an intimate at home again. Spanish for him was associated with closeness. He does not "credit to language what he should credit to his family members" (35), which he feels is a convenient mistake many often make.
them, and little if any was given in return. The people who live among these
The Amistad was a Spanish ship built in Baltimore for the purpose of transporting slaves. For three years, it sailed the high seas delivering its cargo to various locations. But in August of 1838, a scandalous injustice was uncovered after the ship was seized by an American vessel, the USS Washington, a coast guard ship under the command of Lt. Thomas R. Gedney. Lt. Gedney and his crew towed the Amistad into a New England harbor in Connecticut where soon many controversies amounted and drama would unfold.
In 1910, the first social upheaval of the 20th century was unleashed in Mexico. Known as the Mexican Revolution, its historical importance and impact inspired an abundance of internationally renowned South American authors. Mariano Azuela is one of these, whose novel, "The Underdogs" is often described as a classic of modern Hispanic literature. Having served as a doctor under Pancho Villa, a revolutionary leader of the era, Azuela's experience in the Revolution provides The Underdogs with incomparable authenticity of the political and social tendencies of the era between 1910 and 1920. The Underdogs recounts the living conditions of the Mexican peasants, the corruption of the government troops, and the revolutionary zeal behind the inspiring causes of the revolution. In vivid detail and honest truth, Azuela reveals the actuality of the extent of turmoil that plagued Mexico and its people during the revolution. However, before one can acknowledge The Underdogs as a reflection of the Mexican Revolution one must have an understanding the political state of Mexico prior to the Revolution and the presidents who reigned during it.
In July 1839, fifty-four African captives boarded the Amistad and head to the Americas. During their journey, they were able to break free of their chains and take over the ship. Despite their best efforts to sail back to Africa, they were once again captured and put on trial in the United States. Due to the current progress of the abolishment of slave trafficking, all that were captured on the Amistad were set free. However, this was not the fortune of millions of slaves both before and after the Amistad. Thousands of slaves died before making it to the Americas. Due to the cruelty and sanitation issues of the ship, those who did survive the grueling journey had to do so in unlivable conditions. The victims of the Middle Passage suffered ruthless treatment throughout their journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
The fifteenth century was a period of mass exploration for many areas of the world. Countries such as Spain, France, and England were beginning to send explorers to the newly discovered western hemisphere for their nations to gain both wealth and territory. Many of the explorers thought it was necessary to subordinate Indian civilizations in order to benefit both themselves and their country. Decisions that the explorers made on the other side of the world proved to introduce great controversy in Europe. Some theologians and historians, such as Ginés Sepúlveda, saw invasions of the New World as a way to introduce civilization and Christianity to “barbarians” that are “incapable of government” (Las Casas 3). However, many religious leaders,
In the Middle Ages, the Christian community 's hatred towards the Jews still remained as the Spanish inquisition had approached. The Jewish community was expelled from Spain because the church authorities had figured out that the Marranos, who were converted Jews, still practiced Judaism in secrecy. This is what the Christians took extreme offence to, and believed that the Jews were deliberately going against the church. The purpose of the inquisition was for the Catholic authorities to root out, suppress, and punish the Jewish heretics. The Christian community believed that the Jewish heretics were corrupting their society and wanted them removed. The inquisition was operated by the enraged Christian population themselves, as they drove the
A tall, stately conquistador sat high in the saddle of his blood red, high stepping stallion, its long tail was perched high over his back, the masculine man adorning the magnificent creature sat as if in a rocking chair as the high spirited animal danced about. The conquistador held his stallion firmly by his reins, forcing his steed to step to the side as the rest of the regiment moved along the trail, trudging alone in the balmy heat, he removed his helmet tucking it firmly under his left arm against his body, he located his handkerchief that he had tucked into his left sleeve of his shirt, retrieving the white hanky Carrasco begin dabbing his handkerchief around his forehead and the back of his neck, mopping up the corpus amount of perspiration that was running down the sides of his face and trickling down the back of his neck, gobs of black hair tossed about his head as he dabbed his handkerchief about trying to keep the sweat from running into his armor. Dear God, he thought to himself, this is intolerable, what did I do to deserve such punishment? It is only spring and alrea...
During the 1600s to 1700s, the Spanish were settling Texas. They did this by building missions and presidios throughout the land. The purpose was to keep the French out and to change the Indians' ways of life. Some of these missions failed and some succeeded. All in all they were closed after years of trying to change the Indians.
Bartolomé de Las Casas was a sixteenth century Dominican friar, who was best known for his detailed accounts on the initial stages of colonization of the West Indies by the Spanish Empire. His most famous work, entitled A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, outlined the numerous atrocities committed against the native population by Spanish colonizers. Las Casas’s letter was written to King Charles I of Spain with the purpose of informing him of these wrong doings. Additionally, Las Casas hoped that Charles I would remedy the situation before Spain fell victim to God’s wrath. The Catholic Reformation of the sixteenth century, also called the Counter Reformation, was the Catholic Church response to the Protestant Reformation. It’s primary mission was to purify, revitalize, and expand Christianity. Many new religious orders and sects began to form in the wake of the reformation. The most prominent of these new orders was Society of Jesus, which was founded in 1540 and was led by Ignatius Loyola. Jesuits took vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. They are also well known for their loyalty to the Pope and some Jesuits elected to devote themselves to God as missionaries at the Pope’s request. Francis Xavier, who was a founding member of the Society of Jesus, was one of the first Jesuit missionaries to travel to Asia and he was particularly renowned for his missionary accomplishments in Japan. In 1552, Saint Francis Xavier wrote a letter entitled Missionaries in Japan, wherein he described the cultural norms of Japanese society and the daily lives of the Jesuit missionaries. His writings provided insight into how Roman Catholicism was spread throughout Asia as well as the difficulties these missionaries faced. These acc...
Tension and Suspense in The Red Room by H.G. Wells In H.G Wells’ The Red Room tension and suspense are created through the characters, the plot and the setting. The setting is typical of Gothic and Victorian ghost stories. In these times there was no electricity so use of candles for light created an eerie atmosphere. They had no modern technology like televisions for entertainment so they used books and story telling.