Compare And Contrast Going Solo By Roald Dahl

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In Roald Dahl's memoir Going Solo, Dahl encounters many interesting people which he writes about in his memoir. However, there are two people that seemed like it was interesting for him to write about. These two people are David Coke and the Corporal. These two characters probably made Dahl want to write about them because of their actions and words towards him. The Corporal and David Coke both have a conversation with Dahl about his situation with flying planes, but based on what he decided to include about them, the Corporal is harsh while David Coke is kinder hearted than harsh. They also have distinctive personalities. Different from the Corporal, David Coke was a less harsh person and wanted to try and help Dahl with his state of flying …show more content…

Additionally, the Corporal basically told Dahl that he wasn't going to be able to survive and the worst-case scenarios that could happen to him, which is the opposite of what David did once he heard about Dahl's situation. For example, the text states, "I’ll tell you what’s goin’ to ’appen to it,’ the Corporal said, working himself up. ‘Crash bang wallop! Shot down in flames! Explodin’ in the air! Ground-strafed by the One-O-Nines right ’ere where we’re standin’ this very moment! Why, this kite won’t last one week in this place! None of ’em do!"(First Encounter with a Bandit, p.11). This means the Corporal said that once Dahl flies his plane he won't last long, which is discouraging. Additionally, the Corporal also said, "This is a brand-new kite,’ he said, laying a greasy hand on the metal wing and stroking it gently. ‘It’s took somebody thousands of hours to build it. And now those silly sods behind their desks back in Cairo ’ave sent it out ’ere where it ain’t goin’ to last two minutes."(First Encounter with a Bandit, p.31). Dahl's impression of the Corporal was a cold-hearted heartless guy, a reason he wrote about him was to probably show how diverse he is from David

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