Comparison Of The Tiger And Lamb To The Slaughter

The Lady, the Tiger, or the Lamb

Reading is a common pastime and hobby for many people. Whether it’s poetry, fiction novels, or biographies, there is a type of literature for everyone. Short stories are a great type of writing because while they are not too long, they have a fair amount of plot and literary devices. “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl and “The Lady, or the Tiger” by Frank R. Stockton are two short stories that engage readers and leave them to infer various big details. While they both are excellent passages, “Lamb to the Slaughter” is a far superior story.
“Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl captivates readers as they follow the story of how a loving wife turns into a merciless killer. This passage is told from the point

Readers are met with a sense of familiarity as they recall a childhood nursery rhyme, “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. By using this Dahl created a link between the story and the reader themselves. The allusion adds a sense of irony as well, because while the nursery rhyme is sweet and innocent, murder is not. Irony can also be found in other parts of the passage. In the text Roald Dahl includes some dialogue from the cops which reads “‘Personally, I think it’s right here on the premises.’ ‘Probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?’” That section of the story has great dramatic irony because while we all know exactly where the weapon is, in the cops’ stomachs, they are oblivious. Dahl shows the mindset and thoughts of Mary Maloney throughout the short story and relies on sentence structure to show different moods. Towards the beginning of the passage, the

Stockton grabs the attention of readers in the story “The Lady, or the Tiger” by presenting them with a life-or-death scenario. Will the princess let the love of her life be killed by a ferocious tiger, or face the heartbreak of watching him live with another woman. Stockton uses symbolism throughout the passage, the main reoccurring example being the lady representing innocence and purity while the tiger represents guilt and evil. Imagery is another literary element Stockton uses to give more depth to his story. Lines such as, “The vast amphitheater with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages…” help give the reader a better mental image of the setting. With this added detail, readers have a good sense of where the story takes place. Long descriptive sentences are also used by Frank R. Stockton to add more detail to the story. Sentences such as, “Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.” add articulation and make the passage easier to read. The author also does an excellent job of using details to add suspense. One of the major examples of this is how Stockton left out what was behind the door. This leaves the reader to infer what happened based off of the information already given. By using literary elements and devices, Frank R. Stockton creates a vivid experience