There is a recurring trope cycling through the stories assigned for the class to read: what the reader perceives to be real and what the reader understands to be supernatural. The topics are not static and dependent upon the traditional ghost story narrative. In fact, the stories illustrate a range of supernatural themes from psychic foresight, omens of impending disaster, and possible poltergeist or demonic activity. When dealing with paranormal subjects, however, there is always the question whether the event is actually taking place or if there exists psychological elements that can explain the character’s perception of the phenomena. In “The Nurse’s Tale,” by Elizabeth Gaskell, the reader is presented a case of supernatural occurrences …show more content…
Where the other stories have plots that can be analyzed as wholly paranormal, “The Open Window” features a plot with false supernatural elements presented in the beginning that frame the semi-comical ending of the story. There is no need to analyze the story for psychological elements pointing towards whether what the man was perceiving was real or not. Based on Saki’s use of language, it can be easily inferred that what the man saw was real: the family and the dog coming through the bay window. His perception of them was definitely skewed by Vera’s musings, however, and led him to believe that he was viewing tangible evidence of the sprits. Moreover, when setting up the premise, Saki creates the perfect foundation for an appealing and interesting ghost story with Vera’s story of her grieving aunt waiting for her ‘deceased’ family and dog to come through the bay window. At first, the reader is led to believe that the ordeal actually happened. It is not until the very end when the man flees upon sight of the ‘apparitions’ that it becomes apparent that the supernatural is not the focus of the plot. Instead, Saki uses elements of the paranormal to create the setting for the trick punch line at the end where it is revealed to the reader that Vera was using the harrowing story to entertain herself. Saki does not provide particular attention in explanations for the supernatural. He uses the supernatural as a vehicle to communicate his story and mislead the reader so that the ending is unexpected and
One night, around 1:00 a.m., my roommates and I were sitting in the common room, and I asked the group if they knew of a compelling ghost story. My one roommate, a 20 year old from Pennsylvania, said she had heard a ghost story at the summer sleep-away camp she had attended when she was younger. She heard the story around a campfire in the woods of Camp Tonikanee, which is in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. She described her story as one that the counselors would tell the campers to convince them the camp was haunted.
The Mammoth Book of Victorian and Edwardian Ghost Stories ed. Richard Dalby Carroll & Graf Publishers 1995.
It was a cold, dismal night. Mary was tired.” Furthermore, the author successfully aroused a sense of curiosity and concern within the reader through the explicitly vivid description of Mary’s fear and agitation towards the mysterious man. One prominent example of this was, “Mary screamed and fell inside the door. Panting like an animal, she cast around for something to defend herself with.
...ng up the pebble road so they went outside to see who or what was coming to the plantation. When they went outside no one or thing was there one of the office workers there at the plantation said that they heard something so they went to see what it was and they saw a group of rocking chairs rocking all at the same time. Another one of the workers there said that she saw multiple things move across the desk tops. One of the couple tour guides there was giving a tour when suddenly a candle stick flew across the room. Another one of the staff workers there reported hearing someone crying inside of the mansion. A staff worker Mitchell borne was working alone one night inside of the mansion when he felt someone touching his arm. One of the tour guides was walking around when they did not have a tour and saw a figure sitting upright in one of the beds. ("Ghosts tales”).
Given the title of this work, you may mistakenly believe (as did at least one prior owner of the book copy I had read from, if their annotations are any indication) that this is a literal investigation into all things paranormal and society’s investment of that which goes bump in the night. In “Ghostly Matters: Hauntings and the Sociological Imagination”, Avery F. Gordon offers academics and ethnographers – those whose profession it is to unearth the secreted relationships between the signifier and the signified, the subject and object, the real and unreal - a disturbing ghost story that should leave those of us in the field who came claim these titles with both the deepest of darkest chills and, through a new method of revealing and acknowledging the ghosts we feel, the hope for something akin to redemption. (In this way, perhaps, Gordon accomplishes many of the same feats as Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe).
After reading Joyce Carol Oates story, “ The Night Nurse,” revenge is what is found. This story starts off by a woman by the name of Grace Burkhardt, collapsing at a shopping mall because of a reason that was unknown at the time. She is taken in an ambulance to a hospital where she undergoes an emergency surgery for a blood clot that is in her leg that could have traveled to her heart. Grace’s stay in the hospital that night was not how she expected. The worst pain a person can indure, is the one who is left out. In the beginning of the story Grace explains herself as being laid back. “I am behaving well, look how calm and civilized” (654). Grace never screamed out at the shopping mall. She tried to act as calm as possible. Even though Grace was in so much pain, she never sobbed to God or never did she ask, “Am I dying? Will I die” (654)? Shortly after the doctors took care of Grace, she went into surgery. After this is when her attitude begins to change.
at the orphanage, I was able to help build a sidewalk and a garage for
In the American Nurse movie there was three nursing concepts that was lacked or portrayed that stood out to me. The male nurse had a bad experience with medical staff who cared for his father during his illness. They lacked empathy to his father and him. They did not hold themselves professional in demonstrating one of the eight characteristics of a Profession which is “the services provided are vital to humanity and the welfare of society.” His father had bladder cancer and the doctor had caught the cancer late, so he was already dying. The medical staff had told him that his father was old and to “let it go”. Which made him feel that the traditional hospital setting was not for him when he became a nurse. Community health nursing is increasing
Have you ever read a ghost story by a campfire or during a power outage and wondered; “Is this actually real?” Although you may not find out, you can say that in “Ghost Handprints,” “Llorona, Omen of Death,” and “The Grave,” you will see why most American folklore stories are not important to retell and remember since they do not have a moral lesson, have little to no historical value, and may scare children to the point where they develop a phobia. In American folktales, one will generally find a story about ghosts, murder, or death. The story “Ghost Handprints” talks about a couple saved by a group of ghost children.
...t al. "Paranormal Encounters as Eyewitness Phenomena: Psychological Determinants of Atypical Perceptual Interpretations." Current Psychology 29.4 (2010): 320-327. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
I started my Nursing career in India and then I came to the United States and became an RN. I entered Nursing with the thinking that Nursing is a profession that will always allow me to have a job and all my patients will get better. However, from my experiences I understood that Nursing is more than just giving medications, and it requires clinical competence, cultural sensitivity, ethics, caring for others, and life-long learning about others and the evolving field of medicine. Florence Nightingale once said:
Ghosts, as with any other misunderstood group or people, have been preyed upon by others without understanding. The lack of knowledge about ghosts and haunting activity has led people astray as to what they really are. What Hollywood and television portrays is very inaccurate and cannot be relied upon as truthful. They show these spirits of the dead as being evil in nature, filled with malice and harmful intent. But that this is not the case. The field of paranormal activity is amazing. It has caught the imagination of people from every walk of life. It has always interested me and has influenced me to pick this as the topic for my research. Through this research I wish to uncover the truth about the existence of ghosts. I also wish to correct the wrong notions that people have about ghosts and enlighten non-believers.
However, Saki deliberately replaces the ghosts with a human character, who manipulates truths instead. Despite all the tropes, there was no ghost in the story actually. Vera, the lying human character decided to make up a story about her “dead” uncle and aunt’s brothers, who would walk through this large French window, which was always kept open (595). It was said, “Ro...
Vera is a very manipulative and deceitful woman in this story. We know this because in the middle of the story vera says “Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?” (7) Which in this particular quote she is trying to figure out what she could lie to him about and get away with.Vera appears to be a nice young girl who is playing hostess and has no ulterior motive in telling Framton Nuttel her story. She is a very deceitful because she lies to Mr. Nuttle and say that the three men in the story had died. She does not present it as a ghost story. She only claims that her aunt believes the three men are still alive and will return through the open window, even though they have been dead for three years.Vera say “poor aunt always thinks they
I have some very exciting news to share today but I have to provide a little background so that you can fully appreciate how truly awesome this news really is. Now I’ll admit that this is a pretty long post. Just trust me, it’s worth it. Just sit back for a few minutes and let me tell you a story about the most amazing woman that has ever walked this earth. This is a story about dedication, determination, and the pursuit of a dream. It’s the story of a nurse who overcame tremendous obstacles. This is the story of my beautiful wife Mandy.