Murder mysteries - Compare Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band.
Murder mysteries all have a similar plot consisting of a body, a motive, a weapon, a suspect, an alibi, and detectives. Viewers and readers expect this in the text, Lamb to the Slaughter and The
Speckled Band are no exception.
The structures of the two stories are very different, with The
Speckled Band story unfolding in chronological order, finding out the murderer right at the end, however in the Lamb to the Slaughter, the murderer is known at the beginning of the story.
The two stories are seen from two different points of view, first-person narrator in The Speckled Band as Dr Watson character within the story and therefore limited in understanding
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Also in The Speckled Band, Dr Roylott, is the evil, plotting, devious, fictional murderer; this character was portrayed in most murder mysteries stories written in the late 19 century. The Speckled Band was written in 1892.
In the Lamb to the Slaughter we had no idea who the murderer and victim were going to be until the murder had been committed, in fact you might of thought the roles would have been reversed once reading the first few pages. The detectives in the story are portrayed as acting as typical modern police detectives, they eat the evidence! The detectives appear so stupid and useless compared to the marvellous and calculating Sherlock Holmes.
The points of high tension are different in the two stories. In The
Speckled Band the main point of high tension is right at the end when they find out who the murderer is and when the snake comes at Holmes
"Holmes sprang from the bed, struck a match, and lashed furiously with his cane at the bell-pull."
Other points of tension were Helen Stoner talking to Holmes, "
Frightened eyes like those of some hunted animal", the night of the murder, "A wild wind. The wind was howling outside suddenly there burst forth the wild scream of a woman," and the sister's hot words,
"She suddenly shrieked out in a voice which I shall never forget, " O, my God! Helen! It was the band! The Speckled band!" In the Lamb to the
Slaughter the point of high tension is whether the detectives would
Throughout John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, many concepts appear that were noted in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. However, the three chapters of Foster’s how-to guide that most apply to Steinbeck’s novel were “It’s All About Sex…,” “Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It’s Not),” and “It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow.” On more than one occasion these concepts are hidden within the book, and two of them actually seem somewhat linked together. After reading between the lines, The Grapes of Wrath has an extremely intricate plot and many ulterior meanings. Foster’s book helps to solve these meanings and make it so that the novel can be completely understood.
“Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are qualities of Gothic Literature. In “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Cask of Amontillado” both start at a point of not happiness but clam and mystery. “Lamb to the Slaughter” quickly turns from that tranquilized mood into depressing and doubtful when Mary kills her husband. Then in “The Cask of the Amontillado” even when that grim mood was not enough, it had to be more depressing when Montresor gets Fortunato drunk and later kills him. Thus, both “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Cask of Amontillado” has bites and pieces of Gothic literature. “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Cask of Amontillado” both have twisted and gloomy thoughts, and actions.
In the poems "The Lamb" and "The Tyger," William Blake uses symbolism, tone, and rhyme to advance the theme that God can create good and bad creatures. The poem "The Lamb" was in Blake's "Songs of Innocence," which was published in 1789. "The Tyger," in his "Songs of Experience," was published in 1794. In these contrasting poems he shows symbols of what he calls "the two contrary states of the human soul" (Shilstone 1).
way to Stoke Moron. Roylott has gone out for the day so they are free
The novel The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris is said to fall under the genre of psychological horror. The stories that fall under the genre of horror include a few essential elements: a villain or one seen as evil to create an initial story line. The foil is the next element; a foil is a person who tries to stop the villain from going through with the evil plan or plot. These two elements naturally lead to conflict between the two persons or groups and then from this conflict -- suspense, the last element is added. Suspense is important to keep the reader interested and to keep the story line going. When psychology is added to a story, the definition of horror is changed completely.
to kill Helen Stoner was so he would not have to give his late wife's
Cannabis. It’s been called everything from “Weed from the Devil’s Garden” to “the happy little herb”. Cannabis, which is also called Marijuana, has a known history that dates back over 10,000 years. The oldest remnant of the industry of mankind is a little piece of hemp cloth/fabric that dates back to around 8,000 B.C. (website, HIA: Resources: Education: FAQs & Facts: Facts).
Anti-Semitism is the hatred and discrimination of those with a Jewish heritage. It is generally connected to the Holocaust, but the book by Helmut Walser Smith, The Butcher’s Tale shows the rise of anti-Semitism from a grassroots effect. Smith uses newspapers, court orders, and written accounts to write the history and growth of anti-Semitism in a small German town. The book focuses on how anti-Semitism was spread by fear mongering, the conflict between classes, and also the role of the government.
“And the band started playing one of those really slow songs, like “Stairway to Heaven” or “Freebird” that probably have really great lyrics or something but the song itself just is awful-just awful. Then this real phony guy, with the hair all slicked back on the top of his head stood up with the Sax and did a solo. I almost died. I mean, almost completely died right there. It had to be the cheesiest solo I had ever heard. I mean he was swaying back and forth and he closed his eyes like he was really getting into it and all, but it was the fakest thing you ever heard. It was like something out of a bad Howard Johnson’s. I swear, he must record Muzak for a living or drive
The Grapes of Wrath is set in the horrible stage of our American history, the Depression. Economic, social, and historical surroundings separate the common man of America into basically the rich and poor. A basic theme is that man turns against one another in a selfish pride to only protect themselves. For example, the landowners create a system in which migrants are treated like animals and pushed along from one roadside camp to the next. They are denied decent wages and forced to turn against their fellow scramblers to simply survive.
Authors use characterization to develop the actions of the characters. Like Mary’s actions in ‘The Lamb to the Slaughter’ by using different kinds of literature devices. Roald Dahl in "The Lamb to the Slaughter" uses characterization, imagery, and irony to develop the character of Mary so that the reader can understand what has occurred during the murder.
that it is not normal for her to look this way and there is a false
Roald Dahl has published several novels and nearly 50 short stories all of which, without exemption, are fascinating, intriguing and bizarre to say the least. One of Dahl's more famous stories is "Lamb to the Slaughter".
Not every leader is power hungry. Some leaders are good with power but others can never get enough. They are never satisfied with how much power they have. They want more and more, no matter the sacrifice . In William Golding's Lord of the Flies and George Orwell's Animal Farm, secondary characters, who play the roles of spokesmen, enforcers, and followers, bolster the power of the leaders, there by ensuring the leaders' success.
The movie "Dances With Wolves" was produced in 1990 and directed by Kevin Costner who starred as the main character.