How do Jacobs and Dickens create a foreboding atmosphere and build up tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Signalman Essay Example

How do Jacobs and Dickens create a foreboding atmosphere and build up tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Signalman Paper The main idea of a mystery story is to give the readers something to wonder about. You have to give them the clues one by one and lead your reader to a conclusion they werent expecting. A good mystery story will keep a reader guessing until they see the final twist and then everything they didnt understand before fits into place. This is definitely true in The Signalman. One of the techniques that Dickens uses to create a feeling of uneasiness and tension can be seen right from the very beginning. In the very first paragraph there is a sense of the unexplained: There was something remarkable in his manner of doing so (instead of the signalman looking up to where the narrator stood, he turned himself about, and looked down the Line. ), though I could not have said for my life, what. The vocabulary Dickens uses also adds to the atmosphere and it is well worth a close look at this. Words such as violent, clammier and earthly dead smell build up the sense that the narrator is in a dangerous location and that something terrible is about to happen. This sort of language use can be found throughout the tale. The angry sunset Dickens describes adds to the effect, as does the clammy and wet stones of the way down. These are indicative of a ghost story, and even the tunnel is described in such a way as to make us wonder about it. The description of the tunnel itself could very well remind us of the mouth of hell, which is appropriate because of what happens later in the story. terminating in a gloomy red light, and gloomier entrance to a black tunnel, in whose massive architecture there was a barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air. So little sunlight ever found its way to this spot, that it had an earthy deadly smell; and so much cold wind rushed through it, that it stuck chill to me, as if I had left the natural world. Charles Dickens uses repetition quite a lot to build up the feeling of fear and uneasiness, and this is particularly effective at the end. There is also the description of place, and the damp unpleasantness like he has left the natural world. The colors he uses are often associated with evil, such as red and black, and its with language like this that Dickens makes the audience uneasy and feeling that something is about to go wrong. We will write a custom essay sample on How do Jacobs and Dickens create a foreboding atmosphere and build up tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Signalman specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How do Jacobs and Dickens create a foreboding atmosphere and build up tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Signalman specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How do Jacobs and Dickens create a foreboding atmosphere and build up tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Signalman specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Any comments on words such as monstrous will be useful, as will the miming of the actions. That is quite a visual effect and gives the full eerie effect at the end when the signalman dies. The repetition of words and phrases adds to the uneasiness of the story Below there! Look out! Look out! For Gods sake, clear the way! The use of the references to the supernatural and the story the signalman tells all add to the feeling of fear. Even the narrator says that he felt a slow touch of a frozen finger tracing out my spine. These are techniques in ghost stories, made more chilling by the fact that they are foreshadowing what is to come. Everything about the place and the signalman seems to be unnatural and uneasy. The spot is isolated and the feeling of fear and unease is built up by the speakers comments: The monstrous thought came into my mind as I perused the fixed eyes and the saturnine face, that this was a spirit, not a man. The signalmans behavior is at times inexplicable and this is contrasted with the exactness with which he does his job. There is definitely something odd about him. His manner seemed to make the place strike colder to me. The man himself is most mysterious, and the narrator was uncertain of whether he was man or spirit or even slightly disturbed because, there was something in the man that daunted me. All this contributes to the building of the tension, as does the eeriness of the signalman believing that he had seen the narrator before, despite the narrators certainty that he had never been there. The signalman himself even suggests some supernatural connection part way into the story. The draw of the signalman is so great that the narrator goes back to hear more. For the first time the specific reference to the gesture of waving frantically to clear the way becomes so important. The signalmans story is chilling. The language is indicative of a ghost story, like damp stains, frozen finger tracing my spine, disagreeable shudder. There are also rational explanations for what had happened. The tales of the appearances of the spectre are fearful, as are the narrators reactions, such as pulling his chair back from the floorboards where the young lady was laid. The wind, personified as wailing, also adds to the effect of the story. There is conflict between what the two people heard and saw the previous evening, but both agree that the spectre is not there now. The signalman gains empathy because he is aware that danger is imminent but he is powerless to do anything. Another technique that is used to prolong the suspense is the fact that the narrator could not see anyone nor hear the bell ring when the signalman claimed the spectre was there. The dismissing of events as a coincidence builds up tension, as we feel sure he is going to be proven wrong. The twist in the tale is so effective because everything has been building towards this, but we did not fully understand what was to happen. The third evening concludes the story. The narrator sees the figure waving in the mouth of the tunnel, but it is not supernatural: The nameless horror that oppressed me, passed in a moment, for in a moment I saw that this appearance of a man was a man indeed. The way Dickens talks directly to the audience in this story, is a good way of fully involving the reader in the mystery. It raises questions that he then leaves unanswered and unravels later. The death was that of the signalman himself, and the visions he had seen had been the premonition of his own death. There is the repetition of the action and also of the words that the signalman said were haunting him. The Monkeys Paw is based upon the unexpected happenings of a supernatural tale. Mr. White meets up with an old war buddy and invites him to his home for an evening visit. The purpose is to complete a story he had told of a monkeys paw and an old fakir. Sergeant-Major Morris has brought the paw with him and tells the story. At the beginning of the story, the mood is mysterious and ominous, created by these details: a cold, wet night; a house in an out-of-the-way place; a visitor tells of faraway places and strange events. Mr. White, his wife and son soon learn that the soldier had his three wishes granted and would rather have the paw destroyed than pass it on to anyone else. When pressed for more details he tells his hosts that the first owner used his third wish to wish for death and that was how he came into possession of the paw. With that he tosses the paw into the fireplace, but Mr. White rushes to the hearth and retrieves it before it is completely destroyed. The soldier leaves and warns them to wish for something sensible. At the sons urging, the father wishes for some money (two hundred pounds). Nothing immediately happens and they turn in for the night. Of course, only trouble can follow. Sergeant- Major Morris has warned the White family that the wishes come true almost like a coincidence, and his reactions to the paw show he is afraid of what it can do he throws it on the fire to destroy it, he turns white when he is telling of its history and is frightened when Mrs. White makes the joke about wishing for four pairs of hands. Once the wish has been made and the paw moved, we fear that gaining the two hundred pounds is not going to be a positive experience for the Whites. The story is neatly divided in three sections and primarily deals with three characters -Mr. White, his wife and their son. In the first section we are introduced to the wish motif and the family makes their first wish. In the second half they make their second wish. In the third and eeriest portion the husband ends their ordeal with a final wish -the only wise wish the family ever made. The old fairy tale motifs are all present and indeed Mrs. White at one point says Sounds like the Arabian Nights. There is some making fun of the whole idea and we get the idea that the family does not totally believe in the powerful magic they have come into contact with. Jacobs describes the son as frivolous and he mocks the idea by telling his father to wish to be an emperor to escape his nagging wife, Mrs. White asks the husband to wish her to have four hands and they all laugh at the prospect of getting what one truly desires. The reader knows only too well that this family is doomed. The foreshadowing events the author uses to prepare the reader for the events to come are: Morris says the paw has a spell on it -foreshadows negative reactions once someone wishes upon it, perhaps even Herberts death; Morris presses Mr. White to throw the paw away which foreshadows bad things to come, including Herberts Death, Herbert sees a vision in the fire and feels a shiver when he grasps the paw which foreshadows his own demise. When Mr. Mrs. White realize that in following the sons suggestion for money they have altered their lives in a horrible way they panic. The money comes to them as compensation for a horrible accident at the factory where their son worked. He has died at the hands of the machinery. Mrs. White immediately wants to wish her son back to life and runs to find the paw. There is a struggle and an argument. The family is beginning to learn that there is strange magic at bother, that they truly can defy the laws of nature. The husband is reluctant but is powerless at the maniacal urging of his wife and when he refuses to make the wish she does so herself. To some extent The Monkeys Paw depends on horror brought about through the death of a main character in the story. Herbert is killed in an accident because of the first wish and we experience revulsion at the thought of him being brought back to life. The story builds up to a climax at the end, and although we understand what will happen next, it has far more impact being left at the pinnacle of the action. It is at this point that Jacobs uses the best tool of the writer of a ghost story -the power of suggestion. We feel the terror of the husband and know the longing of the wife for her son. The terrible knocking at the door, the fact that the wife rushes downstairs while the reader remains upstairs with the husband who dare not move from his spot. While he envisions what must have happened to his son, remembering the accident and imagining something hideous crawling out of a fresh grave, his wife frantically tries to open the door but has trouble with the bolt. The reader is wondering as well: Will she see her son? What will happen to her? What kind of family will they be with a dead son returned from the grave? The word it implies that Mr. White believes whatever is on the other side of the door is not human. He believes perhaps it is his sons dead corpse. The word it creates suspense and a sense of fear. The husband at last makes the final and inevitable wish -the only sensible wish made while the paw was theirs those brief fateful days. And the story ends with an eerie image complete with a poignant sound effect that sends a final frisson up your spine: A cold wind rushed up the staircase and a long loud wail of disappointment and misery from his wife gave him courage to run down to her side, and to the gate beyond. The street lamp flickering opposite shone on a quiet and deserted road. It is certain that the echo of that misery-filled wail reached all the way to the cemetery where no doubt it settled like a mournful shroud on the still undisturbed grave of their hapless son.

The KKK essays

The KKK essays The Ku Kux Klan was formed as a social club by a group of Confederate Army Veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee around 1865. A Confederate General, Nathan Bedford Forrest, was the klans first leader, whose title was Grand Wisard. White superiority was the philosophy of the Klan. And they would often use violence and terrorization of blacks as means of exercising this philosophied superiority. The Klan hated the idea of blacks getting any rights following the Civil War into the Reconstruction, and terrorized blacks to prevent them from voting in elections or practicing any other right. Blacks and white sympathizers were threatened, beaten or even murdered by the black Klan members in the South: the Klan used now familiar white robes and hoods to mask their identity.The Ku Klux Klan bacame known as the Invisible Empire as it grew and spread rapidly.(altered.com/dengue/kkk/history.html, pg1) There were social, political, and economical forces that led to the increase of the Ku Klux Klan acti vity during the 1920s. Many social forces existed that led to an increase in Klan membership in the 1920s William J. Simmons, a former Methodist preacher, organized a new Klan in Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1915 as a patriotic, Protestant traternal society. This new Klan directed its activity against, not just blacks, but any group it considered un- American, including new immigrants, Jews, and Roman Catholics. The Ku Klux Klan grew rapidly from here and had more than 2 million members by the mid- 1920s ncrease in Klan membership in the 1920s. (http://altered.com/dengue/kkk/history.html). The klan aimed to alienate non-whites and other religious groups from the rest of American society. The klan was a hate group and displayed their hatred by killing thousands of people and destroying the lives of many others The klan was based in the South, but spread their hate across America. (M...

Interest and Exchange Rates Influence on Multinational Corporations Essay

Interest and Exchange Rates Influence on Multinational Corporations - Essay Example Interest rates play an important part in investment and saving decisions. Interest rates are the main instrument of central banks to conduct their monetary policies. Interest rates have impact on foreign exchange rates. Higher relative interest rates (↑) attract higher financial investments in the short-run due to expectations for higher returns. The simplest way to explain this is to compare bank interest rates between two countries. If, in UK interest rates for deposits are 5%, compared to US deposit interest rates of 3%, then it will be economically sound for businesses to transfer their bank accounts to UK banks for higher returns. This, in turn will increase demand for UK currency, also increasing supply of US dollars. Increased demand will increase the value of the UK pound as compared to the US dollar, thus positively influencing the foreign exchange rate of the pound (↑). On the other hand, expectations for future changes also influence exchange rates. Higher interest rates (↑) have negative long-run effect on investment decisions of international businesses. Although higher interest rates attract more bank deposits, they are associated with unfavourable business situation and higher business risks for returns on investments; therefore they result in higher cost of capital (Barron’s, 1994, cited by Murphy, 1996). Since businesses worldwide are highly dependent on loan conditions, it is economically justified for businesses to invest in regions where business climate is securer, i.e. interest rates are lower.

The Nursing Shortage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Nursing Shortage - Essay Example It is vital to know that recruitment is not enough to assure an adequate supply of nurses. American Nurses Association has created a national initiative to deal with the issues that have galvanized the profession. Every hospital in the country must focus on both retention and recruitment as future cornerstones of an adequate workforce. A nursing shortage as defined by IOM â€Å"is a condition whereby there are not enough of professional nurses to provide quality of care of patients† (as cited in Quinn, 2002, p.2). National studies and reports have identified factors that have led to a profound nursing shortage: the aging of society (Martin et al., 2001); an aging nursing workforce (Buerhaus, Staiger, and Auerbach, 2000a; Minnick 2000) a decline in nursing enrollments (American Association of Colleges or Nursing [AACN], 2001); this shortage is uniquely serious in that it is connected to both an increased demand for, and also a decreased supply of nurses. There have been lots of articles published in both nursing journals and public newspaper across the country about the worldwide nursing shortage. First and foremost is aging of the nursing workforce. The average age of nurses in the United States is 46 (Buerhaus, 2000). There has also been declining enrollment in nursing programs over the past decade, as women are able to move into other science focused roles besides nursing (Buerhaus, 2000). Also, highschool counselors tend not to recommend nursing to male or female students interested in science. The salary structures in many health care facilities keep experienced registered nurses at lower salaries compared to other industries. A decreasing emphasis on retention of working nurses by many hospitals has caused nurses to feel that their concerns about stress and patient safety are not being heard or acted upon. Poorly trained managers or brusque, unkind preceptors often leave staff nurses feeling undervalued and not appreciated. The

My CAS Diary †Mountain bike riding Essay Example for Free

My CAS Diary – Mountain bike riding Essay This rather splendid activity I involved myself in took place in the rural district of Yarramundi. I accompanied ‘the boys’, Ben Irwin, David Wilkinson, Jordan Willis, Jarrod Quigley, Bailey McDougle and John Wright. This group had been forged through a Tabitha elective in which I was not involved with. Despite my absence during the genesis of this group, they warmly welcomed me into their ranks, as one of their own! They went as far to facilitate me a sturdy steed of a mountain bike. The bike and I grew quite close over our two journeys, tumbling though rocks, effortlessly riding through the toughest terrain in the Yarramundi area and, on occasions, tumbling into the think bush, which enclosed our already small and treacherous riding track. I feel as if the previous sentence was not quite quintessential of the relationship I created with my exuberantly wondrous bicycle. The only way I will be able to express such feelings is through poetry, specifically that of John Dunne. The following exert has been taken from ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’: But we by a love so much refined, That ourselves know not what it is, Inter-assurà ¨d of the mind, Care less, eyes, lips and hands to miss. If they be two, they are two so As stiff twin compasses are two ; Thy soul, the fixd foot, makes no show To move, but doth, if th other do. And though it in the centre sit, Yet, when the other far doth roam, It leans, and hearkens after it, And grows erect, as that comes home. I feel as if you too can now appreciate the bond made between man and machine. A bond, which can only be made when trudging through the harshest conditions. Where life can be taken away in a blink. Where every breath may be your last. The trust needed between myself and my monster was something incomparable to anything I have experienced prior to this day. It has changed my life forever. Although, despite this, I am unsure whether or not I am thankful for this burden of sorts. You see, the bike is not mine! It is a love that I can never fully attain and this harsh reality tortures me in my mundane life; I crave for such a feeling again. My every day life is plagued by the reminded that I will never be able to reach that level of love, trust and respect for anything else in my life. However, on the other hand I am forever thankful and forever in debt of ‘the boys’ for introducing me to my machine, an instrument in which I created art with. What did I learn from this experience? Yet another mundane question I am made to answer through the unspoken covenant that rules my reflective statements. This is my silent protest to the trivialities of such a question, which insult the very memory of Her. The pen is stronger than the sword, good sir! This is my stand against the restricting rules oppressing my reflective creativity! Despite this quarrel, I will answer your question, WITH ANOTHER QUESTION! What have I NOT learnt from this wondrous experience? No answer? That is not a problem my good friend, for I am nurturing the answer in my complex and mysterious brain as I type out, with passion, these very words you’re reading. The answer is: I have learnt everything I need to learn for my journeys through Yarramundi. I have learnt love, compassion and understanding, something conventional activities could never satisfy me with. Although, above all, this glorious, some may even say life changing experience, I have gained a connection. A connection I alluded to in the above text but something that will never be able to be expressed through measly ink stains on paper! No, sir! They are of too high an order, too holy and all encompassing, too paralyzing for a mere mortal to comprehend (Although, Mrs. Menzies, I am sure you’ll be able to wrap your head around it with ease. This being because of your outstanding intelligence and other associated characteristics. Please let this reflective statement suffice for now. I swear I’ll get the rest to you soon!) As concluding words of any great piece of writing leave you speechless, so will my eloquent speech render you into a mental, paralytic state that will leave you with a feeling of contentedness for the rest of your days. Unless I know who I am and why I am here, I can not live Dostoevsky I am now alive.

The Forgotten Years Of Their Eyes :: essays research papers

Although Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is a widely read novel today, that wasn’t always the case. When her novel was first published, many black readers were enraged. It wasn’t until the early seventies when Hurston’s novel was rediscovered and thus eventually brought back into the literary canon. What aspects of the novel enraged the readers so that it would be forgotten for more than thirty years? One of the most important aspects of the novel that enraged the black readers was Hurston’s portrayal of the white people. Readers complained that Hurston wasn’t harsh enough in her critique of the white people’s treatment towards the black people. Rather than portraying whites as the stereotypical â€Å"Simon Legree† of Uncle Tom’s Cabin—the ideal poor, racist â€Å"white trash†Ã¢â‚¬â€most whites that take part in the novel are contrarily very helpful towards the blacks and show great compassion towards them as well. For example, when Janie begins her story we meet the Washburns. These are the white folks for whom Nanny worked for and they are very helpful towards both Nanny and Janie by treating them as if they are part of the family. Contrary to a lot of whites at the time who treated blacks as if they were still slaves, the Washburns treat both Nanny and Janie as human beings rather than slaves, showing great respect and love. In a way they are portrayed as â€Å"angels† who truly believe in human equality and don’t have one bit of prejudice in them. â€Å"Mah grandma raised me. Mah grandma and de white folks she worked wid†¦They was quality white folks up dere in West Florida. Named Washburn. She had four gran’chillun on de place and all of us played together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (8). Furthermore, by reading Hurston’s novel, one can clearly see that all blacks place the whites on a pedestal of knowledge. According to the blacks of the novel, whites know everything and are always right; they are superior and since blacks are supposed to be ignorant and stupid, they should believe and do everything the whites say. For example, Mrs. Turner states that she trusts only white doctors because black doctors aren’t as educated and skilled as the white doctors. â€Å"Don’t bring me no nigger doctor tuh hang over mah sick-bed†¦White doctors always gits mah money† (135-136). Another example is when the Indians are evacuating the muck because they foresee a big hurricane coming and the blacks don’t evacuate stating that since the whites aren’t evacuating there’s no reason to. The Forgotten Years Of Their Eyes :: essays research papers Although Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is a widely read novel today, that wasn’t always the case. When her novel was first published, many black readers were enraged. It wasn’t until the early seventies when Hurston’s novel was rediscovered and thus eventually brought back into the literary canon. What aspects of the novel enraged the readers so that it would be forgotten for more than thirty years? One of the most important aspects of the novel that enraged the black readers was Hurston’s portrayal of the white people. Readers complained that Hurston wasn’t harsh enough in her critique of the white people’s treatment towards the black people. Rather than portraying whites as the stereotypical â€Å"Simon Legree† of Uncle Tom’s Cabin—the ideal poor, racist â€Å"white trash†Ã¢â‚¬â€most whites that take part in the novel are contrarily very helpful towards the blacks and show great compassion towards them as well. For example, when Janie begins her story we meet the Washburns. These are the white folks for whom Nanny worked for and they are very helpful towards both Nanny and Janie by treating them as if they are part of the family. Contrary to a lot of whites at the time who treated blacks as if they were still slaves, the Washburns treat both Nanny and Janie as human beings rather than slaves, showing great respect and love. In a way they are portrayed as â€Å"angels† who truly believe in human equality and don’t have one bit of prejudice in them. â€Å"Mah grandma raised me. Mah grandma and de white folks she worked wid†¦They was quality white folks up dere in West Florida. Named Washburn. She had four gran’chillun on de place and all of us played together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (8). Furthermore, by reading Hurston’s novel, one can clearly see that all blacks place the whites on a pedestal of knowledge. According to the blacks of the novel, whites know everything and are always right; they are superior and since blacks are supposed to be ignorant and stupid, they should believe and do everything the whites say. For example, Mrs. Turner states that she trusts only white doctors because black doctors aren’t as educated and skilled as the white doctors. â€Å"Don’t bring me no nigger doctor tuh hang over mah sick-bed†¦White doctors always gits mah money† (135-136). Another example is when the Indians are evacuating the muck because they foresee a big hurricane coming and the blacks don’t evacuate stating that since the whites aren’t evacuating there’s no reason to.

Health And Social Care Assignment Essay

Below is a free essay on â€Å"Nvq 3 Health and Social Care Assignment 306 C† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Moving and Handling Moving and handling is the core part of the day for most employees in the social care setting, legislation, policies and procedures that relate to moving and handling help to keep us safe. Legislation Manual Handling Regulations 1992 These regulations define that employers are required to avoid the need for manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable, assess the risk of injury from manual handling and reduce these risks. The employees have a duty to follow instructions, systems and use equipment that relate to safe manual handling. see more:storing information in health and social care Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 These regulations require that equipment is suitable and safe for its intended use with regular inspections and maintenance. Only used by persons that have received adequate information, instruction and training. All equipment to be supplied with appropriate protective devices, markings and warnings Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 These regulations require employers to ensure that equipment for the purpose of lifting is strong, stable, positioned and used safely to minimise risks. Employers also have a duty to carry out regular inspections of all lifting equipment to ensure it meets with the regulations. Safety first Not following the correct procedures for manual handling is the one of the most common causes of injuries in the workplace. By following instructions and information given during training, assessing the situation to identify any potential hazards and taking precautions to limit these, the risks of injuring yourself or others during a manual handling operation are greatly reduced. Lifting someone incorrectly can cause serious back injuries resulting in time off work, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for over a third of workplace injuries. The individual being manually handled  can sustain injuries or harm from procedures not being followed with regards to the regulations†¦