How is tension created and sustained in The Monkeys Paw Essay Example

How is tension created and sustained in The Monkeys Paw Paper The Monkeys Paw is a short, horror story written by WW Jacobs. It was written and set in the 19th century in a time where there was almost an obsession with the gothic, Victoria genre. Jacobs uses a range of techniques which create and add tension of the audience. The setting, structure, genre, characters, language and atmosphere all contribute to the ascending build up of tension throughout the story. The setting of the story is typical of the time in which it was set. There are many clues given by the author, which help us to distinguish the time period in which the play was set. Items such as the china candlestick and the fire would not be used commonly today because of the introduction of electrical heaters etc. Furthermore, when Mr white says: A rat. It passed me on the stairs, we find it difficult to comprehend this. This is because we would find a rat scuttling around in our houses today extremely peculiar and probably unbelievable whereas Mr and Mrs White do not seem to make much of a fuss about it because it may have been normal in that time. The rat may have been common then, in a time where plague and diseases were very active. We will write a custom essay sample on How is tension created and sustained in The Monkeys Paw specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How is tension created and sustained in The Monkeys Paw specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How is tension created and sustained in The Monkeys Paw specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer This all contributes towards the spooky/horror theme of the story which creates a feeling amongst the audience that they expect something to happen. The setting/atmosphere created in the story is very carefully thought out by the author. It starts with the father and son playing chess together, indicating that they have a close relationship and the family is close-knit. The family are in the warmth of their cosy home, at least the author gives this impression to us anyway, the fire burned brightly. Father and son were at chess. This image given to us by the author is very ironic because they may seem safe at the moment but later on we come to find out that they are far from it and are in fact extremely insecure. The weather is described to us as being, cold and wet, which has depressing, gloomy connotations which is therefore in complete contrast to the atmosphere inside. This signals a change in the plot, and the with the cold, wet weather, the author is almost hinting to use that something negative is going to happen in the story. Therefore, the reader is encouraged to read on because of the tension that has been created. However, the weather outside also reflects the mood of Mr. White who is upset after losing the chess match, so therefore it is pathetic fallacy, which in turn creates an eerie mood. Another significant factor in the setting of the story is Sergeant-Major Morriss introduction of India. Since India is a foreign country, the audience may not be so familiar with it. Therefore, they would not be too sure what to expect of the monkeys paw in terms of its powers and therefore mystery is created. This leads to the curiosity of the reader, creating tension as the reader gets eager and wants to know what will happen. The family live in a villa, away from everything, which gives us the impression they are isolated; Mr White says, Thats the worst of living so far out .. Only two houses in the road are let. This tells us that they live in a very secluded area, away from a town or city. By situating the family in this area, the author is hinting to us that something bad is going to happen because the thought of them with nobody else to help them if something goes wrong makes them seem vulnerable to us. Furthermore, Mr White saying to us that only two houses in the road are let enhances the idea that they are isolated because that means only two of the other houses are occupied. Sergeant-Major Morris is an extremely mysterious character. We seem to imagine him as a gigantic, mean, imposing, muscular man when hearing of his arrival because of the heavy footsteps, which he makes as described so by the author. His arrival is somewhat sprung on use and we do not get to know much about him until he starts conversing with the Mr White and family about the paw. Therefore he is almost like an unknown character to us. Once Mr White mentions the Monkeys Paw, he seems eager to change the subject: Nothing said the soldier hastily. This tells us that he was not keen to disclose information about the Monkeys Paw and was clearly hiding some details at the beginning. Once he realises the others are interested in the paw, he tries to play down its powers: its just an ordinary little paw dried to a little mummy. The reason for him acting this way is not clear to us at first but later on we get to know that the reason for this is because he has bad experiences with it. We know this because of his reaction when being asked is he had used his three wishes, his blotchy face whitened. This indicates that he has had some bad encounters with the paw because ones face usually whitens when feeling sick, shocked or frightened. However, he does warn the Whites about its powers, it has caused enough mischief already, although he prevents himself from revealing the full details of these events for some reason. It is also ironic that he says to the Whites, dont blame me for what happens, and but I warn you of the consequences, because although there are plenty of strong warnings, the Whites seem disinterested but in the end they pay for this i. e. Herberts death. On the whole, Sergeant-major is a mysterious character of whom we know little of. He seems to be hiding something about his experiences with the Paw. His character creates an eagerness in the audience resulting in tension. Another character who contributes to the tension created in the story is Mrs White. From what she says (her speech), we get to know that she is quite suspicious: He dont look to have taken much harm, is what she says when responding to something the sergeant said. This tells us she is not scared to point something out, and is prepared for an argument if she does not agree with somebody. It also tells us that she may know something about the sergeant that we do not. Similarly, she is very curious about the monkeys paw and is surprised upon hearing of its powers, Sounds like Arabian nights, she says. Here, she is mocking the sergeant major, making a mockery of a highly respected figure. It also tells us that she is a very curious person. This suspicious, curious attitude of hers adds to the tension. However, Mrs Whites attitude to the paw very much changes towards the end of the story. After learning about the death of her son, Herbert, she wants to bring him back by using the powers of the paw. This is in high contrast to her attitude at the beginning when she thought it was just a toy. She urges her husband to wish for Herbert back using the paw: Wish she cried in a strong voice. This tells us of her eagerness to bring Herbert back, indicating she loves her son very much. During the climax, the language devices and style used by the author are all very interesting, and were all created in order to create a rush of tension at the end. The sentences used at this point in the story are shorter ones in comparison to the more complex and compound sentences used beforehand. Sentences such as, His wife sat up in bed listening, Let go and I must open the door are use by the author in order to increase the pace of the story and to create anxiety amongst the audience. The sentences are short in order to delay the point of climax, so that the audience find the ending of a better quality. There are also short bursts of action at this point in the story to get the reader excited about what will happen, and frantically breathed his third and last wish. This is probably the part of the play where the tension is at its highest because the audience are holding their breath as to what it going to happen. The adverbs used by the author help to create this tension because words such as frantically, hoarsely and appealingly give us an insight to the actual feelings of the characters. This helps us because then we can relate to the characters. In conclusion, I can say that in the monkeys paw the author uses a variety of methods to create tension. These include characters, setting, structure, language and style. Overall, I would say that Sergeant-Major Morris is the person who contributes to providing the most amount of tension in the play. His mysteriousness and whole demeanour just makes the audience think that something bad is going to happen in the play because of him. I also think that the climax used by WW Jacobs was a very clever way to build up a lot of tension.

Exceptional Women Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen essays

Exceptional Women Eleanor of Aquitaine and Hildegard of Bingen essays Norman Cantor (1999) has noted that the lives of medieval women were as diverse as those of men, and that women in this era contributed to all the major movements that spelled success for an emerging European civilization. Nevertheless, women in the Middle Ages were, regardless of their position, status or birth, regarded as legitimately inferior to men and as of necessity submissive to their fathers and husbands and brothers (Weir, 2000). Even in the case of Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine - wife to two kinds and mother of two more - a misstep could result in imprisonment at the behest of a husband (Cantor, 1994; Kaufman, 2002). Other women such as St. Hildegard of Bingen, who chose the religious over the secular life, may have experienced a slightly greater degree of autonomy than even a queen such a Eleanor. In both cases, however, the privileged status of these two women ensured that they would live longer, healthier, and more productive lives (including lives of the intellect) than their less well-placed peers Ordinary women in the Middle Ages could be roughly divided into three or four groups. Women born into the ruling or noble families could count on some education and also on being used as bartering chips in their families' quest for power and status. Women of the merchant classes were less free and less privileged, while women of the peasant class lived lives that were short, harsh and subservient. Women who elected to choose the religious life - or had it chosen for them by their fathers or other relatives - had many privileges as well, but limited freedom of activity (Labarge, 1986). In almost all cases, women were very much subject to the rule and domination of their male relatives before marriage or husbands after marriage; if they chose the abbey or the cloister, they accepted the rule of the Church. Even an important abbess such as Hildegard of Bingen wa...

Information and communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Information and communication - Essay Example Within the last decade or so, the students are fast adapting to the different means and ways coming directly under the plagiarism circles. [Author Unknown, 2005] The people who are caught plagiarizing often give pretty stupid excuses but it is a reality that they do out of sheer timidity on their part. They are just not ready to surrender and commit themselves wholeheartedly towards a task, job or doing it in the most original manner that there could be. [Amodeo, 2005] Plagiarism has also increased due to the technological advancements happening almost on a daily basis. There are shortcuts available for plagiarizing text material from the Internet and almost anyone ca use these technological gadgets to suit their own motives. Students particularly use the Internet to copy-paste the material off the websites which have similar evidence of texts as well as take help from students who have already completed such assignments in the past. [Jonassen, 2004] This is a sheer form of plagiarism in the truest sense of the word and there is no exception to this rule all said and done. Another reason as to why people commit plagiarism is that they find it pretty easy to do and they believe they could run freely as no one is going to catch them and their work. Internet has become one of the major hurdles towards doing work in an original and authentic manner. A number of students worldwide resort to the sin of plagiarism courtesy the Internet and this has been going on for the last decade or so in the most blatant manner possible. Plagiarism proves to be a destructive force as far as their education and academics are concerned but somehow or the other they are just not ready to accept this notion. They believe that if work could be done quickly and without hassles, then what is the need of researching and going in depth? One more reason that could be credited on the shoulders of plagiarism is

Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Television - Essay Example Eventually, this lead to cable TV programming where people actually paid for cable TV to avoid the low quality programming running on the standard television. Satellite TV programming was invented after some decades of cable TV programming. During the cold war era, the first satellite of DirecTV and Dish Network commenced into orbit. This had a high level of quality programming. Without this technology of DirecTV and Dish Network, there would have been no concept of high definition programming in the present era. This is due to the lack of ability and technology for cable programming to provide high definition programming. Therefore the advancements in the television industry were greatly boosted by DirecTV and the Dish Network. Sports programming is being lead by DirecTV and the movies area is being lead by the Dish Network. These two giant TV programming industries have made history in the television industry along with many future unfolds remaining to be revealed (Recent Technological Advancements in Television, 2012). The invention of television has evolved itself from a black and white mode to a color mode with 42 inch plasma screens and sound. The invention of television involves many people and has a long timeline involved but the first person to think about creating something like television was a true innovator. The television history lies with Philo Farnsworth. Philo was an American engineer and thought about transmission of picture when he was only 14 years old. In 1927, he was the first person to invent and transmit an image on television. The image was transmitted on the television via a dissector tube ((Wyckoff, 2008) Furthermore, the invention of mechanical TV was invented in the year 1884 by Paul Nipkow. He developed a technology of rotating disc that allowed pictures to be transmitted over the wire. This was the first ever scanning system in the areas of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Example for Free

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essay Ralph Waldo Emerson, who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century, once wrote, The virtue in most request is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. The Transcendentalist were a group of people who believed that everyone was equal and had power inside them as an individual. In the mid-19th century Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman were the main writers and thinkers of the transcendentalist movement. In the 1960s as African Americans fought for civil rights in a cruel society. William Melvin Kelly combines the two in the book A Different Drummer. This book tells the story of Tucker Caliban, a black farmer who encourages a huge amount of blacks to leave the south when he decides to salt his crops and burn down his house and leave. Tucker embodies the characteristics of a Transcendentalist according to Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman in three ways: he does what he wants without an explanation, hes self-reliant, and he fights a corrupt system in his own way. Tucker does what he wants without an explanation or logic. Tucker stays out all night to teach Dewey how to ride a bike, even though his grandfather would be mad. Tucker also burned his house down and salted his crops without explaining this to his wife or to anyone else. Tucker writes Dewey a letter in college, he ask about the bike he taught him to ride. Dewey doesnt understand why because Tucker really didnt explain what he wanted to know about the bike. This shows Tucker really doesnt tell anyone his logic behind his actions. To be great is to be misunderstood, Emerson. This quote refers to Tucker because he is misunderstood by the whites. This shows hes also self-reliant and free spirited. Tucker Caliban is self-reliant and unique. Tucker self taught himself to farm and ride a bike. He also doesnt believe in the civil rights movement which most other blacks strongly believe in. He also believes everyone has to free themselves or else there not really free. This shows that Tucker Caliban is not just any other black, hes unique. But he also fights the souths corrupt system in his own one of a kind way. We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents. This quote refers to Tucker because he is different and others are afraid to be different. Tucker Caliban is a rebel and he fights the system. He burned down his house and salted his crops because thats where the slaves worked for the Willsons. He broke the grandfather clock because it was bought the same day as the African. He cut down the tree that separated his land from the Willisons, that was there from the days of slavery. He did all of this to cut his ties from slavery and from the south. Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members. This refers to the south and other blacks like Tucker. Therefore Tucker Caliban embodies the characteristics of a Transcendentalist according to Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman in three ways: he does what he wants without an explanation, hes self-reliant, and he fights a corrupt system in his own way. Tuckers movement from the south is a strong step in the right direction for racism in the south. To me what Tucker did was strong and no else was strong enough to leave before Tucker did it.

Justice In Orestes :: The Oresteia Equality Justice Essays

Justice in Orestes Aeschylus is primarily concerned with the nature of justice. In the trilogy The Oresteia, the Akhaians evolve from an older, more primitive autocratic form of justice, to a new concept of civil justice devised by Athena. He confronts the contrast between the old and new orders, the lives of the members of the House of Atreus, and the serious moral questions that Orestes' crime presents. The case against Orestes is strong. The son admits to striking down his mother, in violation of the sacred tenant of kinship. "But I came back, my years of exile weathered—killed the one who bore me, I won't deny it, killed her in revenge." (Eumenides lines 476-478) This shows that Orestes was fully aware of the act he was committing, that he willfully committed it, and that he must suffer for it. The bond between mother and child was broken when Orestes murdered Clytaemnestra. Marriage, arguably, is a tenant of Zeus and the Olympians. In the old order of things, family is by blood only. A husband and wife have no blood relation, yet the son is of the same blood as his parents. The Furies right to vengeance cannot be dismissed. Clytaemnestra is one who upheld the laws of the Furies. Agamemnon's murder of Iphegenia at Aulis was pure outrage. "Yes he had the heart to sacrifice his daughter , to bless the war†¦" (Agamemnon lines 222-223) Agamemnon killed his own blood relation in order to sail for Troy. This too, is a terrible crime, seemingly of the same weight as Orestes' act. Clytaemnestra believed she was justified in avenging her daughter, because her husband violated a sacred tenant of the old gods. "Here is Agamemnon, my husband made a corpse by this right hand—a masterpiece of justice. Done is done." (Agamemnon lines 1429-1431) This shows a clear morality behind Clytaemnestra's motives. She appears to have justification for her actions. The curse on the House of Atreus is fulfilled. In the last lines of Agamemnon the chorus foreshadows Orestes' return. Clytaemnestra responds by saying to her new husband, "We will set the house in order once for all." (Agamemnon lines 1708) The chorus's purpose for suggesting Orestes's return is to show that the house is not yet cleansed of the curse.. Like his mother, Orestes possesses what he believes to be a just motive for revenge. Unlike his mother, however, Orestes has reservations about killing. He does not wish to strike down his mother, but realises that he must. The defense of Orestes is rooted in the fact that Apollo ordered him to do so.

Negative Utilitarianism: An Overview

Most utilitarian theories deal with producing the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people. Negative utilitarianism (NU) requires us to promote the least amount of evil or harm, or to prevent the greatest amount of suffering for the greatest number. Proponents like Karl Popper, Christoph Fehige and Clark Wolf argue that this is a more effective ethical formula, since, they contend, the greatest harms are more consequential than the greatest goods. Karl Popper also referred to an epistemological argument: â€Å"It adds to clarity in the fields of ethics, if we formulate our demands negatively, i. e. if we demand the elimination of suffering rather than the promotion of happiness. †(Karl R. Popper,1945) Most forms of utilitarianism hold that we ought to do that which maximises the good and minimises the bad. There is some disagreement about what the good and the bad are– whether the good is people being happy and the bad is people being unhappy, or the go od is people getting what they want and the bad is people not getting what they want, or whatever–but most utilitarians agree that whatever the good and the bad are, we ought to bring about as much of the former and as little of the latter as is possible. Negative utilitarians disagree. Negative utilitarians are concerned only with minimising the bad. They don't think we ought to maximise the good and minimise the bad, and that when we must choose between the two we must weigh the difference that we can make to the one against the difference that we can make to the other; rather, negative utilitarians hold just that we ought to minimise the bad, that we ought to alleviate suffering as far as we are able to do so. Suppose that I have a choice to make: I can either make the happiest man in the world even happier than he already is, or I can alleviate some of the suffering of the unhappiest man in the world. Suppose further that the difference that I can make to the happy man is much greater than the difference that I can make to the unhappy man. Most utilitarians would say that in this case I ought to help the happy man. As I can make a greater difference to the life of the happy man than I can make to the life of the unhappy man, it is the happy man whom I should help. Negative utilitarians disagree. Negative utilitarians hold that it is more important to alleviate suffering than it is to promote pleasure, and that I should therefore always choose to alleviate suffering rather than promote pleasure when forced to choose between the two. In most supporters of moderate NU the preference to survive is stronger than the wish to be freed from suffering, so that they refuse the idea of a quick and painless destruction of life. Some of them believe that, in time, the worst cases of suffering is defeated and a world of minor suffering can be realized. The big problem with negative utilitarianism is that it appears to require the destruction of the world. The world contains much suffering, and the future, presumably, contains a great deal more suffering than the present. Each of us will suffer many calamaties in the course of our lives, before those lives finally end with the suffering of death. There is a way, however, to reduce this suffering: we could end it all now. With nuclear weapons technology, we have the capability to blow up the planet, making it uninhabitable. Doing so would cause us all to suffer death, but death is going to come to us all anyway, so causing everyone to die will not increase the suffering in the world. Causing us to die now, though, will decrease the suffering in the world; it will prevent us from suffering those calamaties that were going to plague us during the remainder of our lives. Destroying the planet, then, will reduce the suffering in the world. According to negative utilitarianism, then, it is what we ought to do. That, though, is surely absurd. Negative utilitarianism, therefore, is false.