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Murder mystery narrative essay
Compare slaughter of the lamb and the speckled band
Comparing the speckled band and lamb to the slaughter
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Compare and Contrast Lamb to the Slaughter And The Speckled Band
As Murder Mysteries
When many people think of a murder mystery, they think of a dark and
stormy night, a large forbidding house, a gunshot heard by everyone
yet seen by no one, and the phrases "you're probably wondering why I
called you all here", "The butler did it", and of course not
forgetting "elementary, my dear Watson". In the end, the intelligent
and very observant detective solves the case, and justice, sometimes
through the courts and sometimes poetic is served.
'Lamb to the Slaughter' and 'The Speckled Band' are both stories based
around a suspicious death. Roald Dahl wrote 'Lamb to the Slaughter' in
1954. Roald Dahl is famous for writing children's stories, like
George's Marvellous Medicine and James and the Giant Peach. Roald Dalh
also writes stories for adults. They are usually about ordinary people
doing strange things. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote 'The Speckled Band'
in 1892. His stories are about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes.
Before readings this story I knew that Sherlock Holmes was a famous
detective working with fellow college Doctor Watson and Scotland Yard.
Because of the times when they were written, the language is different
also. Conan Doyle uses the Victorian style of language. His writing is
more complex. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's language is more descriptive.
It takes him about half a page just to describe the setting of the
story. Conan Doyle sometimes uses phrases, which can now be quite
tricky to understand such as 'knock you up'. This is archaic language,
which is not regularly used nowadays. Roald Dahl uses short but sharp
sentences, and writes as if he is talking to a friend.
The two stories are both classed as murder mysteries, however when
comparing these two stories the styles of writing and the way in which
the stories are presented is completely different. An example of this
would be the chronological order of each of the stories. What I mean
by this is the traditional order of murder mysteries would be body, a
motive, a weapon, a death, a suspect, an alibi and detectives. Both
'Lamb to the Slaughter' and 'The Speckled Band' have all of these and
so are no exception to these 'guidelines'. However, 'The Speckled
Band' follows this order and is a very traditional murder mystery.
'Lamb to the Slaughter' on the other hand does not follow the
conventional style of murder mysteries and follows its own order. This
order is; a motive, a weapon, a death, a killer, an alibi and
detectives. In changing the traditional order of murder mysteries I
The first example of mystery elements in “Lamb to the Slaughter” is dramatic irony. Housewife Mary Maloney is startled by her husband’s bad mood and shocking news, so she turns into a murderer by killing her husband with a frozen lamb leg. She begins cooking the weapon, goes to the store to buy vegetables which creates an alibi. She comes home to call the police who bombard her with questions as she pleads her innocence. Later, at the end of the story, Mary Maloney served the lamb leg she used to kill Patrick to the police officers and they are personally disposing of the weapon and simultaneously trying to find it. This adds suspense because the reader knows that the lamb is the murder weapon but the police do not, leaving the reader unsure if the police will discover the truth about the meal they are eating. The second mystery element that adds suspense in “Lamb to the Slaughter” is inference gaps. At this point in the story, Patrick just returned home from work and is about to explain why he cannot go out to dinner and his depressed mood. After much confusing behavior from Patrick, “And he told her. It didn’t take long, four or five minutes at most, and she sat very still through it all, watching him with a kind of dazed horror”(Dahl 113). This adds suspense because the reader is not directly told what the news is and so their mind is left spinning,
Until the end where the clever detective (who is usually quite an old man, dressed in a smart tweed suit) goes through one by one all of the suspects telling them exactly why they could have committed the murder, but then why they didn't. He then confronts the real murderer who is normally the one everyone least suspects. This all takes place in a large country manor where lots of people would have been busying round but for the murderer, conveniently there are never any witnesses to the crime. The murder is most often well planed out, with a devious reason behind it. The two stories are both very different and mainly the only similarities are that they are both about murders that are done by people that are close family to the victims they murder in there own homes.7 The settings in both of them are very different; in lamb to the slaughter the setting is in a normal home in a small village, where normal family life goes on.
The speckled band and the lamb to the slaughter are both a comparison of two short stories from the murder mystery genre. The speckled band was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (in 1892 and was published in the following year). The lamb to the slaughter was written by the famous Roald Dahl (in 1953). Arthur was a Scottish physician and writer, he wrote a series of books featuring Sherlock Holmes and his side-Kick Dr. Watson. The stories were a big hit, the speckled band was also one of his adventurous chronicles. The lamb to the slaughter was a story written for older children and was also, satisfactory. Roald Dahl was an author and an intelligence officer –he was most famous for his great storytelling-His short stories are known for their unexpected endings and his children’s books for their unsentimental, often dark humour.
“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
All of Roald Dahl’s stories seem to be brimfull of irony and wry humor, and “Lamb to the Slaughter” is no different. Mary Maloney, a pregnant, but cheerful woman is very much in love with her husband and we certainly don’t expect her to be of any trouble. It’s shocking enough to learn that her husband, who seems such a nice guy, is cheating on her and plans to move out. This changes the expectation of the story right off the bat, and we feel a compassion for the poor woman. We’re not sure how she’s going to cope with this news, especially since she’s six months pregnant with his child. So when she acts rather compulsively and strikes him over the head with the leg of lamb that was going to be his supper, we really are shocked. She’s acted
“For God’s sake,” he said, not turning round. “Don’t make supper for me. I’m going out.”
Both Dahl and Glaspell convey themes of the domestic trap that society places women in through different literary devices, in the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" and the play Trifles.
Paula Bohince grew up in rural Pennsylvania town and still resides there. (Bohince, Paula). The theme and setting reflects a young innocent girl raped in a Pennsylvania town. The poet writes the poem from the victim’s perspective. The words give a creepy feeling of what has happened. The poem describes a young girl who was brutally taken advantage of and relays the devastating affect it had on her. The diction is very fitting for the poem. It creates a very vivid picture of the devastating affect the attack had on the girl. The diction creates a gruesome picture and tone for the reader. The use of words like transparency, black lamb and maggots generates a rejected feeling in the girl. There is no place she can hide and her feelings are constantly being eaten away.
Comparing the Way in Which Helen Stoner and Mary Maloney are Treated in The Speckled Band and Lamb to Slaughter
Lamb to the Slaughter, by Roald Dahl, instantly grabs a reader’s attention with its grotesque title, ensuing someone’s downfall or failure. The saying “lamb to the slaughter,” usually refers to an innocent person who is ignorantly led to his or her failure. This particular short story describes a betrayal in which how a woman brutally kills her husband after he tells her that he wants a divorce. She then persuades the policemen who rush to the scene to consume the evidence. This action and Patrick’s actions show the theme of betrayal throughout the story which Roald Dahl portrays through the use of point of view, symbolism and black humor.
In the two well known stories, “Lamb to the Slaughter” and “The Lady or the Tiger,” both deal with relationships that have gone wrong. The story for “Lamb to the Slaughter,” starts out with Mary Maloney, who is pregnant and sews and waits for her husband to come home everyday. When her husband comes home one day and tells her that he is leaving her, she gets upset and ends up killing him with a frozen lamb leg. By the end of the story she is able to also get away with doing it. As for “The Lady or the Tiger,” this story deals with a King, whose daughter has fallen in love with a man who is not of the same status as she is. When the king finds out of this, he sends him to their version of a court system, which consists of choosing between two doors. One that has a tiger that will kill them and one that has a girl that the man will get to marry. The princess knows which door has each option in it and has the power to tell him which one to choose. Although in the end, the story never actually tells you which one she picks, and leaves it up to you to imagine what she does. Both of these stories have a lot in common, such as dealing with complicated relationships, as well as both of these women end up losing no matter what they choose.
Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous fictional characters in literary history is a detective capable of solving the most complex mysteries. The author behind the character, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a very successful British writer. The majority of his literary success is due to his crime-fiction tales such as the Sherlock Holmes series. However, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes himself must not take all the credit because there is another character that plays a major role in the stories success. He goes by the name of Dr. Watson, Holmes’ sidekick. The importance of Dr. Watson is evident in many of Doyle’s stories such as A Scandal in Bohemia and A Study in Scarlett.
After comparison it becomes very easily seen that Roald Dahl is the better author. For example, his writing always includes a twist, which even when you expect the twist you can never comprehend what the twist will be. Edgar Allan Poe’s writing is emotional, but it lacks the thrilling and surprising aspect that Dahl was able to incorporate into his writing. Another example is how Dahl throughout his books changes the setting from regular to spectacular. Even though Poe’s fear inducing gothic setting seem to work well with his emotional style, Dahl’s setting is used to work with the twist and drastically change somewhere in the book.
For Sherlock Holmes, his partner in crime is Dr. John H. Watson. Not only is he a trusted friend, but also he is Holmes’ associate and the first person narrator of the Sherlock tales. The stories of Sherlock Holmes are a collection of short stories and fictional novels created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These stories are based on a famous and most notorious detective all throughout London, Sherlock Holmes. Along his side, Dr. Watson narrates his and Holmes’ detective cases and reveals Sherlock’s abilities and knowledge of solving cases and fighting deadly crimes. For the duration of the stories, Watson and Holmes share a particular relationship where Holmes verbally dominates Watson, “You see, but you do not observe. The distinction is very clear” (Doyle 241). When he isn’t insulting Dr. Watson he talks about how much he relies on his partner, “I am lost without my Boswell” (Doyle 243).
The short story “Lamb to The Slaughter” by Roald Dahl is about the death of a detective who has been murdered by his wife. As officers arrive they can’t seem to find the murder and the murder weapon. The short story Lamb to The Slaughter is interesting to read because the author allows readers to put their own perspective into the book. Another reason is the storyline and finally the theme.