Roald Dahl was a famous British novelist. He was born in Wales, England on September 13th, 1916, to Norwegian parents. Dahl’s father passed away when he was four, and he was sent to a boarding school. After high school, Dahl did not go to university; instead, he applied for a job at the Shell Company, a famous oil company. Soon the Second World War broke out, and he reported to the capital city of Nairobi, wanting to join the Royal Air Force. As a fighter pilot, he successfully destroyed many German planes, but was wounded. After spending six months in the hospital, he went to Washington in 1942 serving the position of Assistant Air Attache, an assistant of a high ranked Air Force Officer. It was only then that he started writing stories. He went on to marry actress Patricia Neal, but their marriage was miserable, they divorced in 1983. Dahl later remarried, and this second marriage lasted until his death in November 23rd1990. Dahl’s significant life events defined his early on in life and allowed him to become a greatly influential author, giving him inspirations.
Roald Dahl wrote many famous children books, most of them were packed with imagination and humor. Some of these books were influenced by specific childhood experiences in Dahl’s life. For example, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a fantasy children’s book, was inspired by Dahl’s fondness for a particular candy shop. He had a work experience in a chocolate factory belonging to the famous Cadbury Company and loved chocolate himself. His imagination and penchant for chocolates also contributed in the writing of this novel. “Whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all if it hasn’t been whipped with whips, just like poached eggs isn't poached eggs unless it's been stolen...
... middle of paper ...
...v. 2013. .
"Lamb to the Slaughter (and Other Stories)." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. .
"Matilda." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. .
"Roald Dahl - The Official Web Site." Roald Dahl - The Official Web Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. .
"Roald Dahl." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. .
"RoaldDahlFans.com - My Dahl Biography." RoaldDahlFans.com - My Dahl Biography.N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. .
"Why Did Roald Dahl Write Storys?" WikiAnswers. Answers, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. .
On December 10, 1950, in Stockholm, Sweden, one of the greatest literary minds of the twentieth century, William Faulkner, presented his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize. If one reads in between the lines of this acceptance speech, they can detect a certain message – more of a cry or plead – aimed directly to adolescent authors and writers, and that message is to be the voice of your own generation; write about things with true importance. This also means that authors should include heart, soul, spirit, and raw, truthful emotion into their writing. “Love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice” (Faulkner) should all be frequently embraced – it is the duty of authors to do so. If these young and adolescent authors ignore this message and duty, the already endangered state of literature will continue to diminish until its unfortunate extinction.
In “Lamb to the Slaughter,” Dahl highlights how the the truth is closer than you think. Mary Maloney is reactive when she finds out her husband wants to put an end to their marriage. After she finds
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-five; Or, The Children's Crusade, a Duty-dance with Death. New York: Delacorte, 1969. Print.
In "Lamb to the Slaughter" Roald Dahl uses the leg of lamb as a symbol of domesticity. The meat, which the primary intention of it was to be cooked and eaten, had mainly to do with the kitchen and women. When Mary used the leg of lamb to kill her husband, she turned a domestic tool into a tool for harm and murder. In this way, Mary challenged the domestic role the patriarchy of the time had placed her into. The leg of lamb also represents Mary, and the way she follows her husband, the same way a lamb follows a shepherd. The leg of lamb also alludes to the bible; in the way the Jesus was the Lamb and a martyr for Christians, the same way that Mary’s husband was a martyr for the patriarchate.
Kroeber, Karl. “J.R.R. Tolkien”. British Writers. Ed. George Stade, New York: Gale Research, 1980. 519-521
One of Dahl's more popular short fiction stories for adults is "Lamb to the Slaughter." I am going to be using this story in my comparison against another Murder Mystery called "Speckled Band" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
In ’Lamb to the Slaughter’ the main point to the story is to find out
It has always been amazing to realize how well the literature I read as a child has stayed with me through the years. It takes an exceptional writer to compose a narrative that maintains a storyline on the same level of a child's understanding; it takes everything short of a miracle to keep a child's interest. However, that undertaking has been accomplished by many skilled authors, and continues to be an area of growth in the literary world. Only this year the New York Times has given the genre of children's literature the credit it deserves by creating a separate best-sellers list just for outstanding children's books. Yet, on another level, children's literature is not only for the young. I believe that the mark of a brilliant children's author is the age range of those who get pleasure from the stories; the wider the range, the better.
"Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography." Theodor Seuss Geisel - "Dr. Seuss" Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. .
Perrault, B. (2003). Little red riding hood. In Schilb, J. and Clifford, J. (Ed.) Making literature matter (pp. 667-669). NY: Bedford/St. Martin?s.
Dahl, Roald. "Lamb to the Slaughter." Lamb to the Slaughter and Other Stories. London: Penguin, 1995. N. pag. Print.
A children book is an extremely substantial and significant form of literature. It educates, affects and amuses at the same time. Although its main audience are the small children, the majority of adults in fact enjoy this type of literature as much as children do. This can be explained by the capacity of children literature to deal with great themes and topics that are too large for adult fiction. (Philip Pullman) For its great importance, the style and technique by which it is produced, is a major concern for both of the authors and critics. One technique has a particular impact in the children book, that is to say, illustration. Bearing the visual nature of children in mind, we understand that their books should be delivered with
"The Value of Children's Literature | Education.com." Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Web. 20 Oct. 2010. .
Dahl modeled one of the book’s central characters, Willy Wonka, around himself. Both men lived in their creative worlds and lived their lives as kids in a grown person’s body. For Wonka, he hid inside his chocolate factory and made candy, a child’s delight. As for Dahl, on the other hand, he hid inside of his writing hut and wrote books for children. This concept of serving the youth is seen in Storyteller, “‘ It’s really quite easy,’ [Dahl] would say. ‘I go down to my little hut, where it’s tight and dark and warm, and within minutes I can go back to being six or seven or eight again.’ (Storyteller 40). Or as his alter ego, Willy Wonka, put it in an early draft of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: ‘In my factory I make things to please children. I don't care about adults.’” In action, both men were much like children. Being creative and working for children was not only these men’s occupations, but also their ways of life. Storyteller points out further similarities. “Both men shared an apparently boundless self-confidence and ‘No arguments, please’ public manner. Both could be grandiose, mercurial, capricious. Both cultivated a sense of mystery around themselves. Both were misunderstood. In all these respects Wonka mirrored his creator.” (Storyteller 400). These men not only acted similar in revolving their lives around children, but the way they interacted with others was also alike. The
Roald Dahl was a famous British writer. He was inspired to write because of his dreams and life experiences. He enjoyed telling bedtime stories to his children. These bedtime stories were published and some were made into films. Roald Dahl was great writer and was recognized for his work.