Signalman Essays

  • Comparing Description and Imagery in The Foghorn and The Signalman

    2669 Words  | 6 Pages

    Description and Imagery in The Foghorn and The Signalman For  this assignment I will be looking at two short narratives. One was written by Bradbury, in the mid twentieth century ,'The Foghorn' and the other was written by Dickens, 'The Signalman'' over one hundred years before. Both are based on supernatural themes and ideas. It is obvious that Dickens tale was written in the mid nineteenth century because his style of writing  is very different to the more modern techniques writers employ

  • The Signalman, by Charles Dickens; The Battler by Ernest Hemingway

    2793 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Signalman, by Charles Dickens; The Battler by Ernest Hemingway - In what way do the two authors create and maintain interest and suspense in their stories? In Charles Dickens' 'The Signalman' the story starts by introducing the main character (a railway signalman). Another character is also introduced: the narrator. Dickens describes the signalman as a 'dark sallow man' and as having a 'dark beard' and 'heavy eyebrows'. It seems that Dickens wishes to portray the signalman as a dark

  • Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl and The Signalman by Charles Dickens

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    Roald Dahl and The Signalman by Charles Dickens ================================================================== This Essay will analyse and compare two short stories 'Lamb to the slaughter' by Roald Dhal and 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens. The Essay will concentrate on firstly the beginning of each story, the setting of each story an analysis of the characters and finally will look at how the authors create a sense of suspense and tension. In the signalman Dickens aims to create

  • Irony in The Signalman

    1369 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Signalman is as explicit in its irony, as it is effective in its purpose, of creating an awe of mystery around the story. To summarise the story we must first understand that in hindsight the very name of the story, 'The Signalman' is as explicit in its irony, as it is effective in its purpose, of creating an awe of mystery around the story. It cruelly but entertainingly, creates the false perception, a façade, of the story's name being based around the central character of the Signalman

  • Creating Atmosphere in The Signalman

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    How Charles Dickens creates atmosphere in The Signalman Charles Dickens is renowned for his unusual narrative structure and his ability to include his readers within the story. 'The Signalman' is no exception to this. Whilst reading the text I found it easy to relate to and determine the specific scenario, this is relative to escapism. Because the 'Signalman' is fictional the reader can escape to the periodic settings. Dickens created this suspension of disbelief through premonitions

  • The Red Room and The Signalman

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Red Room and The Signalman The 19th century horror stories, The Red Room by H. G. Wells and The Signalman by Charles Dickens, are both written in the traditional gothic horror setting with the almost predictable storylines. The Red Room by H. G. Wells is not an irregularity in the masses of 19th century horror tales but is slightly different as it tells of a visitor to long forgotten castle which is purportedly inhabited by a ghostly force in this one room. It is different to many others

  • The Signalman and How It Happened

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Charles Dickens (1866), the author of “The Signalman”, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1918) of “How It Happened” explore the theme of the supernatural to create suspense. The central theme of the supernatural is commonly associated with feelings of fear and horror; these feelings are appropriate for creating suspense, thus effectively driving the reader into a panicked state of mind. Not only is the theme of the supernatural used to create suspense, but the authors also use it to explore issues

  • Charles Dickens' The Signalman

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Dickens' The Signalman In every good ghost story I have ever read the writer builds an air of mystery and apprehension as the story unfolds, until the climax. This serves to both keep the reader interested and question what is going to happen next but makes them feel scared and anxious. In my essay intend to explore how Charles Dickens creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense in 'the signalman'. I will do this in three ways: By the description of setting, characters and by

  • The Signalman And Ostler Comparison Essay

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Comparison of 'The Signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The Ostler' by Wilkie Collins Both The Signalman and The Ostler are Victorian ghost stories, the signalman being written by Charles Dickens in 1866, and the ostler being written in 1855 by Wilkie Collins. Both these stories were relatively scary at the time of which they were wrote (The 19th Century.) Both writers create suspense in their stories by using a certain type of narrative, descriptive and organisational

  • The Setting in Hound of the Baskervilles and The Signalman

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Setting in Hound of the Baskervilles and The Signalman 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1902 carrying the genre of a horror story, whilst 'The Signalman' was written by Charles Dickens in 1860, carrying the genre of a ghost story. Both writers use the same type of setting throughout the novels which is dismal, shadowy and perspirating. At the time when both novels were written, the readers who read both of the novels believed that ghosts and

  • A Comparison of The Red Room and The Signalman

    1154 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Comparison of The Red Room and The Signalman In this piece of coursework I am going to compare and contrast two short stories. The first story I am going to look at is 'The Red Room' and the second is 'The Signalman'. I will look at these stories and then compare them making sure that I mention the setting, creation of suspense, genre, style of writing and the language used. 'The Signalman is a short story by Charles Dickens and 'The Red Room' is another short story by H.G.Wells. These

  • A Comparison of The Red Room and The Signalman

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Comparison Between The Red Room and The Signalman These two stories, though different, have in common their writers intentions which is to keep the reader in suspense. We can see this in many places in the stories, and an example of this relates to the settings and surroundings throughout. The Victorians were very interested in Gothic Literature and this is shown especially in the ‘Red Room’, where Wells borrowed applications such as ghosts, castles and supernatural beings. Furthermore

  • The Effectiveness Of The Signalman As A Ghost Story

    2034 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Effectiveness of The Signalman as a Ghost Story This story utilizes a lot of horror and uses it in conjunction with mystery to move the plot along and keep the reader on the edge of their seat. When the author incorporates the horror into the story, not only is he keeping the reader puzzled, but he is also making the reader afraid. When an author can make the reader feel like this, then the elements of the story have been used effectively. The reader's feelings

  • Comparison of The Red Room and The Signalman

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparison of The Red Room and The Signalman. The two stories we were asked to compare had one common themes which were the building of fear and suspense throughout. One clear difference between the stories was the function of fear in the stories. In the 'The Red Room' the author does not only use fear as a means of evolving the story but also places it at the centre of the story. 'The Signalman' uses fear of the supernatural as a means of making the story more believable as done in 'The

  • A Comparison of The Signalman and The Darkness Out There

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    A Comparison of The Signalman and The Darkness Out There 'The Signalman' was set in an era in which Victorian language was still used, meanwhile 'The Darkness Out There' is a more modern age story. 'The Signalman', set 100 years before 'The Darkness Out There' was the story of a troubled man. His troubles are the main reasons for his death. The reader is unaware as to whether or not the Signalman's death was a consequence of his paranoia or a matter of coincidence.' The Darkness Out There'

  • Comparing The Signalman and The Red Room

    825 Words  | 2 Pages

    Comparing The Signalman and The Red Room These stories written pre-1900 at a time when one would have feared the unknown and hadn’t benefited from travel, TV, and an education that we have today. These stories have typical features of the 19th century ghost stories such as a castle, candles at night, an uninviting setting, a lonely man and so on. The supernatural means something that is beyond our control and therefore, as humans, we fear what we don’t understand, in both stories the writers

  • Comparing The Monkey's Paw and The Signalman

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    Comparing The Monkey's Paw and The Signalman In these two short stories both authors write gothic tale stories. Both authors use gothic tale features e.g they use darkness, isolation and use of senses. Both authors’ u similar methods to create tension e.g. they both use repetition and short sentences. They both use their senses e.g. in the monkeys paw they use their sense of hearing and feeling, for example they hear the door knocking and use a lot of sight through Mr.White cant see where

  • The Signalman by Dickens and The Withered Arm by Hardy

    2658 Words  | 6 Pages

    “The Signalman” by Dickens and “The Withered Arm” by Hardy The story of "The Signalman" opens with the words “Halloa! Below there”, this short, but effective line is very significant to the plot of the story. A questioning atmosphere is already created, as it is not clear to the reader as to who is speaking, or whom the anonymous figure is being shouted at? The opening paragraph of the "The Signalman" is unexplained, leaving the readers questioning. For example when the Narrator is shouting

  • Examining the Setting in The Signalman and The Red Room

    1543 Words  | 4 Pages

    Examining the Setting in The Signalman and The Red Room The setting of a story matters greatly to the atmosphere of the story; therefore a lot of writers endeavour to create effective effects during the story that contribute hugely to the atmosphere of the story. This is not unlike "The Signalman" and "The Red Room" which are both Victorian mystery stories. Hence, being a mystery story from an era, the authors have the responsibilities to create effects and atmospheres that keep the readers

  • Atmosphere in Charles Dickens' The Signalman

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Atmosphere in Charles Dickens' The Signalman 'The Signal-man' is a ghostly thriller by Charles Dickens. Based on an apparently hallucinating signal-man and the tales of his hallucinations, the story is seen through the eyes of the narrator, a man told of the signal-mans troubles during conversations with the signal-man himself. From the beginning of the story, the atmosphere is both eerie and gloomy. To produce this type of atmosphere, Dickens had to draw on several different aspects