Literary Essay 2 The authors of the two texts The Monkey’s Paw and Closed for the Season effectively created suspense through the use of dramatic elements. The first way both authors created suspense was by describing the setting. Another way both authors created suspense was by the interesting fears of the characters. Finally, the authors created vivid descriptions of the setting or imagery to create suspense. Therefore, the authors used the various techniques, because they wanted the readers to feel the emotions of the characters.
The authors use setting as a way to create suspense by using vivid descriptions of the characters surroundings. For example, in The Monkey’s Paw on page 360 the text states, “Without, the night
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The first piece of evidence comes from Closed for the Season on page 22, “Hey, I’ve got an idea,” he said. “Let’s get the newspaper from the day Mrs. Donaldson was killed so you can read all about it.” Then Logan saying “Sure.” But due to the tone of his voice, we can tell from context clue that he is feeling uneasy about the the murder of Mrs. Donaldson, and wants nothing to do with the situation. This creates suspense for the reader by knowing that there is more to the story behind the murder of Mrs. Donaldson. Giving the readers ideas of what really happened to Myrtle Donaldson. Another strange dialogue is well before when Logan’s parents were inside their new house. Leaving Logan along with Arthur, then Arthur proceeds to tell unfortunate news,”Did you know somebody was murdered in your house?” Which is completely strange to tell someone who just moved next door, plus a bit eerie knowing someone’s final hour was on the staircase to the basement. Finally in the Monkey’s Paw when on page 365 the text says,”The last face was so horrible and so simian that he gazed at it in amazement. It got so vivid that, with an uneasy laugh, he felt on the table for a glass containing a little water to throw over it.” This creates suspense by showing foreshadow, by showing a monkey’s face in the fire, when they mocked the first wish they made with the Monkey’s Paw. The reader can understand how the …show more content…
The first example of imagery is in Closed for the Season when the text says, “Arthur led me down an overgrown path, stopping now and then to examine a crumbling building or the remains of a ride.” This gives a slight bit of suspense because the young boys are in the middle of a strange dark forest that could be hiding “dangerous criminals or drug addicts” in the remains of the once thriving theme park. Someone could possibly try and hurt the boys if they are seen or worse, which gives readers a more unsettling feeling. The next example is from the Monkey’s Paw when on page 366, the text states, “ His wife made no reply. She was watching the mysterious movements of a man outside, who, peering in an undecided fashion at the house, appeared to be trying to make up his mind to enter.” This shows a vivid description of the event and the way that the character’s have taken the situation. This also shows the fear of the characters are on the man acting so out of the ordinary. The final piece of evidence is when on page 367, when the man from Maw and Meggins says that Herbert is gone, “She broke off suddenly as the sinister meaning of the assurance dawned upon her and she saw the awful confirmation of her fears in the other’s averted face. She caught her breath, and turning to her slower witted husband, laid her trembling old hand upon his. There was a long silence.” This shows that the readers the sight
In Dahl’s short story and in Jacob’s short story, both depict suspense through tone and description. For example, in the “The Landlady”, the narrator stated, “I stuff all my little pets.” This example reveals suspense by providing the landlady killed and stuffed her pets. Furthermore,
“ The horizon was the color of milk. Cold and fresh. Poured out among the bodies” (Zusak 175). The device is used in the evidence of the quote by using descriptives words that create a mental image. The text gives the reader that opportunity to use their senses when reading the story. “Somehow, between the sadness and loss, Max Vandenburg, who was now a teenager with hard hands, blackened eyes, and a sore tooth, was also a little disappointed” (Zusak 188). This quote demonstrates how the author uses descriptive words to create a mental image which gives the text more of an appeal to the reader's sense such as vision. “She could see his face now, in the tired light. His mouth was open and his skin was the color of eggshells. Whisker coated his jaw and chin, and his ears were hard and flat. He had a small but misshapen nose” (Zusak 201). The quotes allows the reader to visualize what the characters facial features looked like through the use of descriptive words. Imagery helps bring the story to life and to make the text more exciting. The reader's senses can be used to determine the observations that the author is making about its characters. The literary device changes the text by letting the reader interact with the text by using their observation skills. The author is using imagery by creating images that engages the reader to know exactly what's going on in the story which allows them to
Josh Pachter’s “Invitation to a Murder” uses passage of time, inference gaps, and foreshadowing to add suspense. Dramatic irony, inference gaps and red herrings create suspense in “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses mystery elements of many possible suspects, accumulation of clues and hidden evidence as catalysts for suspense. All three authors cleverly created anticipation in their work with mystery elements that kept the potential to hold captive their reader’s attention until the very last
Everyone at one point has been captivated and intrigued by the plot of a movie or a book. This captivation is generated by the one tool that authors and directors love the most, suspense. Authors want their audience and readers of their writing to be enthralled by creating tension and thrill in their plot. The usage of style, characterization, point of view, and foreshadowing allows authors and directors to create suspense in their work. Suspense is a very difficult approach to master but with the correct tools it can be as simple as a walk through the park.
The technique of imagery is the strongest technique Bradbury uses in his text, “ The sounds of Thunder”. Here we can see images in our head what is happening, and we can also smell it. We can smell what he is talking about because we all have probably smelled something nasty before and when we read the text, it reminded us of that scent. It is very important for authors to add imagery because it helps the reader imagine what is happening, therefore, he or she put themselves in the characters shoes and that gives them a better sense of the
Imagery plays a big part in the success of a novel. Different writers have different styles. The good thing about imagery is it makes room for the reader to put things together. The reader is allowed to interpret the story the way that they like. "Ragged Dick", Horatio Alger, Jr. did a great thing with imagery. While reading the novel readers had a change to envision many things that were mentioned in each chapter. Algar interconnected the appearances of the main character to his living arrangement. He also connected these things with the character's attitude.
Comparing the three stories “The Dogs Could Teach Me,” “The Flowers,” and “The Sniper,” “The Sniper” demonstrates the best suspenseful text between the three stories. To create a suspenseful story, “The Sniper” develops multiple moments of suspense. For instance, one illustration of suspense in “The Sniper” is “He paused for a moment, considering whether he should risk a smoke. It was dangerous. The flash might be seen in the darkness, and there were enemies watching. He decided to take the risk.” This is a suspenseful moment in “The Sniper” because if the sniper risks to smoke, he will be giving away his position and could be shot at by the enemies. Another representation of suspense is “Pressing his lips together, he took a deep breath through his nostrils and
The most prominent example of this is the imagery of the wallpaper and the way the narrator’s opinion on the wallpaper slowly changes throughout the story; this directly reflects what is happening within the narrator’s mind. At the beginning of the story, the narrator describes the wallpaper as “Repellent.revolting. a smoldering unclean yellow” (Gilman 377). As the story continues, the narrator starts to become obsessed with the wallpaper and her opinion of it has completely changed from the beginning. Symbolism plays a big part in “The Yellow Wallpaper” too.
Imagery is when the author uses detail to paint a picture of what’s happening. This is shown when Kendra is looking out of the window, “...fixed her gaze on a particular tree, following it as it slowly approached, streaked past, and then gradually receded behind her..” (1). This is imagery because you can imagine the tree flying past. These literary devices help deepen the plot of the
The writer uses imagery, because he wants to let the readers into his mind. By describing the scene for the readers, makes the readers fell like they were there. Therefore, it gives us a better ability to emphasize with him.
In John Irving's novel titled, A Prayer for Owen Meany, suspenseful events are of abundance, and there are multiple ways the author creates this suspense. Among these methods of creating suspense, four that stand out are the use of setting, the pace of the story, the involvement of mysteries to be solved, and the ability of the reader to easily identify and sympathize with the protagonist. By placing a character in a gloomy or solitary place, uncomfortable feelings are created, which append to the suspense. Pace and structure of the story also play into the foundation of suspense, as shorter sentences and stronger, more cutting verbs and adjectives are often used to keep the reader highly interested and reading at a rapid speed. Of course, suspense could not be considered what it is if there were no mystery involved. The element of not knowing what is in store for the future and having the urge to find out is the essence of suspense. Also, if the reader cannot easily relate to and sympathize with the character in the suspenseful situation, a loss of interest can arise, and therefore spoil the spirit of the tension. Uncomfortable settings, pace and structure, use of mysteries, and capability to relate to the main character are four techniques that John Irving uses to create suspense.
Since the earliest days of writing and storytelling, Setting has been an imperative part of the storytelling process. Setting is one of many ways a writer can show emotion as well as a plethora of other emotions or experiences in a story. Amy Tan, the author of “A Pair of Tickets”, uses setting to create the feelings being in a mysterious land and being at home at the same time. Setting creates a greater understanding of the struggles that the characters have/are going through during the story. In “A Pair of Tickets,” setting creates the following introspective elements for the characters: a greater understanding to each characters wisdom, reveals the struggles of each characters and shows each characters true age.
Imagery is used by many authors as a crucial element of character development. These authors draw parallels between the imagery in their stories and the main characters' thoughts and feelings. Through intense imagery, non-human elements such as the natural environment, animals, and inanimate objects are brought to life with characteristics that match those of the characters involved.
As Mccarthy once said “The suspense of a novel is not only in the reader but in the novelist, who is intensely curious about what will happen to the hero. (Mary McCarthy)” In this quote, McCarthy means the main characters in the story are suspenseful to draw the reader to be anxious. Above all, the author incorporates the use of literary terms in his or her’s story to create the feeling of suspense. To be specific, in the story “The Hitchhiker” by Lucille Fletcher, the author includes the elements foreshadowing and supernatural to leave the reader anticipated and anxious what is going on in the story. Also, in “The Monkey's Paw” by W.W Jacobs, the author develops suspense by adding literary devices such as situational irony and cliffhanger
A good example of imagery can be found at the end of the story in the last paragraph. For this part of imagery, the main character Jackson Jackson has received his grandmother’s regalia from the pawn shop employee without having to pay the total of $999 he originally had to pay. (Alexie) “I took my grandmother’s regalia and walked outside. I knew that solitary yellow bead was part of me. I knew I was that yellow bead in part. Outside, I wrapped myself in my grandmother’s regalia and breathed her in. I stepped off the sidewalk and into the intersection. Pedestrians stopped. Cars stopped. The city stopped. They all watched me dance with my grandmother. I was my grandmother, dancing.” This statement made at the end of the story indicates a strong sense of imagery that details Jackson’s emotions towards getting his grandmother’s regalia from the pawn shop. The yellow bead he mentions was his strongest symbol of feeling toward his grandmother, feeling as if he were a part of that yellow bead, in this case, his grandmother. Jackson describes in more detail of how he felt more like his grandmother after he wrapped the regalia around him. The pedestrians, city, everything around him was watching him feel like his grandmother, like some sort of flashback he could be