Compare Dickens The Signal

Compare Dickens The Signal-Man to Dahls Lambs to the Slaughter Essay Despite the time passed between the writing of Dickens The Signalman and Dahls Lambs to the Slaughter, they have certain similarities. They both focus around death and madness, and include characters that are written to make the reader question their sanity. They also both oppose the development of modern technology. However, they are written in completely different styles. Dickens piece is written in the first person, as in that it is written from the characters point of view. In contrast, Dahls piece is written from a narrators point of view, in the third person. By writing in the first person, Dickens creates a sense of inclusion, that the reader is actually taking part in the story. It brings the reader closer in on the action, which makes the emotions feel more intense and the story more intimate. This is an apt format to have in a horror/mystery genre, as it heightens the effect of the writing, and makes the story feel more relevant to the reader. However, because Dahl is writing to entertain or amuse the reader, the third person format would be more suited. It gives the reader an insight into someone elses life, so they do not connect emotionally with the characters in question, and so they can find the predicament amusing. Also, Dickens uses complex syntax and complicated language. This may have been due to the period of time it was written in and the audience it was aimed at. It was written after the Industrial Revolution, just after the development of railways, which means around the 1870s. The story was probably aimed at the higher, educated classes, who, on the whole, thought that technology was a good idea and would invest in it. Therefore, Dickens can use the piece to portray his morals, ideas and opinions to people who are intelligent and high-ranking enough to be swayed by his argument against technology and its effect on the human mind. This is mentioned as a part in the story, where the Signalman is in distress because he is only a poor signal-man and has not the power to act nor credit to be believed. Dickens, therefore, tries to appeal to an audience who has both of those assets and can take action towards his cause. Dahl uses language to build the characters and set the scene. He uses less descriptive language than Signalman. This is because the short descriptions are used more to further the storyline and add short-term dramatic effect rather than to create a long-term build-up of tension, as in Dickens piece. For example: the oily swirls in the liquid because it was so strong are used to show that something is out of place or odd, building to a release of tension a few paragraphs over, in contrast to Dickens, where each description builds to the final climax at the end of the story. The language Dahl uses is simple and not, as opposed to Dickens, complicated. This is because it is set in the mid-twentieth century, and not aimed at a particular group of people, more to the general public. This is because the culture and society was different at the time of writing than in the century preceding, when Dickens was alive. In the twentieth century, the public in general had more power in opinion than only a small group of people, being the upper classes in Signalman. Therefore, by aiming the piece at society as a whole, his opinions can and will appeal to those who have the power to act. Animal Farm: Imagine you are an animal on the farm EssayHis short, one-word answers and peculiar actions the overly strong whisky puzzle the reader, as the wife and her surroundings describe him as a good, faithful husband, and his actions strike the reader, and the wife, as odd. Her description at the exposition describes her as pure, good, kind and even compares her to the Virgin Mary. This is evident in her name also Mary, and the way she has a slow smiling air and her skin has a wonderful translucent quality. These qualities appear in many artists representations of the Virgin Mary. In contrast, tension and suspense in The Signal-man is built by the gradual revealing of the ghost. As the story progresses, we learn more and more about this appearance, and what relevance certain actions, overseen at the beginning, have to the story. For example, when the narrator first greets the Signal-Man with his arm raised, covering his eyes. At first, the reader does not think anything of it, but as the story is revealed; it is found that the ghost had used exactly the same actions. The tension in The Signal-man is also built up by the atmosphere created by the descriptions of the Signal-man and his surroundings. The cutting is described as if it were a grave, gloomy and a great dungeon. This introduces the theme of death and mystery. In all, the two pieces are alike in as many ways as they are different. They both state, as a main theme, death and mystery, be it in completely different ways. Lambs to the Slaughter is a black comedy, where death is the murder of the husband, and the mystery is part of the irony. The Signal-Man is a dark horror mystery, based around the supernatural. Its seriousness sends a message to the reader, making them question who they are, and what they believe. Both pieces oppose modern technology. Lambs mocks the policing and latest forensic methods, and also the modern justice system. Signal-Man critiscises the railways, and the effect of modern technology on an average persons mind. It makes the reader question what is real and what isnt. Modern film-makers use this technique to create suspense and confuse the reader: for example, The Matrix. Both pieces tell of the power of the downtrodden or unrecognised. Lambs was set around the time of womens rights, and so tells the story of a womans empowerment over her husband. Signal-Man tells of an educated man that would be ignored because of where he works, and how much power he has, or in this case, doesnt have. It is a story of the working classes, a story that uses one mans tale to inform the upper classes of the dangers of technology. It gives the purpose and moral of the writing a human identity, something that the readers can, themselves, identify with and feel sympathy for. The stories are both alike and different, but are, initially, of the same themes and ideas.