Detective stories have been very popular from the mid 1900s Essay Example for Free

Detective stories have been very popular from the mid 1900s Essay The victim in The Speckled Band was Helen Stoner and the victim in The Gatewood Caper was Audrey, even though she kidnapped herself. Both the victims in the two stories were women and they had a problem with their fathers. Audreys grudge was mainly due to the loss of her mother. Both of their fathers had towering figures for example Harvey Gatewood is described as: He was a big bruiser of a man, something over 200 pounds of hard red flesh and a czar from the top of his bullet to the toes of his shoes From this description we can see why Audrey had problems with her father, like when he lost his temper what could Audrey do with a man with that physique this also applied to Helen Stoner as Dr Roylott had the same temperament and physique. However, Dr Roylott was a stepfather. Ms Stoner was completely innocent unlike Audrey who took the law into her own hands instead of seeking help which Ms Stoner did. Ms Stoner was the more traditional as she was helpless and frightened of her father unlike Audrey was who kidnapped herself trying to hurt her father and from victim she turned to villain. The villain in The Speckled Band was Dr Roylott and the villain in The Gatewood Caper was Audrey, as well as being the victim. Both of the villains were cunning and smart and they both had motives, but Dr Roylott was the more traditional as he was mean and aggressive. Dr Roylott also had a criminal history as Helen Stoner tells us: He beat his native butler to death, and narrowly escaped a capital sentence. Audrey wanted to hurt her father mentally and financially and had an accomplice, which wasnt traditional as the villain should be alone. The ingredients required to be a villain are present in Dr Roylott and in Audrey as both had quarrels, but unlike Dr Roylott, Audrey didnt commit an evil crime. Audrey just ran away from home because she was sick of being tied to her father Harvey Gatewood. She fooled everyone by claiming to have been kidnapped because she wanted revenge on her father by getting his money, but there was no real harm done. The villain, Dr Roylott in The Speckled Band also added to my enjoyment of the story. Whenever his huge towering figure would arrive in the story I would get so tense and eager because I was worried that his actions would be fatal. This feeling made me feel as though I was inside the story. You couldnt even identify who the victim and villain was in The Gatewood Caper let alone feeling you were a part of the story and there wasnt enough background information which would make it easy to understand. Both the settings in the stories were good and added to the enjoyment of the story. The Gatewood Caper was set in the city in a rich area. However, The Speckled Band setting was more isolated and mysterious and was more eerie as it was set in the countryside in a big mansion which for me is more traditional. The fact that there were gypsies and animals in the set made the story more enjoyable to read. The setting also added to my enjoyment of the story mostly because of the extras like the baboon, cheetah and gypsies which made the setting like an extra character in the story. The whole creepy and unusual feeling about Stoke Moran funnily made the setting more pleasant for me to read. The setting of The Gatewood Caper was good, but it didnt get me involved with the plot. Both stories followed my anticipation of a classic detective story structure. The Speckled Band and The Gatewood Caper had the crime being described at the beginning of the story. The story started with the report of the crime. But in The Speckled Band I didnt discover the problem straight away; I was made to wait for a while which built up suspense, as I was eager to discover the crime. Both stories had a period of uncertainty in the middle of the story where the investigation was proceeding and the detective began to gather evidence. In this section the main similarity between the two stories was the fact that the detective in each story had already solved the crime, but me, being the reader was made to wait until the end of the story to discover the outcome. Both stories also had a period where the case was solved and explained by the detective at the end. The main difference in the structure of the story between the two stories was the fact that unlike The Speckled Band the criminals in The Gatewood Caper were not punished at the end of the story. I also found the structure of The Gatewood Caper hard to follow and confusing at times. Therefore I have chosen The Speckled Bands structure as being the more classic detective structure. The style of writing in The Speckled Band was very detailed, well described and precise. But it moved slowly which led to building up suspense holding my interest. The language was very different, but both were formal and the vocabulary used was of early 1900s. The Speckled Band had been written in Standard English unlike the The Gatewood Caper which was written in American English. The Gatewood Capers style of writing was less detailed, but it moved fast and got to the point quicker than The Speckled Band. Because it moved fast it built up the suspense much quicker, but it wasnt that effective for me. The language was very different from The Speckled Band as it was more modern and used vocabulary from the era we are in now. Overall The Speckled Bands style of writing was more like a classic detectives style of writing. The Gatewood Caper moved and started faster and tended to get to the point quicker, which is the style in which writers like to write these days. The Gatewood Caper was more modern as well as there wouldnt have been a shopping mall in the time of Sherlock Holmes and there were not many agencies in traditional detective stories. The themes raised by The Speckled Band were exactly what I had expected for a traditional detective story. The themes of a classic detective story were very straightforward and The Speckled Band raised all these themes. For instance crime doesnt pay. Dr Roylott didnt fulfil his evil motive by killing Helen Stoner. Good beats evil; Sherlock Holmes was able to unravel the evil truth behind the death of Julia Stoner. The themes raised by The Gatewood Caper were exactly what I didnt expect. Because good and evil were not easy to spot as the themes were not what they seemed and the whole truth doesnt come out. It didnt seem that Audrey got punished and the whole thing was a waste of police time as the only thing which was solved was a family problem. The morals of the story were quite different from what I expected as running away doesnt solve problems is not a theme I would expect in a detective story. The theme raised by The Speckled Band was another reason that made the story more enjoyable to read. The theme raised by The Speckled Band was very common to most detective stories. In normal detective stories you may discover the theme that the guilty are punished after villains are sent to jail, this theme is discovered after a very normal and unimaginative event. But in The Speckled Band this theme was demonstrated after a venomous snake had killed the villain, Dr Roylott, in mysterious circumstances. The way the themes were discovered added to the excitement of the story. Both stories had the same issue of the troubles in relationship between father and daughter. In The Speckled Band Dr Roylott was more violent and bad tempered and even though he was their stepfather he was practically all the girls had. To save his money he killed Julia and attempted to kill Helen. On the other hand in The Gatewood Caper the relationship between father and daughter was less violent as Audrey looked for attention. A classic detective story would have the more violent storyline of The Speckled Band as it is more explosive. This relationship issue made Dr Roylott more of a feared character and this induced more tension, which a classic detective story would want. In every category The Speckled Band obeyed the rules applied to a classic detective story. The themes raised by The Speckled Band were identical to themes raised by a classical detective story. Like a traditional detective story The Speckled Band identified the hero, villain, and victim very clearly and they were very simple to follow. The Gatewood Caper was unable to do this even at the end of the story I was struggling to identify the villain and victim in the story, as there were two possibilities. For some people this is an enjoyment and they like reading this type of story, but for me I was lost in finding the villain or victim that I couldnt understand the story. I personally preferred The Speckled Band rather than The Gatewood Caper, and there are multiple reasons for this. I found the plot of The Speckled Band extremely entertaining and that it was wrapped up at the end. This is because events such as the snake built up suspense which made me eager to read on. The plot events were enjoyable to read because it was easy to build up a picture from the description. There were far more dramatic events full of suspense and drama in The Speckled Band rather than The Gatewood Caper which had a lot less description. The main reasons I believe I personally preferred The Speckled Band was better because the story had the ability to include interesting characters by using great description. It included many exciting events which built up suspense making me eager to read on and find out what happened. It also included puzzles and mysteries for me to solve during the story. All these factors fulfilled a description of a classic detective story. The Speckled Band was like a classic detective story which is why I preferred this story to The Gatewood Caper story. To what extent did The Speckled Band and Gatewood Caper match the expectations of a traditional detective story ?

Public Education: Funding based Upon Race Essay examples -- Teaching E

Public Education: Funding based Upon Race Education†¦beyond all other devices of human origin, is a great equalizer of the conditions of men—the balance wheel of the social machinery. I do not here mean that it so elevates the moral nature as to make men disdain and abhor the oppression of their fellow men†¦But I mean that it gives each man the independence and the means by which he can resist the selfishness of other men. It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility toward the rich: it prevents being poor. –Horace Mann, 1848 Public education in the United States is exalted as the â€Å"great equalizer.† This utopian concept would be true if the education provided to all citizens was equal. Unfortunately, the dueling principles upon which the American nation was founded— freedom to accumulate wealth and equality for all—inhibit the establishment and maintenance of equal education. Funding inequities within the United States public education system embody the tension between one’s right to accumulate capital and one’s duty to guarantee equality for all. As the current system stands, the right to accumulate and utilize financial resources prevails. Thus, an educational system that perpetuates the economic inequality of America’s racial groups endures. In the 1954 United States Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, school segregation was found to be unconstitutional. On behalf of the Court, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote, â€Å"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.† The reasoning behind the unanimous decision diverged from the line of argumentation that had been used by civil rig... ...ll Curve: How Education Matters† in Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 64, No. 3 (1995). Kozol, Jonathan, Savage Inequalities (New York: Harper Perennial, 1991). MacPhail-Wilcox, B. and R.A. King, â€Å"Resource allocation studies: Implications for school improvement and school finance research† in Journal of Education Finance, vol. 11 (1986). Massey, Douglas S. and Nancy A. Denton, American Apartheid (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993). Murray, Charles, Lossing Ground (New York: Basic Books, 1984). Taylor, W.L., and D.M. Piche A report on shortchanging children: The impact of fiscal inequity on the education of students at risk (1991). Wilson, William Julius, The Truly Disadvantaged (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1987). Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, (1954). Campaign for Fiscal Equity, et al v. the State of New York (2000).

What Dramatic Devices Were Used in the Inspector Calls

A little help with Analyse of The Inspector Calls by J. B Priestly. Detailed explanations of Dramatic devises used, backing quotes in an essay format. Within the play An Inspector Calls J. B Priestly uses numerous dramatic devises to get across his message of moral, class and political influence. In this essay I am going to explore and illustrate some key and subtle points in act one and further, of these themes of which Priestly works towards to influence the audience and finds himself involved in. The first hints of his central themes are imposed when J. B describes the scene and setting of the first act.An immediate perception is given off towards the audience of ‘heavily comfortable house. ’ With this being a place of constant setting, a reflection of real time and naturalism is released. The lighting prescribed for the scene also creates the mood of the play. Priestly states within his stage directions the lighting should be ‘pink and intimate’ prior to the inspector arrives a shaded glow of rose tint then should grow ‘brighter and harder’. In context and example of these stage directions are as pursued. ‘The dining room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer.It has good solid furniture of the period. At the moment they have all had a good dinner, are celebrating a special occasion, and are pleased with themselves. ’ Subtly is added to the atmosphere presented to the audience when the notion of not all is as it seems is suggested. Initially the ambience obtained appears slightly forced. This is exemplified trough the mannerism of Eric’s nervousness, Shelia’s unknowing curiosity of Gerald’s whereabouts the previous summer and the reasons behind Gerald’s parents, Lord and Lady Croft, for not attending the engagement dinner.The spectators of the play may be stimulated due to the use of this dramatic devise, of the unknowing, indefinite being impli ed on what should be a comfortable scene, this works because of natural human curiosity searching for something deeper amongst the characters and setting. Another devise used to enhance the play writer’s dramatic concepts is the use of dramatic irony and tone. These are used when the knowledge of the audience exceeds those of the characters within the play. This technique of dramatic irony is in attendance when Mr Birling makes self-assured conjectures about the coming war and the ship Titanic being unsinkable.For example J. B Priestley uses techniques to expose Birling’s naivety and generation gap, for example Birling’s speech, ‘Why a friend of mine went over this new liner last week – the Titanic – she sails next week – forty six thousand eight hundred tons – New York in five days – and every luxury – and unsinkable, absolutely unsinkable. That’s what you have got to keep your eye on, facts like that, prog ress like that –and not a few German officers talking nonsense and a few scaremongers here making a fuss about nothing. Now you three young people just listen to this – and remember what I am telling you now.In twenty or thirty years’ time – let’s say in 1940 – you may be giving a little party like this – your son or daughter may be getting engaged – and I tell, by that time you’ll be living in a world that’ll have forgotten all these Capital versus Labour agitations and all these silly little war scares. There’ll be peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere – accept of course in Russia, which will always be behindhand naturally. ’ This tactic makes the spectators of the play feel involved with the play due to their knowledgeable, advantaged background.Tension is also secured throughout the play as each character holds significant connection with the suicide victim, Eva Smith, who rep resents the universal populace. By making Eva a representation rather than a real character the moral of the play is taken more literally. The contribution from each character also produces a deeper and more involved structure towards the play’s plot. The Inspector, the true voice/mouth piece of Priestly adds a dramatic tone. The character is directed with the use of pace and tension and presents each idea and enquiry without conjunction, by observing and exposing each statement from an individual’s account.This method slowly throws light on the core of Eva’s life and the real effect of classes on a wider population. Another devise used by the inspector is an aura of menacing, ominous gloom, with is brought on with the added value of his ability to manipulate and influence the rest of the people in conjunction with his line of enquiries, due to his dominance. This is presented at the end of Act one and further on during the play and an example of this is ‘ That’s what I asked myself tonight when I was looking at that dead girl.And then I said to myself â€Å"Well, we’ll try to understand why it had to happen? † And that’s why I’m here, and that’s why I’m not going until I know all that happened. Eva Smith lost her job with Birling and Company because the strike failed and they were determined not to have another one. At least she found another job- under what name I don’t know- in a big shop, and had to leave there because you were annoyed with yourself and passed the annoyance on to her. Now she had to try something else. So first she changed her name to Daisy Renton-‘The final devises of great importance are tension and timing. Within the performance copious alterations in tone are witnesses. A key example of this is the attitude and confidence of Mr Birling showing amendment and supplanted actions, initially with self-justification endeavouring to elucidate his function in the bereavement of Eva/ (the citizens of the world in the class struggle). ‘, and as it happened more than eighteen months ago- nearly two years ago- obviously it has nothing whatever to do with the wretched girl’s suicide. Anxiety is then portrayed by Mr Birling ‘Oh well-put like that, there’s something in what you say. Still, I can’t accept and responsibility. If we were all responsible for everything that happened to everybody we’d had anything to do with, it would be very awkward, wouldn’t it? ’ Timing which features is a critical decisive; with stage directions of speech, movement exits, entrances and sounds. A strategic illustration of this is the arrival of the Inspector instantaneously, subsequent to Mr Birling notifying Gerald about his imminent knighthood and regards of how ‘a man has to look after himself and his own. In conclusion many devises are used throughout act one, some overlapping and although some ar e subtle, each technique holds great presence and importance within the play to convey J. B Priestley’s ideology of class struggle. Citizenship values are portrayed and the dependence each person shares to one another come through. This is voiced through the inspector as Priestley’s own mouth piece and with Eva as example of consequence from such actions.

Schindler’s List - 3038 Words

Schindler’s List Part II: Engaging with the text Characters The characters in Schindler’s List are very different because of their attitudes towards the Holocaust. The three main characters that will be focused on are Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern and Amon Goeth. These characters were very influential during the Holocaust; therefore, it is important to analyze these characters to gain a better understanding of the film. Oskar Schindler Our first introduction to Oskar Schindler was as a customer in a fancy restaurant. My first impression of Oskar Schindler was a rich and powerful business man. He was well-dressed and well-mannered; therefore, he must be from a higher class. He flashed his pile of money a couple of times to pay for†¦show more content†¦This means that Oskar was unaware of the mass-murdered that rampaged throughout Germany, until he saw that little girl. Oskar’s treatments towards the Jews clearly changed after he saw that little girl. Others also recognized that Oskar treated the Jews with kindness unlike other Germans. For instance, a girl came begging for Oskar to help her parents from the concentration camp. She stated other Jews claimed that Oskar’s factory was like heaven. The word heaven shows that Oskar was a very good man because it was rare to hear the Jews describing German factories in a positive way. Also, the change in Oskar was shown when he told Amon that power is not the ability to kill. Power is when a man had every justification to kill but chose not to. This was one of the most powerful lines in the film because it greatly contrasted with the Nazi’s point-of-view. Furthermore, Oskar was trying to persuade Amon to think before killing an innocent Jew. Itzhak Stern is another person who influences Oskar to change his attitudes towards the Jews. Itzhak Stern, who was Jewish, worked with Oskar as Oskar’s accountant. Oskar generally treated Stern very kindly but I suspected that it was only because Stern was running his business. However, Oskar started to show his caring side towards Stern later on in the film. For instance, Stern was about to be transported because he forgot his work transcript. Oskar used his influence to threaten the guards and finally rescueShow MoreRelatedEssay on Schindlers List791 Words   |  4 PagesSchindlers List Schindlers List is one of the most powerful movies of all time. It presents the indelible true story of enigmatic German businessman Oskar Schindler who becomes an unlikely saviour of more than 1100 Jews amid the barbaric Nazi reign. A German Catholic war profiteer, Schindler moved to Krakow in 1939 when Germany overran Poland. 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