Sherlock Holmes & The Speckled Band / Lamb To The Slaughter Essay examp

Sherlock Holmes & The dapple Band / Lamb To The SlaughterLamb to the slaughter, by Roald Dahl, and The Speckled Band byArthur Conan Doyle share many features, despite the difference in erasin which they were written.Each story has its own distinctive style when creating both tensionand an atmosphere of suspense.The Speckled Band has a sense of urgency about it, yet manages tobuild up suspense until the climax of the story.I have reasons to know....which ladder to make the matter even moreterrible than the truth.This quote, found in the first paragraph, immediately begins creatingan atmosphere for the story, and intriguing the proofreader as to what thenarrator (Dr. Watson) is public lecture about. The reader will now want tocontinue reading to find out the truth.Doyle also practises other characters speech to add to the tensionIt is not cold which makes me shiver...it is fear, Mr. Holmes. It isterror.At this point, the events have not been explained - this character(Miss Stone r) describing how she is feeling inceases the tension, asthe readers do not yet know the full situation only that they shouldbe frighten of whatever it is. The use of the word terror helps toemphasise the point - fear may not be strong enough, but followingit with terror helps to reinforce the situation to the reader.You mustiness not fear...we shall soon set matters right.As Sherlock Holmes says this, it may cast a doubt over the readersmind - if a character issues a pedagogy proclaiming that things willturn out well, there is a concept that the opposite may happeninstead. All this further adds to the need to read more, as the readerwill now want to see if Holmes is indeed correct.... ...e author here also manages to endthe story in a fitting manner, by having the investigating officerseat the murder weapon. The atmosphere and overall tone changes at theclimax - from a serious murder story to a black comedy, using the margePersonally, I think its right here on the premises. Pr obably righthere under our very noses.The irony is that the men are being inadvertently correct - they areactually eating the leg of lamb used to kill one of their colleagues.The two stories also differ in the way they use sympathy. In TheSpeckled Band, the audience is supposed to express sympathy towardsthe victim, Helen Stoner, and is expected to be against the cause of death,Dr. Roylott. In Lamb To The Slaughter, it is written so that itappears the killer is actually the true victim - that she was drivento killing her husband by the man himself.