Examine Conan Doyle Essay Example for Free

Examine Conan Doyle Essay Examine Conan Doyles The Speckled Band and Brian Moons Visitors. Discuss how far they are representatives of the detective genre and how far they reflect the attitudes to crime and punishment of the centuries in which they were written The Speckled Band and Visitors are two very different stories written in two different times. They were both written for different audiences, and thus the conventions of the genre have been interpreted in different ways over time. My essay will examine how far the stories conform to or diverge from the conventions and how far they relate to the crime situation of their time. The Speckled Band was written by the famous Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It is a pre 20th century story involving an unusual plot. A murder has taken place at a stately home and a young lady called Miss Stoner approaches Holmes for an answer. A strange plot twist makes Holmes think about the situation in a different light, but as normal the case is solved as soon as possible. Visitors is a short story written by Brian Moon. It is a very short story compared to The Speckled Band but in this time, a lot is achieved. The story is somewhat back to front, with the robbers gentlemen, and the police louts. Burglary has been nationalised, and the Property Re-Allocation Technicians have visited the home of a young lady. There is no set story line, and the events occur at a rapid pace. The indication of a new genre of novels emerging was in 1842 when a short story, oddly called Who is the murderer? was released by Edgar Allen Poe. Poe highlighted and isolated the process in which the murder is unravelled the denouement. The conventions of the detective were first outlined in the book, and have been developed in further novels. The conventions of the novel are like rules. They are what the reader expects to be in the book, and when exercised, make the book more enjoyable. If conventions are employed, the book is easier to follow and understand, unlike Visitors. In Poes book the conventions of the detective genre are still sketchy, giving Poe a certain amount of Poetic License to mould them. A detective book should include the following. A crime, usually a murder or kidnapping, starts the novel, normally to grip the readers interest in the story. A detective is then introduced, who is a normally a loner, with a rich background. He normally does his work because he feels that the police force is incompetent and do not do their job properly. A confidant, who is not as bright as the detective is then introduced, he is more talented on the physical side of the investigation than the detective, often to the readers enjoyment. The investigation itself normally involves a red herring or plot twists to throw the detective off the track. Some of these are successful, and confuse the detective (and the reader) further. At the end of the story, the denouement is pronounced, and the solution to the story is revealed. The books are written in such a way, as to involve the reader and to make him/her think try to discover the answer themselves. The conventions are illustrated in both stories, but are interpreted by the author in different ways, and with different meanings or consequences. The stories illustrate the changes in the justice system in the time between their writing. In the era of Conan Doyles story, the police force in the country had just been formed, and was still learning how to deal with problems. In comparison to this, in the age of Brian Moons story, the police force has become near unnecessary. Burglary has become legalised to combat unemployment, so the government has found that the police are in a somewhat strange position. All they are required for is to take statements, and to verify a burglary has occurred. This means they can recruit people with no credentials. The Speckled Band has conformed to the conventions of the detective story with very little divergence. I. e. the writer has looked at the rules of the genre and tried to make sure his story sticks to all of them. At first, The Speckled Band looks to be diverging from the rules, when the crime is not a murder, but a mystery. No weapon is found, and the cause of death is unclear. This is the first of the plot twists that we find. We meet the detective, Holmes, at the start of the story, and find that he is indeed, highly intelligent. This is illustrated by some of Watsons observations of his actions. following Holmes in his professional investigations and admiring the rapid deductions, as swift as intuition and yet always found on a logical basis are comments at the beginning of the story. This piece is written as if it were Watson telling the story of Holmes professional triumphs. Watson is obviously in awe of Holmes and his brains, which leads on to the third convention, the detectives confidant. Watson is the assistant to Holmes, and in compliance with the genre, he is clever, but not a genius. He is a practical man, and assists Holmes in the more physical side of detective work. Have your pistol ready in case we should need it Holmes comments. We (the reader) are constantly finding Holmes explaining things to Watson, and in some cases, Holmes becomes exasperated by Watsons lack of understanding. You see it Watson? But I saw nothing The police in Holmes view, will fail at everything. He is annoyed that his job is sometimes referred to as having connections with the police. Fancy him having the insolence to confound me with the official detective force! After Roylotts departure from his office, Holmes illustrates his strength and annoyance at what he has done by bending the poker (previously bent by Roylott) back into its original shape. In other novels by Conan Doyle, Holmes is usually congratulated on solving the case before the police, by the police themselves! Holmes sees the police in a very demeaning light, and assumes any case he chooses to investigate, the police have already failed.

The Mystery of Kurtz in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness :: Heart of Darkness Essays

The Mystery of Kurtz in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Many works of literature not readily identified with the mystery or detective story genre nonetheless involve the investigation of a mystery. Sometimes finding out the answer of the mystery can illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. This is present in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. The mystery in this novella is about a character named Kurtz. Kurtz was an English man who traveled to the Congo in search of excitement, money and experience. To many people back home, he was known to be a loving intelligent young man. In Congo he was also known as being very intelligent, but also as being insane. The question is what happened to Kurtz how and why he let his self go insane. In a way you can say that he found the â€Å"heart† of his â€Å"darkness,† embraced it and could not escape it. In dealing with Kurtz many questions became visible for an example towards the end of the book what did he mean by â€Å"the horror, the horror!† was he referring to what he witnessed and experienced while he was in command of his ivory station or was he talking about the civilization of Europe and how he did not wish to return? Perhaps he saw Europe as being his darkness and the Congo being his light or vice versa. When reading each page, a sort of investigation begins in trying to figure out how Kurtz became insane. However, that investigation was not fully closed because in the end no one knew what had happened to him. In a way his character presented the idea that perhaps the darkness, his darkness was his own and was all along in him waiting to come out. Because there were other men living and working in the Congo who had not become insane as he did, such as the Russian trader or the ivory company’s accountant.

Parzania †Critical Review Essay

These words are reminiscent of a Gandhian quote. The Father of the Nation, a larger than life individual, who single-handedly stunned the world with his unusual principles which millions believe, paved the way for the Indian Independence. However, his dedication and perseverance to free the Indians by non-violent means is being honored more in theory, as of today, than in practice. The above quote is from a 2007 Rahul Dholakia movie, namely, Parzania. Critically acclaimed and thrown open to a global audience, it attempts in the characteristic manner of all literature, to reiterate a story, in a way that will make people reflect on it and see the events of the tale in a whole new light, much like the concept of defamiliarization. The movie is about the horrific events that took place in Godhra, Ahmedabad on Februray 28th 2002. Communal violence is a social and political evil that has taken India by storm after Independence. Our country is exemplary of the claim that two predominant religious groups cannot co-exist. This very fact has been exquisitely portrayed in Parzania, which is unalike any piece of literature covering a similar issue. Firstly, the irony of the tale lies in the fact that the events of the Godhra riots which was primarily a Hindu-Muslim discrepancy, has been depicted from the point of view of a Parsi family as well as a formerly Protestant, American man. This almost-objective narrative is the essence of the story because it eliminates all cause for concern regarding any sort of bias. The audience is free to display any feelings of sympathy and compassion for the protagonists, without the fear of being disloyal to their religious sentiments. Moreover, Muslims are the minority in India. They account for roughly 14% of the population of the nation as a result of which, they are always the popular villains. Regardless of the mounting evidence supporting their equal contribution to communal violence in India, more often than not, they are blamed for having instigated any and all mayhem. Parzania, on the contrary has, in a very subtle manner, portrayed the Muslims as the grieving community. The movie concentrates chiefly on the events of February 28th, 2002, when thousands of Hindu rioters retaliated most violently to the burning of the Sabarmati Express, killing 59 Hindus the day before. Muslim inhabited areas were focused upon and several hundred Muslims were massacred in the most horrifying manner. Thus, Parzania tempers its objectivity by making a understated case for the innocent Muslim people who unwittingly fell prey to the hungry demon, that is communal violence. The greatest consequence of Communal violence is not the expression violence; it is the creation of it. Parzania is the story of how a minority of non-violent, extremists are capable of such wide spread massacre. It depicts, most beautifully, a community of people who are as religiously diverse as they can get and yet find a way to co-exist peacefully. ‘The Mansion’ as it is called, is a small community of middle class Hindu, Muslim and Parsi families who sow the seeds of warmth and friendship and hence reap the benefits of love and belongingness. The women indulge in good-natured gossip about each other but support each other unconditionally albeit worshipping a triad of Gods. This peaceful setting is the prequel to how deep friendships are shattered due to religious and political differences. It is human tendency to want to avenge the wrongs done to you. Communal violence works on this principle. It is an infinite loop; no one can trace the origins of it, or know for sure as to who threw the first stone. But with every incident of communal violence, a beast awakens in formerly peaceful people and they occupy their minds, bodies and souls with thoughts of revenge. This is the case of a Muslim lad, Asif who lived among the inhabitants of The Mansion. A compassionate man, he is seen chiding members of his religious community for shaming Muslims as a group. He laughs and mingles with the Hindus, Muslims and Parsis alike, and shows no signs of revolt. However, being witness to the murder of her aging father changes the man he is. He rounds up other enraged Muslims and yearns to right the wrongs done to him. His extreme action is only a reaction to the injustices done to him, but that can be said about every riot, every instance of attack or violence. The blame game never ends; it does not have a solution. Hence, the violence festers and continues, creating new perpetuators of Communal violence in a vicious circle. The story begins with a young American man, Alan (Corin Nemec) who seeks to publish his thesis about the life and trials of Mahatma Gandhi. Having traveled all the way to Ahmedabad, India, he lives among the locals in the state that bore the Mahatma. His objective view of the nation is a reality-check of sorts; forcing us to reconsider our society, polity and economy. Inspired by Gandhian principles, he attempts to study about the Gandhi himself, so as to put his disorderly life into perspective. However, he is shocked to the point of disbelief as the Communal violence unravels around him, in a place that prohibited the consumption of alcohol and largely meat, as a tribute to Gandhi, but nurtures and nourishes religious animosity and non-violence; the two most important things that Gandhi tried to obliterate in the nation. The irony of the situation does not fail to catch the audience’s attention as they see the country in the eyes of a foreigner, who is driven to the point of helpless tears at the plight of the country. During his stay in Ahmedabad, he befriends several people, including a good-natured Parsi man, Cyrus (Naseeruddin Shah), his wife, Shahnaz (Sarika) and his two young children. They seem well-educated and intelligent, albeit middle class, and welcome Alan into their lives and home. The young boy, 10 year old Parzaan (Parzan Dastur) is an imaginative child, who creates a fantasy world for himself, much like the pre-Pandora world. He calls it Parzania and fills it with innocence and beauty; a place where he and his younger sister can retreat into, and can be guaranteed of happiness, love and comfort. In the larger sense of the movie, Parzania is an example of a time and place where the ugly, rearing head of communal violence can be slaughtered and Indians will be able to find unity in religious diversity. Parzaan is a typical 10 year old miscreant, with his love for cricket and lack of academic interest. But his loving parents have utmost faith in him and believe wholeheartedly in his potential to do great things. This almost fairy-tale like aura is shattered on the day the riots occur. In her attempt to escape angry Hindu mobs with swords and other killing weapons, Shahnaz scampers to protect her children but suddenly loses sight of Parzaan. In light of what was happening all around her, she realizes her daughter is in more danger and rushes to bring her to safety so that she can find her son. But she fails to do so, and this she has to live with for the rest of her life. During this time in the movie, another evil of the Indian sociopolitical condition is brilliantly depicted. The Godhra Riots and its aftermath saw widespread corruption chiefly among the Police Force and the Hindu Ruling Party. Parzania is a reflection of this sad state of affairs when bribes were the order of the day as the ‘protectors’ of society not only watched the gory events like voyeurs, but they laughed and cheered as they unraveled. In their undeterred search for their son, a sense of pathos is evident in the lives of Cyrus and Shahnaz. They are looted by corrupt policemen and manipulated by power-hungry Hindu Party workers as they go through the awful experiences of looking for their son among casualties and the like. When all else fails, the couple begin to draw support from their faith, but in different ways. Cyrus turns to traditional Parsi rituals of cleansing and purifying himself in his quest for answers. Shanaz, on the other hand, as noticed by Alan, quietly prays, for her son, her daughter and her husband, to give them strength to continue on. At this moment, one of the most powerful lines in the movie is delivered by Alan as he reflects quietly upon the irony of the situation. He says, ‘Never in my life would I have guessed that religion could be both the cause of the problem AND the solution. ’ The victims testify at the National Human Rights Commission despite the threats made anonymously. Shahnaz’s testimony serves as a sort of confession, an outburst. The audience realizes that she carries with her and will carry with her, for the rest of her life, the guilt of not having protected her son enough. She clearly blames herself and breaks down, in a heart wrenching plea for forgiveness, even know she knows with certainty that she can never forgive herself. The story of Parzaan is surprisingly never revealed to the audience. This both frustrates and interests the audience, as we are left hanging, in anticipation for more. This may be due to the fact that the movie has been inspired from a real story of a boy who went missing during the Godhra Riots and hasn’t been found yet, and thus, that side of the story may never be told. Parzania is classic example of how an innocent bystander is at the greatest risk of being hurt. The vultures that feast on the flesh of deceased Parsis, is a metaphor for Communal violence, and how it attacks and destroys people for selfish reasons without a care in the world. This poignant tale does not fail to break your heart with its magnificent rendition of real-life tragedies and events and how they lead to the breakdown of human emotion and humanity in general.

Northern And Southern United States - 989 Words

Northern and Southern United States both started their history differently. The South was mostly into farming, while the North was more about the industry. Both regions also had sectional differences in the way tariffs and slavery were intertwined. Since there were unfair tariffs that tested dominate leaders like the Britain Crown, many rebellions have been staged. The North and South in the United States did have many differences between each other, but they eventually came together as a united country. The Industry was booming in the North and this made a difference within this region. The industry was also their main source of trade. In Virginia, the tobacco industry was taking off, which in turn made the colony extremely powerful. Another big industry was fur, which had just begun to become big between the French and the English. Great Britain had wanted to merge all of the colonies together to make a Domain, but to many eyes this would be a mistake. This was obvious because of the religious and industry differences in the colonies. In the South, farming was one of their sectional differences. This included growing cotton and selling the cotton. At first cotton was the most demanded product, but when exotic furs came into the picture economic issues became high in the South. This in time led to political issues. One of the major political issues in the Southern region was Slavery, which directly divided the North and South. The Northern parts wereShow MoreRelatedSlavery Cause for Civil War1483 Words   |  6 Pagesconflict between the states in the northern part and those in the south. To date, slavery is still considered the worst human tragedy to have occurred in the United States. Abraham Lincoln himself pointed out that slavery was the root cause of the Civil War because of increase in tension within the country. The north and southern states had reached a critical point that could not lead to a compromise.1 The southern confederate states supported slavery while the northern states opposed it; hence, calledRead MoreUnited States And The Civil War1668 Words   |  7 PagesUS Civil War United States of America was formed as a result of the revolution that continued from 1776 to 1783. After that, United States was divided into two wings/ parts that are the southern and the northern parts. Then conflict between the two aroused because the northern and the southern societies were totally different of each other in terms of economic structure, social class, politics and other social matters especially slavery. The civil war, that started in 1861 and ended in 1865, wasRead MoreThe North And South War1272 Words   |  6 PagesApril 1861 ~ April 1865, the United States between the North and South war. Also known as the American Civil War. North led the war of the bourgeoisie. In the South, insist that the war is only plantation slave-owners, their war aim is to extend slavery throughout the country, while the North beat the South aimed at the bourgeoisie in order to restore national unity. Mid-19th century, the northern and southern free labor system of slavery, the contradictions between the developed to the pointRead MoreUnited States And Southern State Essay1070 Words   |  5 PagesUnited states were consist of southern state and northern states. The northern state was consist almost all about the white people. The southern state was consist of almost all the colored people. They were in one union of United States. Somehow, the southern state start to secede from the union after the election of President Lincoln. There were some issues that make them need to secede from the union. Start from the issues about the slavery that banned by the government, taxation, and trade processRead MoreForces for and against Black Freedom731 Words   |  3 Pagesthe United States. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, the movement of black freedom had already begun. It was the difference of ideology between Northern and Southern states which later on resulted in the Civil war in late nineteenth century. Northern states were in favor of abolishing the slavery and giving African Americans their fundamental rights or to be more precise, their natural rights (Bailyn, 1992). However, African Americans were kept as slaves not only in United StatesRead MoreThe Dred Scott Case On The New Territories Of The West Essay1123 Words   |  5 Pagesnational Democratic party split in half. It had split into the Northern Democrats and the Southern Democrats. They split because of the issue of slavery, which was very alive at the time. As well, the Dred Scott case played an important role in the split of the party. The Northern Democrats didn’t want slavery to expand into the new territory. On the other end, Southern Democrats called for the preservation of slavery within their states and the expansion into the new territories of the west. TheirRead MoreAttitudes Towards The Institution Of Slavery1543 Words   |  7 Pagesof slavery in the Unites States contrasted greatly during the periods of 1830-1860. Over the course of this time period, the Northern region of the country became increasingly against the institution of slavery, while the southern region became increasingly supportive of and desperately dependent on the institution of slavery. The southern region of the United States was supportive of the institution of slavery for a variety of reasons. The biggest contributor to southern support of slavery was theRead MoreThe War Of The American Civil War1324 Words   |  6 Pagesin the four yearlong battles between the Northern and Southern states due to social and economic differences on the idea of slavery. In the 19th century, America described their westward expansion as the Manifest Destiny. The topic of slavery was still at a dispute in America. The Southern States, whose economies were heavily dependent on agriculture, needed slave labor for the mass production of cotton and other agriculture cash crops. Northern States did not like the idea of slavery and wereRead MoreThe American Civil War Essay1336 Words   |  6 PagesWashington, D.C., was changing. Northern and mid-western states were becoming more and more powerful as the populations increased. Southern states lost political power because the population did not increase as rapidly. As one portion of the nation grew larger than another, people began to talk of the nation as sections. This was called sectionalism. Just as the original thirteen colonies fought for their independence almost 100 years earlier, the Southern states felt a growing need for freedom fromRead MoreConflicts And Fusions Of The United States1189 Words   |  5 PagesConflicts and fusions As we all know, the year 1865 was an essential year for people in the United States. It was also a beginning for American people to unify their countries and also a beginning for slaves’ freedom. However, it was also the year 1865 when American people lost a great leader, Abraham Lincoln. In Lincoln’ s 200th birthday, Obama said, â€Å"It s a humbling task, marking the bicentennial of our 16th President s birth-humbling for me in particular, because it s fair to say that we