Share your literary essay with the rest of the students that chose this short story. Take some time to read 2 or 3 other essays. Comment on them. Your comment should be about something you noticed them doing well from our lessons. For example, "You did a really good job explaining your evidence
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ReplyDelete“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Arthur Conan Doyle is a short story that takes place in 1883 in England. Helen Stoner had a twin sister who mysteriously died two years ago. After her body was examined, there seemed to be no cause for her death. Before she passed, she started experiencing weird events which are now happening to Helen. Helen goes to see Sherlock Holmes, a detective, to help her get answers about what she is experiencing and her sister's death. The only other person Helen has in her life is her stepdad, who she isn’t too sure about. The author shows the readers that you can’t always trust others, but you can trust yourself especially in times of fear.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the story, Helen Stoner travels from her house to see Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock observes that Helen is shivering, and asks if she would like some coffee and to start a fire. Helen then tells him, “It’s not the cold which makes me shiver....It is fear, Mr. Holmes, it is terror.” Sherlock then observes that Helens face is “all drawn and gray, with frightened eyes”. While this could be interpreted as just being scared, it really shows that Helen just hasn’t found the right person that she can trust, but will help her as well. She is only able to do so much alone, and being that she has waited two years, explains that she is finally ready to try to let someone else take over.
A few moments after Sherlock gets a good look at Helen, he realizes that Helen has fingerprints on her wrist. He concludes that she has been harshly used. Helen says, “He is a hard man.”, talking about her stepfather. Later on, Helen's stepfather shows up to Sherlocks place, and says, “My stepdaughter has been here. I have traced her. What has she been saying to you?” Helen did not tell him she was going to see Sherlock to get help. After Holmes doesn’t answer his question, he screams his question again and lets Holmes know that he can be a ‘dangerous man’. It’s no surprise that Helen didn’t try to figure things out with her dad and went to find other help.
One particular experience that Helen’s sister had been having before her death was a whistling sound. The author repeats this event clearly throughout the story. When Helen’s sister would hear this, it would usually occur around three in the morning, but Helen had never heard it before. While Holmes and his assistant, Dr. Watson are at Helen and her stepfather's home, in the room that would have been Helen’s sisters, they hear a low, clear whistle, which sounds like, “a small jet of steam escaping continually from a kettle.” This wakes both of them up, and not too long later, they hear a scream coming from the room Helen's stepfather is in. They enter the room only to find that he is dead from a snake bite. This explains that even if you live in the same house as someone, you don’t always know what they are up to and what they can be capable of and if you can actually trust the things you may know about them.
When Holmes and Helen were investigating, they found a bell-rope. Helen told him it goes to the housekeepers room. When Holmes went to ring it, nothing happened. It wasn’t even attached to a wire. Holmes also observed that it looked newer than other things in the room, and Helen confirmed that it was put there a few years ago. Holmes then says, “They seem to have been of a most interesting character - dummy bell-ropes, and ventilators that do not ventilate.” In that case, whoever was hired to do these additions didn’t set up anyone using them for success, and Helen may have not fully known what they were really up to. This implies that you should really get to know someone first to gain trust before setting important things into their hands.
ReplyDeleteHelen’s fear of her future and what she witnessed in the past made it hard for her to trust herself. With the help of Sherlock Holmes, she was able to get some of the answers that were needed. This also helped with the closure of her sister's death. Her sister was really the only person that Helen had to turn to and know that she had someone with her. In the end, Helen was able to trust what she knew to get help. She not only figured out her sister's death, but all the other weird experiences that had been occuring while finding trust within herself and for others.
“The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, is a short story written by Conan Doyle. It is a mystery and lives the adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Helen Stoner trying to find Helens sisters murder after being killed right before her wedding. She fears the same thing will happen to her and seeks Holmes help. I think the author wanted to teach us that when someone has an unjust control of someone else's property or money it may be hard for them to let it go.
ReplyDeleteFigurative language is a very common thing to find in pretty much all stories that you will read. In the Speckled Band, irony is used to portray the karma that the Stepfather gets and that knowledge the reader gets when they know something is about to happen. “His chin was cocked upward and his eyes were fixed in a dreadful, rigid stare at the corner of the ceiling. Round his brow he had a peculiar yellow band, with brownish speckles, which seemed to be bound tightly round his head.’ It's ironic that he was killed by the thing he was killing with. His own weapon turned against him. He lost control of his obsessive crave for money and he couldn't let it go.
The Author also used imagery throughout the story in many ways. Mainly through immense detail when describing items and the setting.”It swelled up louder and louder, a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled into one dreadful shriek.” With the usage of detailed words like dreadful and hoarse you as a reader can really imagine what it was like and what is happening. This reinforces the theme and shows us that it is not only important to portray words as words but also make them into images.
The setting in most stories gives the reader some background knowledge or a vibe about what the character is dealing with, where said character is and gives a hint about what is really happening. The Adventures of the Speckled Band” takes place in a town called Surrey. It is 30 miles away from London and they live with their Step-father Dr. Roylott. The story is also staged in April the year 1883. Now that we know some basic information we can create a mental image in our heads about the physical setting.
The mood is also a very important part of the setting. Mood is the feeling or the vibe you get when you are reading a book. Maybe it's a horror and the author uses dark bone chilling words, or maybe it's a mystery like the Speckled Band and the story keeps you on edge wanting to know more and more. “I stood gazing at Holmes, and he at me, until the last echoes of it had died away into silence.” This part in the story gives us an on edge feeling and shows us that the characters are getting deep into this mystery. This can make it easier to see the theme, and also contribute to it because the feeling backs up the statements.
The events that happen in the story are very important to show the reader what that character's true motives are and what they are like. In the end Dr.Roylott ends up getting killed. This truly shows that he was willing to go to great lengths to keep the money and it also shows it is very hard to let it go after having for so long.
Eventually Dr.Roylott goes to Sherlock Holmes after tracing his daughter. “I will do nothing of the kind. My step daughter has been here. I have traced her. What has she been saying to you?” He gets mad at Holmes for not telling him what his step daughter has been saying about him. This could be interpreted as a lack sense and out of hate for his daughter but, this is an internal problem with himself because he knows he is going to get caught and he couldn't even confess because he is so obsessed with his daughters money.
At the end of the story when Dr.Roylott is found dead with the Viper wrapped around his head this finalizes the fact that he went too far and it cost him his life. With the evidence provided I hope you get an understanding of the theme and why it is said theme.
Part 1:
ReplyDelete“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is a short story by Arthur Conan Doyle that takes place in the old times, in England. It is about a girl, Helen Stoner that goes to detective Sherlock Holmes for help with a mystery. She is scared for her life, and wants to do something about it. “It is not cold which makes me shiver,” said the woman in a low voice, changing her seat as requested. “What, then?” “It is fear, Mr. Holmes. It is terror.” This is what Helen tells Holmes right away, she feels something is off, and acts on it. This is important to realize because the author wants to teach us the lesson; trust your gut. If you know something is off, and you do not like it; trust yourself and fix it.
The plot of the “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” is about how Helen Stoner is worried that her stepfather is going to try and kill her. She is scared, and does not trust anyone. She knows if she dies before she gets married her stepfather will get to keep her money. She knows that he wants to keep the money, so that is why she thinks he will kill her. She goes to Sherlock Holmes, a detective for help with the case. Her sister died two years ago, and the same events leading up to her sister’s death are happening to her. Her sister was getting married, just like she is now. She thinks her stepfather had something to do with it because if they got married he would not get control of her money anymore.
Helen is the most important character, she is the one worried about her life, so she goes to Sherlock Holmes for help. Holmes is a famous detective, and Helen knows he can help her. Holmes’ assistant, Dr. Watson is telling the story, and the way he sees things. He describes how Helen feels, and implies that a person should alway trust their gut. However it can be argued that you cannot always trust the people closest to you because Helen lived with her stepfather for years before she realized she was not safe with him. However the text focuses on how Helen feels unsafe, and tries her best to fix it, and feel safe in her own home again. Dr. Roylott is Helen’s stepfather, and he wants Helen dead, so he can keep her money. He does not think anyone knows of his plans, but when he follows Helen to Holmes’ place he gets suspicious. He knows that if he is going to do anything, he is going to have to do it soon.
Part 2:
ReplyDeleteArthur Conan Doyle used repetition with Helen and her sister. Helen goes through the same process that her sister did before she died. “Two days ago some repairs were started in the west wing of the building, and my bedroom wall has been pierced, so that I have had to move into the chamber in which my sister died, and to sleep in the very bed in which she slept.” This shows that there is some repetition with how the Stoner sisters might die. Helen knows something is not right with her having to sleep in her sister’s old room. She is suspicious, and scared, so she goes to get help. She is also hearing the same noise at night, in her sister’s room. The noice her sister described she was hearing before she died. Helen tells Holmes about the noise, and she is freaked. Holmes asks Helen, “One moment,” said Holmes, “are you sure about this whistle and metallic sound? Could you swear to it?” That shows that the noise is reppeting, and that it means something important overall, to how the story will play out.
Dr. Watson is telling the story from his point of view. He is Sherlock Holmes’ assistant, and friend. Arthur Conan Doyle uses imagery in describing what Dr. Watson is witnessing. Doyle uses Dr. Watson to describe Helen; for instance he says, “She raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey, with restless frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was shot with premature grey, and her expression was weary and haggard.” This quote is particularly important because it explains the way Helen is presenting herself. People present themselves the way that they feel, and she shows that she is scared, not in the right state of mind, and needs help.
At the end of the story Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson figure out that Dr. Roylott was trying to kill Helen, and how he killed Helen’s sister. He is a doctor and he experiments with animals. Dr. Roylott had a poisonous snake that he thought he tamed. Since Helen and her sister locked their doors at night, he put the snake through a pipe in the wall, so the snake would bite the first person it saw, which was Helen’s sister when she died. Dr. Roylott did not successfully kill Helen. Holmes was in Helen’s room, and scared the snake when it came through the wall, so the snake went back the other way, and bit Dr. Roylott. Dr. Roylott’s plan blew up in his face, he is the one that ended up dead. Helen knew something was off from the start, and she was worried. She trusted her gut, and did something about it. If she just ignored what she felt, she could have died.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
ReplyDeleteEthan Macomber
Part 1
In the short story Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle is a story about two sisters and their stepfather. One sister is killed, and the surviving sister, Helen, is sure that the stepfather killed her. The sister was killed right before she was to be married, and Helen knows that when one of the sisters got married, 250 euros a year of their dead mother’s inheritance would go to them. Helen starts getting scared when some of the same things that happened before her sister died started happening to her. The author uses these events to teach the audience an important lesson; When someone obtains control over something that is not theirs, they oftentimes have a hard time letting go.
When the stepfather of the two daughters got the inheritance, he gained an unjust control over the daughters' money. He got too comfortable with that money, and didn't want to let it go.
An event that showcases this topic is when the stepfather goes into Sherlock Holmes office, and demands that he stop talking to Helen and to quit looking into his business. The stepfather knew he was doing something wrong, especially since he had already killed one of the daughters to keep her money. Also, the stepfather wasn’t very nice about how he asked Sherlock Holmes to stop. He said “I will go when I have said my say. Don’t you dare to meddle with my affairs. I know that Miss Stoner has been here. I traced her! I am a dangerous man to fall foul of!” The stepfather is thinking he might be found out if Helen keeps talking, Sherlock Holmes might figure out what he’s done, and stop his plot to keep the money. Many people might think that this instance supports the theme of hatred or loss. When the stepfather is demanding Sherlock Holmes to stop, he is angry at Helen for coming here to talk to Sherlock. However, the stepfather knows that if Sherlock figures out he killed his stepdaughter, he will suffer consequences. There are other possible themes, but in the end, it all comes back to the importance of money. No matter how much hatred the stepfather could’ve had, he would never just kill the stepdaughters if he didn't gain anything from it.
Another example of this topic is when the stepfather dies. The stepfather takes it so far that he ends up dying trying to keep money. He became so focused on the task of keeping the money that did not belong to him, he actually got killed in the process. If he had learned to let it go, and accept that the daughters had a right to the money, then his life would have been spared. It was a horrible death, and the author describes it as such by saying “They say that away down in the village, and even in the distant parsonage, that cry raised sleepers from their beds.” That sentence describes just how horrible being bitten by the snake was, and how much pain it caused him. With the stepfather knowing how much pain it caused, he still willingly let it loose on his stepdaughter, regardless that she was his family.
The text also has figurative language that suits the theme. The imagery in the text helps describe above all else the details that would otherwise be lost on the readers. Imagery, when used correctly, displays the most vivid of pictures in your mind, and the author does just that. During scenes of agony, and scenes that the author believes us readers need to picture with utmost accuracy, that is when imagery is used.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
ReplyDeleteEthan Macomber
Part 2
The example of imagery that the author used in this short story is when Helen is describing how her sister died. The author explains the agony that Helen herself was feeling when her dear sister was screaming, and would later die. Although we don’t hear it directly from the sister, but through Helen telling Sherlock Holmes. The author describes the scene “By the light of the corridor-lamp I saw my sister appear at the opening, her face blanched with terror, her hands groping for help, her whole figure swaying to, and fro like that of a drunkard.” It is obvious that the sister is in much pain, and that she is trying to tell Helen the cause of her pain before she collapses, unconscious, unable to tell anymore. Some might say what the stepfather did was out of pure loss or hatred, however the text states in several instances the amount of money that the stepfather is getting, and how important that was to him. He doesn’t want to lose the money.
Another aspect that contributes to the theme of the short story is the setting. The story is set in the time period of 1983 when the man of the household still had much control over most aspects of life. Before the story took place, the two sisters' mother had died. Instead of leaving her money, and possessions directly to her daughters, she leaves them to the stepfather. In several instances it shows what the setting in this story is because had this been in current times, the daughters would’ve inherited the money when they turned 18, and the stepfather wouldn’t have as much control over the money.
In one instance, the author mentions the money that the mother leaves to her daughters as 1000 euros per year. The stepfather had gotten so accustomed to getting 1000 euros a year, that when Helen’s sister announced she was to be married, the stepfather tried to stop her. He knew that 250 euros a year would go to her if she was married, and killed her instead so he could keep getting his full 1000 euros a year.
The stepfather takes things too far to keep his money that was supposed to be left to the daughters, and he ends up killing himself as a result.
Another occurrence that shows the theme of the story is all of the things put into the house. The stepfather actually uses the money that he gets, and buys a false bell rope, and a ventilator to make sure that he could kill the daughters. The bell rope, and ventilator were put in for only that reason. The stepfather also bought a snake that had to be expensive to purchase.
All of these things add to the theme of the story, and show that you should always understand that what is not yours, you don’t have the right to keep it and deny others from taking it. These reasons also show that the theme isn’t hatred or loss, but rather having to do with the money. At the end of the story, the stepfather dies due to his own trickery, and Helen will end up with her share of the money anyways. The stepfather should’ve let go, and understood that he had no right to take away the daughters lives, and inheritance.