An essay to investigate the disturbing and reassuring aspects in the three stories - page 1
Keywords: An essay to investigate the disturbing and reassuring aspects in the three stories: ‘The Stolen Bacillus’ (H. G. Wells), ‘Hop Frog’ (Edgar Allan Poe), and ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’ (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) English Coursework GCSE
By slashwk on 23/11/2006 17:22:09
Level: GCSE Key Stage 4 (Years 10-11)
Page Number: 1 of 7 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The aim of this essay is to explore the three texts (‘The Stolen Bacillus’, ‘Hop Frog’, and ‘The Adventure of the Speckled Band’) and to consider which aspects of the three stories affect us, how they influence us, and why they cause concern or console, either disturbing or reassuring us. It is concluded that there are many disturbing and reassuring aspects in the stories dependant on the perspective one may adopt.
The word ‘disturbing’ means ‘to agitate the mind, causing distress, worry, or anxiety’. The word ‘reassuring’ means ‘to restore confidence and relieve anxiety’. These two definitions will help me with my investigation by giving me a guideline to work with.
To get an understanding as to why different writers may have written the way that they did, I will consider the background information of the period the author was writing in and any aspects which would affect his subject material and style of writing. H.G. Wells was writing at the end of the nineteenth century at a time where there was a rapid social and industrial change, and he had a personal interest in social justice, science and politics. This is reflected in his writing as there is the bacteriologist (relating to science) and the anarchist (pertaining to social justice and politics). These issues in his work would disturb a reader of Wells’ time because subjects such as the social and industrial changes would be on the readers’ minds, and therefore cause anxiety if he were to write about them in a negative way.
Edgar Allan Poe was expelled from university for drunkenness and debt, and later court martialled from the army for drunkenness again. Poe’s association with alcohol in real life is reflected in his story which has many references to alcohol within it. These references would disturb readers because Poe would be able to write a distressing truth about the affects of alcohol, because he himself had experienced it, and he wrote at a time when the truth was censored from the public.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote at a time when the British had an empire in India, this is referred to in his story as Dr. Roylott went out to do a medical degree in Calcutta, and also served a prison sentence there. This would provide a factor in the story with which readers may be able to associate with, and would either disturb or reassure them depending on
Last 5 comments…
There have been no comments posted for this article, but you need to register if you want to be the first!