Lamb to the slaughter by Roal Dahl Essay Example for Free

Lamb to the slaughter by Roal Dahl Essay Detective mystery fiction started in England in the 1790s. Then later in the 1850s to 1860s authors started writing melodramatic thrillers known as sensation novels perhaps one of the best known of the melodramatic thrillers is the stories written by Wilkie Collins who wrote The woman in white. By the late 1800s Conan Doyle wrote stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, this type of story was called mystery fiction, and is undoubtedly the most influential mystery fiction novel of the 1970s. These mystery fiction novels were based on Sherlock Holmes who is a detective in murder cases and has a side kick called Watson who very much admires Sherlock Holmes as being very clever in solving crimes by gathering the evidence. In the book he narrates the story and makes clear Hes admiration for Sherlock Holmes, this is what influenced other writers in the 20th century to writing mystery fiction stories based on the structure of the Sherlock Holmes. And you can still see the work of Conan Doyle being used as structure for modern day stories and film series, such as the well known CSI crime which is set in America and involves a group of homicide detectives who have an important role in using state of the art forensic techniques in order to work out the murders and accomplices, with a twist to the story to make it more interesting. However in replacement to where Conan Doyle uses cunning detective work the makers of CSI use the forensic science more as the way of catching the murderess. Law and Order uses the same concept as CSI crime but is set in a different part of America. The Bill is a popular TV series about a police force that use cunning police work by working together to solve all crimes. Unlike in the stories of Sherlock Holmes or CSI crime The bill uses more then one detective just like in Sherlock Holmes. Another detective story based on the stories of Sherlock Holmes is the TV series called Colombo who is a homicide detective and is very cunning just like Sherlock Holmes. Colombo however unlike other modern detectives is a very unconventional detective because when hes on a case he acts very senseless and seems as though he isnt a very good detective, however towards the end he solves the murder very cunningly. Another modern but unconventional detective story is the TV series Diagnoses murder the main character of this series is a doctor who works at the hospital and like Sherlock Holmes has nothing to do with the local police so he works alone solving murder cases, which are brought in buy the people he treats at the hospital where he works this therefore makes this detective story very unconventional and is not like Sherlock Holmes in that respect. The detective story The Speckled band is conventional as the settings are normal for a murder story if you take in to account the detective who is cunning with a side kick Watson and the victims you can see that the setting and atmosphere are very conventional for a murder detective story. However Holmes is responsible for the death of DR Grimsby Roylott which is unconventional. However the structure is conventional, the readers realize this as the The Speckled band works backwards from the discovery of Mrs. Helen Stoners death. Helen stoners sister goes to meet Sherlock Holmes and Watson to bring to their attention the murder of Mrs. Helen Stoner. Then later we read about the investigation that Holmes and Watson undertake at Stoke Moran. The narration in The Speckled band is two linear which we find out when Helen stoners sister tells Holmes and Watson about the murder It is of her death that I wish to speak to you, and when Watson narrates I was early.fair play. However in the story Lamb to the slaughter the settings are very unconventional and instead seem like an ordinary familys life but the story has a cunning twist and Mary Maloney (the wife) murders her husband (Mr. Maloney) who is a detective. This is most unusual for a murder detective story and so is unconventional considering a detective got killed, the atmosphere and settings along with the detectives who are the police but in the story seem very half-witted and ironic as they eat the evidence and drink the whiskey in the middle of the murder case whilst Mary Maloney gets away with the murder. The structure of the Lamb to the slaughter is unconventional because the pinnacle of the story is when Mary Maloney kills her husband. This makes the storey we read about the crime being committed and not very much of the investigation as we had seen earlier in The Speckled band. The story The Speckled band begins with Watson (Sherlock Holmess side kick) narrating, he brings in to account the case of the Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran, the story continues to the murder of Mrs. Helen Stoner who had just recently been engaged but before her death she said that It was the band! The Speckled band. However the readers are kept in to suspense of the murderers identity, but Sherlock Holmes is called in he finds later long thin marking on Mrs. Helen Stoner indicating that if an animal is involved then it must be long and thin. When Sherlock Holmes was first called in for the case he proved to be a very observant detective and starts to suspect that Mrs. Julia Stoners recent engagement is a threat to her life and that the murderer of Mr. Helen Stoner will kill her as she also like Helen is engaged, so the murder of Helen must be linked to her recent engagement, During the story Watson continues to narrate, later Sherlock Holmes and Watson check out the house were the murder took place and Watsons narrative tells the reader how observant Sherlock Holmes is and creates an image of him as being a detective who never leaves a stone unturned. As Sherlock Holmes checks the house he find out that DR Grimsby Roylott had added some peculiar things about the house like a ventilator and a dummy bell rope. After a while Sherlock Holmes pieces up the clues and realizes that there is something wrong about the crime scene. Sherlock Holmes arranges with Mrs. Stoner to shine her lantern through the window from her bed room at the house in Stoke Moran when DR Grimsby Roylott gets in to his bed room at night, when Sherlock Holmes and Watson saw the signal from outside they climb in to the house through the window through to Mrs. Stoners bed room. After a while in Mrs. Julia Stoners bed room they finally hear a dark lantern being lit later they hear what Watson describes as a Soothing sound and then a cry which Watson explains was a The most horrible cry I have ever listened, Sherlock Holmes tells Watson that they should go into DR Grimsby Roylott room where they had heard the sound, when they entered DR Grimsby Roylott room they find that he is dead and appears to be wearing a sparkling chain around his neck but when Sherlock Holmes approaches him they find that it is a live snake which bittern DR Grimsby Roylott and caused his death, Its a swamp adder Sherlock Holmes explains, and then continues to say that . It is the deadliest snake in India and comes to the conclusion that the snake was the speckled band which Helen Stoner said just before she died. So in the end it becomes apparent to Sherlock Holmes that DR Grimsby Roylott was the murderer and his motive was greed over money which his daughters would inherit from him in the event of their marriage which is why Mrs. Helen Stoner was killed as she was engaged. It becomes apparent to the reader that DR Grimsby Roylott was trying on that night to kill Mrs. Stoner but failed as the snake he put through the ventilator was blocked so the snake turned round and attacked DR Grimsby Roylott.

Vikings and the First American Colony Essay -- American America Histor

Vikings and the First American Colony The idea that Columbus did not provide Europeans with their first long term contact with America is now nearly universally accepted. Activists for the Irish monk, St. Brenden, and other early explorers are gaining support with new archaeological evidence. It is the Norsemen, though, that have the distinction of being the first colonizers of the Americas, whether or not chance meetings occurred before. The legacy they left the Americas is striking considering the short amount of time they actually spent here, and historians are baffled by nearly every aspect of their colony. The forces that made them abandon Vineland, their main colony, are the subject of an ongoing debate on both sides of the Atlantic. The nature, location, and inhabitants of the Americas the Vikings knew would all have been obstacles to forming a permanent settlement. The economy, the driving force for colonization, also affected the need for Vineland. The peninsula in the northwest corner of Europe known as Jutland has been inhabited by Scandinavians for centuries. Ptolmey writes about the area and Roman artifacts have been found during excavations of Norway and Sweeden demonstrating considerable contact with southern Europe (Wilson 21-23) Literacy is indicated by the Runes which first appeared at the beginning of the third century. The Runic alphabet has changed and evolved through the years, and claims of inscriprions dot the United States and are largey the basis on knowledge of Viking presence (Wilson 27). During the first century, Europeans embarked on a period of great migration, a time of great wealth and prosperity for the Scandinavians. One cause was the settlement of a new territory on the basis of "an eco... ...ed factual. Other sites in Greenland substantiate the sagas and we can rely on them for information regarding the Viking exploration of America. They do not, unfortunately, tell us the precise location of Vineland, so many aspects of the Viking adventures remain a mystery. For now, historians credit Vikings with the first European discovery of America. The colony was not permanent, but the legacy the Vikings left is seen in many places like Cape Cod where street names like Leif Lane and Viking Way dot the maps. Historians may never know all the details concerning why settlement did not last. For now the evidence points to skirmishes with the natives, the long distance from Greenland, the population shortage and the natural environmental factors. The Vikings were here for an instant and, for various reasons abandoned their settlement, leaving their mark forever.

Colors of Love Essay

They say in love nothing is impossible. Height, weight, distance and of course age is just a damn number. To love is a great feeling but to be loved is a much greater feeling. But it’s hard to be hurt, that feeling like when your heart’s gonna burst and while in pain, you’re just crying and crying and crying. The first time I saw him, I was starstrucked! â€Å"Wow, he’s so tall and kinda handsome. Does he have any talent and is he that smart enough? If he does, then he’s already!† When my classmates and I began to study with him the girls were like â€Å"Oh my gosh!† they started to like him. â€Å"If only I could, tsk† I murmured. At first, I thought that love isn’t true because reading then studying and vice versa are the things I only do, because my goals are to finish my studies in the best university, then to have a job with a high salary, and to have my own family, as simple as that. We are not very rich just rich alone. My mother is a doctor; in fact she belongs to the family of doctors, while my father is an engineer and a president in one of the biggest hotel and casino here in the Philippines. They both met in Europe while having a vacation in Switzerland. My family owned a lot of businesses and properties worldwide. But, even though, I can live without working, I still wanna pursue my dreams on my own. I have an older sister and she’s eight years older than me, but we are still very close. She is my best friend and mentor. She has no boyfriend; I mean she doesn’t have a boyfriend anymore. By the way enough with my life, let’s go back to my story. After a while I get to know him and to my surprise he doesn’t have any girlfriend. The more we have conversations the more I fall to him. Then one day, he uttered all the characteristics he wanted for a girl. â€Å"Of course I want an honest and loyal in a way that she won’t flirt with others, responsible, kind-hearted, loving and sweet ‘cause I want a girl who can take good care of me, smart, has a great sense of humour, since I don’t want a boring girl and she should know how to make me smile and laugh, knows how to cook well, pretty and with a killer smile and also a prayerful one.† He said that while smiling. â€Å"Shit! His voice is so attractive. The way he smiled made me speechless† I mumbled. Then jokingly he asked me. â€Å"How about you what do you want for a guy?† â€Å"I want a guy who loves me a lot, and only me alone, protective and concerned but not in a way that I’ll not be suffocated, I want a guy who allots his time for me, I also wants who loves me not with what I have but with who I am, an honest one that will not hurt and give me pain, brave and strong and ready to stand-up for me, of course I also think about our future, so that, I want a smart, resourceful and an industrious one. The looks and talent should be there also but being taller than me and a sport minded one is an edge.† â€Å"Whoa! You are still young but you think and plan deeper than me, on the other hand, is it really possible that we can find the one for us that has the attitudes we like?† â€Å"Yes, if God and the future will be good to us. But God won’t give us the things we wanted, but, instead, He bestows us the things we needed.† â€Å"You’re right; by the way I ha ve a class to attend to. Just study first, your too young for love.† When I got home, I was like an idiot smiling and laughing alone. Until my sister noticed me, she asked â€Å"Hey, why are you smiling like a freak there? Want to share? Is it about your lovelife?† â€Å"Ye†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But I want to share my story to you first† â€Å"Okay† â€Å"Do you know that my ex-boyfriend’s cousin has a friend. Then his friend has a brother that I saw a while ago in one of our stores together with JJ, my ex- boyfriend. He introduced Grey to me and vice versa. Grey is the perfect for an ideal boyfriend!†. â€Å"Wow, he’s name is like mine’s it’s so manly too.† â€Å"So a guy is the cause of your smile right?† â€Å"Yeah† â€Å"Are you in love?† â€Å"No! It has only been five months since we met.† â€Å"Denying is also lying right? So are you lying to me? Ok, fine I’ll gonna sleep!† â€Å"Ok, Purps good night!† The next day we meet again and talked about the girl he likes. â€Å"You know what she’s so kind, even though, we just known each other for a short period of time. I think that I like her, but I shouldn’t be.† â€Å"Huh? But why?† â€Å"No, nevermind!† â€Å"Wait are we considered as close friends already?† â€Å"Of course. I think we are more than close, we are best friends.† â€Å"Really? Aren’t we awkward?† â€Å"Of course not! We are not doing anything bad naman ah!† â€Å"Okay, it’s my turn now, do you know that there’s a guy I like?† â€Å"Whoa! Really do you have a love life now?† Laughingly I said â€Å"Lovelife in an instant, can’t I have any crush first? By the way, aside from his looks, he also dances naturally plus he’s smart also!† â€Å"Really? If that so, he would be very lucky.† He answered in a low tone of voice. â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Oops, the bell already rang. Okay, catch yah later!† Tsk. Crap that’s it na nga eh! He’ll gonna tell the reason. Badtrip! I went home so late because of the plenty requirements my teachers gave plus I have so many things to bring! Then my friends went home early and my driver can’t fetch me because he has to attend his son’s wedding tonight! This is an unlucky day. I really don’t want to ride in a cab and I’m not used to commute alone. â€Å"As I was waiting for a cab to arrive someone shouted† â€Å"Hey!† I looked back and said â€Å"Oh, it’s you! I thought you already went home† â€Å"Yeah, I was walking straight to my apartment but I saw your driver near the church. So I hurriedly go back here to check if you already have gone home. Let me have your things, I’m gonna accompany you, so that, I am ensured that you will be safe.† I was really so flattered about the things he said and didn’t have the chance to answer him back or even thank him. After an hour of standing there, he finally decided that we should take a jeepney. As we sit upon, the people are all staring and were like â€Å"Seriously?† Since I am really tired I almost fall asleep, he hugged me, so that, my head will be supported. An ensuing silence between us two was felt. And as the driver said the destination, I hurriedly thank him and got down the jeep. â€Å"Take care!† he shouted. And I replied him with a smile. As I am walking a group of men suddenly grabbed my hair and pointed me with a knife. I tried to scream but they are too strong for me. My things fell off on my hands. I am really scared, there was nothing that I could do, but to cry and cry as they were unbuttoning my blouse, I am really hopeless. But out of the blue, I heard gunshots, and as I open my eyes, all I can see darkness, and a man wearing a yellow shirt, but I didn’t have the chance to thank him or even see his face. The next thing I know is that it is already morning and I’m in a hospital, my things are also there too. The nurses already contacted the number in my I.D. They said that a man named Y.L. brought me there. I am fine and still not touched, although I got some bruises. Purps texted me that she can’t come because her boss didn’t still arrive in the office, she just advised me to call my driver quickly, so that, I can already rest. As we arrived in our house, I quickly sleep, and when I woke up my sister texted me that she can’t go home early, because she have to visit her boss in the hospital who had been beaten up and has deep stab. The next day, I ignore everyone, as if I’m the only one living in this world, and I pay no attention even to my bestfriend. â€Å"Hey are you okay? What happened why were you absent yesterday?† he asked when I was about to ride in the car. â€Å"I’m sorry I’m really tired. I’m not in the mood to talk about anything today.† I answered. As Manong Fred is preparing to start the engine, I heard my bestfriend whispered. â€Å"Is she okay? Is it my fault? I really miss her a lot.† It has been weeks since we had our last convo. He texts, calls and even send me cards to know my situation, although I really appreciate his efforts, I still avoided him, I just don’t know why I’m doing this to him, maybe I’m just blaming him to what had happened to me. Today, a month before my birthday, Purps told me something. â€Å"Sis, do you remember my boss?† â€Å"Yeah?† â€Å"Well he was the one who saved you last month from those maniacs.† â€Å"Really, how’d you know?† â€Å"He accidentally saw your picture on my phone and told me the story.† â€Å"But why didn’t he show up?† â€Å"It is because he had a deep cut and needed an operation quickly, that’s why you had blood stains on your uniform right?† â€Å"Oh. But why is he strolling around our village?† â€Å"He will pick me up because we had a date that night; actually until now we are dating. By the way, do you still rememb er Grey?† â€Å"Kinda?† â€Å"Well, he’s Y.L’s brother and he’s teaching in your school, in fact he’s real name is Derrick Kryp.† Those words of Purps made me speechless. I am really surprised. â€Å"Wha†¦What did you say? Because Grey or Sir Rick is the one I love.† â€Å"Really? Whoa! Actually I asked Y.L to bring Grey together with him, for you two to meet each other, but to my surprised I’m the one who needs to know my sister’s love more.† I have nothing to do but to be amazed, ‘cause we are so connected with each other. â€Å"Red, they also have a little sister named Gelai or Green. Isn’t it amazing our names just like them are like colors?† â€Å"Yeah, it is.† In any minute they’ll be here. And I’m not yet ready to face them. Then they arrived, and as we ride the car, no one speaks, as if the four of us don’t know each other. Rick and I are seemed to be very surprised of what is going on, then an ensuing silence was heard To bring out the mood, Y.L began to speak â€Å"How are you now Red? Aren’t you traumatized?† Then Rick started to ponder â€Å"Huh? What’s going on? Are you two knew each other? What traumatized?† â€Å"Yeah, Y.L, I’m much better now than last month. By the way, thank you very much.† I answered. Then Purps replied to Rick’s question. â€Å"Y.L was the person who saved my sister from those maniacs who attempted to rape her last month.† â€Å"Really? Red, is that the reason why you had avoided me these past weeks? Are you really okay now?† Rick asked me, but I didn’t answered. When we arrived in the restaurant, Purps reserved as another table. â€Å"Red, why didn’t you tell me about that incident? You know what I’m really mad that you aren’t talking to me last month.† â€Å"I’m really sorry, I just didn’t want to talk about it and maybe I’m too scared of what had happened.† â€Å"I really miss you Red, I thought that you are about to forget me, without knowing the reason why. â€Å"I missed you too Derrick, but remember that I won’t forget you, you’ll always be in my heart.† â€Å"Red, I love you, I love you more than anything else in this world. I even love you more than my life.† Those words of him made me wordless, I feel like I has been struck by a lightning, my heart beats so fast and I feel like I am jumping in the cloud nine, I’ve never felt this feeling before. â€Å"What? Are you crazy? I’m a graduating highschool student who is deeply inlove with her teacher, and 15 year-old girl who has a relationship with her educator. What will others say to us? What will be our future?† â€Å"Really, do you also love me? I don’t care what will others will say to us, as long as we are both happy of what we are doing and we aren’t hurting others. I’ll just resign being a teacher after you had graduated and work for my brother in our company, is it okay with you?† â€Å"Yeah, as long as we will be together legally. I really love you.† He suddenly hugged me and whispered unto my ears the words I love to hear everyday â€Å"I love you and I will always do.† â€Å"We will be legalized after I graduated don’t worry, just wait for a month and you can call me your girl and not your student anymore.† â€Å"Of course, for you I’ll do everything.†

Diffusion in Sociology Definition, Theory, Examples

Diffusion, also known as cultural diffusion, is a social process through which elements of culture spread from one society or social group to another, which means it is, in essence, a process of social change. It is also the process through which innovations are introduced into an organization or social group, sometimes called the diffusion of innovations. Things that are spread through diffusion include ideas, values, concepts, knowledge, practices, behaviors, materials, and symbols. Sociologists and anthropologists believe that cultural diffusion is the primary way through which modern societies developed the cultures that they have today. Further, they note that the process of diffusion is distinct from having elements of a foreign culture forced into a society, as was done through colonization. Social Sciences Theories The study of cultural diffusion was pioneered by anthropologists who sought to understand how it was that the same or similar cultural elements could be present in numerous societies around the world long before the advent of communication tools. Edward Tylor, a British anthropologist who wrote during the mid-nineteenth century, posed the theory of cultural diffusion as an alternative to using the theory of cultural evolution to explain cultural similarities. Following Tylor, the German-American anthropologist Franz Boas developed a theory of cultural diffusion for explaining how the process works among areas that are close to each other, geographically speaking. These scholars observed that cultural diffusion happens when societies that have different ways of life come into contact with each other  and that as they interact more and more, the rate of cultural diffusion between them increases. In the early 20th century, American sociologists Robert E. Park, Ernest Burgess, and Canadian sociologist Roderick Duncan McKenzie were members of the Chicago School of sociology, scholars in the 1920s and 1930s who studied urban cultures in Chicago and applied what they learned elsewhere. In their now-classic work The City, published in 1925, they studied cultural diffusion from the standpoint of social psychology, which meant they focused on the motivations and social mechanisms that allow diffusion to occur. Principles There are many different theories of cultural diffusion that have been offered by anthropologists and sociologists, but the elements common to them that can be considered general principles of cultural diffusion are as follows. The society or social group that borrows elements from another will alter or adapt those elements to fit within their own culture.Typically, it is only elements of a foreign culture that fit into the already-existing belief system of the host culture that will be borrowed.Those cultural elements that do not fit within the host cultures existing belief system will be rejected by members of the social group.Cultural elements will only be accepted within the host culture if they are useful within it.Social groups that borrow cultural elements are more likely to borrow again in the future. The  Diffusion of Innovations Some sociologists have paid particular attention to how the diffusion of innovations within a social system or social organization occurs, as opposed to cultural diffusion across different groups. In 1962, sociologist and communication theorist Everett Rogers wrote a book titled  Diffusion of Innovations, which laid the theoretical groundwork for the study of this process. According to Rogers, there are four key variables that influence the process of how an innovative idea, concept, practice, or technology is diffused through a social system. The innovation itselfThe channels through which  it is communicatedHow long the group in question is exposed to the innovationThe characteristics of the social group These will work together to determine the speed and scale of diffusion, as well as whether or not the innovation is successfully adopted. Steps in the Process The process of diffusion, according to Rogers, happens in five steps: Knowledge: awareness of the innovationPersuasion: interest in the innovation rises and a person begins to research it furtherDecision: a person or group evaluates the pros and cons of the innovation (the key point in the process)Implementation: leaders introduce the innovation to the social system and evaluate its usefulnessConfirmation: those in charge decide to continue using it Rogers noted that, throughout the process, the social influence of certain individuals can play a significant role in determining the outcome. In part because of this, the study of the diffusion of innovations is of interest to people in the field of marketing. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.