Suspense and Tension in Short Stories of H.G. Wells :: H.G. Wells Short Story Essays

Suspense and Tension in Short Stories of H.G. Wells Herbert George Wells was best known as the author of fantasy and science fiction novels: The Time Machine, The Invincible man, The War of the worlds, The Stolen Bacillus, The man who could work miracles and The Red Room. From this vast collection of different genres, three stories have been chosen to illustrate, compare and contrast how the different setups create tension and suspense. There are similarities and differences in the settings that the writers have chose for their stories by H.G.Wells. These stories though different in genre and plot illustrate how H.G.Wells manages to capture the imagination of the reader and create atmosphere and tension in contrasting ways. The Three stories I agreed to choose were The Red Room, the Stolen Bacillus and The man who could work miracles. The Red Room is a story about a young man 28 years old goes to this houses where people had been complaining about this ghost like figure they keep hearing in a room of there's. The young man arrives at the house only to be surrounded by a bunch of old people, these old people made the man feel very uncomfortable and unsure about what they want him to do. After a while even the young man confesses to himself how he wasn't expecting these miserable old people in this quote "I must confess I had scarce expected these grotesque custodians "(pg 4). The man later went on to describes how the men became ghost's of themselves "A monstrous shadow of him crouched upon the wall and mocked his actions as he poured and drank" (pg 6) A man with a withered arm repetitively keep saying the words "It's your own choosing to go in that room" (pg 6). The man then got described to him what had been happening in the house, and then he walked along the corridor with the old man with the withered arm and into the room. Only the young man entered the room to see that it was dark and no lights were working. So he stayed and settled for a while, he had a look around and then suddenly something came up behind him and the man blacked out. When he woke up all of the old people were surrounding him and he couldn't remember a thing. Then the old people are eager to know all about what happened to the young man. Then he explains to them that "there's neither a ghost nor an earl in the room but it's the worst thing of all that haunt poor mortal man", he said and that

Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon is a utopian fantasy novel, and so the reader must use his/her imagination to help make this unusual world (Shangri-La) believable. It is more cerebral than that According to Steven Silver Reviews on the novel, the monks at Shangri-La believe in a philosophy which is a mix of Christianity and is brought to the valley by the 18th French priest Perrault which is also the name of the French fabulist and the Buddhism which existed before Perrault's arrival. The motto of these monks could best be summed up as â€Å"Everything in moderation, even moderation†, same as what Aristotle believed in his idealism. The novel opens in a gentleman's club in Berlin where four Englishmen have met for the evening. Talk turns to a plane hi-jacking which had occurred in Baskul, India the previous year. When the men realize they all knew one of the kidnap victims, Hugh Conway, the conversation briefly touches on his probable fate. After the group breaks up, one of their number, the author Rutherford, confides to another that he has seen Conway since the kidnapping and goes on to provide a manuscript accounting for Conway's experiences. Conway is among four kidnap victims, the others being Mallinson, his young assistant who is anxious to get back to civilization, Barnard, a brash American, and Miss Brinklow, an evangelist. Conway himself rounds out the group as an established diplomat and stoic. When the plane crashes in the Kuen-Lun Mountains, the quartet is rescued and taken to the hidden lamasery of Shangri-La. Conway is the most adaptable and open-minded character in the book and takes what people say at face value as truth. Conway, Malinson, Barnard, and Ms. Brinklow are four passengers catching a flight out of Baskul as the political and military situation there deteriorates. The plane is being flown by a pilot who appears to be in a trance and taking them drastically off course. A forced landing on a Himilayan mountain top kills the pilot and ruins the plane. The four survivors are rescued and brought to a strange, almost magical, mountain monastery and village. The setting is lush and green despite the altitude. The people placid and friendly, but mysteriously quiet about the prospects for returning to civilization, so remote is the village. Despite his knowledge Conway leaves with Malinson in an attempt to reach India on foot. They are deceived and the journey is a tragic one. Conway managed to reach civilization and then is desperate to leave to make his return back to Shangri-La, to accept his position as successor to the deceased High Lama. Basically, the story is a spiritual journey for those who see what it is they have stumbled upon, Shangri-La: paradise on Earth. Conway is given an audience with the High Lama but remains quiet as to what is going on. People age years instead of decades, there is no crime or war or hunger. The novel teaches us that desire itself corrupts mankind. Buddhism teaches that nirvana is the end of desire for anything at all, even life itself. Hilton takes this idea and uses it to create his utopia. In Shangri-La, no one wants anything because everyone has everything they need. Children are indoctrinated in courtesy and etiquette even when they are still very young. They are taught to share and love. If two men desire the same woman, one is willing to let go. Passion and ambition are not good. The basis of all human emotion is desire, and when all desire is eliminated, you achieve a utopia. People in Shangri-La do not â€Å"do† anything because they do not want anything. They read, listen to music, have discussions and share nature walks, but they do not compete with each other or perform work. Hilton’s utopians live abnormally long lives because they do not experience any tension or yearnings. Reference: Hilton, James (1988). Lost Horizon. Mass Market Paperback. ISBN: 0671664271      

Essay on The Civil Rights Movement - 1014 Words

The purpose of this essay is to outline the main events of the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Specifically, the focus will be on the main activists involved in the movement such as Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks and the major campaigns of civil resistance. The Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights in Southern states.African-Americans were able to gain the rights to issues such as equal access to public transportation, right to vote, right to fair trials, and many others. The many movements lasted roughly from 1955 to 1968. During this time African-Americans were constantly degraded and reminded of†¦show more content†¦The driver noticed a white man standing and then demanded her entire row move as blacks were forbidden to sit next to whites. After refusing to move, Rosa Parks was reported to the police and arrested for violating the ‘whites first’ bus laws. Her case was used to fight segregation laws which pushed for complete desegregation on public transport. 50,000 of Montgomerys African Americans supported the boycott which lasted for 381 days until the local ordinance segregating African-Americans and whites on public buses was lifted. Ninety percent of African Americans in Montgomery took part in the boycotts until a federal court ordered Montgomerys buses desegregated in November 1956. Martin Luther King Jr was a prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. A baptist minister, he became a civil rights activist early on. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was planned and pursued by fellow activist leader E.D Nixon and soon led by King. During this time King’s house was bombed and he was later arrested. The Freedom Rides were journeys taken by Civil Rights activists on interstate buses into the segregated southern states of America. These were organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the first Freedom Ride left Washington D.C. on May 4, 1961. Activists travelled to the highly segregated South and sought to integrate seating and desegregate bus terminals, restrooms andShow MoreRelatedThe Rise Of The Civil Rights Movement1179 Words   |  5 Pagessegregations. Out of the numerous elements that arose in the 1960s, there are three movements that truly affected the American society. Firstly, the rise of the civil rights movement was greatly influenced by racial discrimination of colored people in the South. Secondly, the women’s movement aimed to convince the society that women are capable of achieving and maintaining higher waged job like males. Lastly, the gay rights movement aimed to gain acceptance and stop discrimination of homosexuality. The mostRead MoreThe Fol k Music Of The Civil Rights Movement1208 Words   |  5 PagesResponse Paper #4 The folk music of the Civil Rights Movement â€Å"came out of tradition, common experience, and generations of resistance† (Dunaway 2010: 140). The songs used throughout the movement derived from the shared experiences and struggles of African Americans while connecting â€Å"the gentle, idealistic world of folk music and the integrationist world of civil rights† (Dunaway 2010: 145). Songs, such as â€Å"We Shall Overcome†, were put through the folk process, where a song is passed on and alterationsRead MoreThe Great Leaders Of The Civil Rights Movement1563 Words   |  7 Pages They seem to be forgotten until they are highlighted once again. Another example of a person that was not really highlighted for their actions is Nina Simone. She made an impact on the Civil Right Movement that not many other artist or celebrity would have done. When you think of the Civil Rights Movement the first three that come to mind of course are, Martin Luther King Jr., Malco m X, and Rosa Parks. So, when someone hears the name Nina Simone the two most common responses might be â€Å"Who’sRead MoreSocial Movements : Black Civil Rights2647 Words   |  11 PagesSocial movements are vital to the establishment of our societies, and they way we are governed. Social movements help the less privileged band together to create a stronger voice among a sea of political correctness and unlawfully rule that the public supposedly have to abide by without question. 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Even though at the time they were considered free, they were often criticized and discriminated against. Finally, shootings, brutality, and unfair treatment were enough. In an effort to end racial segregation and discrimination against African-Americans all over the country, they took a stand. This was known as the Civil Rights Movement. There were many interesting events that cause d this movement. The three main causes thatRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement Essay1601 Words   |  7 PagesThe Civil Rights Movement â€Å"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.† This was a speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Even one hundred years after slavery was banned, African Americans were still being treated unfairly. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most famous leaders of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960’s. The Civil Rights movement was a movement of AfricanRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement Essay1259 Words   |  6 Pages The civil right movement refers to the reform movement in the United States beginning in the 1954 to 1968 led primarily by Blacks for outlawing racial discrimination against African-Americans to prove the civil rights of personal Black citizen. For ten decades after the Emancipation Proclamation, African-Americans in Southern states still live a rigid unequal world of deprive right of citizenship, segregation and various forms of oppression, including race-inspired violence. â€Å"JimRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement Essay1190 Words   |  5 Pages The Civil Rights Movement The 13th amendment, passed on the first of January, 1865 abolished slavery throughout America. Although African Americans were considered free after this amendment was approved, they still had a long and arduous struggle to absolute freedom. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, segregation in the United States was frequently used throughout many of the Southern and Border States. Schools, bathrooms, libraries, and even water fountains were segregated. Though there wereRead MoreCivil Rights Movement Essay797 Words   |  4 PagesThe Civil Rights Movement, also known as the American Civil Rights, was a mass movement during the 1950s and 1960s. It was one of the most intricate social movements of mankind. The Civil Rights Movement was a period where African Americans did not have the same equal rights or treatment as the whites. Instead, African Americans were segregated from whites by not going to school together, having to sit in the back of the bus, not being able to move freely, or not having the right to vote. Over the