Comparison of ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘Lamb to the Slaughter’ Essay

In this essay I will be comparing the devil stories The dotted Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and beloved to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl.The cloud Band was written in 1892.This was in The Victorian Period when raft had actually little faith in the Police and Conan Doyle needed to hold a Detective who al commissions got e precisething right so that the public arrayed to call back the Police could actually gear up it right. It was first publish in a magazine called The Strand in weekly episodes so to a definite extent he needed to keep his r block uperers interested as swell which is why the p group is so entangled. The plot is astir(predicate) a fair sex called Helen Stoner who is going to get married, simply someone or something executes her baby who to a fault was supposed to get married. Helen Stoner goes to assemble Sherlock Holmes to see if he can help crystallise the crime. The plot is full of twists and bolshy herrings that is up to the reader to try and s olve as they go along further as always Sherlock Holmes springs out the implication of everything and solves the crime. love to the Slaughter was written in 1954by Roald Dahl. This story was also published in a magazine called Harpers but was written to be read in one go so it does not have the complicated layout of Conan Doyles story. Instead the reader make outs exactly what is going on form the start of the story and the ending is shocking and designed to entertain and horrify. It was written by Dahl to show how women at the time were a lot more powerful than the men gave them credit for and should be respected more than existence at home , pregnant.The plot is about a modern geminate that seem to be falling out. Mary Maloney is the perfect 1950s lady of the house who makes dinner and cleans, but one sidereal day when her husband (Patrick Maloney) comes home from work they have an argument. Mary loses her temper with Patrick and hits him over the head with a fork of gi ve birth and accidentally kills him. In a panic she phones the police and puts the oarlock of lamb in the oven to cook for dinner. When the police arrive she persuades them to discharge the lamb because it would be a waste of food. In the end the police eat the evidence and Mary didnt get caught. Dahl uses comic banter at the end to engage the reader as Mary sits in that respect laughing about what she has done you dont imagine her to do this as a middle class housewife.The times that these stories are gravel in are both very different. Like travel, in The speckled Band. They travel by horse and cart but in Lamb to the Slaughter trey use car or foot up serious akin in the modern day. For communication the people in 1892 would have to write or go and see the person they precious to talk to but in 1954 they would have used the telephone. Also in 1892 they did not have much electricity so they used candles sortinga of light, whereas in 1954 they had lots of electricity. In 1892 the women would have worn veils and long skirts but in 1954 they would have they would have worn jeans, t-shirt etc. in 1892 rich families would lived in large houses with servants but in the modern day most families are middle classed and do not have the bullion for servants etc. When there was an enquiry in 1892 the investigators would have had to use their confess knowledge to solve crimes but in 1954 they would use fingerprints, evidence etc to solve the crimes.The language used in The speckled Band was old forge and very formal like when Sherlock Holmes says Very sorry to beg you up Watson, said he, but its the common lot this morning. He also says things like Mrs Hudson has been knocked up, she reported upon me, and I on you. This isnt the kind of language we would use in the modern day and proves that it is set in 1892.However in Lamb to the Slaughter there was a lot of slang and it was not as formal. Like when Mary says how-do-you-do darling. And Hullo Sam to t he grocer. However the way she speaks to Sam the grocer proves it was set in the 1950s and not in any other time because we would not know the person in the corner shops first name today but it was common in the 1950s to be friendly with them.In The Speckled Band Sherlock Holmes is the main character. He is a famous detective and solves difficult cases. Conan Doyle invented him because people in the Victorian times were fed with the point that the police could not solve any crimes and he wanted a character that always got everything right. However in Lamb to the Slaughter there were police who are good at solving cases but wouldnt be able to solve them without any evidence and they are very arrogant and treat Mary as a silly char when in fact she is the person who has tricked them and been the murderer. Dahl does this to shock his readers and make it yet more dramatic which Conan Doyle would not want to do because they needed to curse their detectiveIn The Speckled Band the kil ler was a snake that had been hypnotised by Helen Stoners stepfather, but all the way through the story he is a suspect and he acts suspiciously like when Helen goes to visit Sherlock Holmes to tell him what has been going on, shortly later she leaves her stepfather came in asking if she has been here. It seemed like he had something to hide, but in the end it had postcode to do with him.In Lamb to the Slaughter Mary seems like a nice, gentle woman who witnesss that she has to help out. Like when she says,Darling, shall I get your slippers? but after the police eat the evidence she laughs so I conjecture he whole issue hade made her go a bit insane. At the beginning of the story you didnt appear it from her because she beneficial seems like a normal, average wife like when it said about She took his coat and hung it in the closet. and when it said She was sat back again in her chair with the sewing. The scene seems too realistic for something bad to happen.In The Speckled Ban d the victim was Helen Stoners sister because there was nothing anyone could do to save her this made the readers feel very sorry for her. The conterminous victim was Helen Stoner and because nobody knew what killed her sister it seemed that she needed protection. I would evaluate someone like her to be the next victim because she is a woman who has done nothing wrong and is innocent. I dont theorise her or her sister deserved to be the victims because they are both just happy and normal people.In Lamb to the Slaughter you dont feel sorry for Patrick because he is being horrible to Mary and you feel automatically on her side from the beginning. I think he deserved to be upset but not killed because they are just having a falling out.The Speckled Band is set in Stoke Moran, which is Helens stepfather house. Sherlock Holmes is investigating the house. I think it is a good shot for a murder to take place and because its a very big house which makes it creepier for the reader becaus e you dont know what is doing the killings.Lamb to the Slaughter is set in Mary Maloneys house. I think the way the author has described it makes it sound very realistic, like when he says,The room was warm and clean, the curtains drawn, the two table lamps alight. This makes the room sound tea cosy and like it really exists. You can really picture the scenery. I also think its a good setting for a murder because you can imagine it happening there. I think I would expect it because so many crimes in real life have been taken place in houses.Out of the two stories I preferred Lamb to the Slaughter because it is easier to understand and keeps you interested all the way though with the exposition it uses. I disliked the other story because the speaking parts dragged on to long and I did really just want to get on and find out what happens.