Classic English Literature Assignment: The Ransom of Red Chief (Essay Sample)

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Classic English Literature Assignment
The Ransom of Red Chief
Question 1. The main aim of the book is to give an insight into the life of two men who kidnap a child with the intention of soliciting ransom from the family. It reveals how the events unfolded from the moment that they took the victim. Their journey to the hiding place is well illustrated. The story also highlights the experiences that the captive encounter in the hands of these criminals. It ends when the abductors drop the boy to the agreed destination so that they collect their ransom. Events characterizing the book from the beginning to the end make the audience to understand the primary objective of the author.
Question 2. A protagonist is a character who ends up as a hero in a story. An antagonist, on the other hand, is a person who continuously opposes many things and in most times they are hostile and rude.
Sam is the protagonist because of the roles he plays and his traits. For instance, he abandons bill with the kidnapped child at some point in time (Olive 14). At the end of the story, he actively participates in the deal to collect the ransom. On the other hand, Bill is the antagonist. He is strongly against the suggestion that they should torture the boy. He also disagrees with Sam’s proposal that the captive should be left in the cold.
Question 3. From a personal perspective, I feel that Bill is the most interesting character because he remains aggressive throughout. The language that this character uses is also very persuasive, a condition that makes him a better communicator. He summons Johnny and asks him to join him for a ride and get some candies. This is a catchy language to win a small boy like Johnny.
Question 4. The author introduces the characters one after the other as the story progresses. He begins with Bill and Sam because they are the main characters, and as the story unfolds, Johnny and the rest are progressively introduced. For example, Sam starts by introducing the story. Secondly, Bill comes to the picture as Sam's partner in crime. He finally introduces Johnny as the victim to make it possible for the story development.
The Garden Party
Question 1. The author also uses certain aspects of the story to define the life of a family that has high value for social life. He also reveals their attitudes towards the plight of others.
Question 2. When Laura saw the dead man, she was shocked and tried to advise others to stop the party.
Question 3. This author is trying to emphasize on the fact that social interactions between the wealthy and poor members of the society is possible. Laura is a flexible character who is always open to new ideas. She is described as a lady from the upper social class especially considering that she comes from a rich family (Mahy 3). This scholar reveals how the family organizes parties and the way they value social aspects of life.
Question 5. The two stories are characterized by high levels of interpretive literature. Such diction makes deeper revelations of the intended themes.
Question 6. Thomas Moore’s quote in the textbook relates to Laura’s character. She is a humble woman who relates positively with members from low class families. She visits places that are often avoided by the rich people. The lady is not dismissive of the poor, and tends to show concerns over the experiences of others. The quote, "And the heart that is soonest awake to the flowers is always the first to be touched by the thorns." The statement describes Laura as the "heart that is soonest awake to the flowers" because of the fact that she is the first to realize the beauty that comes with the idea of togetherness. She comes to appreciate the importance of socializing with the poor regardless of their social statuses. The term "flowers" as used by Moore in this quote refers to the exciting part of the low class that the wealthy members of the society never realize. The story also reveals that Laura was pained by the oppressions and the suffering (thorns) that the poor went encountered. As soon as the heart (Laura) was awake to the flowers (the beautiful aspects of associating with the low class members of the society), she began to feel their pain. However, the author does not provide any further information as to whether she helped remove these thorns or simply became part of them.
August Heat
Question 1. Fate refers to something that has developed in one’s life and is beyond their control.
Coincidence, on the other hand, is the occurrence of an event without expectations.
Verbal irony is the style in literature used to refer to the situation where a person says something when they mean another. Dramatic irony is the scenario whereby the audience is aware of something that the character does not know. The irony of the situation is when the actions in a situation contradict the expectations of the audience.
Question 2. I think that the two men died. Their death may have been caused by the consequences of the stubbornness they showed throughout the story as well as the violent nature of their behaviors (Dokey 7).
Question 3. Other than the heat, the author focuses on crime. This theme is evident from the way he narrates the story about the two men and the activities in which they take part.
Question 4. The effect on the constant mention of heat makes the story interesting because the term is used to portray different meanings in the various parts of the story. This style has the impact of inducing extra thoughts into the minds of the readers.
Question 5. The predominant objective of the book is to describe the lives of violent criminals and their encounters with the justice system.
Question 6. Even though the two strangers are brought together by what seems to be a coincident, it seems that fate plays a wider role than just coincidence in the series of subsequent events and life encounters of these people. They are known to be very ruthless criminals who do not have any regards for the victims of their activities. as the story progresses, the readers see things becoming more and more interesting as the two men head towards their encounter with jus...