...Why are humans foolishly trying to hold the power of escaping death? The theme of fate looks to be the focal point of this story, but if one analyzes it at a deeper level it is found to stem from the idea of death. It is ultimately unconquerable to outdo fate. “The Monkey’s Paw” portrayed the idea of greed and how it was so desirable. Despite the fact that the Paw had consequences, it was very captivating and they couldn’t help themselves whether or not they were greedy or if they already had everything they needed. Being as though the Paw had an inexplicable power that no one could really understand, people wanted their lives to be “better” in the way of wealth. The characters don’t come to the realization that by changing fate, there comes a long road of disappointment. Commonly, people like to play around with their life as if it won’t affect their future. Once their future is upon them, they won’t be satisfied with the decisions or wishes they made at one point....
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...Tempting Fate Throughout the short story “The Monkey’s Paw”, the idea of magic, wishes and fate are casually introduced by Jacobs. Fate is a development of events that is beyond a person’s control and is predetermined by supernatural powers. Jacobs raises a genuine chill by underplaying the threats that will arise when tempting fate. Through greed, and supernatural events Jacobs weaves a tale to show that fate rules people’s lives and that those who interfere with it will suffer the consequences. The idea that the monkey’s paw is of supernatural origin is first brought to light by the sergeant-major who informs the White Family that “It has a spell put on it by an old fakir a very holy man” (Jacobs 2) which allows three wishes to be made by three separate men. The Sergeant-Major continues to tell the White family that the monkey’s paw has supernatural powers, he foreshadows through the words “He wanted to show that fate ruled people’s lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow” (Jacobs 2). Through this quote, “The ominous threat of the paw is presented” (Brantingham). The Sergeant-Major warns the White family that wishing on the monkey’s paw and changing their destiny will not appeal to the supernatural world and they will suffer the consequences. Continuing on with the idea of the supernatural, there are a few instances within the short story that support the idea of the monkey’s paw coming from an uncanny universe. The first instance is that everything...
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...the Unknown The story The Monkey's Paw, takes place in what is described as, "a beastly, slushy, out of the way" area where the "pathway's a bog and the road's a torrent." The location alone is setting the stage for fear. The use of fear of the unknown with regard to greed have been shown in a number of ways. Firstly with the game of chess between Mr. White and his son Herbert, then jumping at the chance to make a wish on the paw even after knowing that the paw had brought trouble to others that had used it and lastly asking for their son to be brought back to life. The game of chess in this story symbolizes life in "The Monkey's Paw." The game of chess entails risk taking. When the story opens Mr. White and his son Herbert are playing a game of chess in the safety and warmth of their home but little do we the reader realize that the outcome of the game will eventually mirror that of the ending of the story. While playing with his son, Mr. White announces his theory of "radical changes" with regard to chess. He takes incredible risk in the game and even Mrs. White is worried about the moves that he makes. We are told that Mr. White has just committed "a fatal mistake after which it was too late." During the game he realizes that while he was feeling confident about the risks he was taking, he discovers that theses risks have brought only loss to his game, foreshadowing much the same as the risks he takes in wishing on the paw for 200 pounds and the great loss...
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...Analysis of “The Monkey’s Paw” William Wymark Jacobs, also called W.W. Jacobs, wrote “The Monkey’s Paw” in 1902. Jacobs was a comedic writer, and his stories fascinated both his readers and listeners. The story is about the Whites family, comprised of three people, namely Mr. White, Mrs. White, and their son Herbert White. They are a very happy family who have everything they need. Their heart could not desire more. One day Sargent – Major Morris, a man who has travelled a lot in the world, among others India were he found a monkey’s paw, knocked on the Whites door with the paw in his pocket. There is this thing about the paw. It is magical. Anyone who owns the paw gets three wishes, but one thing is there to know – magic comes with a price. Mr. Whites wants the paw, but he has to buy it first so he wishes for two hundred pounds. The paw symbolizes the greed and desire that is part of a human and Mr. White has a lovely home and a happy family, but he still wishes for money that he may not even use. Because of his wish, Herbert dies at a machinery and his corpse comes to knock at the family door. Mr. White uses his last wish to wish the son gone, because he is afraid of what might be on the other side of the door. He will not take the chance. In “The Monkey’s Paw” Mr. White and his son love playing chess. They are both competitive persons so they play a lot chess to get revenge on each other. The chess can symbolize life. Chess is a game that is unpredictable, like life....
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...With the power of being granted three wishes, there are a lot of option to wish for to satisfy someone’s greed or wellbeing. Money is an example of a wish that satisfy someone’s greed or wellbeing. In the story Monkey’s Paw, the White family wish for two hundred pounds and it was wish granted, but with a consequence. This is why hard work and inspiration should motivate people to be successful and not just rely on wishes. The story Monkey’s Paw, demonstrate how dangerous wishes can be from using unnatural object to grant them. Morris stated in Monkey’s Paw “It has caused me enough mischief already.” Even though Morris did not say what his three wishes were, the monkey’s paw had cause him enough trouble in his life when he received it. Receiving an item that look creepy and have the ability to grant wishes seems dangerous to keep around. Morris also said the man before him also has his three wishes granted, but his last one is for death. That right there is a big clue that should ring the bell of how dangerous using anything weird granting wishes. Morris view the monkey’s paw as something that should not exist in the world anymore and that it should be destroy. This is why he threw the paw into the fire to get rid of....
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...It was once thought that fate was an unwavering force that was decided at birth, but that has proven to be false. In “The Monkey’s Paw”, W.W Jacobs explores the consequences of interfering with fate through grief, greed, and superstition. The death of Herbert proves that changing a person's destiny leads them to face severe consequences. Also, Sergent Morris' introduction of the cursed monkey's paw causes the Whites to go through many hardships and emotional trauma. As evident in “The Monkey’s Paw,” people’s inability to deal with greed, superstition and grief lead to sorrow and loss. Tampering with a person's destiny leads to them facing severe consequences. Herbert sees an opportunity to grow his family's wealth by using an unnatural object...
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...the catalyst for the story: he brings the monkey’s paw to the Whites’ home. He is “a tall, burly man, beady of eye and rubicund of visage,” whose eyes get brighter after his third glass of whiskey at the Whites’ hearth. Morris is both familiar and exotic. Morris and Mr. White began their lives in approximately the same way; Mr. White remembers his friend as “a slip of a youth in the warehouse.” But in his twenty-one years of travel and soldiering, Morris has seen the world and has brought back tales of “wild scenes and doughty deeds; of wars and plagues and strange peoples.” Morris also carries with him the monkey’s paw, which changes all the Whites’ lives forever. Mr. White Mr. White is a conservative, satisfied man who enjoys his quiet domestic life. Jacobs shows this in the very first scene in the story, which opens with father and son playing chess in their cozy cottage on a rainy night, while Mrs. White, knitting by the fire, comments on their game. Clearly, the Whites live a contented, if somewhat contained, life. Later in the story, the grandest thing Mr. White can think of to wish for is to clear the mortgage on their little house. White does have reckless tendencies, though. In the first paragraph of the story, in the chess game with his son, he puts his king “into such sharp and unnecessary perils that it even provoked comment” from his normally docile wife. This recklessness leads him to tempt fate with the monkey’s paw, endangering his family as a result. Mr. White...
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...The Monkey’s Paw –Story Analysis Imagination can take over and lead the mind on a journey to new beginnings. The author leaves the reader to discover underlying meanings while grasping the concept between reality and make-believe. Reading an interesting novel will give the readers a burst of different emotions, for example horror stories and thrillers leave the reader excited and eager for more, while romance makes them wish for the little things they do not have. While searching for the underlying intent, it is inevitable to come across many acts of representation, including the oblivious ones. At the end of a novel the reader gains knowledge and understanding of the author’s implications. As the story opens, the scene inside Laburnam Villa is contrasted with the scene outside. Outside, it's a typical dark and stormy night. Inside things are warm and cheery, with chess, knitting, and a roaring fire. People can always have a cheerful day no matter what the weather is like outside. As the story progresses, the house becomes progressively darker and spookier – complete with creaking stairs, strange shadows from candles and things that go bump in the night. After Herbert dies, the reader is told that the house becomes, "steeped in shadow and silence" (3.3). Mr. and Mrs. White also undergo an upsetting change, transforming from a happy couple into parents racked by grief. It is common for happy couples to have their off days, not everyone can be happy all the time. During...
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...how would you like everything you wished for with out know there was a catch attached to it . for example in the store monkey's paw it shows a dark ,and evil side by showing that temptation can lead to greed and a form a kind of karma from gaining one thing important to losing something you love the next. Like in the story herbert wished for two hundred pounds ,but didn't realise he be losing something worth more than money when he gain money. They also show darkness with them explaining the way the setting is in the story and by adding sound to see or feel what the character is feeling . The monkey's paw show a sort of karma by each event showing something going wrong for each time there was a wish something unfortunate happens. like for...
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...“Greed makes a man blind and foolish, and makes him an easy prey for death.” (Rumi) To be unsatisfied with one’s lifestyle will lead to one striving for superficial means such as money or power. It may seem tempting to one if they were given the opportunity to have wish come true, or a glimpse into their future, but nothing comes without consequences. In the short story Monkeys Paw by W.W Jacobs and the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the characters strive to alter their destiny through supernatural means which ultimately leads to greed developing within the characters, fate being tampered with for personal gain, and the downfall of major characters within both stories. In both texts, the main characters lived average lives;...
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...Guilt can make you do things that aren’t the best for your situation and make problems worse. These two stories that are a part of this essay are two ideas of what guilt can make you do. In the Monkey’s Paw and the Tell-Tale Heart, their cause-and-effect relationship is that being greedy or selfish can cause guilt and the feeling of suspense from the guilt causes them to do things that aren’t sensible. Consequently, guilt and the reaction to guilt causes complications. In the Monkey’s Paw, the White family was selfish and wish for money. As a consequence, their son was killed causing them to feel remorse. Mrs. White felt miserable and thoughtlessly wanted her son back no matter the cost; even though she saw the consequences to the last wish....
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...Name- Student name- Tutor name- Week 2 I have gone through first part of all the stories and decided to make the folio based on ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ as it sounds really interesting to me. After reading thoroughly the first part of the story, I can say that Mr. Morris, Sargeant-Major has gone through some rough and brutal phase for which he holds ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ guilty and responsible. There was some bitter fact that he hides from his friend, Mr. White though he warns him about the misfortune. As for Mr. White, I felt that he is curious to know about the truth behind ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ but at the same time somewhere down the line he has a greed of getting more by making wish to ‘The Monkey’s Paw’. Whilst Mrs. White and his son takes this issue in a humorous and light way. From the very beginning author has set the mood of the story as suspicious and mysterious which fills the mind of the reader with a surge to reveal the unknown. From the suspicious environment created, it can be predicted easily that some ghosts and haunting is coming on the way. Very cleverly author revealed that there is some misfortune related to the history of the monkey’s paw and a holy man has spelled something over the mummified paw of monkey but what is that misfortune? Also, what was happening upstairs after Mr. White wished for the first thing? These are yet unsolved questions. Reading the very first part of the story, I can say that the story is filled with thrills, unexpected...
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...Throughout history new things are always being invented and people always want the next best thing. It’s normal human behavior. It can lead to a point where it isn’t always beneficial. Wanting can lead to greed and greed can lead to an empty feeling and even unhappiness. People cover up feelings of emptiness with shiny new things but in reality the feeling doesn’t last and materials can’t fill voids. In the “Monkey’s Paw” Mr. and Mrs. White were presented with the ability to wish for anything they desired. They were warned that the wishes weren’t worth it. They wished for money. Life has a way of balancing things out with one gain comes a loss and with happiness comes sadness. They didn’t realize how lucky they were to have good health, a happy family, and a nice warm home. Instead they wanted more but they lost their son. He died later after the first wish was made due to an accident at work. They tried to wish him alive again but the fear that something was wrong made the father wish him dead again. They weren’t the only ones affected by greed. It can be in everyone....
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...The New Astrology by SUZANNE WHITE Copyright © 1986 Suzanne White. All rights reserved. 2 Dedication book is dedicated to my mother, Elva Louise McMullen Hoskins, who is gone from this world, but who would have been happy to share this page with my courageous kids, April Daisy White and Autumn Lee White; my brothers, George, Peter and John Hoskins; my niece Pamela Potenza; and my loyal friends Kitti Weissberger, Val Paul Pierotti, Stan Albro, Nathaniel Webster, Jean Valère Pignal, Roselyne Viéllard, Michael Armani, Joseph Stoddart, Couquite Hoffenberg, Jean Louis Besson, Mary Lee Castellani, Paula Alba, Marguerite and Paulette Ratier, Ted and Joan Zimmermann, Scott Weiss, Miekle Blossom, Ina Dellera, Gloria Jones, Marina Vann, Richard and Shiela Lukins, Tony Lees-Johnson, Jane Russell, Jerry and Barbara Littlefield, Michele and Mark Princi, Molly Friedrich, Consuelo and Dick Baehr, Linda Grey, Clarissa and Ed Watson, Francine and John Pascal, Johnny Romero, Lawrence Grant, Irma Kurtz, Gene Dye, Phyllis and Dan Elstein, Richard Klein, Irma Pride Home, Sally Helgesen, Sylvie de la Rochefoucauld, Ann Kennerly, David Barclay, John Laupheimer, Yvon Lebihan, Bernard Aubin, Dédé Laqua, Wolfgang Paul, Maria José Desa, Juliette Boisriveaud, Anne Lavaur, and all the others who so dauntlessly stuck by me when I was at my baldest and most afraid. Thanks, of course, to my loving doctors: James Gaston, Richard Cooper, Yves Decroix, Jean-Claude Durand, Michel Soussaline and...
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...Salman Rushdie Midnight's Children First published in 1981 Excerpts from the Koran come from the Penguin Classics edition, translated by N. J. Dawood, copyright (c) 1956, 1959,1966,1968,1974. for Zafar Rushdie who, contrary to all expectations, was born in the afternoon Contents Book One The perforated sheet Mercurochrome Hit-the-spittoon Under the carpet A public announcement Many-headed monsters Methwold Tick, tock Book Two The fisherman's pointing finger Snakes and ladders Accident in a washing-chest All-India radio Love in Bombay My tenth birthday At the Pioneer Cafe Alpha and Omega The Kolynos Kid Commander Sabarmati's baton Revelations Movements performed by pepperpots Drainage and the desert Jamila Singer How Saleem achieved purity Book Three The buddha In the Sundarbans Sam and the Tiger The shadow of the Mosque A wedding Midnight Abracadabra Book One The perforated sheet I was born in the city of Bombay ... once upon a time. No, that won't do, there's no getting away from the date: I was born in Doctor Narlikar's Nursing Home on August 15th, 1947. And the time? The time matters, too. Well then: at night. No, it's important to be more ... On the stroke of midnight, as a matter of fact. Clock-hands joined palms in respectful greeting as I came. Oh, spell it out, spell it out: at the precise instant of India's arrival at independence, I tumbled forth into the world. There were gasps. And, outside the...
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