A good crime drama Essays

A good crime drama Essays A good crime drama Essay A good crime drama Essay When they go to their room Holmes stays awake silent and motionless, rearranging his thoughts about the case, hoping he can spot any clues that he has not already come across. Watson seems to be more relaxed and goes to sleep. The next morning Holmes wakes Watson with a question, Game for a morning drive? This made me feel very excited because he gave me a sense of adventure as he may have come up with a hunch that might be the solution of the case. Holmes and Watson set off, on another journey that Watson seems to know nothing about, and they end up at the prison where Hugh Boone was being kept. As they were entering the cell Holmes humorously states, Hes a beauty, isnt he? Holmes then peels back the hideous face off this man and then he awoke to find Holmes stood over him with a mask in his hand. Doyle uses very effective ways to describe the image of this man without his mask, which in my opinion gives a very vivid view of how this man really looks. He uses words like, refined, and smooth-skinned, which I think are good words to use because the other face had a nasty scar, so it probably gives the reader a reminder of that. The endings that Doyle has used in these stories are rather unique and they are very similar to those in the modern day crime dramas, which makes me think that Doyle was probably the one who invented those types of endings and they have been carried on in dramas ever since then as they are so popular and seem to make quite an impact on people who watch or read these stories. In the end of this story Holmes reveals his technique to finding the answer to this investigation without giving too much away, which in my opinion makes a really good impact because it may make the reader feel like they want to hear more as this extract shows: I reached this one by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an ounce of shag. I think, Watson, that if we drive to Bakers Street we shall just be in time for breakfast. The Final Problem was probably one of the most effective stories in that time in history because it is when Doyle tried to kill off Holmes and the readers were horrified. This story starts off with Watson writing a journal about the events that happened between Holmes and Professor Moriarty before they fell off the cliff. This story seems to give quite a different light to Holmes as you may be able to see in this extract when Watson states, You are afraid of something? And Holmes answers, Well, I am. Holmes usually seems confident and in this story he seems to be scared of something. Even Watson sees a difference in his behaviour as this quotation shows: There was something strange in all this. It was not Holmess nature to take an aimless holiday. Holmes asks Watson to accompany him on a trip and goes on to tell him about the story of Professor Moriarty. Holmes describes him as being a man of good birth and excellent education, so he seems to be a very intelligent man, but a man who uses his education to do criminal things. Holmes seems really worried as this is probably the most superior criminal mind he has ever had to face and he is not just worried for himself, he is also worried for the people of London. We can see this from the following extract: I could not sit quietly in my chair, if I thought that such a man as Professor Moriarty were walking the streets of London unchallenged. Holmes seems to be overwhelmed by the intelligence of this man as he uses his mind and skills to be very dangerous. He used to be a professor, but he had a criminal strain that ran in his blood, which was probably the cause of his behaviour. He also has cunningly devised safeguards so he doesnt get caught. Holmes gives Watson instructions for the next morning so they could meet on the way to Newhaven. They met on the train, merely escaping Moriartys gang members. When they arrived Holmes got a telegraph from the London police informing him that Moriarty had escaped as they had secured the rest of the gang with exemption of him. Holmes is aware that he maybe in danger as he advises Watson to return to England because he may find him a dangerous companion. Later after Holmes has received the telegraph, he and Watson have a conversation that seems as though Holmes maybe giving up as he explains his past career in this extract: The air of London is the sweeter for my presence. In over a thousand cases I am not aware that I have ever used my powers upon the wrong side. In my opinion this seems quite sad because Holmes seems to be looking back on his career as though it is coming to an end, so this may give the reader a clue to what is about to occur. Also the use of the word power in this quotation, I think, is quite effective because it makes me see Holmes in a different light. As though he is someone superior than others. He describes Moriarty as the most capable criminal in Europe and that after he has caught him he doesnt feel the need to pursue his career any further. As Holmes and Watson made their way along a hill to the hotel they were approached by a young boy who gave them a letter addressed to Watson by the landlord explaining that there was a lady at the hotel who had suffered from a haemorrhage and needed the assistance of an English doctor. Watson was unsure of leaving Holmes, but had to assist this woman. Watson then explains the last he saw of Holmes as you can clearly see in the following extract: I saw Holmes, with his back against a rock and his arms folded, gazing down at the rush of the waters. It was the last that I was ever destined to see of him in this world. This would probably leave the reader weeping as it is now revealed that Holmes is going to die! Watson then arrives at the hotel to find that there is no sick Englishwoman, so he realises what has really happened. He then rushed to Holmes rescue, but was too late and found a letter addressed to him from Holmes. Before the letter is read Conan Doyle uses a great technique to get the readers attention, which was asking questions such as And then what happened? Who was to tell us what happened then? This created quite an impact on me because it made me feel as though I had been put on the spot and really had to think what did really happen? It intrigued me so I wanted to read on to see if these questions were going to be answered. The letter explained that he has now come into contact with Moriarty and has been able to free society from any further effects of his presence. It seems to me that Conan Doyle has written this very carefully to make sure that not too much is being given away as he may be trying to keep the mystery in the story so it leaves the reader wondering. The Empty House is the next story, which brings Holmes back. Conan Doyle probably found an easy way to bring Holmes back into his stories since he had left so much mystery in The Final Problem. In this story Holmes comes back and explains to Watson what really happened to him. When Holmes enters the story Watson amazement is clearly seen when he cries Holmes! Is it really you? I would describe Conan Doyles description of Holmes as very vivid and imaginative as you may be able to see in the following extract: Holmes looked even thinner and keener than of old, but there was a dead-white tinge in his aquiline face. Doyles use of words in this quotation interested me greatly. When he used the words aquiline face and white tinge it made me question myself, where has he been? What has he been doing? I think he uses a great technique for creating curiosity in the readers mind, which is probably another way to keep his readers interested. Holmes goes on to tell Watson that he had thrown Professor Moriarty off the cliff and saved himself, but some of Moriartys thugs had seen him and now are trying to kill him. I think this is a great storyline because the readers are probably curious to know how he is going to get away from them. This leads Holmes and Watson to the empty house where they hide while waiting for the criminals to attack! Holmes had left a dummy in the window of Holmes office in the shape of himself to attract them. Then a man, described to have a high, bald forehead, and a huge grizzled moustache. His eyes shone like stars as he was staring out of the window aiming his gun at the dummy. When the glass was broken by a shot, Holmes sprang like a tiger and grabbed the man and threw him on the floor where, quite unbelievably, the man got an upper hand on Holmes and Watson hit him over the head with his rifle. I think Doyle has staged this outcome of the attack purposely to put Watson in the limelight to remind the reader of Holmes and Watsons companionship. and once again Mr Sherlock Holmes is free to devote his life to examining those interesting little problems which complex the life of London so plentifully present. This quotation from the end paragraph, in my opinion, leaves a great relief for the reader because it states that Holmes is carrying on his career. It would have probably appealed more so to the readers in Victorian England because they didnt have much entertainment at all and showed a great fascination in the Sherlock Holmes stories. I think another way Conan Doyle keeps the audience interested is by using great techniques to sustain the tension, which may keep the reader anxious while relieving them at the same time such as when he starts to explain the setting in great detail, which also intrigued me because it gives a good idea of what is happening around the characters, as you may see in the following extract: I found the latch and made my way into a long, low room, thick and heavy with brown opium smoke, and terraced with wooden berths, like the forecastle of an emigrant ship. I think the simile he has used in this quotation is very imaginative and he gives me a good understanding of what the room is like. I also found in each of these stories, that Watson seems to be narrating them, which I found quite strange because I thought that Holmes would more than likely be telling the story, but then I thought Doyle may be using Watson to give the reader a full view of Holmes himself from another persons perspective. Conan Doyle always wrote crime stories. This was probably because they were so popular and caught the publics attention so vividly. I think that some of the reasons why these stories are so popular are because they are short stories so they are more accessible to the reader and dont make them feel as though they have to read a whole book. Also the language doesnt seem difficult, so the reader would probably not have any problems understanding it. In Victorian England the art of conversation was somewhat different to our modern day society. People of that time in history would not have used slang or colloquialism, so the form of these stories is Standard English. These stories are also very descriptive and have strong characters, which I think, help to intrigue and sustain the readers attention, even in modern day society people still enjoy a good crime drama, which is shown because of all the different movies and programs such as, Columbo and Inspector Morse. I found these stories quite easy to read. I have personally enjoyed reading these stories and I can see why they are so popular and I think they will probably be very enjoyable in years to come. All of these stories have a little mystery in them and I think that is one of the main qualities that are needed for a good crime drama because it makes them interesting and I personally love mystery in a story.