The war of the worlds Essay Example for Free

The war of the worlds Essay This essay has been written to compare similarities and differences in two fictional stories; The Red Room by H. G. Wells and extracts from 1984 by George Orwell and Winstons experiences in the Room 101. Both of these stories have both distinct similarities and differences in writing style. The main similarities between the two are easily identifiable. For example, they are both set in a room, as the title implies- The Red Room. The Room in the short story is similar in a unique way to Room 101, as they are both associated and fixated on pain or suffering of some kind. In the Red Room the story is based on an unfortunate woman, who met a tragic end due to her husbands attempt to frighten her. Also, anyone who enters the room usually ends up dead, or injured as happens in the story. In Room 101, the room is meant to be so petrifying, no one dare enter. It is strongly associated with fear and, as the text implies with this quote This place was many metres underground, as deep down as it was possible to go. the room ties in with hell. Room 101s mention has an enormous morale dropping effect on anyone who is told to go there. Peoples reactions are astonishing; one man was so persistent in not going he asked the guards to kill his family in front of him, rather then him face Room 101. He was willing to do anything in order not to go, accusing others, holding on to a steel bench for dear life, but it was no use, he could not deny his fate as the guards were so cold, OBrien imparticularly. OBrien was very cold and intent on making Winston as scared as possible, he commented in a schoolmasterish manner, which added to the tension. OBrien has no self-remorse as to what will happen to Winston and it would seem he might even enjoy his evil proposal. The reason for these two stories great success, is the authors ability to build up incredible amounts of tension and fear, both the authors accomplish this very well. Both the stories lead up to a high terror climax, they keep the reader on the edge of their seat until the tension reaches this climax. The Red Room does a particularly good job of this. For example, as the narrator is walking down the corridors the author begins to implement the strangeness and atmosphere of this old creepy house; Its shadow fell with marvellous distinctness upon the white panelling and gave me the impression of someone trying to waylay me. This is just the type of action the reader would expect to happen in a story such as this, this is why the reader is on the edge of their seat, guessing. Although they are two completely different authors, born at different decades, they still share a diverse, descriptive writing style. As George Orwell shows in the 1984 extract, the fear is instilled into the reader as the intensity is prolonged until Winstons fear is about to be realised; The worst thing in the world, said OBrien, varies from individual to individual. It may be burial alive or death by fire, or by drowning, or impalement, or fifty other deaths. This sentence structure alone prolongs the fear and stresses it, using descriptive lists. The purpose to this tension is to keep the reader alert. Small pauses during the texts of the story The Red Room also have the same effect, like if a shadow is spotted or a door creaking. This all builds up to that climaxing point of when the Red Room is entered, and Winstons fear is going to be realised. The characters are used in a very well organised way, they all add to the tension/eerie effect. In The Red Room, the old characters are referred to as their descriptive appearance, not by their names. The author has done this to keep a mysterious tension in the air. One example is The man with the withered arm. Defections such as this make for a much more spooky atmosphere, as it is set in a large mansion, and that character is a stereotypical image of who might live in that type of sinister house. In 1984, the guards are not referred to with their names by the author. They are simply called guards or officers. The reason for this is to show even more that they have no feelings, and have no remorse for others.