How does McEwan create interest and suspense in the opening chapter of Enduring Love Essay Example

How does McEwan create interest and suspense in the opening chapter of Enduring Love Essay Example How does McEwan create interest and suspense in the opening chapter of Enduring Love Essay How does McEwan create interest and suspense in the opening chapter of Enduring Love Essay Essay Topic: Literature The first chapter of Enduring Love is all about the accident that brings all the characters together in the novel and introduces them to us. There are a lot of interesting techniques used in this chapter which create interest and suspense. There are at least ten points I could talk about but I have decided to talk about three at length. One of the main conventions used by McEwan in the first chapter of Enduring Love is the delaying of information. This convention is used a lot in films and books and works brilliantly in this chapter. McEwan starts by giving us a very brief account of what happened before the accident. The main character Joe and his wife Clarissa are having a picnic, enjoying themselves. They are about to start on a bottle of 1987 Daumas Gassac when they hear a mans shout. This is the point where information about what happened is held from us. There is no description of what is taking place. McEwan uses phrases like the danger and the encounter to describe the event. This is a clever technique to use because it really frustrates us to not know what is going on whilst the character clearly does. It almost forces us to read on. He also releases very small pieces of information about the accident as well, that also allow interest and suspense. Phrases such as the fall, fatal lack of co-operation and this was the last time I ever understood anything clearly at all all add to the tension, making us desperate for the lengthy description that Joe will give to us. Apart from the lack of description of the accident, there is also the fact that Joe keeps getting sidetracked, feeding us information about all of the people that were there that day. About two hundred yards to my left two men ran side by side. They were farm labourers ho had been repairing the fence along the fields southern edge where it skirts the road. This information seems pointless but it just increases our interest in what is happening. This information is creating suspense in an unusual way, but it achieves the desired effect. McEwan does this for the first eight pages of the book, stopping even to reminisce about what he did before going to the park, buying the picnic and Clarissas present for example. Finally he gets to the accident, releasing the tension and burying the reader in the detailed description of the tragedy, in which John Logan, one of the men who try to help, dies. So this method, creating suspense for most of the chapter, works extremely well and gives us an enthralling entrance into the book. The second technique that helps to create interest and suspense in the first chapter is the narration of Joe, the main character. The way he describes things throughout the chapter is very interesting and reveals a lot about his character and his characters traits and foibles, such as his rationalisation of everything. Joe talks retrospectively, which means he talks after the accident. It becomes quite obvious as we progress through the chapter that Joe has had a lot of time to think about what happened that day and it is obviously a very painful memory for him. He lingers on the time before the accident when other outcomes were still possible. He even goes as far to tell us that he doesnt like to talk about it: Im holding back, delaying the information It is quite clear that he has gone over the details of this accident, over and over again, obsessive re-examination as he calls it, and is quite fed up of telling the story and reliving those painful memories. His memories are so clear that he can tell us in detail everything about the parks layout, who was there and what they were doing. He can even remember what wine he was about to drink at the time of the accident, so these memories are obviously still thought about on a daily, and perhaps nightly, basis. All of this helps to create suspense and interest. It makes us think what could it be that could damage a person this much, both emotionally and mentally? and allows us to wonder what it could be whilst keeping us interested in the story because every time we feel sure the accident will be revealed we are thrown back for a few more minutes by Joes reluctance to tell the story. Joe finally reveals the nature of the accident about 3 pages into the book: At the base of the balloon there was a basket in which there was a boy, and by the basket, clinging to a rope, was a man in need of help. This seems to unhinge Joe slightly as he casts us back into the past and starts talking about what he did hours before, such as when he bought the picnic. So Joes narration of the event also helps to create a lot of suspense. The words and phrases that he uses make us yearn to know exactly what is happening. We are teased by his narration during the first chapter and we are kept interested and in suspense by it. McEwan also manages to command a certain amount of suspense and interest whilst describing the accident and the events leading up to Logans death. The fact that everyone was doing their own thing, causing the accident to get way out of hand keeps you absolutely enthralled in the book. You wish and hope that they will work together and save the boy without any fatalities but in the back of your mind, you know what is going to happen before it does, you just need it to be confirmed. This is why we read on here, we need to know, we feel involved somehow and we get drawn in. You can really feel the remorse that Joe feels as he tells the story of how Logan died and when he finally watches as Logan falls. We watched him drop no forgiveness, no special dispensation for flesh, or bravery, or kindness. Only ruthless gravity. The raw emotion in this section of the chapter is incredible. The fact that they could have prevented Logans death if they had just hung on a few minutes longer haunts both us, as the readers, and Joe himself. The interesting part comes at the end of the chapter when we start to get what if running through our heads. What would have happened if they had stayed on the ropes? What would have happened if someone had taken control and they had worked as a team? These what ifs run through our heads and through the characters heads and make us really think about what we have read here. Therefore this works excellently in creating both interest and suspense in this chapter. In conclusion I think McEwan is very successful in creating interest and suspense in this chapter. The techniques he uses are very interesting and effective, they really made me think. The emotion in the chapter is really interesting and makes you think a lot. You just really feel the need to read on all the way through the chapter, you need to know exactly what happens and when you do you feel strangely contented. It really gives you something to think about after you stop reading. In my opinion, this is one of the best opening chapters I have ever read.

An A to Z List of Countries That No Longer Exist

An A to Z List of Countries That No Longer Exist As countries merge, split, or simply decide to change their names, the list of countries that no longer exist has grown. The list below is far from comprehensive, but it includes the most notable former countries. Abyssinia Also known as the Ethiopian Empire, Abyssinia was a kingdom in northeast Africa. In the early 20th century, it split into the states of Eritrea and Ethiopia. Austria-Hungary A monarchy established in 1867, Austria-Hungary (also known as the Austro-Hungarian Empire) included not just Austria and Hungary but also parts of the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy, Romania, and the Balkans. The empire collapsed at the end of World War I. Bengal Bengal was an independent kingdom in southern Asia that existed from 1338 to 1539. The area has since been divided into the states of Bangladesh and India. Burma Burma officially changed its name to Myanmar in 1989. However, many countries still have not recognized the change. Catalonia Catalonia was an autonomous region of Spain. It remained independent from 1932 to 1934 and from 1936 to 1939. Ceylon Ceylon was an island country located off the coast of India. In 1972, it changed its name to Sri Lanka. Corsica This Mediterranean island was ruled by various nations over the course of its history but had several brief periods of independence. Today, Corsica is a department of France. Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia was a country in eastern Europe. It peacefully split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993. East Pakistan This area was a province of Pakistan from 1947 to 1971. It is now the independent state of Bangladesh. Gran Colombia Gran Colombia was a South American country that included what is now Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador from 1819 to 1830. Gran Colombia ceased to exist when Venezuela and Ecuador seceded from the union. Hawaii Though a kingdom for hundreds of years, Hawaii wasnt recognized as an independent country until the 1840s. The country was annexed to the United States in 1898. New Granada This South American country was part of Gran Colombia from 1819 to 1830 and was an independent country from 1830 to 1858. In 1858, the country became known as the Grenadine Confederation, then the United States of New Granada in 1861, the United States of Colombia in 1863, and finally, the Republic of Colombia in 1886. Newfoundland From 1907 to 1949, Newfoundland existed as the self-governing Dominion of Newfoundland. In 1949, Newfoundland joined Canada as a province. North Yemen and South Yemen Yemen split in 1967 into two countries, North Yemen (a.k.a. the Yemen Arab Republic) and South Yemen (a.k.a. the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen). However, in 1990 the two rejoined to form a unified Yemen. Ottoman Empire Also known as the Turkish Empire, this empire began around 1300 and expanded to include parts of contemporary Russia, Turkey, Hungary, the Balkans, northern Africa, and the Middle East. The Ottoman Empire ceased to exist in 1923 when Turkey declared independence from what remained of the empire. Persia The Persian Empire extended from the Mediterranean Sea to India. Modern Persia was founded in the 16th century and later became known as Iran. Prussia Prussia became a Duchy in 1660 and a kingdom the following century. At its greatest extent, it included the northern two-thirds of modern Germany and western Poland. Prussia, by World War II a federal unit of Germany, was fully dissolved at the end of World War II. Scotland, Wales, and England Despite recent advances in autonomy, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, both Scotland and Wales were independent nations that eventually merged with England to form the United Kingdom. Sikkim Sikkim was an independent monarchy from the 17th century until 1975. It is now part of northern India. South Vietnam South Vietnam existed from 1954 to 1976 as the anti-communist counterpart to North Vietnam. It is now part of unified Vietnam. Taiwan While Taiwan still exists, it is not always considered an independent country. However, it did represent China in the United Nations until 1971. Texas The Republic of Texas gained independence from Mexico in 1836. It existed as an independent country until it was annexed to the United States in 1845. Tibet A kingdom established in the 7th century, Tibet was invaded by China in 1950. Since then, it has been known as the Xizang Autonomous Region of China. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) For decades, this country was the most powerful communist nation in the world. In 1991, it broke into 15 new countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldovia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. United Arab Republic In 1958, non-neighbors Syria and Egypt joined together to form the United Arab Republic. In 1961, Syria abandoned the alliance, but Egypt kept the name United Arab Republic for itself for another decade.