YR 9 ENGLISH – SHORT STORIES TEXT RESPONSE Language techniques used by authors of short stories create suspense and surprise. Discuss with reference to three stories studied in class this year. Short story novelists are customarily inclined to the utilisation of numerous literary techniques to establish both elements of suspense and surprise. ‘Coming Home’, written by Richard McRoberts, illustrates the experience of a solitary woman who is being followed diurnally by a mysterious young man. McRoberts employs repetition of the ominous motif and foreshadowing to evoke momentum and revelation. Moreover, ‘Genesis and Catastrophe’, compiled by Roald Dahl, is a fictionalised recount of the birth of Adolf Hitler. Dahl’s intentional incorporation of ellipses within the narrative and the eventual disclosure of the baby’s identity further accentuates the escalation of anticipation and incredulity. Nevertheless, ‘The Lake’, composed by Ray Bradbury, depicts …show more content…
Additionally, the consequential revelation of the baby’s name enhances the plot and bewilders the audience, thus, accentuating the elements of suspense and surprise. This is exhibited through the dialogue, “I think my husband said that if it was a boy we were going to call him Adolfus.” As enunciated in the title, ‘genesis’ is the origin or mode of formation of something, whereas ‘catastrophe’ is an event which causes substantial damage or suffering. Both of these terms correlate and refer to Adolf Hitler – the leader of the Nazi Party. Dahl’s incorporation of literary devices such as ellipses and allusion arouses the audiences’ incredulity and