How Successful is Graham Greene as a storyteller Essay Example
How Successful is Graham Greene as a storyteller Essay Example

How Successful is Graham Greene as a storyteller Essay Example

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  • Pages: 2 (476 words)
  • Published: October 2, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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In this essay, I will examine two post-1914 stories by Graham Greene and argue that he was a successful storyteller in these works. These stories are 'I Spy' and 'All But Empty'.

The story 'I Spy' is well-written because it is based on a real historical event - one of the world wars from the author's memory, making it believable. The author portrays relatable situations like peer pressure and smoking, which adds to its authenticity. Using old-fashioned phrases and descriptions like "dark walls", "no sense of safety", "cowered in darkness", and "haze of smoke", the writer creates an appropriate atmosphere for the early twentieth century setting. These details allow readers to imagine what it must have been like to be in Charlie Stow's shoes during those times.

In this story, Charlie experiences tens

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ion through various events such as clenching his fingers and hearing the footsteps of a policeman, which make him fear getting caught in the shop. The phrase "Dive for the hole" also increases his apprehension of being caught. In addition, Charlie holds his breath, thinking someone might hear him breathing. The imagery and tension in the story make it more captivating for readers. Graham Greene's other short story, 'All But Empty', is set in a 1930's cinema and is also an engaging read.

The text depicts a situation in which the narrator visits the ticket kiosk attendant and proceeds to watch a movie in the cinema alone. However, an old man suddenly joins him and sits next to him. The story's focus is on the particular experience of watching a film where a gramophone is used in place of a pianist for the music. A

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the old man takes his seat, the narrator notes that the man's wet beard brushes up against his face. Upon asking the old man where he resides, he responds by revealing Seymour Terrace as his place of residence.

Initially, the narrator sympathized with the old man but later discovered he was a murderer. The use of phrases like "it was silent" and "built of boards like a saloon of an American warden" generated a good atmosphere in the story 'All But Empty', conveying a sense of wooden cladding used in the cinema and dark, forbidding emptiness. A combination of all these phrases created a terrifying ambiance, particularly the phrase "lost himself in the dark". After the man revealed where he lived, words such as "we shared a desolation" and "sitting in the dark and stale air" painted a clear picture of the environment. Personally, I prefer the short story "I Spy" because it seems to be based on historical events, lending credibility to its authenticity.

Personally, I find it more fascinating to examine texts rooted in fact rather than fiction. As a result, "All But Empty" which lacks historical relevance, fails to captivate my attention.

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