The Hardboiled Qualities and Features in Detective Stories

Hardboiled literary style in crime fiction writing is associated with detective stories. It is often distinguished by the cynical interpretation of sex and violence in the literature. Caroll John Daly is credited to be the pioneer of hardboiled crime fiction style writing in the mid 1920s with his â€Å"Knights of the Open Palm† published on June 1,1923 in Black Mask Magazine (Nolan, 273).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Hardboiled Qualities and Features in Detective Stories specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hardboiled fiction writing was popularized by Dashiell Hammett with his character Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon, over the course of time in the late 1930s Raymond Chandler refined hardboiled writing through his Philip Marlowe in The Big Sheep ( Collins, 153 – 154). This paper aims to illustrate the hardboiled qualities and features of detective stories in analysing the three most notable au thors’ characters in their novels namely Sam Spade of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, Philip Marlowe of Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sheep and Kinsey Millhone of Sue Grafton’s A for Alibi. Dashiell Hammett started the hardboiled writing trend in detective stories through his character Sam Spade in his The Maltese Falcon novel. Hammett through his novel portrayed Spade as someone who has a cold detachment to the situation he is in and with the people he is with. Spade, though he displays several similar features of other detectives such as his keen eye for details and unwavering determination to accomplish justice, the character’s hardboiled qualities is depicted in his selfish, bitter and sardonic personality. In The Maltese Falcon novel, Spade was having an affair with his partner Miles Archer’s wife, a portrayal of his antagonistic and self-centred nature. His aloof personality together with his cold emotionless isolation from matters are displayed upon the discovery of several murders namely that of Archer and Thursby in which Spade was found to be one of the suspects. He lets everyone, including the police, the criminals, and other characters in the novel believe that he is indeed one of the law offenders while he single-mindedly works on solving the case on his own. Though Sam Spade’s character was able to do the noble thing at the end of the novel, his actions depict him as someone who only does so because of self-interest. Hammett never showed his readers the characters inner thoughts in which what was said and done by the characters were already the factors that shape them thus Spade’s morality was questionable. In Spade’s case it was ambiguous if he really displayed the usual hardboiled characteristic of detectives who pose idealism underneath their hard cynical shells.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Big Sheep was Raymond Chandler’s first novel in his series about the adventures of Philip Marlowe. Chandler’s character, Philip Marlowe is indeed a true hardboiled character in which underneath his sceptical, hard drinking, tough persona Marlowe is thoughtful and idealistic. His character’s soft side is portrayed in his enjoyment of simple pleasures such as the playing of chess and his love of poetry. Marlowe’s contemplative nature surfaces when he sets scores through other means rather than violence. In the novel, The Black Sheep a scene were Carmen Sherwood had a gun and shot Joe Brody but missed, Marlowe quickly confiscated the deadly weapon from Sternwood and told her to go home, this was a display of Marlowe’s evasion from hostility. He is careful in thinking things through before making a statement or stance. In terms of his morality, Philip Marlow is decent for he was stern in avoiding the tactics and temptati ons brought about by the femmes fatale of the novel, Vivian and Carmen Sternwood. Both sisters tried to seduce Marlowe for instance when Vivian was saved by the detective from an apparent mugging, he drove her to the beach resulting to her advancing towards him, while Carmen found herself waiting for Marlowe to arrive home in his bed naked. In both instances Marlowe refused the ladies advancements. Unlike the first two novels discussed above, Sue Grafton’s lead character in her novel, A for Alibi, is a woman in the form of Kinsey Millhone. Millhone fits the hardboiled qualities and features needed in detective stories through her lonesome nature developed as an orphaned child, her tough persona in her case dealings and her idealism underneath her hard shell of cynicism which is slowly revealed in her encounters with family members. Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone is significant in the hardboiled detective world because gender equality is illustrated in the novel. The notion of equality among men and women is being tacked here in that what other male protagonist can do, Millhone, a female lead can also do. Though the personality of Grafton’s character had been adjusted to fit that of a woman, her primary characteristics are similar to those of male protagonist in usual hardboiled fictions such her morality struggles in having her own â€Å"femmes fatale† in the form of Charlie Scorsoni whom Millhone was involved with even if he was still in her suspect list, her tough girl attitude sometimes associated by her being tomboyish but her idealistic side also surfaces when she secretly yearns for comfort of a loving relationship whether be that with her family or with a man. Works Cited Collins, Max Allan. The Hard-Boiled Detective. Ed. William DeAndrea. Prentice Hall, 1994. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Hardboiled Qualities and Features in Detective Stories specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/p age Learn More Nolan, William. The Black Mask Boys: Masters in the Hard-Boiled School of Detective Fiction. William Marrow and Company, 1985. Print. This essay on The Hardboiled Qualities and Features in Detective Stories was written and submitted by user Jazmine Callahan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Nushu, a Woman-Only Language of China

Nushu, a Woman-Only Language of China Nushu or Nu Shu means, literally, â€Å"woman’s writing† in Chinese.   The script was developed by peasant women in Hunan Province, China, and used in Jiangyong county, but probably also in nearby Daoxian and Jianghua counties.   It nearly became extinct before its very recent discovery.   The oldest items are from the very early 20th century, though the language is assumed to have much older roots. The script was often used in embroidery, calligraphy and handicrafts created by women.   It is found written on paper (including letters, written poetry and on objects such as fans) and embroidered on fabric (including on quilts, aprons, scarves, handkerchiefs).   Objects were often buried with women or were burned. While sometimes characterized as a language, it might better be considered a script, as the underlying language was the same local dialect used also by the men in the area, and usually by the men written in Hanzi characters. Nushu, like other Chinese characters, is written in columns, with characters running from top to bottom in each column and columns written from the right to the left.   Chinese researchers count between 1000 and 1500 characters in the script, including variants for the same pronunciation and function; Orie Endo (below) has concluded that there are about 550 distinct characters in the script.   Chinese characters are usually ideograms (representing ideas or words); Nushu characters are mostly phonograms (representing sounds) with some ideograms.   Four types of strokes make u the characters: dots, horizontals, verticals and arcs. According to Chinese sources, Gog Zhebing, a teacher in South Central China, and linguistics professor Yan Xuejiong, discovered calligraphy used in the Jiangyong prefecture.   In another version of the discovery, an old man, Zhou Shuoyi, brought it to attention, preserving a poem from ten generations back in his family and beginning to study the writing in the 1950s.   The Cultural Revolution, he said, interrupted his studies, and his 1982 book brought it to the attention of others. The script was well known locally as â€Å"woman’s writing† or nà ¼shu  but it had not before come to the attention of linguists, or at least of academia. At that time, about a dozen women survived who understood and could write Nushu. Japanese professor Orie Endo of Bunkyo University in Japan has been studying Nushu since the 1990s. She was first exposed to the existence of the language by a Japanese linguistics researcher, Toshiyuki Obata, and then learned more in China at Beijing University from Professor Prof. Zhao Li-ming.   Zhao and Endo traveled to Jiang Yong and interviewed elderly women to find people who could read and write the language. Orie Endo: 1999 research report (English): Endangered System of Women’s Writing from Hunan China (presented at the Association of Asian Studies Conference, March, 1999.Orie Endo: Nushu in 2011, including information on a Japanese-made documentary â€Å"The Chinese Women’s Script for Writing Sorrow.† The area where it has been used is one where the Han people and the Yao people have lived and intermixed, including intermarriage and mixing of cultures.   It was also an area, historically, of good climate and successful agriculture. The culture in the area was, like most of China, male-dominated for centuries, and women were not permitted an education.   There was a tradition of â€Å"sworn sisters,† women who were not biologically related but who committed to friendship.   In traditional Chinese marriage, exogamy was practiced: a bride joined her husband’s family, and would have to move, sometimes far away, not seeing her birth family again or only rarely. The new brides were thus under the control of their husbands and mothers-in-law after they married.   Their names did not become part of genealogies. Many of the Nushu writings are poetic, written in a structured style, and were written about marriage, including about the sorrow of separation. Other writings are letters from women to women, as they found, through this female-only script, a way to keep in communication with their female friends.   Most express feelings and many are about sorrow and misfortune. Because it was secret, with no references to it found in documents or genealogies, and many of the writings buried with the women who possessed the writings, it’s not authoritatively known when the script began.   Some scholars in China accept the script not as a separate language but as a variant on Hanzi characters. Others believe it may have been a remnant of a now-lost script of eastern China. Nushu declined in the 1920s when reformers and revolutionaries began to expand education to include women and to raise women’s status. While some of the older women attempted to teach the script to their daughters and granddaughters, most did not consider it valuable and did not learn.   Thus, fewer and fewer women could preserve the custom. The Nà ¼shu Culture Research Center in China was created to document and study Nushu and the culture around it, and to publicize its existence.   A dictionary of 1,800 characters including variants was created by Zhuo Shuoyi in 2003; it also includes notes on grammar.   At least 100 manuscripts are known outside of China. An exhibition in China that opened in April, 2004, focused on Nushu.   China to reveal female-specific language to public - Peoples Daily, English Edition

Andrew jacks and William Henry Harrison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Andrew jacks and William Henry Harrison - Essay Example Apparently, the circumstances surrounding the United States during that period were similar. Both of these presidents were born during a time when the United States was under the British colonial rulership. This translates to the fact that both Jackson and Harrison were aware of the struggle towards independence, which was of critical importance to the kind of leadership they exercised. Before rising to the presidential positions, both Jackson and Harrison had held numerous positions in the government that served to prepare them for presidency. Jackson was the seventh president of the United States, and took office in 1829. He set the record for being the first democrat to occupy the white house, making him a pace setter for the democratic affiliation that has become stronger over the years. He remained in office for two terms. During his terms, he redefined the executive powers accorded to the president (Brands 14). The previous presidents had operated much like chief administrators, but he expanded such mandate to the level of the popular tribune. He participated in the revolutionary war, a factor that helped him to understand the type of freedom that American needed. He ascended to office during a time when America was struggling to register economic growth, but taxation on the roads and high import taxes were major setbacks. His introduction of subsidies in the transportation process, and importation protective tariffs defined his initial policies in presidency (Gunderson 34). Jackson also contributed to the ‘bank war’ policies that surrounded the charter accorded to the Second Bank of the United States. He extended the charter past the preset expiry date, and transferred the federal state’s deposits to a bank chartered by the state a year later. This action triggered a financial crisis that culminated into a full-blown depression in the years that followed

Managing Communications Knowledge and Information Assignment

Managing Communications Knowledge and Information - Assignment Example For better understanding and incorporation of decisions within the business, an organisation named Coral-Electronics has been established. For building a successful retail business, many things are needed to be analysed with the aim of having a better understanding about market conditions as well as making effective decisions. In this competitive business world, market condition is changing in a continuous manner and accordingly, a change in market condition will have a huge difference for the business to operate. Therefore, it can be ascertained that as an electronic retail organisation, the company has to incorporate and regularly update its information and knowledge for serial improvement in decision strategy of the business. On the other hand, Coral-Electronics is needed to have an understanding about its market competitors and market conditions (Stucki, 2009). In this respect, market information is crucial for the company, as it has to competing with other existing companies in the field of electronic market. Consequently, Coral-Electronics is needed to obtain adequate information and knowledge about its competitors and market trends, Coral-Electronics would able to ensure effective decisions for the development as well as growth of the company. In addition, Coral-Electronics always needed to have effective information about the customers and market trends. The company with the assistance these information and knowledge will be facilitated with the opportunity of performing operations in a profitable manner.

HRM function Essay Example for Free

HRM function Essay Flexible working patterns have advantages and disadvantages that impact not only on individuals but also on the business and the economy as a whole. Although flexible working practices and part-time working provide opportunities for people may otherwise be excluded from the workplace, individuals can feel insecure in such employment, particularly if they are constantly working on short-term contracts. There is also evidence that part-time or flexible workers receive less training than their full-time counterparts. In these circumstances individuals can feel their contribution is undervalued. In turn, insecurities and frustrations experienced by part-time staff may affect their job satisfaction and, ultimately, their performance. This then impacts on the organisation, as it has to manage higher staff turnover rates. One solution that may overcome this is that if we think of our lives as inside-out doughnuts, with a core in the middle (the essentials of life) and the bounded space on the outside as our opportunities, workers can achieve satisfaction in other areas of our lives, even if the workers jobs are unfulfilling. APPENDICE 3 HRM plays a part in enabling Asda to improve its overall competitiveness in the market place. In the last decade of the twentieth century, we saw a transformation in the way companies like Asda started dealing with the people who were their employees. Instead of seeking to get the best out of people just for the sake of the business- i. e. to help it achieve its objectives- the new emphasis termed Human Resource Management (HRM) was that people would only work their best for the company if the company gave priority to identifying and seeking to meet the personal needs and objectives of its employees. This distinction is very subtle- but it is an important distinction to understand. A second important change in people management was a recognition that people work was not just the responsibility of the HR department. It is the responsibility of all managers in Asda- supported by HRM specialists. Increasingly, responsibility for recruitment, selection, appraisal and training is carried out by managers who work on an ongoing basis with employees rather than by a specialist in a centralised HRM function. A third key change in people management was that HRM was given a great deal more status in Asda. Instead of being something carried on at lower levels of the business, HRM is now recognised as a key strategic area of the business (i. e. one that needs to be given priority in organisational planning involving senior managers). Overall, HRM plays a vital part in Asda and many other businesses alike. If it recruits the right people with the skills and experience needed for the job, the business will run smoothly but if it doesnt then they will need to recruit some other people costing a lot of money for advertising, training, etc costing the business a high labour turnover rate. If it is to strive in the market place, not only does it need to meet the needs of the customers, but also of employees. If staff are motivated and incredibly fluent in their line of work, they would produce a quality service and production meaning that more people would want to shop at Asda.

The Criminal Justice System Essay examples -- Restorative Justice, Me

The criminal justice system views any crime as a crime committed against the state and places much emphasis on retribution and paying back to the community, through time, fines or community work. Historically punishment has been a very public affair, which was once a key aspect of the punishment process, through the use of the stocks, dunking chair, pillory, and hangman’s noose, although in today’s society punishment has become a lot more private (Newburn, 2007). However it has been argued that although the debt against the state has been paid, the victim of the crime has been left with no legal input to seek adequate retribution from the offender, leaving the victim perhaps feeling unsatisfied with the criminal justice process. Furthermore can formal social control institutions such as the criminal justice system and the government provide the best aspect of producing conformity and law abiding behaviour? Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory is concerned with what effect formal institutions have on conformity in individuals and in particular, how law abiding behaviour is produced due to these institutions (Walklate, 2005). However Wilson (2007) argues that formal methods of social control such as the criminal justice system are merely there to control and segregate delinquents and offenders who have not had adequate socialisation, which is where social mores are learnt and when conformity is produced, and that an alternative form of social control such as restorative justice might produce more effective results. The concept of restorative justice was heavily shaped by the work of John Braithwaite (1989) who in turn was inspired by indigenous practices in New Zealand and Australia, whereby the significance of family value... ...apabilities to deal with this which is not the case so much nowadays as Tony Marshall (1999) argues. There are criticisms over procedures, loss of rights such as an independent and impartial forum as well as the principle of proportionality in sentencing. There is also an unrealistic expectation that restorative justice can produce major changes in deviant behaviour, as there is not enough evidence to support this claim (Cunneen, 2007). Levrant et al (1999) on the other hand suggests that restorative justice still remains unproven in its’ effectiveness to stop reoffending and argues that its appeal lies in its apparent morality and humanistic sentiments rather than its empirical effectiveness. He continues to argue that it allows people to feel better within themselves through having the moral high ground rather than focusing on providing justice to the offender.

Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Five

And so I went home, Consu gift in tow. John and Jane greeted me as I jumped off the Obin shuttle, all of us ending in a pile as I ran into Mom full speed and then we dragged Dad down with us. Then I showed them my new toy: the sapper field generator, specially designed by the Consu to give us a tactical advantage when Nerbros Eser and his friends came to call. Jane immediately took to it and started fiddling with it; that was her thing. Hickory and Dickory and I decided that in the end neither John nor Jane needed to know what it took for us to get it. The less they knew, the less the Colonial Union could charge them with at their treason trial. Although it looked like that might not happen – the Roanoke council did remove John and Jane from their posts once they revealed where they had sent me and who I was supposed to see, and had appointed Gretchen's dad Manfred in their place. But they had given Mom and Dad ten days to hear back from me before they informed the Colonial Union about what they'd done. I got back just under the wire and once they saw what I brought, weren't inclined to offer my parents to the tender affections of the Colonial Union judicial system. I wasn't going to complain about that. After I got Mom and Dad acquainted with the sapper field generator, I went for a walk and found Gretchen, reading a book on her porch. â€Å"I'm back,† I said. â€Å"Oh,† she said, casually flipping a page. â€Å"Were you gone?† I grinned; she hurled the book at me and told me that if I ever did anything like that again, she would strangle me, and that she could do it because she always was better in our defense courses than I was. Well, it was true. She was. Then we hugged and made up and went to find Magdy, so we could pester him in stereo. Ten days later, Roanoke was attacked by Nerbros Eser and about a hundred Arrisian soldiers, that being Eser's race. Eser and his soldiers marched right into Croatoan and demanded to speak to its leaders. They got Savitri, the administrative assistant, instead; she suggested that they go back to their ships and pretend their invasion never happened. Eser ordered his soldier to shoot Savitri, and that's when they learned how a sapper field can really mess with their weapons. Jane tuned the field so that it would slow down bullets but not slower projectiles. Which is why the Arrisian soldier's rifles wouldn't work, but Jane's flame thrower would. As did Dad's hunting bow. And Hickory's and Dickory's knives. And Manfred Trujillo's lorry. And so on. At the end of it Nerbros Eser had none of the soldiers that he'd landed with, and was also surprised to learn that the battleship he'd parked in orbit wasn't there anymore, either. To be fair, the sapper field didn't extend into space; we got a little help there from a benefactor who wished to remain anonymous. But however you sliced it, Nerbros Eser's play for the leadership of the Conclave came to a very sad and embarrassing end. Where was I in all of this? Why, safely squirreled away in a bomb shelter with Gretchen and Magdy and a bunch of other teenagers, that's where. Despite all the events of the previous month, or maybe because of them, the executive decision was made that I had had enough excitement for the time being. I can't say I disagreed with the decision. To be honest about it, I was looking forward to just getting back to my life on Roanoke with my friends, with nothing to worry about except for school and practicing for the next hootenanny. That was right about my speed. But then General Gau came for a visit. He was there to take custody of Nerbros Eser, which he did, to his great personal satisfaction. But he was also there for two other reasons. The first was to inform the citizens of Roanoke that he had made it a standing order that no Conclave member was ever to attack our colony, and that he had made it clear to non-Conclave races in our part of space that if any of them were to get it into their heads to make a play for our little planet, that he would personally be very disappointed. He left unsaid what level of retaliation â€Å"personal disappointment† warranted. It was more effective that way. Roanokers were of two minds about this. On the one hand, Roanoke was now practically free from attack. On the other hand, General Gau's declaration only brought home the fact that the Colonial Union itself hadn't done much for Roanoke, not just lately but ever. The general feeling was that the Colonial Union had a lot to answer for, and until it answered for these things, that Roanokers felt perfectly justified in not paying too close attention to the Colonial Union's dictates. Like, for example, the one in which Manfred Trujillo was supposed to arrest my parents and take them into custody on the charge of treason. Trujillo apparently had a hard time finding either John or Jane after that one came in. A neat trick, considering how often they were talking. But this folded into the other reason Gau had come around. â€Å"General Gau is offering us sanctuary,† Dad said to me. â€Å"He knows your mom and I will be charged with treason – several counts seem likely – and it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that you'll be charged as well.† â€Å"Well, I did commit treason,† I said. â€Å"What with consorting with the leader of the Conclave and all.† Dad ignored this. â€Å"The point is, even if people here aren't in a rush to turn us in, it's only a matter of time before the CU sends real enforcement to come get us. We can't ask the people here to get into any more trouble on our account. We have to go, Zoe.† â€Å"When?† I asked. â€Å"In the next day,† Dad said. â€Å"Gau's ship is here now, but it's not like the CU is going to ignore it for long.† â€Å"So we're going to become citizens of the Conclave,† I said. â€Å"I don't think so,† Dad said. â€Å"We'll be among them for a while, yes. But I have a plan to get us somewhere I think you might be happy with.† â€Å"And where is that?† I asked. â€Å"Well,† Dad said. â€Å"Have you ever heard of this little place called Earth?† Dad and I spoke for a few more minutes, and then I walked over to Gretchen's, where I actually managed to say hello to her before I broke down in sobs. She gave me a hug and held me, and let me know it was okay. â€Å"I knew this was coming,† she said to me. â€Å"You don't do what you've done and then come back and pretend nothing has happened.† â€Å"I thought it might be worth a try,† I said. â€Å"That's because you're an idiot,† Gretchen said. I laughed. â€Å"You're an idiot, and my sister, and I love you, Zoe.† We hugged some more. And then she came over to my house and helped me and my family pack away our lives for a hasty exit. Word spread, as it would in a small colony. Friends came by, mine and my parents', by themselves and in twos and threes. We hugged and laughed and cried and said our good-byes and tried to part well. As the sun started to set Magdy came by, and he and Gretchen and I took a walk to the Gugino homestead, where I knelt and kissed Enzo's headstone, and said good-bye to him one last time, even as I carried him still in my heart. We walked home and Magdy said his good-bye then, giving me a hug so fierce that I thought it would crack my ribs. And then he did something he'd never done before: gave me a kiss, on my cheek. â€Å"Good-bye, Zoe,† he said. â€Å"Good-bye, Magdy,† I said. â€Å"Take care of Gretchen for me.† â€Å"I'll try,† Magdy said. â€Å"But you know how she is.† I smiled at that. Then he went to Gretchen, gave her a hug and a kiss, and left. And then it was Gretchen and me, packing and talking and cracking each other up through the rest of the night. Eventually Mom and Dad went to sleep but didn't seem to mind that Gretchen and I went on through the night and straight on until morning. A group of friends arrived in a Mennonite horse-drawn wagon to carry our things and us to the Conclave shuttle. We started the short journey laughing but got quiet as we came closer to the shuttle. It wasn't a sad silence; it was a silence you have when you've said everything you need to say to another person. Our friends lifted what we were taking with us into the shuttle; there was a lot we were leaving behind, too bulky to take, that we had given to friends. One by one all my friends gave me hugs and farewells, and dropped away, and then there was just Gretchen and me again. â€Å"You want to come with me?† I asked. Gretchen laughed. â€Å"Someone has to take care of Magdy,† she said. â€Å"And Dad. And Roanoke.† â€Å"You always were the organized one,† I said. â€Å"And you were always you,† Gretchen said. â€Å"Someone had to be,† I said. â€Å"And anyone else would have messed it up.† Gretchen gave me another hug. Then she stood back from me. â€Å"No good-byes,† she said. â€Å"You're in my heart. Which means you're not gone.† â€Å"All right,† I said. â€Å"No good-byes. I love you, Gretchen.† â€Å"I love you too,† Gretchen said. And then she turned and she walked away, and didn't look back, although she did stop to give Babar a hug. He slobbered her thoroughly. And then he came to me, and I led him into the passenger compartment of the shuttle. In time, everyone else came in. John. Jane. Savitri. Hickory. Dickory. My family. I looked out the shuttle window at Roanoke, my world, my home. Our home. But our home no longer. I looked at it and the people in it, some of whom I loved and some of whom I lost. Trying to take it all in, to make it a part of me. To make it a part of my story. My tale. To remember it so I can tell the story of my time here, not straight but true, so that anyone who asked me could feel what I felt about my time, on my world. I sat, and looked, and remembered in the present time. And when I was sure I had it, I kissed the window and drew the shade. The engines on the shuttle came to life. â€Å"Here we go,† Dad said. I smiled and closed my eyes and counted down the seconds until liftoff. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.