[Book Summary] Sherlock Holmes; The Hound of Baskerville

          This is the 3^rd  novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that tells about Sherlock Holmes, an expert detective in steps to solve many case. He had a partner who lived in the same apartment with him called Dr. Watson.

        The story began with the murder of Sir Charles Baskerville at the moor near his house, Baskerville Hall.  It  made  Dr. Mortimer (Sir Charles Baskerville’s friend) looked for Sherlock Holmes at Baker Street to ask for some help and advice to solve the case. He brought an old manuscript consistof  the legend of Baskerville. Holmes agrreed to investigate the case.

      Sir Charles Baskerville was a widower who lived with his servants. Both of his servants was a couple of married. They are Mr. & Mrs. Barrymore. Their family hadworked for Baskerville’s family during 4 generation.

        Sir Charles’s death was guessed because he was shocked when he looking the hound which ran after him. He ran for it, fraightened and cried out. Due his heart disease, his fear make he fell down and his heart disease relapse thencausing death. This incident was often beingrelated to the curse of Baskerville’s family. The curse began at Hugo Baskerville’s death. He is nobility from Baskerville family who was notoriously cruel, churlish and obstinate. He dead at the moor, together with a girl when he run after the girl who was made a break for it.

       The next target of the hound haunting was Sir Henry Baskerville, a Baskerville’s descent who  lived in Canada. He returned to Baskerville after his uncle, Sir Charles was dead.

        When Sir Henry arrived in London, Dr. Mortimer accompany him to meet up with Sherlock Holmes for talking about the case and problem. Holmes decided if Sir Henry wanted to go to Baskerville, Dr. Watson must accompany him. Because the situation maybe dangerous.

        Before going to Baskerville Hall,  Sir Henry stayed at the hotel in London.During stayed in the hotel, he found a gaffe. He waslosingone of his boots that was put  in front of his door. He also followed by stranger who had chin when he walked around the town. Holmes & Watson was tried to run after him, but it was no result.

         The next day, Dr. Watson and Sir Henry arrived at Baskerville. The atmosphere in Baskerville Hall was tight and not cheerful. When Dr. Watson walked through, he met Mr. Stapleton, a naturalist. His house was not far from the moor. On the way to the baskerville, Watson met Miss Stapleton. She admitted that she is Mr. Stapleton’s sister. She asking him in order Sir Henry back to London as soon as possible. In her opinion, Baskerville is too dangerous for Sir Henry’s life.

            An evening in Baskerville Hall, Dr. Watson and Sir Henry looked someone near the window.  He peered  at outside with brought a candle. Sir Henry sceptically walked up  to him. And looked! He was Barrymore. Dr. Watson tried to ask him what he was doing. Uneasily, Barrymore said that he gave a sign to a prisonerthat he would send some food and milk. His name was Seldan, a prisoner who lurk. He was Mrs. Barrymore’s brother.

       Everyday, Dr. Watson sent the report to Baker Street about what happened in Baskerville. This case was more complicated than others case because the murderer was a hound. Also the story about Sir Henry who was falling in love with Miss Stapleton made the situation more complicated.

              Dr. Watson was observing around the moor, he looked a boy was walking through the hut. After a few minutes, Watson looked  into that hut but nobody was there. A short time later, it might sound footfall. Apparently, it was Holmes’s footstep. Then, they talked about this case and the reason why Holmes  resided at that hut.

           Suddenly, they heard a dog’s howling that followed by shrieking. They investigated the source of that sound. It’s near the moor. A human corpse  found lie down wearing Sir Henry’s clothe. He is Selden, a prisoner.

            Holmes had arranged a plan for catch the murderer. He went to London for asking some help to his colleague, Lestrade. At night in Baskerville, There were two men in the dining room. Sir Henry and Mr Stapleton. Watson watched them from a far. Holmes and Lestrade  waited up near the moor with a revolver on their pocket. When Sir Henry and Stapleton left the room, Watson came to Holmes and  got prepare. A sound of quick steps broke upon the moor. The steps grew louder and louder. It is the hound who ran after Sir Henry. Some of bullet concerned to the hound and made it fell down. Sir Henry had survived but he was unconcious caused shock.

            Such as Holmes’s hypothesis. That hound was belong  to Mr. Stapleton that wilfully did a murder. That hound was hidden in Grimpen Mire, near the moor. No one knew unless Mr. & Miss. Stapleton. Actually, they were a couple of married, not a brother & sister. Miss Stapleton had lied to Sir Henry.

         The main murderer in this case was  Mr. Stapleton. Actually, he was the son of  Rodger Baskerville who fled to America with a bad reputation.

           

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[Poetry Analysis] Where The Sidewalk Ends

Where the Sidewalk Ends

By Shel Silverstein

            There is a place where the sidewalk ends

            And before the street begins

            And there the grass grows soft and white

            And there the sun burns crimson bright

            And there the moon-bird rests from his flight

            To cool in the peppermint wind

            Let us have this place where the smoke blows black

            And the dark street winds and bends

            Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow

            We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow

            And watch where the chalk-white arrows go

            To the place where the sidewalk ends

            Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,

            And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,

            For the children, they mark, and the children they know

            The place where the sidewalk ends

Analysis of the Poem

“Where the Sidewalk Ends”

            This poem is written by Shel Silverstein. He was born into a Jewish family on September 25, 1930, in Chicago. He was an American poet, singer-songwriter, cartoonist, screenwriter, and author of children's books. His book was translated into more than 30 languages. It has sold over 20 million copies. In 1984, Silverstein won a Grammy Award for Best Children’s Album for Where the Sidewalk End. Shel Silverstein passed away on May 10, 1999, from a heart attack in Key West, Florida.

            The setting of the poem takes place in two different locations. The first location takes place in the area called where the sidewalk ends. It is a beautiful place that is described by nice things, such as the grass grows soft and white, the sun burns crimson bright, the moon-bird rests from his flight, and the peppermint wind. We can see in the second stanza that is described by telling about the air pollution. It shows the place of industrial area which has bad condition that is expressed by the words the smoke blows black, the dark street, and the asphalt flowers. The time of this poem occur in a day when the sunset is coming because of the words the sun burns crimson bright. Crimson is a colour when the sun has been disappearing.

            In this poem, I use the anapest as the meter of the first stanza which is a foot of three syllables, stressing on the last one. On the second and third stanza, I use the dactyl which is reverse of the anapest and the stressed syllable placed before the two unstressed syllable.

            The pattern of the rhyme sounds in each line of this poem is different. From the first stanza, in the end of the line, it expresses the words “ends” [e], “begins” [ɪ], “white” [aɪ], “bright” [aɪ], “flight” [aɪ], and “wind” [ɪ].  It shows that the first stanza use the rhyme scheme “ABCCCB.”  The second stanza, in the end of the line is represented by the words “black” [æ], “bends” [e], “grow” [əʊ], “slow” [əʊ], “go” [əʊ], and “ends” [e]. The pattern of the rhyme in this stanza is “DAFFFA.” In the last stanza, there are four lines, which is in the end of the line it shows the words “slow” [əʊ],  “go” [əʊ], “know” [əʊ] and “ends” [e]. This last stanza also has the different rhyme scheme of the each lines, the pattern is ‘FFFA”. From the explanation, this poem doesn’t use the definite rhyme. The pattern of the rhyme in each line of the whole poem is different, but it has the similarity between the first line and the last line, as follows  “A – B – C – C - C – B – D – A – F – F – F – A – F – F – A.”

            The repetition of the words where the sidewalk ends, is used in every stanza to emphasize the main topic of this poem. It has the function to remain the reader about the place called sidewalk ends. He also repeats the words the chalk-white arrows go and walk with a walk that is measured and slow in the second and third stanza. By all means, he convinces the reader about the direction to the sidewalk ends without any doubt.

            This poem uses visual imagery. The writer tries to make us imagine how the place is with our visual sense. He describes the concrete things about the irony between the first stanza and the second stanza. The first stanza tells us about the description of the place that equal with the title of this poem, “Where the Sidewalk Ends”. It explains about the childhood that full of happiness and beautiful condition without contaminating bad things. The writer persuades us to imagine about the place of the sidewalk ends. It is filled with many things that most of children like it, such as the bright sun, the soft grass, and the peppermint wind. The opposite view comes from the second stanza. It shows the darkness imagery of the condition that far from the sidewalk. The writer tried to compare that the place of the second stanza is full of the pollution and there are no happiness in adult life. They live in the crowded place with many factories, industrial area, and distressing business. It also reminds us to look for the place that can make our mind to be fresh. The last stanza ensures that the adults will go to the place slowly and rest for a while from their distressing life. They will follow the direction to the place of happiness and pleasure. The last line shows that the children will be a guide, because they know the way where the end of the sidewalk is.

The writer of this poem uses some figurative language, such as metaphor, personification, and symbol. From the first stanza, the writer uses comparison to compare the place of the sidewalk ends with many beautiful things. The writer uses metaphor to make the readers imagine how the condition of the place is. In the second stanza, the writer uses metaphor too. The writer expresses the contrary between first stanza and second stanza. He describes a place with the comparison of many dark things. Personification found in the words the chalk-white arrows go and the smoke blows black. The writer makes the chalk and the smoke seem like they are alive and do the things like the creatures usually do. The writer uses symbols in this poem. The sidewalk is represent of the joyful place that the children usually spend their childhood for playing.

The tone of this poem is different for each stanza. The clues of the tone can be seen on the poem above, which is written by the bold font. The first stanza shows that the tone is joyfull, satisfy, and pleasant. It is different with the second stanza. The tone is contrary which is tells about the unpleasant condition, but there is a willingness to go to the joyfull place “sidewalk ends”. The last stanza expresses about conviction and optimistic that the sidewalk is the best place to go. It is strengthened by the words ” Yes, we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow”.

The central idea of this poem is about the representative of the childhood’s life that is very enjoyable. The environment in the childhood’s life is friendly, it’s not like the environment in the adult’s life that is full of the air pollution and crowded. The writer tries to remain us, as the adults to rest for a while from the distressing life. He persuades the reader to remember the happiness life of the children.

Based on this poem, I can learn that as a human, we should keep our environment from the pollution. The children can teach us about the happiness and cheerful. I think the writer concerned about the condition of that time that it was not as joyful as the condition when he was a child. Actually, this is the same as my condition. When I was a child, i can feel the fresh air, the nice weather, and friendly environment. I could be happy even if it was just playing with my friends in the favorit place in my village. I could be pleasant without thinking any problems of life. For the time being, as an adult, I feel I ‘ve lost the condition where my environment is not like my childhood. It is filled with the air pollution and the trees is very rare, because my neighboors often cut down the trees to expand their houses. Sometimes, I remember my childhood that is fulled of happines and I want to go to the place as like as where the sidewalk ends.

Silverstein's signature

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