"The Curse" is a short story by Arthur C. Clarke which was first published in 1953. This story describes the state of a dead small town a few hundred years after a nuclear bomb was dropped on it. From the references in the novel towards Shakespeare, one can conclude that the novel took place in the very place Shakespeare was born, Stratford-upon-Avon. Analyzing this short story written by Arthur C. Clarke, one can conclude that he must enjoy writing about scientific breakthroughs and he utilizes vocabulary that is very different from most authors.
The entire story is about a hydrogen bomb destroying the city of Stratford-upon-Avon. The story is told a few days after the incident. The story describes the state of the small town after the bomb was dropped on it. The bomb is destructive, there are no humans, animals or even dialogues for characters. The mood in the story is very sad, which is an excellent viewpoint that Arthur C. Clarke shows throughout out the story.
Arthur C. Clarke at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka...
Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction author, meeting ...
Arthur C ClarkeThe bomb destroyed everything in the town, and a sad mood would be the best thing that would fit throughout the story. Arthur C. Clarke is very descriptive through his writing. He would write about many very insignificant details, for example when he wrote, ÃÂA church had stood here by the river's edge, and though no trace of the building remained, the gravestones that the years had gathered round it still marked its place.ÃÂ He is writing about a church that has nothing to do with the story. This is amazing because writing with detail makes stories much more interesting, and throughout this story Arthur C. Clarke does just that, which is why this short story is much more powerful than the ordinary short story.
Arthur C. Clarke utilizes vocabulary that is very unique to most other authors. He uses words like armada, inert, toil, graven, and vitrified to bring about his ideas. These words are not used in normal stories, but in Arthur C. ClarkeÃÂs case these words make the story powerful. Using colorful vocabulary enhances the learning of the reader and forces the reader to read through context to understand that certain word. This clever way of utilizing advanced vocabulary allows Arthur C. Clarke to write an outstanding story.
All in all this short story was a wonder to read. Reading just a short excerpt of Arthur C. ClarkeÃÂs writing in the means of the short story, ÃÂThe Curse,ÃÂ really showed me that he indeed is an amazing writer. I look forward to reading more novels written by this wonderful author for his amazing knack of writing with descriptive detail and wide array of vocabulary.
Bibliography:"The Curse (short story)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 21 May 2009, 03:06 UTC. 22 Oct 2009 .
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