The+Open+Window

info that you need to add in your page: 1) the literary elements employed in this short story: -irony in the story. which part is ironic?  -figurative language  - symbolism found in this story. what does the open window symbolizes?  - foreshadowing. during which part do you get to know that Vera is lying? what details in the story foreshadows vera is going to lie?  - the structure of the short story. how many story was being told in the story?  2) more about the characters (characters analysis) -why did vera lie. what motivate her to do that -talk about mr framton more
 * =NAME = || =MATRIC NUMBER= ||
 * = RISHALINEY NADARAJAH = || =**4091008181**= ||
 * =**JAANATHARAJ AHNAN PILLAI**= || =**4091007931**= ||
 * =**NIK MAZNI HANIM BT MOHD FAKRI**= || =**4091003711**= ||
 * =CHRISTINE TAN FUNG JIAO= || =**4091000751**= ||
 * =NISHA RAVINDRAN= || =**4091002211**= ||
 * =NAVINAH PALANIAPPAN= || =**4091002251**= ||



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source from : =http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saki=





Hector Hugh Munro was born in Akyab, Burma (now known as Sittwe), the son of Charles Augustus Munro and Mary Frances Mercer. His father was an inspector-general for the Burmese police when that country was still part of the British Empire. In 1872, his mother, who had gone home on a visit to England, was charged by a cow; the shock caused her to miscarry. She never recovered and soon died.. Charles Munro sent his children, including two-year-old Saki, to England, where they were brought up by their grandmother and aunts in a strict, straitlaced household. Munro was educated at Pencarwick School in Exmouth and at Bedford Grammar School.. When his father retired to England, he travelled on a few occasions with his sister and father, between fashionable European spas and tourist resorts. In 1893, he followed in his father's footsteps by joining the Indian Imperial Police, where he was posted to Burma (as was another acerbic and pseudonymous writer a generation later: George Orwell.. Two years later, failing health from malaria forced his resignation and return to England, where he started his career as a journalist, writing for newspapers such as the Westminster Gazette,Daily Express Bystander, Morning Post, and Outlook. In 1900, Munro's first book appeared: The Rise of the Russian Empire, a historical study modelled upon Edward Gibbon, Magnum Opus ,The Decline and Fall of Roman Empire. From 1902 to 1908, Munro worked as a foreign correspondent. for The Morning Post in the Balkans,Warsaw, Russia (where he witnessed Bloody Sunday and Paris; he then gave that up and settled in London. Many of the stories from this period feature the elegant and effete Reginald and Clovis, young men-about-town who take heartlessly cruel delight in the discomfort or downfall of their conventional, pretentious elders. In addition to his well-known short stories, Saki also turned his talents for fiction into novels. Shortly before the Great War, with the genre of invasion literiture selling well, he published a "what if" novel, When William Came, subtitled "A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns", imagining the eponymous German Emperor conquering Britain. At the start of World War 1, although 43 and officially over age, Munro joined the Royal Fusiliers regiment of the British Army as an ordinary soldier, refusing a commission. More than once he returned to the battlefield when officially still too sick or injured to fight. He was sheltering in a shell crater near Beumont Hamen, France in November 1916 when he was killed by a German sniper. His last words, according to several sources, were "Put that bloody cigarette out!". After his death, his sister Ethel destroyed most of his papers and wrote her own account of their childhood. Munro never married. His biographer A. J. Langguth cites evidence for the hypothesis that Munro was homosexual. At that time in the UK sexual activity between man was a crime, and the Cleveland Street Scandin 1889, followed by the downfall and disgrace of Oscar Wilde (who was convicted in 1895 after cause celebre trials) meant that "that side of [Munro's] life had to be secret". Politically, Munro was a Tory and somewhat reactionary in his views. In recognition of his contribution to literature, a blue plaque has been affixed to a building in which Munro once lived on Mortimer Street in Central London.



The name Saki is often thought to be a reference to the cupbearer in the Rubaiyat of Ummar Khaiyam, a poem mentioned disparagingly by the eponymous character in "Reginald on Christmas Presents" and alluded to in a few other stories. (This is stated as fact by Emilyn Williams in his 1978 introduction to a Saki anthology) It may, however, be a reference to the South American primate of the same name, "a small, long-tailed monkey from the Western Hemisphere" that is a central character in The Remoulding of Globy Lington.

A man with the unlikely name of Framton Nuttel comes to a country village for some peace and rest. He calls upon a lady named Mrs. Sappleton his sister used to know; for a few minutes he is left alone with her niece named Vera, who has quite an active imagination. She tells Framton a story about the tragedy of the lady's husband and two younger brothers, who had gone hunting one day three years earlier and never returned. The bodies were never found, and because of this the window from which they left is always kept open. When indeed they do return that very night, Framton, who has suffered from nerves in the past, runs out of the house, and the niece explains his sudden departure to her relatives with an equally imaginative fiction.

The setting of this short story is believed to have been taken place in the early twentieth century (during the ruling of King Edward VII), because there are no specific dates being mentioned in it. So it is set in one room of an English country home which belongs to Mr. and Mrs. Sappleton.



i) The Differences between Reality and Fantasy :

Saki is certainly an amazing and brilliant author. In The Open Window, he manages to 'fool' the readers into believing Vera's story in the beginning, when she told it to Mr. Framton Nuttal. The story was presented so well that the imagination of it was able to wonder freely in the readers' minds, and thinking what might have happened to the two hunters who went 'missing' suddenly while hunting in the nearby woods. This situation shows the theme fantasy in this short story.

But when the story was about to end, Saki was able to 'lure' back the readers from their fantasy world and into he reality world, that's when Mr. Nuttal ran away suddenly from the house because he saw the 'two figures' approaching the open window from the living hall. This is when the readers only realised that they were being 'fooled' by Vera's story.

ii) Deception

The action and the irony of this short story revolve around the apparent deception practiced by Mrs. Sappleton's niece, Vera. The readers are still puzzled over Vera's deception. If it is cruel, then they will certainly question Saki's motives behind this short story, as to why he wants to introduce a character who tells these fantasy stories to visitors who visited Mrs. Sappleton's house. Vera is extremely self possesed and muture beyonds her years, her imagination is flamboyant but so overpowering it is almost as though she gives into it. Her quick thinking attitude is aided by her imagination to create her disturbing story to Mr Nuttel. 

Framton Nuttel suffers from a nervous condition and has come to spend time alone. His sister sets up introduction for him a few members of the community. His first visit is to the Sappleton house where he meets fifteen-year-old Vera, the niece of Mrs. Sappleton. Vere keeps Nuttle company while he waits. Upon hearing that Nuttel has not met the Sappletons, Vere tells Nuttel some information about the family. Vere says that three years ago to the date, Mrs. Sappleton’s husband and two younger brothers went on a hunting trip and never returned. Vere goes into details about the clothes they were wearing, the dog that accompanied them, and the song that Mrs. Sappleton’s brother sang upon their return. Vera says that her grief-stricken aunt watches out the window expecting their return. When Mrs. Sappleton enters, she tells Nuttel that she expects her husband and brothers to return any moment. Nuttel listes, thinking that Mrs. Sappleton has in fact gone crazy. Suddenly, Mrs sappleton brightens as she tells Nuttels that they have returned. Nuttel turns only to see the “dead” hunters. He becomes frightened and leaves in rush. Mrs. Sappleton doesn’t understand Nuttel’s strange behavior, but Vere replies that he is deathly afraid of dogs. Not until the end of the story does the reader realize that Vera has tricked Mr. Nuttel. This is revealed with the last line of the story: “Romance at short was her [Vera’s] specialty.” (u need to explain the meaning of this line. what does this line revealed actually?)



i) Mr. Framton Nuttal -Suffers from an undisclosed nervous ailment. -Is easily scared. (He flees the house after seeing the three figures approaching the open window.) -Hopes to get a 'cure' by visiting the house. (He brings a letter of introduction to Mrs. Sappleton in order to make her acquaintance for his stay in her house.)

ii) Vera -Mrs. Sappeton's niece. -Loves telling scary stories/playing pranks about her house's open window to visitors. (She tells Mr. Nuttal that the window is left open as a sign of her aunt's hope that the dead hunters will one day come home and also explains about their behaviour, attire, and their characteristics.) <span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-Loves inventing stories to her aunt as well. (She invented a story about Mr. Nuttal's sudden departure when her aunt finally came to the living hall.)

<span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">iii) Mrs. Sappleton <span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-Vera's aunt. <span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-Trusted by Mr. Nuttal that she is able to 'cure' his 'serious' mental illness.

<span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">iv) Mr. Sappleton and Mrs. Sappleton's Younger Brother <span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-They are the 'dead figures' in Vera's fantasy stories. <span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-Went hunting in the nearby woods. <span style="color: #808000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">-Mr. Sappleton (Vera's uncle and Mrs. Sappleton's husband) and Mrs. Sappleton's younger brother (Vera's uncle and Mr. Sappleton's brother-in-law.)
 * Saki's Use of Irony**

Saki is not only a well known as a master of the short story form, but also for the irony with which his stories are imbused. "The Open Window" is an excellent example of Saki's use of irony. The events in it are ironic in their right. Saki increases the ironic amplitude of it by making the readers a victim of the very same hoax that Vera perpetrates on Mr.Nuttal.

This short story is successful thanks to its narrative structure. Saki provides not just one narrative, but a narrative within another, larger narrative that places the inner narrative in context.If Vera's story of the lost hunters were the only story available, the readers would read it either as a ghost story or as a fanciful tale. Such a reading is not possible because Saki allows his readers access to the story which surrounds the telling of this secondary tale. When Vera lies to Mrs. Sappleton about Mr. Nuttal's sudden departure, it becomes clear that her story is a fabrication and that the hunters are not ghosts after all, but are living men. Thus, Mr. Nuttal's horror becomes laughable, and the readers' initial reaction is to identify with Vera, deriding Mr. Nuttal for his gullibility and enjoying a laugh at his expense.

Though Vera may be innocent, the author humself, Saki certainly is not. He is, after all, the 'narrator' in this short story and is fully aware of Mr. Nuttal's mental condition and also the ffect that Vera's 'punchline' will have on Mr. Nuttal's fragile psyche. He allows her to 'interrupt' his narrative with her own fantasy stories, knowing very well the consequences it will have. The readers are certainly at the author's mercy, unaware that Vera's stories are fabrication. The readers are just like Mr. Nuttal, have to receive Vera's story as though it was true, and they were tricked into suspending disbelief in her story by the trust already placed by Saki. When the hunters actually 'returned' from the woods, the readers' reaxtion is the same as Mr. Nuttal; that is, the initial impression is that something eerie and supernatural has afoot. The suspicion of deceit may be present, but it is as yet unverifiable.

The irony of Vera's story has caused Mr. Nuttal to suffer a mental breakdown, although it is not true. If he stays longer, he would have learned the truth that the hunters were not 'ghosts' but were real human beings. The readers will certainly judge his foolishness and weekness or laugh at Vera's mean-spiritedness, depending on how the readers choose to characterize her highly suspicious motives. Saki's re-entrance as a narrator at the moment of Mr. Nuttal's departure allows them to differentiate him or herself from Mr. Nuttal.

=<span style="color: #000080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 280%;">QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS =

= 1) The literary elements used in this story .=

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">“Romance at short was her [Vera’s] specialty.” = It means that Vera was very good at making lies and making up stories.

=<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Irony in the story. = Mr Framton Nuttel actually went to Mrs. Suppleton's house to relax himself but what he got was more troubles just because of Vera.

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">Symbolism found in this story. What does the open window symbolizes? = The open window symbolizes the disappearance of the men and their longed-for return.

=<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Style = "The Open Window" is the story of a deception, perpetrated on an unsuspecting, and constitutionally nervous man, by a young lady whose motivations for lying remain unclear.

=<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Structure = The most remarkable of Saki's devices in "The Open Window" is his construction of the story's narrative. The structure of the story is actually that of a story-within-a-story. The larger "frame" narrative is that of Mr. Nuttel's arrival at Mrs. Sappleton's house for the purpose of introducing himself to her. Within this narrative frame is the second story, that told by Mrs. Sappleton's niece, Vera.