Sorry for disturbing you essay

Sorry for Disturbing You A. Write an essay (700-900 words) in which you analyze and interpret Richard Knight’s short story “ Sorry for Disturbing You”. To put your interpretation into perspective, your essay must include a discussion of at least two of the other items listed below. One of these must be a text. The short story “ Sorry for Disturbing you” written by Richard Knight focuses on the regret of choices one makes in life. The story presents the encounter between a lonely man, full of regrets, and a man, realizing he does not want end up lonely and full of regrets. The story revolves around the protagonist Ian Harter and starts in medias res with Ian opening the door to his house finding an old and drunk man on his doorstep.

Ian reluctantly lets the stranger, Michael, enter his home where he is alone with his daughter, Corinne, whilst making him tea and offers to help him call a cab. Ian finds out that Michael was associated with the former owner’s of Ian’s house, and he also finds out about how Michael was rejected by his own family. In the end Ian ends up driving Michael home. Michael apologizes, saying “ sorry to disrupt your evening”, signifying the title of the story, and Ian returns home to his wife and daughter. The composition of “ Sorry for Disturbing You” is mainly chronological.

However, there is a breach of the chronologically time line as Ian reflects over his meeting with Michael in the beginning of the story. The story spans over a couple of hours, from the moment Ian opens the door to when he returns home to his wife and daughter. The story is told by a third person limited narrator, as we only get an insight view on Ian’s thoughts. This means that the portrait of Michael is based on Ian’s perception of him and how he appears in the dialogue between them. Ian’s wife, Karen, should have been at home, but “ they had things to sort out”, which means that they are separated. They are having marital problems, and it is clear that Ian is unhappy about the situation.

As the meet continues Ian “ wished she were here”. Throughout the story, it is mentioned that Ian is following his instincts as he chooses to help Michael and to enter a conversation with him. As he invites Michael inside, Ian tells his daughter to “ Go back in” because he does not want her to be frightened, which indicates that he is a very caring father and he seems like a pleasant and generous man as he invites a complete stranger into his home even though Michael’s appearance radiates something bad. One of the first things Ian notices about Michael is that he seems “…lost, hanging on to the doorframe for support” (line 5), which indicates that Michael is in a bad condition. Michael’s helplessness is emphasized by comparisons in the description of Michael: ”…like a newborn foal” (line 86),” like a sobbing child” (line 55), and there are several indications about Michael having an alcohol problem. The facts that he seems drunk, has a social worker and that the taxi driver refuses to pick him up are all signs of this. Throughout the story, it becomes very clear how lonely he is and how much help he needs. “” Twenty-two years.

” The answer came immediately, like a times table answer. (Line 73) indicates that he does not talk with his daughter and reveals to Ian that he was excluded from his own daughter’s wedding and therefore could not walk her down the aisle, as he was supposed to. Michael’s relationship to the former owners, Edie and George Higham, becomes obvious from the sentences: “” We were friends.

Good friends. I liked George very much”” (l. 56) and “” Did you lose contact with Edie and George? ” Ian wasn’t hopeful of a reply and was surprised to get one. “ Yes.

George was angry. Quite rightly. My wife too.

She couldn’t forgive me. We never speak now”” (line 57-60). The mistake of committing adultery with his best friend’s wife completely ruined his life. He is now suffering from the one mistake he made in the past and has ended up drinking to soothe the pain of his loss.

When Ian decides to “[…] make two cups of tea and a glass of warm milk, and take [took] the first careful steps up the stairs. ” he seems determined to mend his relationship between him and his wife – with careful steps. The distance between Karen and Ian is similar to the distance between two lovers described in Love Poem. “ We are two gardens haunted by each other”, as Karen is absent in the main part of the story, and her absence haunts Ian like it haunts the narrator in Love Poem. The poem The Ambulance Box describes an obligation for all to help each other out.

As mentioned earlier there is great powers connected to the capability of communicating. It describes how we need the help from people around us, and we are able to help the wounded people around, just as Ian helps Michael. We are all “ broken bandaged set to heal”. B.

Write a short essay (200-300 words) in which you give examples of the function of dialogue in “ Sorry for Disturbing you” The dialogue between Ian and Michael is a very important element of the story. There is a lot of monologue compared to the limited amount of dialogue in the short story, even though it might seem like one big dialogue. Ian tries to keep a conversation to avoid the silence, but they end up talking past each other most of the time. The language is very non-descriptive, which gives the reader no other change but to interpret the story partly through the dialogue. Because there are no description of Michael’s past and present feelings outside the dialogue, the only place where the reader can form an opinion about him is through the dialogue. The reader has no other option but to interpret even the smallest details.

This method gives rise to a great deal of reflection over how we perceive other people on the bases of dialogue.