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REG. NO.: 13116003

NAFIS KAMAL

BA (Hons) in English UNIVERSITY OF ASIA

PACIFIC

The Appointment in Samarra

As retold by

William Somerset Maugham(The speaker is Death)

THEME OF THE STORY

The theme of this story is anyone can’t escape death. A servant

is thought that he will escape from death, but he doesn’t know,

death had an appointment with him in Samarra.

CHARACTERS OF THE STORY

In this story there are three characters.

The Merchant The Servant A Woman

PLOT OF THE STORY The Appointment in Samarra is a short story about a

merchant’s servant who tries to avoid his appointment

with Death. In the story the servant meets with Death

at Baghdad then he lends a horse from the merchant

and flees to Samarra. He is thought that he will escape

from death, but he doesn’t know, death had an

appointment with him in Samarra.

RHETORIC OF THE STORY

Personification: In this story the writer represents

“death” as a human and a woman. And at end of the

story the merchant made a conversation with death. In

this story “death” is a lifeless idea but it represents a

human. So, it is a cause of personification.

Alliteration: The consonant sound “t” (trembling, and

tells) and “s” (start of surprise) repeats about two

times in this story. So, it is a cause of alliteration.

RHETORIC OF THE STORY

Irony: In the story the servant meets with Death at Baghdad then

he lends a horse from the merchant and flees to Samarra. The

servant thought that he will escape from death, but he doesn’t

know, death had an appointment with him in Samarra. This

situation actually means opposite of its surface meaning. So, it is a

cause of irony.

Symbol: In this story “a woman” refers Death. So, it is cause of

symbol.

MORAL OF THE STORY

In this world there is an appointed time and place for everyone to die.

OWN COMMENT If death is destined to happen it will happen; you can’t run from your destiny.