Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Murder on the Orient Express
How does the unusual setting of the story shape the structure of Poirot's investigation? What advantages does it give him? What challenges does it present? Use examples from the text to support your answer. You must respond to this post and comment on another group member's post, this is worth a total of five points.
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Here is one advantage Poirot heard the train stop running,that is an advantage because he came to a stop so he could look around before the murderer could get of the train. The disadvantage was that no one will tell Poirot that they have a scarlet gown.
ReplyDeleteIsaac
Here is one advantage of being in a snowed-down train car. It helps narrow things down and helps Poirot think, this man was killed by someone on this train, one of these people. This helps with this evidence:
ReplyDelete"At half an hour after midnight, we ran into the snowdrift. No one can have left the train since then..."-from page 33 of Murder on the Orient Express(my copy).
A disadvantage to Poirot is that the clues on Cassetti's train car are very obscure, random clues. There are a lot of women on the train, and they probably use handkerchiefs, same as there are a lot of men on the train who (as we've found out) smoke.
I agree with Isaac that no one is going to confess to wearing a red kimono if Poirot saw someone in a red kimono running away from the place where Cassetti was killed. If a person did decide to confess, they would be putting themselves way out in the open.
ReplyDeleteA train is such a strange place to be killed. For one thing, the murderer can just run off the train while they are stopped by saying they neded some fresh air or wanted a smoke. One advantage it does have though is you can see someone running off from your window and no one really wants to go out in the bitter cold of a blizzard.One challenge of the location is someone could have snuck in from another car and them murdered Casseti.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
I agree with Isaac because Poirot did hear the train stop running. He was right that Poirot could look around before the murderer did anything. It was so unfortunate about the scarlet gown. Yet, at the same time, it is one of the most valuable clues Poirot will uncover.
ReplyDeleteLiz
The advantage of being on the orient express is that the train is stopped so that the murder is stuck (if the murderer is on the train) and so are all the suspects. It’s also good that all the clues and the victim was not touched or moved around. The disadvantages of being on the train are that they have little outside information and police. They also have very little tools on the train to solve the murder.
ReplyDeletePilar
I agree with lizzy, it is strange to be murdered on a train especially when the train has stopped and is stuck in the snow. So this means that the murderer is stuck on the train which would be very unlucky for the murderer, because they have known where to escape which means they will be caught eventually.
ReplyDeletePilar
I agree with Pilar because the murderer is stuck and the murderer might be the one who complains about her boat becuse I guess she could be because she needs to be on the train.
ReplyDeleteIsaac
One advantage Poirot has is that all his suspects are on the train. It is an advanantage because that way the murder can't escape. If the murder does sescape, then he will know who it is. That is the advantage I found.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was an advantage to be in the train car with Mr.Ratchet because it enabled him to hear that thud and the the water basin. But it isn't lucky that the person in the kimono wasn't facing him so he couldn't catch a glimps of its face. The problem is Agatha Christe does a good job at scrambling the cluse to make so many possibilities!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pilar and Liz if the train has stopped they will eventually find the murderer but what if the train starts up again? Ugh! This is such a great book.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pilar. The murder is most definitly stuck, let alone the fact that the train is stopped in the middle of nowhere and every one knows theres a murder.
ReplyDeleteIt is very hard to figure much out WHEN YOU'RE ON A TRAIN STUCK IN A SNOW DRIFT. This is some what better since it is not very likely anyone could leave the train. On the other hand, they have limited amount of resources since they are stuck. Every one acts different on a stuck train from stress and worry. Someone might act suspicious from nerves, not guilt. But Hercule Poirot is very smart. Plus, the murderer cannot dispose of anything permanently on the train. Things are very hard on both sides of the cause.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alistair, because it really isn't lucky that the person in the kimono wasn't facing him. Although, like I said in the discussion, what if the man or woman in the kimono has nothing to do with the murder at all!
ReplyDelete