Silver Blaze and the Red Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Essay

Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was very clever when he made a horse the central figure in the tale titled "Silver Blaze," because as was described in the story, no one suspected that the horse may have committed the killing of Straker. This is exemplified when the local constable suspected that the horse was kidnapped, and Straker was killed when trying to stop the kidnappers by falling on his own knife. But in fact, Sherlock Holmes was clever enough to discover the truth; Straker was attempting to lame the horse and the horse accidentally killed him when it was frightened and ran away. Because the horse committed the killing of Straker, there is no legal recourse against an animal that actually acted in self-defense. The really surprising part was how Holmes discovered that the bookmaker, Fitzroy Simpson, the elusive stranger who dropped his handkerchief, was not the killer as the constable originally surmised. This fact, in addition to the bill addressed to the Straker's address but without the correct name, helped Holmes discover that Straker was leading a double life and desperately in need of money.The three lame sheep that Holmes later discovered then sealed the fate of Mr. Straker, he had been practicing surgery on the sheep. However, I did not discover the true fate of Mr. Straker before Holmes did, in fact I was mostly lost. In truth, I had no idea the significance of the lame sheep, and while I did suspect the bill found in Straker's pocket was significant, I could not put it all together. I too suspected that the horse had been kidnapped, it seemed logical, and I also believed that the stranger was involved. I followed the presumptive path of accepting the constable's theory and did not follow the clues, like Holmes, and discover the real truth.

Part #2

The "Red Headed League," by sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is not only a curious case for the renowned detective Sherlock Holmes, but it is also a rather humorous one as….....