The overall attitude of a person is not always noticeable upon first glance. The way in which the individual acts, thinks, or perceives a particular situation is only truly shown through his/her point of view. In the short story, “A&P,” John Updike portrays a particular situation to characterize the attitude of the young narrator. With attention to details, diction, and point of view, Updike amplifies the observant and opinionated attitude of a teenager named Sammy.
This is a very significant and vital lesson the reader will learn as they read about Jeannette’s life. The author, Jeannette, never really comprehended this lesson until she grew up and matured. The lesson that Jeannette, the author, is trying to convey to the readers, is that there will always be a boundary between the two different forces, order and turbulence. But one force would not exist without the other, order and turbulence come hand in hand. Life is like a seesaw with two different forces sitting on one of the two ends, to balance out life so that it’s not too heavy on one side and too light on the other. The author conveyed this message through her memoir using her childhood experiences and her life now as a grown adult. Her childhood
Lee Maracle’s “Charlie” goes through multiple shifts in mood over the course of the story. These mood are ones of hope and excitement as Charlie and his classmates escape the residential school to fear of the unknown and melancholy as Charlie sets off alone for home ending with despair and insidiousness when Charlie finally succumbs to the elements . Lee highlights these shifts in mood with the use of imagery and symbolism in her descriptions of nature.
In the passage from Maxine Clair’s “Cherry Bomb,” the adult narrator shares her memories of her fifth-grade summer world. Through the use of literary techniques, Clair clearly depicts the naivety and youthfulness of the adult narrator’s fifth-grade summer.
A tangerine is not only a citrus fruit, but also a county in Florida that is home to Paul Fisher and his older brother Erik. In the novel titled Tangerine by Edward Bloor, Paul Fisher, the protagonist, is not only bullied at school, but also at home by his brother, while having to live in the house where his dad lives in the illusion of the “Erik Fisher Football Dream.” In this new county that Paul moves to, he constantly has to put up with natural disasters like muck fires and sinkholes. The move from Houston, Texas to Tangerine County, Florida is the start of a new chapter for the Fisher family, especially Paul.
Budge Wilson, in “The Metaphor,” writes about Ms. Hancock, a beloved teacher. Charlotte writes a metaphor in seventh grade relating her mother to a cold, grey building. When Wilson writes about Ms. Hancock, she describes her as being colorful and warm. Charlotte saw Ms. Hancock more as a mother figure than her own mother. However, when Ms. Hancock stops being her teacher, Charlotte starts to become more like her mother. Although, when Ms. Hancock dies, she breaks free of the hold of her mother and is “born” a new person. In the end, Charlotte realizes that adults can not see the beauty in people like Ms.Hancock, yet children can. Through juxtaposition, symbolism, and irony, Wilson describes Charlotte’s self-realization of life.
Maxine Clair’s passage “Cherry Bomb” is about an adult narrator’s reminiscence of her fifth grade summer. Clair develops a lighthearted tone to portray the young and innocent narrator. As the passage develops Clair manipulates a multitude of literary devices like imagery,diction, and alludes to biblical stories to illustrate the experiences of the
The narrator depicts her memories of her fifth-grade summer in Maxine Clair’s Cherry Bomb. Through the narrator's story of her private box and cherry bomb, Clair captures the innocence and youthfulness of her childhood summers.
Alice Walker uses imagery and diction throughout her short story to tell the reader the meaning of “The Flowers”. The meaning of innocence lost and people growing up being changed by the harshness of reality. The author is able to use the imagery to show the difference between innocence and the loss of it. The setting is also used to show this as well.
Rejection can make one feel alone, helpless, and out of place, and it’s a feeling that can make someone feel like they are no good, or that they aren’t worthy of a good life. All throughout the story, we are given examples of how the young girl is shamed and rejected. She was never accepted for who she was and this made her do things, sometimes extreme to help out her family. She knew she would never fit in, and her actions proved just that.
The excerpt from Maxine Clair’s story “Cherry Bomb” represents a child's world interpreted from the viewpoint of an adult. Maxine Claire also uses figurative language, symbolism, thematic parallels, and variations of tone in order to represent a more sophisticated grownup perception of her childhood memories of her fifth grade summer world. However despite the complex language involved, Maxine Clair still maintains the innocent, naive, childish viewpoint of her summer memories in this excerpt.
In Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue by Quiara Alegria Hudes, Ginny, mother to Elliot, suffers from PTSD, and maintains a garden as a means of possessing a sense of stability. In 4/Prelude, she recalls her purpose for bringing the garden to life, and the memories it brings back when she spends time there. Through elements of style such as diction, figurative language, and imagery, Hudes establishes Ginny’s garden as a symbol of healing.
The short story “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson is full of literary elements. The old and innocent, small town atmosphere creates the perfect stage for this ironic tale. Several literary elements are evident throughout the composition but three specific elements stand out the most. Jackson’s unique ability to use tone and style, symbolism, and theme are what makes this story so fascinating.
“Do angels wear brassieres?" is a short story written by Olive Senior. In analyzing this story the main theme emanating from this story was one of self-identity where traditional stereotypes about women’s and their identities will be contested. This story is set in Jamaica where the author denotes issues of hierarchy and class stratification in a family which is female centered. The main character are; a girl named Rebecca aka Beccka, her mother Cherry, and aunt Mary. The unfolding story was based in a rural village located in Jamaica. The characters speak a dialect which is rich and colorful, and this is shaped and controlled by humor and comedy, allowing the reader a great insight into their way of life. Olive Senior short story “Do angels wear brassieres?" demonstrates a strong cultural and social reference where the emphasis is on women, and there identity as women.
“Interpreter of Maladies” and “I Stand Here Ironing” have different historical backgrounds that influences the authors’ narrative choices. In “Interpreter of Maladies”, Jhumpa Lahiri writes about the difficulty of reconciling an Indian heritage with life in the United States at the beginning of the 21th century. On the other hand, Tillie Olsen refers to the period of World War II which played an important role in her life and writing career. As a matter of fact, these stories differ in characters’ cultural and historical backgrounds, but it is definitely possible to compare them according to realism. The realistic approach is analyzed through three sections: the narrative point of view, the character and the setting.