Defending Jacob Figurative Language

Defending Jacob With an abrupt ending and an insight on a fourteen year old boy with a cruel hobby, this intense book can have more in common with other texts than anticipated. To clarify, Defending Jacob by William Landay, “If” by Rudyard Kipling, and “The Art of Resilience” by Hara Estroff Marano display how a person owns the ability to change what happens in his or her life. This theme is exhibited through figurative language, imagery, and foreshadowing. By including figurative language, the authors of these literary works were able to enhance certain elements of the story. For example, in Defending Jacob, the neighbors continued to see Jacob as if “He was a pariah, whether he was actually guilty or not (Landay 388.).” after the case was seemingly resolved following Patz's confession. This is a depiction of figurative language due to the face that Jacob cannot truly be a pariah; however, the public sees him as

Particularly when Andy Barber in Defending Jacob describes the days leading to Jacob’s trial as daunting due to “the intense awareness of time, the heaviness of the passing minutes, the dizzying, trippy sense that the days are both too few and too long (Landay 154.).” These words portray imagery because it recounts the agony the Barber’s experienced each day. This quote supports the theme because even though they were living a temporarily grueling life, they decided they would strive for a normal one. Similarly, the narrator of “The Art of Resilience” explains that Steven Wolin, a psychiatrist, shares the past of a client who “had been whipped by her father throughout childhood anytime he felt challenged (Marano.).” This addition is an example of imagery because it clarifies the intensity of the woman’s state, which allows the reader to visualize the brutality of her childhood. This delineates the theme because she chose to seek help to heal her