When comparing and contrasting the indirect characterization of non-literal characters in both poems the meaning and development of the theme will be shown. The examples of indirect characterization in “Hope is the thing with feathers”, are when it mentions that hope is “giving”, “caring”, and that it is everywhere even in the darkest moments. In the poem “Caged Bird” the example of indirect characterization for the “free bird” is “unaware” because the free bird is happy and “unaware” of the sad bird. The indirect characterization for the “Caged Bird” is “miserable” and “tied down” because the caged bird is given negative qualities, giving the “Caged Bird” a bad connotation in the poem. The examples of “Giving” and “Caring” from the poem “Hope
Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening opens with a scene of two birds, emphasizing that the motif of birds later within the novel will play an important part with setting the constant metaphor they bring. Throughout the whole novel the motif of birds is a metaphor for the Victorian women during that period -- caged birds serve as reminders of Edna’s entrapment and the entrapment of Victorian women in general. Edna makes many attempts to escape her cage (husband, children, and society), but her efforts only take her into other cages, such as the pigeon house. Edna views this new home as a sign of her independence, but the pigeon house represents her inability to remove herself from her former life, due to the move being just “two steps away” (122).
She focuses mainly on the way the ducks fly and the structure of them. Another form of symbolism is the comparing of wild birds to feminism. A lot of characters in general have a mutual feeling when it comes to the caring of the birds. A form of symbolism when it comes to that is the comparison and the differences of the characters to the wild birds. The author uses the
The bird, representing Edna, foreshadows her one-way trip into the sea as it, with an injured wing, falls into the water just as Edna, with a damaged mind, walks into the sea. She feels as though suicide is the only way to find a reprieve from the gender standards that have been forced onto her. As she stands underneath the bright sun “[s]he felt like some new-born creature” signifying her awakening (120). Edna departs this world with dignity as she ultimately found her freedom
Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air Albert Einstein once proclaimed, “ Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Einstein, in this quote, was saying that all types of nature, whether it be human or physical, require profound examination to have the ability to recognize the nature of ourselves as people. The modest yet extraordinary statement perfectly illustrates Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction novel Into Thin Air. The book is a personal account of his journey climbing Mount Everest and the tragic events that occurred along with it. Into Thin Air not only brought awareness to the issues involving the Earth and it’s air quality, but also created an outlet for writers to use real life events as symbols for significant lessons.
Similes in the poem such as ‘till he was like to drop’ are used to create a more descriptive image in the reader’s mind. Metaphors when saying ‘He lifted up his hairy paw’ and in many other sections of the poem to exaggerate areas to give the reader a more interesting view. So the poet can express what he is trying to prove through and entertaining way. The imagery device enhances the poem to make it stand out more so it grabs the reader attention. The poem was a very entertaining and humorous.
The oppression is binding the bird to its cage while the bird hopes and prays that someone will hear him so that he can leave this maiming tyranny. In addition in “Caged Bird” the bird is singing with mighty voice that was conceived by the rage that the bird felt toward the oppression that was trapping it. The tune that the bird sings is described as, “The caged bird sings,/ with a fearful trill,/ of things unknown”(Angelou, 30-32). The bird is illustrating the anger that it felt, by fighting the tyranny that he is facing. The tyranny is holding him down and the rage that the bird feels from this pain is what the bird symbolizes.
The narrator is aghast when he realizes that the bird can speak. The narrator, both confused and amazed, starts showering the ebony bird with questions. His confusion only grows stronger when he realizes that the bird has only one reply for, Nevermore that he keeps on repeating. The poems major themes are death and sorrow and the nature of the
Birds are gifted with the extraordinary ability to fly. Their wings propel them above the ground and over people below. They are able to view the world from an angle that no one else gets to see. This is what makes birds and wings such powerful symbols in literature. These symbols characterize characters, move the plot and develop one more of the book’s ideas.
The bird is interpreted as the symbol of the African-American people, beating their metaphorical wings against their past cages of slavery, and the current cage of segregation and discrimination. Dunbar highlights this notion, declaring, “I know why the caged bird sings, ah me, / When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore, - / When he beats his bars and he would be free; / It is not a carol of joy or glee” (Dunbar, “Sympathy” 555). Dunbar addresses the fact that he is able to relate to this bird, and mentions the fact that the bird wishes it could be free; much like the African-Americans wished they could be free from discrimination at the time, while the bruises on the bird’s wings and body symbolize the mental abuse being enforced. Dunbar uses his poem to lay the groundwork for future forms of African-American literature by perpetrating the desire for freedom and equality.
A complex character is a character whose personality and traits are developed and changed from the experiences he or she has during the story. Authors develop complex characters by making the character go through events during the story to develop a sense of realism to the character. They add to this by leaving the character with different traits to give the character. In “The Fixer”, the complex character within the story is the main character Yakov Bok, a jewish-russian handy man charged for a crime he did not commit. I know Yakov is the complex character because his travel through czarist Russia puts him through many challenges that test his faith and strength.
“Two Kinds,” by Amy Tan, essentially revolves around the struggle of Jing Mei and her constant conflict with her mother. Throughout her life, she is forced into living a life that is not hers, but rather her mom’s vision of a perfect child; because her mother lost everything, which included her parents and kids, so her only hope was through Jing Mei. Jing Mei’s mom watches TV shows such as the Ed Sullivan Show, which gives her inspiration that her daughter should be like the people and actors. First her mom saw how on the television a three-year-old boy can name all the capitals of the states and foreign countries and would even pronounce it correctly. Her mom would quiz Jing Mei on capitals of certain places, only to discover that
The entire poem consists of various metaphors of racial segregation present in the society Angelou was born into. The caged bird symbolizes the oppression and suffering of people of color, whilst the free bird symbolizes the ideal society of freedom, a society lacking prejudice and discrimination. A society that, during the time in which Angelou struggled to thrive, was only available to those who were white. The caged bird 's song represents the sustaining hope of achieving this idealistic society in which all are treated with equal worth.
A Bird’s Eye View Emily Dickinson opens up her poem with the famous line, “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, And sings the tune without the words,’’. Paul Laurence Dunbar ends his poem with the line “I know why the caged bird sings!”. These two lines from the poets form the theme of the two poems. The poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson, and “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar both present a theme that suffering makes you appreciate hope much more. It seems that hope and pain are almost a dynamic duo.
Lines one through seven define the free bird as one that “floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wing in the orange sun rays” (Angelou) this is a representation of freedom and joy. The second and third stanza lines, eight through fourteen defines the caged bird that “stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage” (Angelou) where these words reference isolation and despair compared to the freedom in stanza one. These lines create a visual response of the bird’s environments. The third stanza is repeated at the end of the poem for prominence as it reflects the two birds are so different.
The main focus of the poem was the unexpected visit of a raven to the narrator-s house. The bird serves as a constant reminder to the narrator of the death of his true love and the sadness that it brings him. It is left unclear if the bird literally came to his doorstep or the narrator was making it up. Some might say the raven was real because of how the narrator described it, from its color to its feathers. A raven is also a very common animal, so they might think it could still happen.