“Toronto existing in layers” (Mandel) and such is the impression of Miranda as she ventures once more into the vast city of Toronto, after her time in New York. Upon her arrival in the city, a pang of nostalgia hits her as she reminisces her first arrival: “she’d always liked the descent into this city, the crowded towers by the lakeshore, the way an infinite ocean of suburbia rushed inward and came to a point at the apex of the CN Tower…the city had shocked her with its vastness when she’d arrived…” (Mandel). Such descriptions might appear as mere imageries of the city, for these are common sights—the crowded city, the suburbs, and the CN--one can see when travelling into the city of Toronto. It is a familiar setting and something that is …show more content…
For instance, had the novel been set in a fictional place, there would be no familiarity or attachment to the setting at hand. It is worth noting as well that Toronto is the heart of the novel itself: it is first connection between the intertwining life of the characters. With this connection, it serves as a foundation for the city to be a symbol of nostalgia, change, and freedom. As a symbol of nostalgia, it is evident every time the characters mention the city: they say it with such a wistful tone; it is also mentioned in flashbacks – the idea of looking back into the past. And with the Georgia Flu outbreak, Toronto changes and this change reflects the impact on not only the characters but humanity as a whole. Intertwined with change, of course, is freedom. The physical change which the characters have experienced has led to their lives being freed in different ways, such as being free from Delano Island, or, being free from life itself. With these observations, they prove that Toronto is a physical manifestation of Station Eleven’s main themes, which contribute to further understanding these concepts. Along with this, it reinforces the significance of analysing a novel’s setting as it reveals a deeper comprehension of the story. Henceforth, it suffices to say that setting is indeed a major component of a story, for without a setting,
Station Eleven, a science fiction novel written by Emily ST. John Mandel, tells the stories of characters’ lives and careers before and after the Georgia Flu, is a strong infection causing infected patients’ deaths within forty eight hours. Mandel describes feelings and actions of characters about their home islands, their places in their world, and two categories of art, high and low, which trigger survivors’ different responses, to mimic modern citizens’ emotions and points of view about their current society. By constructing an imitation of modern citizens’ feelings in the book, Mandel shows readers how their lives will become after losing their current positions in order to remind them that they need to appreciate what they have and not
This is perhaps most evident when Solnit describes Detroit as “not quite post-apocalyptic but … strangely – and sometime even beautifully – post-American” (Solnit 2). Cutting the phrases ‘post-apocalyptic’ and ‘post-American’ with beauty is Solnit’s first hint at a sort of hope after death. An idea that Detroit’s collapse provides a chance at a brighter future. This contradiction is utilized again when the piece portrays “a burned-out house … next to a carefully tended twin” (Solnit 3). The image of collapsing ruins neighboring a pristine home highlights the widespread deterioration happening across the city.
Through the use of literary devices such as figurative language, personification, and use of details, the author of The Street displays Lutie Johnson's relationship with the urban setting as overwhelming. Within paragraphs one and two there is a large amount of detail through word choice and imagery. Lutie’s overwhelming relationship is shown through the opening scene which is overflowing with imagery. The first thing the reader will imagine is an empty street with trash blowing around everywhere and a huge scary mess that is giving the urban scenery a very intimidating feel.
Despite having an arduous life in Canada, he has in part fulfilled his idea of a personal heaven by living in an urban and developed setting; and primarily escaping the judgments of the apathetic islanders. Yet, this idea of a perfect life is incomplete; it lacks “some sweet island woman with whom he’d share his life, of having children and later buying a house” Many times in life, future gratification in unforeseeable, and occasionally — such as in the instance of Max — sacrifices may result in a sense of disillusioned inaptitude. Within this excerpt of the short story “Mammita’s Garden Cove” by Cyril Dabydeen, the author’s complex attitude towards place is conveyed by Dabydeen’s use of repetition, diction, and
Prose Analysis Essay In Ann Petry’s The Street, the urban setting is portrayed as harsh and unforgiving to most. Lutie Johnson, however, finds the setting agreeable and rises to challenges posed by the city in order to achieve her goals. Petry portrays this relationship through personification, extended metaphor, and imagery.
The novel, A Wrinkle In Time, written by Madeleine L’engle, is a story about Meg Murry, her brother, Charles Wallace, and their friend, Calvin. Meg, the main character, lost her father when she was young, but she still believes he is out there somewhere. Together, they travel through the universe to find her father. They face many obstacles and challenges to figure out where her father is. Throughout their adventures they meet new people, such as Mrs. Whatsit, to help them through their journey.
The novel has multiple settings as characters travel from Boston to Washington D.C., because the reporters are covering stories regarding the World Series. The book says that “Only about ten minutes. Nothing in Boston is very far.” and “Stevie noticed they were back near Washington International Airport.” showing that the main characters are in Washington and Boston.
Station Eleven and I: What is Happiness? Happiness is being around your self-chosen family with a career in a profession that simultaneously gives you purpose and help improve our society. It is the feeling of comfort and being considerate of others. The novel Station Eleven has many different definitions of happiness as defined by various characters within the book.
Some of the most important places in the book are the Renegades Headquarters,Nova’s above ground home, the Anarchist’s subway tunnels, and the Cloven Cross Library. The tone and mood of the story is very futuristic because of all the technological advances that they have in the story and it also makes it feel like New York since it is such a big city and many parts to it.
Ray Bradbury's “The Pedestrian” is a short story about a man and his wife whom lose their endearing connection with their children to the grip of technology. Ray Bradbury helps readers comprehend the setting in “The Veldt” by using similes throughout the story to create a vivid image. Bradbury incorporates similes throughout the story in a detailed manner. The story begins with including the graphic simile, “It was empty as a jungle glade at hot high noon” (Bradbury 1).
In this passage from, "The Street", by Ann Petry, Lutie Johnson's relationship with her urban setting is expressed thoroughly. The author creates a vision of the surroundings and expresses Lutie's relationship with her urban setting through the use of selection of detail, personification,imagery and figurative language. Petry begins the passage utilizing the selection of detail. She stated, "It rattled the tops of garbage cans, sucked windows shades out through the top of the opened windows and set them flapping back against the windows"(Paragraph 1). She uses details to describe how forceful the wind that was blowing was and the strength of it.
As the car was in motion on the way to where I would be staying I rolled the window down. Something other than the tall green grasses and canopy trees caught my attention. I finally started to see some scattered buildings, hotels, and restaurants. The city started to seem more urbanized, that wasn 't the only infrastructure that I saw, more was yet to come. As we went deeper into the rural areas the buildings disappeared and the sidewalks started to become more deteriorated.
There is the idea of a city, and the city itself, too great to be held in the mind. And it is in this gap (between the conceptual and the real) that aggression begins” is central to Saunders’ essay, due to the fact that this quote illustrates Saunders’ message that people tend to have misconceptions generated from their own limited experience and misconceptions can easily lead to conflicts and aggression if handled
The setting shapes the mood and tone of a story and has a great affect on what happens in a story. The setting influences the events that take place, how the characters interact and even how they behave. Settings show where and how the character lives, what they do, and what they value. Characters have a relationship with the setting just as much as they do with other characters in the story. This is seen in the effects the setting has on the development of the Character Elisa in the story “The Chrysanthemums.”
In his essay “Here,” Philip Larkin uses many literary devices to convey the speaker’s attitude toward the places he describes. Larkin utilizes imagery and strong diction to depict these feelings of both a large city and the isolated beach surrounding it. In the beginning of the passage, the speaker describes a large town that he passes through while on a train. The people in the town intrigue him, but he is not impressed by the inner-city life.