Change is a concept that will effect everyone at some point in their life; quite simply it’s inevitable. How an individual reacts to change is dependent on a number of factors such as the situation and their personal perspective. Positive or negative change will obviously have different reactions in terms of a person’s acceptance or rejection of its influence on their life. Ray Lawler, author of the play, “Summer of the 17th Doll”, and Gwen Harwood, author of the poem “In The Park”, use a number of various aesthetic features in their writing to portray the ideas, attitudes and values surrounding change, and its affects on their characters. Change of career, relationships and lifestyle were evident in “Summer of the 17th Doll”, whilst the focused …show more content…
The piece revolves around the subject of motherhood, portraying a women who feels smothered and consumed by her children. Poetic devices were used by Harwood to emphasise the affect that change had on the woman and her life progression, whilst illustrating the negative response which became evident as a result. In the poem, whilst taking her children to the park, the woman encounters an ex-lover, briefly discussing their life progression and stating to herself after his departure, that her children 'have eaten [her] alive’. Harwood’s use of this metaphor and hyperbole, shows the affect of the change her choices created, and its impact. The use of symbolism, to a large extent, also portrays the woman’s feelings derived from her sense of imprisonment. The opening line “Her clothes are out of date” as well as the children 's behaviour; demanding her constant attention as they "whine", "bicker" and "tug her skirt” are symbolic representations of how the mother no longer lives the same life she used to. The reference to “out of date” emphasises the sacrifices the woman has made for her family, whilst the children’s dialogue illustrates their negative depiction from the mother’s perspective. In this piece, the children are the catalyst for change; depicted as having a crushing weight on the mother’s emotions, leading to the development of her belief she is tied to a straining and sacrificial life as a result of
Opening her piece with an anecdote, supported by her reflective tone, Smith captivates the audience towards her own experiences of a mother. Her invigorating story of her three toddlers “squabbling” and “constant demands” obliges the reader to be more interested in what she is saying as it is a relatable situation for most mothers. Furthering upon this, Smith shifts to an informative tone as she addresses the epidemic of obese children due to “spending over 70% of their days being sedentary”, confronting the parents with shocking statistics, the parents of young children are aroused by fear and is urged to reconsider their responsibility as a parent. Moreover, Smith confidently provokes the readers by asking them rhetorical questions and then answering them, proving that the answer is obvious, just like the problem. Hence, Smith’s use of a visual representation of two children who are projected as disconnected and slightly inhumane, digs into the emotions of the audience, creating an impersonal and sinister mood.
By removing her costume the narrator feels that she has returned to her role of being ignored by her father. As herself, she does not feel as though she has a presence. The closing line of the poem perhaps provides the most poignant moment where the narrator returns to the “real world of the kitchen” which she acknowledges her attempts at adventure are all for naught (29). There’s a sense of dissatisfaction with her situation and a sadness of becoming just another worker in the
“The children's mother still had on slacks and still had her head tied up in a green kerchief, but the grandmother had on a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print… In case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (O’Connor 2). This quote is important to the story because it shows the reader that the grandmother is judgmental and feels superior to others. After all, she thinks her mentality is the right one. Furthermore, O’Connor uses underdeveloped characters like the children’s mother to help make the grandmother’s traits stand out and show that almost everyone possesses these thoughts at some point in their lives in real life, and they should change to have better qualities to avoid bad situations.
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.
Her daughter, Izzy, on the other hand believes that her mother is selfish and is only thinking of herself. It bother her because her mother is so nonchalant and acts like her daughter doesn’t matter, but in reality he mother is probably doing this for her daughter. Second, the clashing of views of the mother and daughter cause tension because they misinterpreted each other. According to the text, “Opportunity? For me?
Lisa needs that support as she goes forward in her life. We all need that safety net as we struggle forward; this message of the safety in the middle of the uncertain change is true and descriptive of our early college years today as well. IV. Conclusion: Reflections on Reading Poetry A. Reading poetry is often not as specific as prose, and it leaves more to the imagination; different words hold different meanings for different readers. B. In changing and moving into our own adult lives; our parents and grandparents often already know of the struggle we are going through.
The multifaceted nature of the human condition encompasses all aspects of human life at both an individual and collective level and delves into the notion of humanity and the values it comprises. Gwen Harwood’s poems’ “Father and Child” and “Mother who gave me life,” and Shirley Jackson’s short story, “The Lottery” (1998), explore the dynamic and often contradictory nature of the human condition. Harwood portrays the transience of time and inescapable truth of mortality, illustrating the ever changing complexion of the human experience. Whereas, Jackson examines the capability of all humans to be violent and cruel while questioning whether such tendencies can be masked by a constrictive society’s heartless ideals. Harwood explores the brevity
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.
The barrier between her and the neighbours after her husband’s death forced her to become reserved and quiet. Her and her son only went into town if they had to. They preferred to stay close to the garden where they felt safe. The death of the husband is the cause of the mothers’ complete change in character. The death let the audience connect with her on a deeper level to understand her pain and suffering.
The mother is clearly counting how much time she has away from her children. Her awareness of the time shows her unhappiness. What she wants is to be free from this restraint. Everything about Liza was an obligation she had to satisfy. If she did not tend to Liza’s needs, then both her ideal and reality would fall apart.
Wishing for death is contrary to living with her child, and the disparity between those ideas is strong enough to ‘rip out’ her heart. Even so, the woman still chooses suicide, demonstrating the complete and utter hopelessness she felt. Next, the man’s last conversation with the boy before he dies shows hope manifesting the sake of survival. Here, the man’s health is failing substantially and he knows he will soon die.
Change is a part of life whether you wish to embrace is or reject it, change will occur with or without you on board. Through Mr.Penumbra 's 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan and The Internship directed by Shawn Levy, change is seen as inevitable and constant through the characters in both pieces. While certain characters choose to reject change, those who learn to truly embrace it benefit greatly. For instance, the idea of rejecting change is shown through Corvina as well as Graham and Billy’s characters. Conversely, the idea of adapting to change becomes beneficial for Penumbra himself as well as Sal and Billy who all work to adapt their daily lives to the current times which in turn enhances their business and work life .
The speaker 's relationship with her father contradicts the close father-daughter bond common in most family settings. She regards him with hatred and fear as one would a totalitarian dictator, not a loving father whom she adores. There exists, for lack of a better term, immense conflict between this childish, puerile speaker and the father whom governs her every thought. She emphasizes this conflict through the use of numerous allusions, intended to bring about a clear notion of exactly how poorly she was treated by her father. Although there exists varying interpretations of the poems metaphors, the allusions to war torn Germany, vampirism, popular nursery rhymes, as well as Greek architecture are unmistakable and are included by the speaker to parallel her own experiences and conflicts with her father.
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House is a play set in 19th century Norway, when women’s rights were restricted and social appearance was more important than equality and true identity. In A Doll’s House, Nora represents 19th century women entrapped by society to fulfill wifely and motherly obligations, unable to articulate or express their own feelings and desires. Ibsen uses Nora’s characterization, developed through her interactions with others as well as her personal deliberations and independent actions, language and structure in order to portray Nora’s movement from dependence to independence, gaining sovereignty from the control of her selfish husband, deceitful marriage and the strict social guidelines of morality in 19th century Norway. Initially, Nora appears to be a dependent, naïve, and childlike character; yet, as the play unfolds, she appears to be a strong, independent woman who is willing to make sacrifices for those she cares about as well as herself.
This image seems at first cold, but it is a realistic judgment of her ideas of parenthood. The feeling of distance is also shown in: “I’m not more your mother than the cloud that distils as mirror to reflect its own slow effacement at the wind’s hoard.” The final lines of the poem present the reassuring vision of a loving mother attending to her baby's needs. Plath’s self-image – ‘cow-heavy and floral in my Victorian nightgown’ – is self-deprecating and realistic. The final image is an optimistic one.