The Innocence Of Childhood In Lizabeth's Marigolds
The short story ”Marigolds” follows the narrator, a 14 year-old-girl living in extreme poverty during the Depression, as she transitions from the innocence of childhood to the raised consciousness of adulthood. Lizabeth has been poor for a long time, and her story describes her battle with feelings of frustration and hopelessness at being trapped in such a desperate situation. I believe one theme of “Marigolds” is the idea that as we grow up, the innocence of childhood is replaced by compassion. We see this in Lizabeth’s emotional state after she taunts Miss Lottie, when she ruins Miss Lottie’s marigolds, and finally in her reflection at the end of the story.
The story takes place during the end of summer, when Lizabeth is beginning to feel that she may not be a child any longer. She says, “And I remember, that year, a strange restlessness of body and of spirit, a feeling that something old and familiar was ending, and something unknown and therefore terrifying was beginning.” When Lizabeth joins her group of friends to tease an old lady down the road, a part of her holds back. Despite joining in many other times, she feels it is a bit “silly” now. She eventually leads a taunting dance around the woman, but despite enjoying similar play in the past, Lizabeth feels ashamed this time for her “malicious attack”.
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One day, Lizabeth comes home to her father crying about not having a job. This is really hard on Lizabeth because she describes her father as the “rock” of her family. After this, Lizabeth is feeling so many different emotions so she goes and destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. Lizabeth really regrets her actions afterwards but feels like this was her transition to
Empathy In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
845 Words | 4 PagesWhen people lose hope and fall into despair, their emotions take over and lead to decisions that can change one’s life. In the short story “Marigolds”, written by Eugenia Collier, 14-year-old Lizabeth lives during the Great Depression in a black community in Maryland. She loses hope after hearing about her family's struggles and ragingly destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. Though, she realizes what deep meaning they have and empathizes with Miss Lottie. Collier emphazises that the loss of hope doesn’t mean it’s all destructiveness, yet feeling empathy for others who have had similar experiences through symbols and conflicts.
The Use Of Figurative Language In Eugenia Collier's Marigolds
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Perseverance In Marigold's Poverty In America Is Mainstream
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Innocence In 'Marigolds And The Flowers'
912 Words | 4 PagesThe way they treat her is very disrespectful; throwing stones at her, and screaming old lady witch. But once, Lizabeth attacks the marigolds, and her innocence was lost, she changes her opinion towards Miss. Lottie by having the feeling that “one does not have to be ignorant and poor to find that his life is a barren as the dusty yards of the town. And [she] too [had] planted marigolds” (Collier 7). At the beginning of the short story Lizabeth says that Miss. Lottie was evil and her marigolds were stupid, but then after she had lost her innocence, Lizabeth did exactly what Miss.
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Literary Devices In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
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Marigolds By Eugenia Collier Summary
502 Words | 3 PagesIt is a coming of age story that shows how Lizabeth evolves as a person and as a character. Like any other child, Lizabeth has a definite wild side. In the story, she and her friends circle around Miss Lottie, chanting taunts at her. Lizabeth tells the reader " Then I lost my head entirely, mad with the power of inciting such rage, and ran out of the bushes in the storm of pebbles, straight toward Miss Lottie, chanting madly, "Old witch fell in a ditch, picked up a penny and though she was rich," (3).
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Symbolism In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier
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