Literary Devices In Marigolds By Eugenia Collier

“Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier is a personal narrative of the challenges that adolescents face with coming of age. The author is able to accurately capture the voice of her younger self-using literary devices such as imagery, juxtaposition, and diction. The author uses these literary devices to give the reader a precise representation of the struggles she surpassed, which pushed her towards adulthood.

In the short story, “Marigolds,” by Eugenia Collier, the theme that is shown through the story is, “Beauty can be found even in the darkest times.” An example of this theme is represented through Lizabeth’s thoughts after she tears apart Miss Lottie’s marigolds. As Miss Lottie looms over Lizabeth, she thinks, “The witch was no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility. She had been born in squalor and lived in it all her life” (Collier 223). This shows Lizabeth’s realization that the “witch” she had known for all her childhood years was simply a woman who wanted to create beauty through her wretched condition.

In the story “Marigolds”, by Eugenia Collier, the character Lizabeth changes from the start to the end of the story because after destroying Miss Lottie’s marigolds she changed from childish to matured. An example of how destroying the marigolds changes Lizabeth is when she states, “The witch was no longer a witch but only a broken old woman who had dared to create beauty in the midst of ugliness and sterility”, (Collier 6). At the start of the story Lizabeth and her friends teased and called Miss Lottie names, but as we reach the end of the story you can see how she opened her eyes and saw what she was doing was wrong. After pulling the marigolds, Lizabeth realizes that Miss Lottie’s only hope was through the flowers, and actually shows sympathy,

There comes a point in one’s life when they must recognize the hardships placed upon them, and instead of being ignorant of those hardships, they must confront them head-on. In “Marigolds”, a short story by Eugenia Collier, the main protagonist, Lizabeth, encounters various struggles that come with living in a poor town in rural Maryland during the Depression, allowing her to learn more about growing up and accepting reality with all its flaws. Lizabeth is a 14-year-old girl who feels a conflict between her inner child and her inner woman, as she is unable to do anything that satisfies both sides of her. She feels too old to be a child, yet too young to be a

Both Lee and Collier use diction and imagery to create a mood of lethargicness. In “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier the narrator starts by discussing how “I remember only the dry September of the dirt roads and grassless yards”(Collier 6-7). In this excerpt the diction in words like dry and the imagery of the lifeless landscape show the mood that it is lethargic and slow. In the second excerpt, from “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee she talks about her hometown, Maycomb, and describes the town on a sweltering day and says “In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop; grass grew on the sidewalk, the courthouse sagged”(Lee 1-2). The diction in the words like slop and sagged indicates that there is an absence in people taking care of

A literary technique is a device employed in literature to add depth to a writer’s work. These techniques can be obvious, such as the technique of rhyme in a poem, or subtle, such as juxtaposition, which can go unnoticed by the reader. In The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien uses many such techniques to provide more depth to his book. Four literary techniques used by Tim O’Brien are symbolism, pathetic fallacy, irony, and juxtaposition.

In the story “Marigolds”, by Eugenia Collier, the theme consists of accepting who you are- because if you put it off, you may do something you may regret. The main character, Lizabeth, is on a path to adulthood, which is greatly treacherous and is a journey full of many challenges. Lizabeth quotes in many parts of the story that she feels conflicted in whatever she does, making her very emotionally frustrated. “The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack we led.” (Collier 124). Lizabeth’s statement proves that she feels very split on what to do, because of the emotions interfering with her. Her statement proves that the path to adulthood is not as easy

There are copious examples of literary devices in the novella, but only three will be discussed. The first and foremost common device was that of

The transformations in people are caused by a variety of circumstances. Within the variety of these circumstances, stress is the most influential one. In Eugenia Collier’s short story Marigolds, it tells the narrative of a young African-American girl living in rural Maryland. Due to her frustration with life, she destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. In the story Marigolds, the author uses the narrator’s transformation and characterization to convey that identity is only found in times of crisis.

Guilt is like a sickness. If you don’t get medicine, no matter how much you wait it out, the sickness is staying with you. No matter how much time passes, if you don’t deal with your guilt, it will stick with you and never go away. The main character in Marigolds by Eugenia Collier ruins an elderly woman's beautiful marigolds because of her own issues. The main character in The Scarlet Ibis by James Hurst leaves his handicapped brother alone in the woods and comes back to find that he’s dead. Lastly, the main character in The Cat’s In The Cradle never takes part in his son’s childhood and comes to realize his boy is just like him when he gets older. These three pieces all show a coexisting theme of how guilt sticks around forever if you don’t deal with it.

The theme of “Marigolds” is maturation leads to deeper understanding of life. The theme of “Marigolds” demonstrates Lizabeth's change in attitude throughout the story just as maturation affects every modern

All the Marigols And The Migrant Mother The Great Depression Era,a time in American history when the nation feel into a time of poverty and hopelessness. People standing in lines for hours for a bowl of soup and a piece of bread.When jobs were few no matter how desperatly people looked for them.Doing without and wondering if or when a better time would come. The story "Marigolds"by Eugenia Collier is the memories of Lizabeth, a fourteen year old black girl in rural Maryland.When I think of that time and place ,I only remember the dry September of the dirt roads and grassless yards of the shantytown where I lived.Memory is an abstract painting - it does not present things as they are,but rather as they feel. Another inconsistency of memory, a brilliant splash of sunny yellow against the dust, Miss Lottie's marigolds. Lizabeth has a lot of memories.Fishing for minnows with cupped hands just to have them slip away.Loafing around trying to find something to do.The Childrens favorit thing to do was to annoy Miss Lottie.An old Indian woman they called a witch. Why ,when her shack seemed like it would fall down at anytime would she have beautiful mounds of

Most of the time there is a moment in life where one realizes they have lost all innocence and gained some compassion.  “Marigolds” shows how one young girl transferred from a child to young adult through her life experiences.  Throughout this story another young, but at the same time old in her prime, lady’s experiences are revealed:  the author’s.  In this short story, “Marigolds,” Eugenia Collier’s subconscious is unmasked through symbolism, diction, and Lizabeth’s actions.

This passage helps to build the themes of power, love, and rebellion by the use of literary devices like diction, punctuation, repetition, foreshadowing, and simile.

Poetic devices such as imagery and repetition are elements of linguistic value that appeal to readers of all ages. These poetic devices are used as ways to enhance how a story is perceived. Additionally, they are used in different works of writing as ways to provide vivid imagery and create distinct moods. As Steinbeck describes the scenery around the area where George and Lennie were, two men who travel together in hopes of finding a job and making money for a better future, he uses imagery to emphasize the mood,