Leslie Norris’ use of symbolism in “Blackberries” is a critical and powerful vehicle to communicate a central idea. Woven throughout the fabric of the story, the cap symbolizes opposing perspectives of the intrinsic value in various gestures. We are introduced to this when two of the key characters, the mother and the son, are purchasing a cap. This emotional and financial transaction is experienced very differently by the mother and the son. The son simply views the cap as an object that he “want[s]..very much” and nothing more. The mother, however, makes the purchase because she wants to please him, even though the cap was “expensive enough”. The pay off for her being, the happiness of her child translates into her sense of satisfaction
“The Scarlet Ibis” is a story by James Hurst. It is a sad short story of a child born with a medical condition who overcomes some of his challenges brought on by his condition. He is then made to run to death by his well-intentioned but egoistical older brother. Many symbols appear in James Hurst’s “The Scarlet Ibis”. A symbol is a material object representing something that is often immaterial. In “The Scarlet Ibis”, James Hurst uses the scarlet ibis, the bleeding tree and the coffin in the barn loft as symbols to offer greater insight into abstract ideas that are difficult to understand on their own.
The next interesting item that the kids find is a very expensive paperweight. While discussing it, Miss Moore is sure to convey that while the object is very expensive, it’s purpose is very trivial. “”This here costs $480 dollars,” say Rosie Giraffe. So we pile up all over her to see what she pointing out. My eyes tell me it’s a chunk of glass cracked with something heavy, and different-color inks dripped into the splits,
“The mother removes her purse from her shoulder and rummages through its contents: lipstick, a lace handkerchief, an address book. She finds what she’s looking for and passes a folded dollar over her child’s head to the man who stands and stares even though the light has changed and traffic navigates around his hips… He does not know his part. He does not know that acceptance of the gift and gratitude are what makes this transaction complete… The mother grows impatient and pushes the stroller before her, bearing the dollar like a cross. Finally, a black hand rises and closes around green” (paragraphs 3-5).
In James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues,” the reader meets Sonny, a recovering addict, and his older brother, a high school teacher. Although these two brothers have completely different lives and personalities, the author’s use of symbolism brings them more tightly together like a real family. Baldwin uses symbols such as ice, lightness and darkness, and jazz music to add more depth and meaning to “Sonny’s Blues.”
Someone once said “No matter your social status or how powerful you think you are, we are all equal.” The quote has much to do with the racism and segregation that people went through while living in America, especially in the South. It still is a relevant quote today, seeing as how racism and segregation has not ended, but increased over the decades. In Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill A Mockingbird, the small town of Maycomb, Alabama consists of plenty of racism and segregation. When Atticus is obligated to defend the man accused of rape, the whole town is hoping for him to prove his client is guilty. They’re quick to make a judgement about him, solely because he’s a black man. In this novel, several craft moves/techniques are used which then
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is a multi-faceted novel which explores the principles and morals of people in the South during the 1930s. Mockingbirds are symbolic of the people that society abuse. Lee narrates the events of the novel using Scout’s voice and uses this technique to add emotional context and develop themes. Themes of racial and classist prejudice are developed by Lee to challenge the reader. These techniques are all powerful ways to alter the views of the reader.
In Yusef Komunyakaa’s “Blackberries,” a youthful speaker seems to be living past the boundaries of city life and exhibits qualities of rural living. The poem tells of the speaker’s adventure of picking blackberries from a thicket and encountering the duality of urban society. Readers of “Blackberries” might at first be puzzled by the speaker’s youthful memory of picking berries, but a closer analysis of the poem allows readers to recognize that the speaker’s internal conflict originates from strict societal boundaries and the loss of his childhood innocence.
Many films around the world use objects to symbolize a deeper meaning. In the movie “Simon Birch” the armadillo and all three deers symbolized Simon and God’s will. In the movie “Simon Birch” the armadillo symbolizes Simon because just like Simon, the armadillo is small but has a hard shell which can endure a lot. This is equivalent to what Simon has since even though his whole town makes fun of him and laughs at him, his shell protects him, and he continues to put a smile on his face. Furthermore, the armadillo represents Simon because when Simon got in trouble for questioning why a continental breakfast had to do with god, he was forced to apologize or he couldn’t leave but he continued to endure everything being thrown at him because of
Lorraine Hansberry’s first and most obvious symbol used in her play, is Mama’s plant. Mama’s plant is really old and it lacks very much of what it needs to maintain healthy and stay alive. The plant symbolizes several things. One of the things it represents is Mama’s care for her family. Just like Mama -cares for her plant even though it is old and lacks nourishment. She still takes car^&e of it, waters it, and gives it the sunlight it can get. This represents Mama’s care for her family because her family is falling apart but she still cares for them, gives them a roof to live under, and she has hope that things will get better. Another thing that Mama’s plant represents is Mama’s dream. Mama has a dream of someday having her own garden and a house of her own. Mama’s quote in Act I Scene I, “Well, i always wanted me a garden like i used to see sometimes at the back of houses down home.
The short story, “Hills Like White Elephants”, by Ernest Hemingway, is not the type of story that explicitly reveals its meaning. However, one must read between the lines in order to understand the purpose of this story, and certain literary elements are deliberately placed within to aid the reader. 3 elements in particular stand out in “Hills Like White Elephants” and their placement within are what make the story important and meaningful. Looking deep in the core of this story, the reader may see the usage of setting, conflict and symbolism to convey the issue of dealing with unexpected problems and confronting the future.
Through a Marxist’s eyes, Death of a Salesman represents the struggle of middle-class families in a capitalistic world. From an early age, kids are taught to do well in school, be involved with sports and activities, and to go on to college; all in hopes of achieving the American Dream. This dream of obtaining success through hard work leads many into the
Novels were created to show a very naive view in great depth. The Pearl is a novel in its most complete form. Steinbeck does this by conveying life symbolically. Through symbols, John offers the reader a clearer look at life and it?s content. He shows major imagery in four ways: Kino, music, Coyotito, and the 'Pearl of the World'.
Although he shifts the tone from stuffy, nostalgic to a humorous one where “He got the biggest laugh for … [juxtaposing] all his mother ever did for him with his gift of a lanyard of woven plastic that he made her at summer camp” (French), Billy Collins displays that the lanyard is vision of love and value. It’s the idea that a child doesn’t understand the material value or physical toll a mother in every sense sacrifices for her child, yet the child truly does love his mother, and so he gives her everything that’s important and valuable to him. He says, “I’m so young now, but even though my fruits are inexpensive and modest, inside I am rich in your compassion and charity for me”
The poem “Blackberries” is a deep and well thought out story of a man’s time in slavery. As you read the poem, there are obvious meanings the reader will pick up on right away, while there are also much deeper meaning to many of his words. The title suggests that blackberries play a significant role in the deeper meaning of the poem. When analyzing the text, it is easy to see the surface meaning saying that the author is simply picking the blackberries from the field. After a deeper evaluation, it is clear that he is referencing the hardships of his time as a slave. In the word blackberry, the root black can be used to show that he views the times are harsh or dark. Black is often used to show either sadness or nervousness, which can both
Symbolism is a powerful tool used by people every day to force people to look past the obvious and find the deeper meaning. Symbolism is used by authors, musicians, priests, and many others. James Joyce, a well-known Irish author, uses symbolism repeatedly throughout his collection of short stories published in 1916. In these stories, titled Dubliners, Joyce uses symbolism not only to enhance the stories, but to also show the hidden, underlying message of each story without coming out and saying it directly. Joyce’s stories are centered on the problems of Dublin and through his use of symbolism Joyce is able to focus attention on what problem each story is addressing. James