Gary D. Schmidt uses metaphorical comparisons to enhance the reader’s understanding of a character’s development throughout the novel Okay for Now. Doug’s development coincides with his changing perception of the Audubon birds. The birds portray Doug’s feelings in important situations in his life. For example, Doug asks his father about the prizes from the trivia contest, and his father becomes very angry that Doug is questioning him. Doug is caught in the middle of a difficult situation just like the yellow Shank. He does not know whether to just stare “into this dark place” or “cross the river that divides him from it” (Schmidt 178). Doug went from being in the middle right into the darkness with one statement just as Audubon portrayed the
In his poem “The Great Scarf of Birds”, John Updike uses a flock of birds to show that man can be uplifted by observing nature. Updike’s conclusion is lead up to with the beauty of autumn and what a binding spell it has on the two men playing golf. In Updike’s conclusion and throughout the poem, he uses metaphors, similes, and diction to show how nature mesmerizes humans.
In the article “We’ll go forward from this moment” written by Leonard Pitts Jr. portrays the story of 9/11 and how he feels after. The article includes Pitts speaking his mind, sending a message back to others telling them how we feel.
Although a lot of the story is pretty straight forward, she does use literary devices to help the reader understand the life of Birdie a little better. For example, in the end of the story she describes the vision of herself on the swing set outside of the hospital in saying, “Each time, the girl went fuzzy like an image on the television set with poor reception.” This simile allows the reader to really see what she saw or felt because we all can picture that type of image. Another time she uses a simile saying, “The swing is swaying gently, as if someone had just been on it.” These subtle literary devices help the reader to understand little things about the story in order for them to see the situation Birdie is in. However, there are not as many metaphors or a huge amount of other literary
Donald Kettl presents many controversial ideas in his book The Next Government of the United States. While some of the ideas Kettl provides many be disagreed upon by some he gives excellent validation for reasoning. Two ideas that I believe are well worth discussing are the Mildred Paradox that correlates with the Mildred Corollary and the irresponsible governance provided by the federal government. Each of these ideas brings about aspects that should be considered by citizens when thinking of the U.S. government. Kettl’s ideas are important in considering what the government does and does not do for citizens: consequently, some may or may not trust the United States government, and Kettl is providing reasoning behind the distrust. Kettl uses the negligence and disconnection of the government to the citizens to provide reasoning for why our government is failing us.
Unlike Audubon’s lengthy, complex syntax, Dillard employs a variety of sentence lengths and structures. She uses simple sentences and complex sentences to show the constant movement and rhythm of the birds. Dillard also uses a multitude loose sentences to emphasize her descriptions of the murmuration. For example, she writes, “They seemed to unravel as they flew, lengthening in curves, like a loosened skein,” which allows each additional phrase to deepen her description. Dillard used words such as “strayed… unraveling… sifting… rushing” to describe the murmuration of starlings. These words all create an image of movement and life. She also mentions
Butterflies are often used to reveal big ideas. As an example, Simon description of said wildlife changes throughout the novel following changes in his personal life. Butterflies go from “returning to their roots,”(58) to “deserting the open space.”(151). The opposing ways that butterflies are mentioned creates the idea that they symbolize Simon no longer conforming to the group’s idea of a submissive follower. Simon is instead having revelations of his own and choosing to follow a different path. Simon being comfortable in his own skin and aware that you know what’s best for yourself shows a maturity he previously lacked. In the same manner Jack provides an image of butterflies being too preoccupied in the clearing to stop dancing.(149). The authors word choice develops the idea of Jacks savagery because it is eerily similar to the phrase associated with characters killing. Yet again the butterflies represents Jack. It seems to reveal how Jack is to focused on the pleasure he gets from taking a life to feel any remorse and stop. Remorse is necessary to prove a person still has trace amounts of good in them. recognizing the
As a parrot our narrator is forced to come to terms with the fact that no matter how hard he tries to communicate with his wife or other people, it will prove useless and even if the context fit's the conversation, they'd think of it as an humorous coincidence. As our narrator hangs onto and tries to repeat every word to his "wife" says he demonstrates his frustration of being unable to communicate and his yearning for her to realize it is him. Butler also keeps this story very comedic with the fact that he is a bird with a grown man's education and allows him to still think and have emotions similar to a human. Our narrator's wittiness and male pride are still evident in his words no matter how subtle they are. For example, "up, cracker, peanut, open" and even changing the context from "pretty bird to bad bird".
The conflict between Doug and Mr. Ferris occurred after a brief run to the front doors of Washington Irving Junior High School. Doug was running away (pg. 144) from the problem that occurred in the gym, and the eerie quiet that fell upon the science room which made Mr. Ferris chase after him to confront the issue. This passage reveals that there are caring people who are willing to intervene and not allow pain to stigmatize a human being.
One of the women made the comment that Mrs. Wright used to be pretty and happy, when she was Minnie Foster not Minnie Wright. This is just the beginning of realizing that she was just pushed to far into depression and couldn't live up to John Wright's expectations anymore. The Wrights had no children and Mrs. Wright was alone in the house all day long. The women perceive John Wright to be a controlling husband who in fact probably wouldn't have children and this may have upset Mrs. Wright. They eventually find vacant bird cage and ponder upon what happened to the bird, realizing Mrs. Wright was lonely they figured she loved the bird and it kept her company. The women make reference to the fact that Mrs. Wright was kind of like a bird herself, and that she changed so much since she married John Wright. They begin looking for stuff to bring her and they find the bird dead and they realize someone had wrung its neck. This is when they realize Mrs. Wright was in fact pushed to far, John Wright had wrung her bird's neck and in return Minnie Wright wrung his.
Among other animal imagery, birds appear frequently throughout the story in times of crisis. The birds often foreshadow dangers that lie ahead. For instance, when Robert's team takes a wrong turn, "the fog is full of noises"(80) of birds. Then the birds fly out of the ditch and disappear. Robert and Poole know that "[there] must be something terribly wrong...but neither one knew how to put it into words. The birds, being gone, had taken some mysterious presence with them. There was an awful sense of void--as if the world had been emptied" (81). The birds return and when Robert nears the collapsing dike and "one of the birds [flies] up cut[s] across Robert's path" as if it is trying to prevent him from going any further. Robert does not heed the warning and almost dies in the sinking mud.
Cobb and another pilot in the program, Jane Hart, lobbied to resume women's testing through the Lovelace Woman in Space program. They found an ally in Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson's executive assistant who wrote a memo to the Vice President encouraging him to support the women's testing and summarizing the story of Cobb and Hart. The Vice-President responded by writing "Let's Stop This Now! File" in large letters across the memo. Jerri Cobb later met with the Vice-President privately and asked him why he did not support the program. Johnson told Cobb that "if we let you or other women into the space program, we'd have to let blacks in. We'd have to let Mexican Americans in and Chinese Americans. We'd have to let every minority in,
Foreshadowing is a literary tool that is found in both articles to express the theme of confinement. Sundberg chooses to end the introduction with an unusual experience with wildlife. The introduction has a description of an incident when “a hummingbird flew through the open door of the apartment to the window in the corner and beat at the glass” (Sundberg 1). The hummingbird foreshadows the entrapment and panic of how
Conversely, Hazel’s husband is handicapped with forty-seven pounds of birdshot strapped to his neck, and he is obedient to the government’s handicapped system. Vonnegut uses irony to demonstrate a dysfunctional Utopia in the society. In his story, Vonnegut uses irony to depict how easily a government can control its citizens, by assaulting their senses and individuality.
“Our mouths opened and shut and we froze where we sat. I suppose we could have honked and waved and it wouldn’t have raised any more pandemonium than this poor mother already had to deal with but instead we held perfectly still. Even Turtle, after a long minute or two the quail got her family herded off the road into some scraggly bushes” (96). The birds are significant symbolism in this book. They often appear in the book to symbolize Turtle; Kingsolver did this to show Turtle is a strong survival instinct child. First, when Taylor took Turtle to doctor and discovered that she has been abused and raped. As she makes this discovery, she sees a bird nest on a cactus. This shows that Turtle, in spite of her surroundings she keep persists. Also, when Turtle met the robber, a sparrow got caught in Lou Ann’s house, the bird getting scared shows the Turtle’s confusion and fright. But sparrow survives and leaves the house; this shows that even though Turtle is going through confusion she will survive. Finally, the quote shows the moment when Lou Ann and Taylor found a family of birds on the road. This quote symbolizes how Turtle is satisfied with her small family, feel safe, and she is happy.
Dillard effectively uses concrete imagery as a way of conveying her inner struggle to the reader in a handful of ways. In the first paragraph, she paints a vivid picture in the reader’s mind by writing “while barred owls called in the forest and pale moths seeking mates