The Beet Queen Louise Erdrich Literary Devices

In the opening excerpt of The Beet Queen by Louise Erdich describes the impact of the environment on the children based on their initial moments in Argus. The imagery in Argus played a role in the children’s emotions. The author describes Mary and Karl as two different people although being siblings. Erdich uses literary devices such as tone, imagery, specific details, and point of view to further depict the environment’s impact on the children.

Characterisation is a vivid description of a person's appearance and character. This is presented through their actions, speech or thought. The novel 'A New Kind of Dreaming' by Anthony Eaton uses characterisation to portray the issue of abuse of authority and power through the antagonist Sergeant Butcher. Sergeant Butcher is a powerful high ranked policeman in the isolated town Port Barren. The author urges us to question whether we would report the crimes with the repercussions that would follow, or to keep quiet.

In the Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich, the environment of Argus, North Dakota impacts each of the children in different ways which is depicted by Erdrich through the use of specific details, imagery, and symbolism.

She is very illustrative and severe in her characterization. She states metaphorically how is his physical aspect, in one part she says: “some anomalous gene had fired up at the moment of his begetting as a single spark sometimes leaps from banked coils, had given him a giant’s chin”, in this sentence, she uses a cause and effect syntax to characterize his physical defects. This type of syntax causes a better understanding of his nature; an afflictive person that most of the time does not do anything to change. She describes how ugly he is and provokes an unpleasant perception of this character with the purpose to reveal the effects of a disturbed

Often times, people view individuals by the way they handle situations and their responses to others. Every character in a story can be summed up in about three to four characteristics based on their actions and speech. In the short story “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, the narrator reveals his true character through the way he treats his younger brother. He possesses characteristics including authority, pride, and cruelty, and readers know these traits through Hurst’s dialogue and actions.

American Experience: Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad was a very big accomplishment in America's history. Transcontinental Railroad showed more then anything America's persistence, intellectual advancement, and above all else, Courage. This accomplishment came with many hardships and many sacrifices as well as achievements. While this accomplishment shows the good traits of America like drive and courage, It also reveled the darker traits of America, like betrayal, inequality, and most of all, greed. This paper will go over, How the Transcontinental Railroad was set into motion, the construction of the railroad and how it was used.

Adolescent age is a period where young minds are developed through their own personal experiences. The most common causes of their development are environmental changes that surround them and their personal accounts in relation to nature. In the “Beet Queen”, Louise Eridich uses point of view, selection of detail, and imagery to depict the impact of the environment on the two children by relating the environment to the children's attitude and their personal involvement when they enter a new environment. The choice to use specific details when it came to Eridich to describe the environment that Mary and Karl were in helps develop the plot of the story.

The railroad had impacted the lives of many, even though it had ruined some lives it made others wonderful. Throughout the process of the railroad being built many settlers had been attracted to the new land that was discovered with it, “Millions of acres of the finest land in Nebraska for sale, at prices that defy competition.”(document 5) This allowed more people to make a living by selling

There was the eternal kissable mouth, small, slightly sensual, and utterly disturbing. There were gray eyes and an unimpeachable skin with two spots of vanishing color. She was slender and athletic, without underdevelopment, and it was a delight to watch her move about a room, walk along a street, swing a golf club, or turn a “cartwheel” . Rosalind, Alec Connage sister

Although the primary method Jewett uses to characterize her narrator is through the content of the excerpt, the language used also serves to characterize. By using a word like “wonderful perfection”, Jewett shows that the narrator is a romantic thinker. By using extensive imagery in the opening of the selection, Jewett shows that the narrator is fixated on her physical surroundings, and is excellent at observing and describing

'Although everyone thought a transcontinental railroad was a good idea, deep disagreement arose over its path. The Northern states. The Americans who are sponsoring this build, and are hiring all of these workers are not even trying to act like they care. There are these hard working men out here, only earning a living of seven or eight dollars a month. It is horrible to see these men tricked out of their labor, when in fact, they are doing these people a favor. And to know that they do not even care for the health of their workers, makes me feel sick. While building a tunnel through a mountain, it collapsed. This killed off a good percentage of the workers the Americans hired.

During America’s Gilded Age these railroads were constructed by railroad companies owned by the wealthy know as robber barons and captains of industry. Individuals call the mass railroad construction the “second industrial revolution”. (596) The constructions that took place were due to the mass expansion of factory production and mining. These railroads were used to transport goods and people across the country in a timelier manner. Towns were either booming or disappearing from the outcome of this “second industrial revolution”. The towns that contained a railroad station grew from the economy it was producing from their local vendors being able to ship the goods further distances. The unfortunate towns that did not have this luxury were not able to sell their goods as well, therefore, people began to leave for the railroad towns. Robber barons and captain of industries were the funding and sometimes material producers for the railroad that we still use today. The impact they made for the construction of the railroad by their factories and other workers changed America forever and gave the unemployed citizens, although temporary, jobs until construction was

These are but a few examples of the judgments Nick passes about the characters in this novel. When Nick judges the characters it shows how he cannot resist the temptation to be critical of every little fault with each character whether it has to do with their appearance, personality, or actions.

Characterization is closely intertwined with narration, because, through an author’s use of narration a character’s identity can be created. A writer would use indirect characterization to reveal the characters speech, action and appearance, then use direct characterization to reveal the personality. This method of describing a character was very common in fiction novels such as “The Great Gatsby” by F.Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was known for writing descriptive dialogue such as, “he smiled understandingly” (chapter 3, pg. 43) with regards to the main character Gatsby. The use of the verb “smiled” allowed Fitzgerald to convince the reader of Gatsby’s pleasant and welcoming personality, whilst the word “understandingly” revealed the intelligent part of the character. The concept of character’s existing through their narration is suggested in the essay “The Narrated Self and Characterization: Paul Auster’s Literary Personae” by Anner Marit K.Berge, however, Berge offers an additional insight into characterization. As she states that in postmodern literature, the “mimesis is toned down, and their narratives are often fragmented, contradictory and challenge the readers’ ability to perceive the character’s personae” (Berge, 101) This suggests that as the human condition develops through time the method of describing a character and revealing their appearance and personality has developed and become a method of criticism towards the human condition.

Another useful tool in analyzing a poem is to identify poetic devices, meter, and a rhyme scheme. Through her deft use of extended metaphor, Bradstreet weaves an intricate web of parallels between parent and author and between child and book--both relationships of creator to creation. This use of metaphor allows the reader to relate emotionally to Bradstreet’s situation. In line seven, we see the uses of litotes, “At thy return my blushing was not small,” to express the depth of her embarrassment. She also uses metonymy in line eight to express her pain more clearly, “My rambling brat (in print) should mother call.” The simile used in line nine stresses her objection to the published work, “I cast thee by as one unfit for light.” Then in line 19, the poetic device of consonance is used which provides emphasis on her warning, “In this array ‘mongst vulgars may’st thou roam.” In this poem, through the use of personification and apostrophe Bradstreet conveys her feelings and emotions. Anne Bradstreet ensures her poem’s success by linking the triumph and tragedy of authorship with the pain and pleasure of creating and nurturing human life. The meter used is