...A short story illustrates the effectiveness of the plot, particularly one that has a surprise ending such as, “The Gift of the Magi”. In this story of Jim and Della, they are approaching Christmas and have very little money to spend on one another. They each want to surprise the other one with a marvelous gift for Christmas but they have little money and Della only has $1.87. Della ends up cutting her hair for the money while Jim sells his cherished watch. Through selfless acts done for love, they each end up giving one another a Christmas gift they will always remember and cherish. It didn’t matter to either of them what they had to do in order to provide the gift. The theme was portrayed by the literary elements within the story. Plot, point of view and symbolism are just a few of the literary elements which helped developed the theme of the story. The story I read and critiqued was, “The gift of the Magi”. In order to find the theme of this short story, I had to look beyond the plot, which tells the reader what happened in the story (Clugston, 2010, section 5.5). The theme of this story I believe would be “selfless love”. Other readers, who read the same short story as I did, might have an entirely different theme. This is actually to be expected and is even common. This is because every reader has a different relationship to literature due to each individual’s different experience throughout life. The theme of selfless love, I chose due to I feel like the writer chose...
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...ENG 125 WEEK 2 THEME AND NARRATIVE ELEMENTS IN THE SHORT STORY A+ Graded Tutorial Available At: http://hwsoloutions.com/?product=eng-125-week-2-theme-and-narrative-elements-in-the-short-story-2 Visit Our website: http://hwsoloutions.com/ Product Description PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ENG 125 Week 2 Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story, We all at some point want to get away from our problems that we are faced with. At times we try to disguise them with things of lesser value. In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway the female character continuously talked of the clouds looked like white elephants. The woman and the American man hid their conflict throughout the entire story so that no one would know they were having problems. The female character of the short story talked about the clouds looking like white elephants because she was to never forget the decision she was to make in the not too distant future and the color white symbolized the purity that she felt was growing inside of her. She, as in the female character, tried to avoid the discussion many times. I personally feel she just didn’t want to go through it. There was more than one theme going throughout the short story. I saw the theme of imagination, avoidance, alcoholism, dependency, uncertainty, and confusion. And in so naming these themes there are also many literary elements that contribute to the theme or help the theme to better be recognized by the reader....
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...ENG 125 WEEK 2 THEME AND NARRATIVE ELEMENTS IN THE SHORT STORY A+ Graded Tutorial Available At: http://hwsoloutions.com/?product=eng-125-week-2-theme-and-narrative-elements-in-the-short-story Visit Our website: http://hwsoloutions.com/ Product Description PRODUCT DESCRIPTION ENG 125 Week 2 Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story, We all at some point want to get away from our problems that we are faced with. At times we try to disguise them with things of lesser value. In the short story “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway the female character continuously talked of the clouds looked like white elephants. The woman and the American man hid their conflict throughout the entire story so that no one would know they were having problems. The female character of the short story talked about the clouds looking like white elephants because she was to never forget the decision she was to make in the not too distant future and the color white symbolized the purity that she felt was growing inside of her. She, as in the female character, tried to avoid the discussion many times. I personally feel she just didn’t want to go through it. There was more than one theme going throughout the short story. I saw the theme of imagination, avoidance, alcoholism, dependency, uncertainty, and confusion. And in so naming these themes there are also many literary elements that contribute to the theme or help the theme to better be recognized by the reader....
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...Theme and Narrative Elements of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty Josetta James ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Angela di Gualco 01/10/2014 Theme and Narrative Elements of “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” The theme is one of the most involved elements of a short story. The themes job is to give the readers the over-all idea that is fabricated behind a story. A short story is marked as portraying broad ideas and elements into small pieces. In short, the theme in a story reflects or serves as the presentation of its ideas. (Clugston, 2010) The objective of this essay is to reveal the ways in which the literary elements tone and character contribute to the larger narrative theme by analyzing the short story by James Thurber titled The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. James Thurber created the character of Walter Mitty whose life seems so ordinary and boring. Walter Mittys imagination (daydreams) helps him to escape his dull life. His imagination places him in heroic situations such as a commander in the Navy steering his crew though bad weather in an 8-engine Navy hydroplane, or thinks he's a famous surgeon who is asked to help a rich Englishman, who is a friend of President Roosevelt. James Thurber set the tone for Character Walter Mitty by his actions of day dreaming, escaping reality Tone is more than merely an author’s attitude toward his/her audience and characters; it is the stylistic means by which an author conveys his/her Attitudes in a work of literature...
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...special devices * ELEMENTS OF POETRY 1. Persona or the voice- “speaker”, may be a poet or completely different character 1 2. Theme- insight into life revealed by the poem 3. Rhythm and Rhyme-2 (pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry ,3 repetition of sound at the ends of words, * 4. Form/Genre (Lyric, Narrative, Dramatic)4-6 * 5. Diction (Connotative, Denotative) * 6. Literary Devices (Techniques, Figures of Speech) * Miscellaneous elements: * Tone-attitude of the writer 7 * Mood-atmosphere or general feeling * TYPES AND FORMS OF POETRY 1. LYRIC POETRY- meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre -short, simple and easy to understand 8 A. Kinds of Lyric Poetry B. Sonnets- 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme or pattern 9 C. Elegy- expresses lament or mourning for the dead 10 3. Ode- noble feeling, expressed with dignity and praises * TYPES AND FORMS OF POETRY * 4. Songs- poem w/ or w/o definite number of syllables and stanza and always accompanied by musical instrument * 5. Psalms- song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing philosophy in life 11 * 6. Simple Lyric- includes a variety of poems with varying theme and characterized by subjectivity * II. NARRATIVE POETRY * -describes important events in life either real or imaginary 12 * -tells a story * -present dramatic events in a vivid way, using same elements as short stories: plot, characters...
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...and special devices * ELEMENTS OF POETRY 1. Persona or the voice- “speaker”, may be a poet or completely different character 1 2. Theme- insight into life revealed by the poem 3. Rhythm and Rhyme-2 (pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line of poetry ,3 repetition of sound at the ends of words, * 4. Form/Genre (Lyric, Narrative, Dramatic)4-6 * 5. Diction (Connotative, Denotative) * 6. Literary Devices (Techniques, Figures of Speech) * Miscellaneous elements: * Tone-attitude of the writer 7 * Mood-atmosphere or general feeling * TYPES AND FORMS OF POETRY 1. LYRIC POETRY- meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a lyre -short, simple and easy to understand 8 A. Kinds of Lyric Poetry B. Sonnets- 14 lines with a formal rhyme scheme or pattern 9 C. Elegy- expresses lament or mourning for the dead 10 3. Ode- noble feeling, expressed with dignity and praises * TYPES AND FORMS OF POETRY * 4. Songs- poem w/ or w/o definite number of syllables and stanza and always accompanied by musical instrument * 5. Psalms- song praising God or the Virgin Mary and containing philosophy in life 11 * 6. Simple Lyric- includes a variety of poems with varying theme and characterized by subjectivity * II. NARRATIVE POETRY * -describes important events in life either real or imaginary 12 * -tells a story * -present dramatic events in a vivid way, using same elements as short stories: plot, characters, dialogue ...
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...depicting the fictional protagonist, Alice, playing afantastical game of croquet. Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical, cinematic or musical work. Fiction contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively with factual (or, at least, assumed factual) events, descriptions, observations, etc. (e.g.,biographies, histories). Contents [hide] * 1 Types of fiction * 1.1 Realistic fiction * 1.2 Non-realistic fiction * 1.3 Semi-Fiction * 2 Elements of fiction * 2.1 Plot * 2.2 Exposition * 2.3 Foreshadowing * 2.4 Rising action * 2.5 Climax * 2.6 Falling action * 2.7 Resolution * 2.8 Conflict * 2.8.1 Types of conflict * 2.8.1.1 Person vs. self * 2.8.1.2 Person vs. person * 2.8.1.3 Person vs. society * 2.8.1.4 Person vs. nature * 2.8.1.5 Person vs. supernatural * 2.8.1.6 Person vs. machine/technology * 2.9 Character * 2.10 Methods of developing characters * 2.11 Symbolism * 2.12 Metaphor * 3 Types of plots * 3.1 Chronological order * 3.2 Flashback * 3.3 Setting * 3.4 Theme * 3.5 Style * 4 Categories * 5 Forms of fiction * 6 Uses of fiction * 7 See also * 8 Notes...
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...Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Cathedral Jeffrey A. Bauer ENG125 Dr. Myer September 18, 2014 Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Cathedral The story “Cathedral” is a first person story about a narrator, his wife and a blind man named Robert who is close friends with the narrator’s wife. The narrator remains unnamed throughout the story, who is a jealous, insecure and close-minded man which is basis of the main theme in this story. According to Clugston, 2014, “The narrator, a self-absorbed person, admits his own “blindness” (lack of insight) about blind people. He doesn’t like the fact that Robert and his wife are close friends” (p.145). I believe the main theme here is insecurity, ignorance and irony. A theme is “an idea, or message, that lies behind a literary work” (Clugston, 2014, p. 117). The narrator is insecure about the relationship between his wife and Robert. In the essay, “Cathedral” by Bill Delaney, he writes about how the narrator is jealous of Robert because of his former relationship with his wife and how he is insecure knowing that his wife has probably told Robert about his faults (Delaney, 2004). I believe that the narrator shows his ignorance by mocking Robert with comments such as, “Maybe I could take him bowling” (Clugston, 2014, p.145). The irony in this story is that despite the narrator’s insecurity and ignorance, he is able to see from Robert at the end of the story. The main character in this story is the...
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...self-sacrifice as well as areas of hardship. While others paths of traveling may find an individual faced with victories and a sense of self accomplishments. Motivation and determination seem to be the driven force that compels individuals to continue throughout this journey called life. In the short story titled, “A Worn Path”, the author Eudora Welty, creatively incorporates the use of theme and symbolism to effectively layout a storyline that depicts the path of life of an elderly black woman. In the short story, “A Worn Path”, the author uses symbolic language and theme to identify the conflicts, struggles, self-scarifies and determination that one must face throughout the journey of life. The use of this symbolic language allows the major themes of sacrificial love in the face of hardship and death to be easily identified throughout the story. ” A Worn Path” passes far beyond it’s time capsule and remarkable fusion a number of different elements which incorporate myths, legend, and religious undertones which provide the story with a universally understanding of life and the struggles and accomplishments individuals must face on this journey called life (Moberly, 2005). Throughout the short story, titled, “A Worn Path”, the author invokes language symbolism to create a storyline that captures the reader’s imagination and creates a simplistic approach to revealing the true paradox. In the booked titled, “Journey into Literature”, symbol is defined as something that has a literal...
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...ASSIGNMENT MODERNIST SHORT STORY Submitted By: Steffy Johnson 11/PELA/026 INTRODUCTION Modernist literature is the literary expression of the tendencies of Modernism, especially High modernism. Modernistic art and literature normally revolved around the idea of individualism, mistrust of institutions mainly government and religion, and the disbelief of any absolute truths. Modernism as a literary movement reached its height in Europe between 1900 and the middle 1920s. Modernist literature addressed to aesthetic problems and can be viewed largely in terms of its formal, stylistic and semantic movement away from Romanticism, examining subject matter that is traditionally mundane. It often features a marked pessimism, a clear rejection of the optimism apparent in Victorian literature. It attempted to move from the bonds of Realist literature and to introduce concepts such as disjointed timelines. Modernism as a literary movement is seen, in large part, as a reaction to the emergence of city life as a central force in society. Furthermore, an early attention to the object as freestanding became in later Modernism a preoccupation with form. Modernist writers were more acutely conscious of the objectivity of their surroundings. The most prominent modernist authors are: T. S. Eliot, W. B. Yeats, Virginia Woolf, James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, E. M. Forster, Ernest Hemingway, Joseph Conrad, Franz Kafka, Knut Hamsun, Gertrude Stein, Mikhail Bulgakov, MarcelProust, John Steinbeck...
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...Essential Elements of the Short Story There are a few key elements essential to any successful or engaging story. But a well-crafted short story should have two central characteristics. Firstly, it must have a strong, albeit condensed, narrative. A novel can indulge in slow plot development but the short story must immediately delve into the drama. The short story needs to progress quickly from conflict or crisis, to climax and subsequent resolution. Secondly, the short story must have an affable or at least relatable protagonist as the primary character. If the reader can recognize the ‘hero’, empathize with their plight, or emotionally connect with their journey, the short story remains intriguing. This essay, using examples from two classic short stories, illustrates how narrative and character development is intrinsic to a good short story. James Baldwin’s short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, begins with “I read it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. I read it, and I couldn’t believe it, and I read it again” (37). The mystery of what the narrator read immediately draws the reader in and an engrossing plot unfolds quickly. A series of recollections and flashbacks reveal the internal conflict of the narrator as he struggles with his family obligation to his drug-addicted brother. An argument between the brothers is the climactic moment as angst gives way to anger and frustration. There is almost a moment of suspense before the narrator hears Sonny play at the club for...
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...| Creative Emulation of Laura Esquivel’s writing style | English Higher Level IA-2 | | | 2/21/2010 | Candidate Name: Shaz Jaleel School: Dubai American Academy Word Count: 1121 Teacher: Mrs. Williams Creative Emulation: Isra Ahmed, a seventeen year old girl from Karachi had yearned for the day where she would be able to express her love for Mihir Jham. They had been together ever since the beginning of their college year, though this had been a secret kept from her parents. The idea of Muslim girl marrying a Hindu boy would never be deemed acceptable or appropriate by them. When she finally garnered the courage to request them to fulfill her desire, her parents were aghast. Isra’s father was taken aback, and questioned her intentions. “How could you even think of such a thing? We are Muslims, and marrying you off to Hindu boy is considered haram.” A similar response was received from her mother, when she reacted; “Do you even know of the consequences of such an act? We will be shunned by the Muslim society, and moreover, we will lose all our respect.” As a result, Isra was denied any further meeting with the love of her life, and was bound to her room until further notice. Isra was devastated, and ran to her room in despair. She knew for her parent’s sake and their family’s reputation that she had to cut all ties with Mihir. In an attempt to explain the unfolding situation, she sent him an email citing reasons for why they could no longer be together...
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...the lighting, setting(s), decor, and actors. Composition refers to the structure, distribution, equilibrium, and the relationship between the actors and the matter around them and within their environment. The use of these elements within the movie frame provide the audience with the general meaning of the movie scene. Mise en scene also plays an important role in the viewers’ response to a movie. It affects the viewers’ experience of views, sounds, contrast and color. Some aspects of mise en scene can happen on a rare occasion; whether through an act of mother nature or by accident. For example: rain, snow, an actor improvising and ignoring the script, or an actor getting injured. Mise en scene happens in movies because the movie directors planned it before the shooting of the scenes of the movie. Mise en scene can and is sometimes used to distinguish a director’s movie work from another director's. In addition to the stress put on the movie director, each director of a new movie shooting in a certain movie genre has to accurately present the mise en scene of that movie to match the viewers’ expectations of that movie. If it's a comedy, it should and usually has bright lighting, comical things such as men wearing short shorts, or even a childish background...
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...Theme and Narrative Elements ENG125: Introduction to Literature (AFG1232A) Instructor: Stacey Novak Written By: Christie McCauley August 20, 2012 2 Theme and Narrative Elements The main theme of the story is to give insight on giving selfless gifts much as the wise men did for Jesus. The color grey is used in the short story and it is another symbol for sadness. We see in the story sadness is very much an emotion the main character feels when she does not have money for a gift for her husband. , There are many symbols throughout the story as well; such as the description of the cold winter. Winter is a symbol of stagnation and this couple is financially struggling as we see. It will be explained more at the end of the story when both people give selflessly their prize possessions so they can give a much desired gift to their spouse they are magi’s themselves. The theme for “The Gift of the Magi” is that love is more important than any material item. Della and Jim, the two main characters, demonstrated the theme. The act of gift giving is done selflessly with love; those gifts mean more that any expensive gift could mean. The wise men gave their gifts to Jesus as selfless gifts of love. This idea can be used as an example for the narrative term Archetype which means the use of a famous concept, person or object to convey a wealth of meaning. To contrast their richness with love the depressing condition of their apartment is given. It is described...
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...Theme and Narrative Elements in “Hills like White Elephants” Shawntelle D Holloway Ashford University Theme and Narrative Elements in “Hills like White Elephants” In the fictional writing, theme refers to a broad message the writer wishes to deliver buried deep within his story. A theme therefore cannot be picked directly from the storyline but only after identifying the underlying idea. Looking beyond the general plot will be the only way one can arrive at any stories intended theme. In the story hills white like elephants, the writer has used irony and satirical techniques of writing to create theme in his work. The saddening story of a young misfortunate couple has been used to portray the theme of hopeless love in a vague world that has no concept or morality. The setting of the story is vague and without any kind of personal emotion. The young couple seems to be caught in the crossroads faced by the challenge of abortion or keeping their unborn baby. While Jig seems ready and willing to have the baby, she is pushed by her ruthless boyfriend to abort. He seems more concerned about ideals of travelling, fun and merrymaking even when making a decision involving his unborn baby. Jig is pushed by her love for him to make a decision that will affect her and murder their unborn baby. He is a hypocrite and not kind to women willing to keep his own baby. By exploiting their love, he gets Jig to consent to an abortion even if she knows it is harmful. The use of irony and...
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