...Harrison Bergeron, a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, is for reading deeply. He doesn’t put anything in on accident. Today I would like to talk about his symbolism in this piece. The handicaps, in the story, are given to people, these devices are used in order to cripple one's specialties, who are smart, fast, strong, or even pretty. The symbolism in the piece of literature’s purpose is to show a struggle. The handicaps in the short story are used to convey this, this is relevant since throughout the story mental handicaps get worse and worse, every one of the ballerinas have hideous bags over their face, this just shows that in the real world if we truly strive for everyone to be absolutely equal would come with a great deal of a struggle will...
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...Evanson Michel Fiction Paper 2/11/13 ENG 113 "More than meets the eye". Most are fimliar with the saying, but what does it mean? It means you have to search beyond what you see, there is a deeper meaning behind a story. This is the essence of sybmlism. I will be analizing the sybolism in the short story Hills like White Elephants. The story by Ernest Hemingway is about a couple who are disussing a abortion procedure, but it is not made so obviuos to the reader. As a result the author uses symbolism to communicate main ideas in the stroy through setting, description and dialouge. The setting of the story uses symbolism to give the reader hints about main ideas. For example, the story takes place near a railraod, which symbolizes couples relationship is at a crossroad. The man and jig are disagreeing on the abortion of the baby. The man wants to have the abortion, while jig is relectant to giving the baby up so easily. Another example is the landcape, the author goes on to write how jig notices the lines of hills. The hills looked white againts the brown and dry valley (Roberts, Zweig 350).The white hills that contrast with brown and dry barren valley represent the choice between life and death. Jig either has to keep the baby, life, or the abort the baby, death. When jig walks to other the end of the station, the author descibes the fields of grain and trees along the Ebro river (Roberts, Zweig 352). This symbolizes the life in her belly...
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...SYMBOLISM OF THE JOURNEY The Journey of Symbolism September 2012 SYMBOLISM OF THE JOURNEY A poem and short story, no matter how different are two literary pieces where a story is told. Authors of these works use a blend of different literary elements to take simple script and turn it into something captivating. This lets the story come alive to the reader and seem like so much more than a simple story. For this paper I chose to write about “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost as it has always been a favorite poem of mine, and the short story “I Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys as it was the story that spoke to me the most from our text. These two literary works both share a similar story dealing with symbolism of their journey, which have several similarities as well as some differences. I the three literary works I have chosen to discuss are; the poem “The Road Not Taken” the short story “Used to Live Here Once” and the short story “A Worn Path” all share a common theme, even though they were all differently written. The theme for all three writings shows that no matter how long or how tough life’s journey is the end of the road still depends on the choices and decisions made by the journey person. The person on life’s journey essentially finished their own story. In the poem “The Road Not Taken” there is a traveler who comes to a split in a path in the woods. The traveler is trying...
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...Symbolism in “A Pair of Tickets” The same way scratches on paper create language and just one look from an admirer creates a feeling of love in ones heart; symbolism can evoke emotion and meaning that generates magic in a story. I believe symbolism is a prevalent and unwavering theme weaved throughout Amy Tan’s short story “A Pair of Tickets.” Many things, such as the names of the characters, and the photographs they take in the story embody symbolism and turn this story into a remarkable account of family and how it is one of life’s unbreakable bonds. The importance of symbolism in this short story makes it come alive to the reader. To summarize of Amy Tans “A Pair of Tickets” we look at the main character, Jing-mei. She is on a train, with her father, heading to China to visit her family. She speaks of not feeling like she is really Chinese. Although all of her family is Chinese, she grew up in America because that is where her parents moved during the Japanese invasion of China. They first visit the town of Guangzhou, where her father’s great aunt is waiting to see them. This is the first time the reader gets a glimpse of Jing-mei being interested in her Chinese heritage. “The minute our train leaves the Hong Kong border and enters Shenzhen, China, I feel different. I can feel the skin on my forehead tingling, my blood rushing through a new course, my bones aching with a familiar old pain. And I think, my mother was right. I am becoming Chinese.” (Norton, 189.) They...
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...Symbolism in The Red Badge of Courage The term Symbolism can be defined as the use of symbols to represent ideas, natural objects or facts (Mork). Throughout history, Symbolism has been used as a means of uniquely conveying certain messages across a public spectrum. Take for example the Underground Railroad system before the Civil War. Many slaves made quilts containing several pictures and symbols as a means of secretly communicating with other slaves (Breneman). The use of symbolism can especially be seen in literature; a great example of this is Stephen Crain’s novel The Red Badge of Courage. Written in 1895, the plot mainly takes place in the Civil War, more specifically in The Battle of Chancellorsville. It is said that this battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War (The New York Times). The story centers around a young man Henry Fleming, who is very much obsessed with fame and recognition. Part of this obsession makes him join the Union Army, as an attempt to die with honor and to be forever immortalized by fame. Crane makes use of Symbolism through his characters, such as Henry, and the environment in which these characters are placed in. Through the use of Symbolism, Crane is introducing and informing the readers about the concept of Naturalism in such a subtle yet effective manner. Crane’s novel is filled with symbolism, take the title for example. Back in that time period, Civil War solders used the term red badge to describe a blood stain or wound attained...
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...Tommy Campbell Fr. Williams Eng 241 26 February 2011 Symbolism 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 Joyce, author of Dubliners, uses symbolism effectively to enhance the stories. The first story in Dubliners deals with the problems of the Catholic Church. “The Sisters” is about a priest, Father Flynn, who goes crazy because of the incredible stress placed on him by the rule-centered church. A note publicly announcing the priest’s death read “July 1st, 1895 The Rev. James Flynn (Formerly of S. Catherine’s Church, Meath Street), aged sixty-five years. R.I.P.” (Joyce 4). Joyce associates Father Flynn with S. Catherine’s Church because St. Catherine was torn apart physically and Father Flynn was torn apart mentally, because of the rules and strict guidelines he was expected to uphold. Making this connection enhances the story because it...
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...Symbolism in “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner In the story “A Rose for Emily”, Emily is an old fashioned southern woman, who has a secret that the town does not discover until after her death. Faulkner uses symbolism to help paint a picture within the story and also help to identify the timeframe within the story. Faulkner also uses symbolism to provide clues to hidden meanings within the story. The description of the house, the use of the arsenic on her fiancé and the silver hair on the pillow are all examples of the symbolism in the story. The house is an example of the old fading ways of the south, much like Emily herself. The house can be viewed as an extension of Emily and the way the world perceives her. The house is described as old and decaying but also as isolated from the rest of the town. Emily is older and has isolated herself from everyone in the town much like the house. The house and Emily were a mystery to the townspeople. Both Emily and the house appear trapped in the ways of the past while the world around them progresses....
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...Symbolism in Literature In literature, symbolism is used to provide meaning to the writing beyond what is actually being described. The plot and action that take place in a story can be thought of as one level, while the symbolism of certain things in the writing acts on another level to enhance the story. It is a product of the culture of the day and reveals the culture in return. Symbolism can take place by having the theme of a story represented on a physical level. A simple example might be the occurrence of a storm at a critical point, when there are conflicts or high emotions. The storm might symbolize these. Similarly a transition from day to night, or spring to winter, could symbolize a move from goodness to evil, or hope to despair. A river in a scene could represent the flow of life, from birth to death. Flowers can symbolize youth or beauty. Take The Loons as an example, it is just a typical novel with symbolism from beginning till the end, with “the loons” throughout as a symbol of Piquette. Through the parallel of loons and Piquette, it is easy to find their common inability to change themselves and their environment——loons are unable to adapt to modern human invasion; Piquette is unable to escape the cultural stereotypes imposed on her. The novel reflects the ecological and ethical crises between man and nature and among humans for conquest and criticizes the power ideology embodied in the crises. Vanessa casually describes Piquette’s tuberculosis...
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...altering decisions. Hemingway used third-person limited omniscient point of view in writing “Hills Like White Elephants” which means that he wrote the story in the third-person; however, he only discusses one characters thoughts and feelings (Clugston, 2010). Using the literary elements of tone and symbolism, Hemingway was able to explain the difficulty with making a tough decision while being coerced. In “Hills like White Elephants”, you are met with two characters whom you would assume to be lovers, Jig and the American. Hemingway did not give the American a name which leads one to believe that the story wasn’t about him at all. The majority of the story is dialogue between the two characters about whether Jig should get an abortion. The American is trying to coerce Jig into having an abortion. “‘It’s really an awfully simple operation, Jig,” the man said. “It’s not really an operation at all.’” (Clugston, 2010, line 41). “As the man persists in opposing the continuance of Jig’s maternity, he grossly oversimplifies the issue, even to the point of self-contradiction, calling the abortion first “an awfully simple operation,” and then “not really an operation at all’” (Weeks Jr., 1980, pg. 2. The American continues to push the issue when Jig doesn’t acknowledge that he has spoken. From Jig’s silence the reader gets the impression that she does not want to...
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...for money. Paul has a supernatural power which he can commute with his rocking horse to find out the winning races. However, in the end Paul tries too hard to win his mothers love and dies. The moral theme is revealed through Paul, who is the protagonist, and his relationships with the characters. The relationships which result in conflict is between Paul's mother and father, between mother and Paul, Oscar and Paul and Paul and himself. The standard of living in their society is very important to Paul's family but it becomes a destructive force. The symbolism unrolls the theme by Paul's wooden rocking horse, his wild eyes and the whispering within the house. Thus, the theme is revealed by the use of relationships, and symbolism which in the end leads Paul to his awful death. D.H. Lawrence accomplishes the theme by using dramatic relationships with the characters. Paul's mother, Hester is determined to fit in with society but she does not notice that her desires are ruining her family. A conversation with Hester and Paul displays how she feels about Paul. Hester believes that being lucky is the key to becoming rich, but her belief has a large impact on Paul. Paul is determined to receive his mothers attention when he says "I'm a lucky person," and then she goes on to say "excellent," but in a sarcastic manner, which makes him more compelled in receiving her attention. Also, when Paul started winning the horse races he decided to give his mother 5000 pounds and when it arrived in...
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...rushed towards him and prevented him from jumping. The poem portrays many issues including, setting, theme and symbolism that aids in comprehending the author’s purpose. Immediately, the title of the poem gives us a clue of the setting. Summer Solstice means it was the longest day of the year. New York is one of the most populated and busiest cities in the United States, making it fairly easy for one to feel lonely and unimportant like the man in the poem. When the...
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...themselves through the art they produce. In specific, Japan and South America share many similarities and differences in the historical context, symbolism, form, and content of their artworks. The Japanese respected nature, disciplined themselves mentally and religiously, and practiced a specific religion, Shinto, collectively as a country, and their art displays those things. The South Americans were made up of several different subcultural societies, who practiced their own religions and were very rhythmic with the natural and supernatural worlds. The forms of art used by these two cultures shed light...
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...On The Road – Langston Hughes “On the Road” is a short story which focuses on the difficult integration of an African-American boy called Sargeant. Through the story, he tries to find a place to stay for the night but faces racial discrimination. At first, he goes to a house but unfortunately the owner, Mr. Dorset shuts the door and does not want to hear about Sargeant’s story. He then turns himself to a church but the doors are locked, so he knocks the door down and the church finally falls down. After that, he dreams about walking with Jesus and ends up very confused in jail. In the story, the major theme is racism and it is expressed by the writer through literary techniques and devices such as symbolism and imagery. At the beginning of the story, Sargeant is walking on a cold night of winter and does not notice the snow. He does not even see the white and flaky snow falling against the night. When Mr. Dorset shuts the door, it represents how he is not accepted and it demonstrates how he is unwelcome from the white people. At that point, he starts sensing the snow. It means that he begins to feel the oppression of the whites on him. Consequently, it is easily remarkable that Langston Hughes wanted the snow to represent racism and racial discrimination. As the story goes on, Sargeant finds himself in front of a church and would like to enter by the door to have a place where to sleep for the night. Sargeant tries to step through the door and enter the church but white...
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...Color Symbolism Rough Draft Throughout life a person experiences and sees many different colors. All colors send a hidden message to a person. The message can be based on that person’s emotion or what they just simply think the color’s message is. “Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions”, this was said by Pablo Picasso. What he means by this is that colors can and will have a very big effect on your emotions and actions. Looking at certain colors can change your whole mood very quickly whether it’s great or awful. Some dark colors could cause you to be sad, angry, or gloomy. But when a person looks at bright, beautiful colors it can make them very happy, friendly and social. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby,...
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...genetic beauty which is important; rather, it is inner beauty and confidence which makes a woman beautiful and the poem’s repetition of the phrase “phenomenal woman” creates an effect in the poem which emphasizes what it means to be a woman. The first stanza in “Phenomenal Woman” begins with Angelou expressing the curiosity which “pretty women” (1) have with her “beauty.” Pretty women don’t see physical beauty in her, yet they see another type of beauty portrayed and question her as to what it may be. Angelou tells them, “It’s in the reach of my arms/the span of my hips/the stride of my step/the curl of my lip/I’m a woman/phenomenally/phenomenal woman” (6-12). Through the use of metaphorical phrases, the author is expressing to the women that she has confidence and it is displayed in how she expresses her femininity. For example, in the way she walks and talks. These things make her beautiful, or a phenomenal woman. In the second stanza of the poem, Angelou depicts herself walking into a room full of men, who all bow to her upon her entrance. “I walk into a room/just as cool as you please/and to a man/the fellows stand or/fall down to their knees/then they swarm around me/a hive of honey bees” (14-20). Angelou describes how when she enters a room, she does not have to do much to show her beauty, yet it is expressed in her confidence and her overall...
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