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An essay into literary devicees
Literary devices and their use
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Jacob Cohen Taylor AP Literature B2 9/14/15 A White Heron Literary Analysis In "A White Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett, the main character, Sylvia, must decide between the human, material world and the natural, organic world in an ultimatum centered around the life of an elusive and enchanting White Heron. This journey Sylvia takes is developed through the author's use of colors and metaphorical applications of animals to highlight the main character and her central conflict of choosing between man and nature. In the story, colors are used not only to add detail to the forest and world, but are also used to pour symbolism into standard objects. When a moving squirrel is described as red amongst “dark branches and the green leaves (p.5),” the
reader can envision both the actual scene and the metaphorical representation of our heroine, Sylvia, rushing across her forest in a flurried attempt to save the heron. One of the big examples of color occurs before the climax of the story with the use of gold. Symbolically, the color is used to represent a divine grail pushing Sylvia to push ahead through the forest. Practically, it is used to describe a “golden dazzle (p.5)” and “golden air (p.6)” that lifts the setting out of reality and into a universal context. Using colors this way allows the author to add depth to the story and, in turn, create greater severity and drama within the scope of both Sylvia's struggle between the material and natural worlds as well as in her relationship with the hunter. The author also uses animals as metaphors in order to further plot development and allow the reader to gain a greater understanding of character personalities. Throughout the story, the reader encounters animals such as the cow that Sylvia takes home and the whippoorwills that Sylvia hears singing. These animals all prompt events in the story and, by showing how Sylvia concentrates her attention; creates a heightened sense of connection between Sylvia and nature she inhabits. One animal in particular that illustrates this relationship is the toad Sylvia watches as she mostly ignores her grandmother’s talk with the hunter. The toad shows how Sylvia fails to connect with human society and instead commits her time to the isolated environment around her. When the reader sees that, “He turned again to look at Sylvia with the hope of discovering that the rare bird was one of her acquaintances. But Sylvia was watching a hop-toad in the narrow footpath,” (p.3) the reader comes to determine the aversion that Sylvia has towards the human world where she finds no real connection. This bridge occurs between animals and inner thoughts allow the reader to understand both the decision Sylvia makes regarding the White Heron and her actual character. That is how the author of “A White Heron” is able to take a simple story and dramatize it to impact the reader. Through colors, animals, and a universal theme, the author draws the reader closer to the events and characters while also allowing the reader reflect on the society we live in today.
• In the gym, the gym teacher announced that they were going to start a new unit. The new unit was volleyball.
Mark Haddon, the man that created this quote, said, “ Reading is a conversation. All books talk. But a good book listens as well.” This connects to the theme of the story The Ghost bird because Mr. Tanner is saying how he sees a rare bird and no one but one little girl named Hannah believes in him. In the story The Ghost Bird by Roland Smith, There is a little girl named Hannah who is neighbors with an old guy named Mr. Tanner. One day Mr. Tanner claims to have seen a rare bird that was said to be extinct. No one in the town believes him except for the little girl Hannah. Hannah sticks by his side and eventually comes to figure out that it helps her in a good way. The author uses the setting and conflict to convey the theme of believing can lead to good turnouts.
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.
Ethel Waters overcame a very tough childhood to become one of the most well known African American entertainers of her time. Her story, The Eye on the Sparrow, goes into great detail about her life and how she evolved from taking care of addicts to becoming the star of her own show. Ethel was born by her mother being raped at a young age. Her father, John Waters, was a pianist who played no role in Ethel’s life. She was raised in poverty and it was rare for her to live in the same place for over a year. Ethel never fit in with the rest of the crowd; she was a big girl, about five nine when she was a teenager, and was exposed to mature things early in her life. This is what helped shape Ethel to be the strong, independent woman she is.
Are adults overprotective of their children? To what point do we protect children? Where should the line be drawn? Along with those questions is how easily children can be influenced by these same adults. Two poets, Richard Wilbur and Billy Collins, express the ideas of how easily children can be manipulated and how sometimes adults think they are protecting their innocent children, when in reality they are not. Wilbur and Collins express these ideas in their poems through numerous literary devices. The literary devices used by Wilbur and Collins expose different meanings and two extremely different end results. Among the various literary devices used, Wilbur uses imagery, a simple rhyme scheme and meter, juxtaposition of the rational and irrational, and a humorous tone to represent the narrator’s attempt to “domesticate” irrational fears. Conversely Collins uses symbols, historical interpretations, imagery, diction and other literary devices to depict the history teacher’s effort to shield his students from reality. In the poems, “A Barred Owl,” by Richard Wilbur, and “The History Teacher,” by Billy Collins, both poets convey how adults protect and calm children from their biggest, darkest fears and curiosities.
If one were to trace the color red through the book, it would be almost impossible to give it one decisive meaning- and that is the point entirely. The color red appears to symbolize not
Throughout the late 19th century following the Industrial Revolution, society became focused on urban life and began to neglect the importance of rural society and nature. In “A White Heron” Sarah Orne Jewett, through Sylvia’s decision to protect the heron, contemplates the importance of nature and rural society. In particular, Jewett employs the cow grazing scene to show the importance of and solitude that Sylvia finds in rural life. When the hunter appears and Sylvia accompanies him on his journey to find the bird, his actions and speech reveal the destructiveness of urban society on nature. The scene when Sylvia climbs the tree to find the heron, initially in order to please the hunter and satisfy her new love for him, shows her realization
Rowland, Beryl. Birds With Human Souls, A Guide to Bird Symbolism. Knoxville: U of Tennessee P, 1978.
When people really take their time to look at the beautiful world around them, and take it in, it is hard not to be amazed. “A White Heron,” a classic short story written by Sarah Orne Jewett, uses nature as an essential key element to the theme. Sylvia, the main character, is very relatable. In fact, the story is written in such a way that the reader would likely share similar thoughts with Sylvia. For instance, the reader and Sylvia both love nature and think of it as their companion. However, while both Sylvia and the reader have a love for humans, it is to a lesser extent. The author, who was born on September 3, 1849 and died June 24, 1909, grew up around Berwick, Maine. This is the setting of many of her short stories along with the New England wilderness. In "A White Heron," the main character is a girl named Sylvia. She is also the protagonist of the story. There is also another character that is very important. He is the hunter, who is the antagonist of the story. Throughout the entire story, Sylvia is battling to keep the hunter from finding and killing the white heron for his bird collection. Throughout this short story, there is the very important theme of mortal versus nature. In “A White Heron,” Sylvia’s previous experience with the white heron leads to her decision flesh versus spirit. Before the short story begins, the reader can imply that Sylvia created a connection with the white heron. Therefore, in the novel, Sylvia made the decision of stopping the hunter from finding and killing the white heron. Sarah Orne Jewett develops her theme of mortal versus nature in her short story through the use of characterization imagery, and symbolism.
Sarah Orne Jewett's "A White Heron" is a brilliant story of an inquisitive young girl named Sylvia. Jewett's narrative describes Sylvia's experiences within the mystical and inviting woods of New England. I think a central theme in "A White Heron" is the dramatization of the clash between two competing sets of values in late nineteenth-century America: industrial and rural. Sylvia is the main character of the story. We can follow her through the story to help us see many industrial and rural differences. Inevitably, I believe that we are encouraged to favor Sylvia's rural environment and values over the industrial ones.
Since its first appearance in the 1886 collection A White Heron and Other Stories, the short story A White Heron has become the most favorite and often anthologized of Sarah Orne Jewett. Like most of this regionalist writer's works, A White Heron was inspired by the people and landscapes in rural New England, where, as a little girl, she often accompanied her doctor father on his visiting patients. The story is about a nine-year-old girl who falls in love with a bird hunter but does not tell him the white heron's place because her love of nature is much greater. In this story, the author presents a conflict between femininity and masculinity by juxtaposing Sylvia, who has a peaceful life in country, to a hunter from town, which implies her discontent with the modernization?s threat to the nature.
The story is about a friendly hunter who comes to a budding girl named Sylvia for help to find a bird for his collection. He offers her ten dollars. At first, she agrees because of the impression the hunter makes on her. Later, she has a revelation through her love for the forest and neglects to tell him where the bird is. Sylvia represents the purity of innocence and has a bond with the natural world. Many of Sylvia’s thoughts are associated with the ability to be free. This exemplifies the women’s rights activism that was happening in the 19th century. Sarah Orne Jewett develops her theme of the change from innocence to experience in her short story “The White Heron” through the use of imagery, characterization, and symbolism.
Pain is one of the most complex words in the modern day language. It is perceived differently with every situation with varying definitions for all types of people. Pain for an infant who scraped their knee seems petty compared to a terminally ill mother who will leave behind three children. The feeling of discomfort or agony may never go away in some cases, especially mental pain. Author of In the Lake of the Woods, Tim O’Brien, writes a novel about war stress and how PTSD can change a person’s entire personality. John Wade suffers through tremendous pain that eventually leads to the disappearance of his wife Kathy. O’Brien portrays the effects of pain through John Wade’s post traumatic stress disorder throughout his lifetime during
In the story “The White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett you are introduced to a young girl and what her seemingly simple life entails. There is so much that can be learned about values and culture through the background information of the story. The story is a good example of a period piece that introduces us to the lifestyle one could expect in a 19th-century farm. A clear picture is painted showing us what society was like during that time in history. Through Sylvia the little girl, we learn so much about people and what the world is like for them in the 19th -century.
Nature is often a focal point for many author’s works, whether it is expressed through lyrics, short stories, or poetry. Authors are given a cornucopia of pictures and descriptions of nature’s splendor that they can reproduce through words. It is because of this that more often than not a reader is faced with multiple approaches and descriptions to the way nature is portrayed. Some authors tend to look at nature from a deeper and personal observation as in William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, while other authors tend to focus on a more religious beauty within nature as show in Gerard Manley Hopkins “Pied Beauty”, suggesting to the reader that while to each their own there is always a beauty to be found in nature and nature’s beauty can be uplifting for the human spirit both on a visual and spiritual level.