In Fiela’s Child, Dalene Matthee illustrates authority that comes into play in the life of Benjamin and Lukas. Matthee vividly portrays authority with the use of character foils. By doing this, Matthee introduces characteristics of authority or lack of and creates a vivid distinction between the two regions: Long Kloof and the Forest. In Fiela’s Child, Dalene Matthee uses character foils to portray the characteristics of authority or lack of showing the reader how the Long Kloof and the Forest compare.
Matthee introduces the characteristics of authority and lack of by using Fiela and Barta as character foils. Fiela is from the Long Kloof while Barta is from the forest. Fiela is the authority figure in her household, while Barta is merely just
…show more content…
a member. Fiela is tough, independent, and has various characteristics of a leader. On the other hand, Barta is fragile, dependent, and lacks the characteristics of a leader. Throughout the work, Fiela shows strong characteristics of an authoritative personnel. “‘Leave the child alone! If there’s something you want to say, say it to me.’” (21). The connotative diction used by Fiela, in the quote, exhibits her assertive and firm personality. Fiela is determined enough to stand up for the ones she cares about. The repetition used in the quote portrays how adamant Fiela is and she is willing to take extreme measurements if necessary to protect Benjamin. The punctuation used by Matthee in the quote, such as the exclamation mark, gives an illusion of Fiela screaming which communicates Fiela as the authority figure. On the contrary, Barta relies on Elias and does not have much of a say. Throughout the work, Barta is oppressed by Elias. “Barta was falling behind again. ‘You must hurry, woman!’ The nearer they got to the village, the more slowly she walked” (81). The diction choice of “again”, in the quote, conveys how fed up Elias is with Barta. It sound as if he is no longer able to tolerate her. The exclamation mark in the quote suggests Elias is screaming at Barta portraying what little respect and tolerance Elias has for Barta, despite the fact that she is his wife. Although Elias is disrespecting Barta, she does nothing about it; she does not stand up for herself, let alone others. Fiela’s strong authoritative characteristics and Barta’s lack of authoritative characteristics creates a division between the Long Kloof and the Forest. Despite being the inferior race, Fiela has the courage to stand up for herself and others exhibiting the characteristics of authority. Benjamin and Lukas’s search for self identification illustrates distinctive characteristics of authority in their lives.
Although Benjamin and Lukas are the same person, both have different experiences with authority in their lives. One of the main authority figures in Ben’s life was Fiela. “‘Don’t pretend you’re stupid, Benjamin! He’s the magistrate, the big man of the law. Anyone who lies to him gets thrown into jail backside first!’” (63). Towards the beginning of the quote, Fiela is yelling at Benjamin. Fiela is yelling at Benjamin with authority, but she is yelling at him to protect him, almost like she is warning him. Fiela scolding Benjamin shows that she is an authority figure in his life who he respects. Unlike Ben, Lukas had a completely disparate experience. The main authoritative figure in Lukas’s life was Elias. “‘Leave him, Elias,’ somebody said. But the man lost his patience. He had been getting more and more impatient on the way there. ‘Greet your brother and sister Lukas!’” (104). The repetition of more in the quote conveys Elias is sick and tired of the way Lukas is acting towards the family. Elias is very hostile towards Lukas and is not willing to tolerate anything Lukas does again his will. The connotative diction and punctuation used in the quote emphasizes that Elias is forcing Lukas to start treating Elias’s family as his own. Elias is using his authority as a guardian over Lukas and forcing Lukas to do as he says. This shows how controlling and power hungry Elias is. Benjamin and Lukas’s different experiences with authority compare the Long Kloof and the Forest. However, Ben, also, has a strong an abusive authority figure in his life: the Magistrate. The Magistrate is the person who was behind putting Benjamin in a horrible situation and let the Van Rooyens take him. If the Magistrate had listened to Ben, he would have never turned into Lukas. “‘Please, your worshipful lord, I’m Fiela Komoetie’s child and Selling Komoetie is my father!’
But the magistrate did not believe him” (94). The concrete diction in the quote shows Benjamin tried his hardest and pleaded to the Magistrate, but since the Magistrate had authority, he did as he pleased and what he thought was right without trying to learn the truth. Elias’s abuse of authority and Selling’s lack of authority establishes a contrast between the Forest and the Long Kloof. Elias is demanding, materialistic, and power hungry, whereas Selling is calm and supportive. Throughout the work, Elias treats Lukas and all his other family members as nothing, but assets. Elias’s main focus revolves around getting tusks and making money. “‘Use properly, that is. You have a lot to catch up with. You’ll have to learn fast’” (133). In the quote, Elias is fist starting to teach Lukas how to make beams. Matthee uses connotative diction to convey that right from the beginning, Elias starts to put pressure on Lukas. The diction choice of “have” and the repetition of “have” emphasizes how eager Elias is for Lukas to learn how to work. Elias, here, views Lukas as an asset, one more person to make beams, one more beam to sell. This shows Elias is abusing his authority to find a way to get more money and improve his own life instead of giving Lukas time to adjust to the new circumstances. Unlike Elias, Selling and his family have very little, but are content. Throughout the work, Selling supports Fiela and his family as best as he can. “‘What are you standing there like that for, Selling? Get back to work and stop imagining things’” (97). The rhetorical question in the quote exhibits Fiela questioning Selling and ordering him to to start working. The concrete diction suggests a serious tone which emphasizes the fact that Selling lacks the characteristics of an authoritative figure because he does not say anything. He just stands there and listens to Fiela, which however, is the complete opposite of Elias. Selling knows Fiela is hurt and supports her by not fighting with her. The difference between Selling and Elias is a parallel to the difference between the Long Kloof and the Forest. Selling and his family work everyday to earn money to live, but still care for each other. Elias earns money for his family, but forces his children to work in an abusive way. Both, the Long Kloof and the Forest, are struggling for the haves and the have nots. The different authoritative characteristics in Nina & Kittie’s life creates a comparison between the authority in the Long Kloof and the Forest. In Nina’s life, Elias is the main authority figure. Elias is abusive because he is so power-hungry and abusive. “She got up and started dragging the pole with the sharp end towards him. ‘The thing’s heavy, Pa!’” (134). The diction choice of dragging in the quote emphasizes how hard it was for Nina to carry beams. Nina basically tells Elias, she cannot do this, however, Elias refuses to listen to her. Elias is being abusive. Because Elias is Nina’s father, he has the authority to tell her what to do. Elias uses his authority in an abusive way and forces her to do work she is not able to just so he can make more money. Kittie, however, had Fiela in her life. Fiela was a loving and caring mother, but strict at the same time. Kittie got love and attention from Fiela, while also being disciplined. “‘Stop it, children! Pour out the coffee’” (49). The concrete diction used by Fiela, such as “stop”, portrays Fiela as the leader and the authority figure of the house. Fiela is ordering the children to stop and telling Kittie to pour the coffee. The punctuation also suggests Fiela is yelling which is usually only done by the authority figure. Unlike Elias, Fiela is not abusive towards Kittie. Authority in Long Kloof is strict, but loving. Authority in the Forest is abusive and demanding. In conclusion, there are many different types of authority figures ranging from abusive to caring. Every authority figure is unique. In Fiela’s Child, there are abusive authority figures like Elias, caring authority figures like Fiela, and then characters, such as Selling, who lack characteristics of an authority. The characteristic of authority or lack of was illustrated by Dalene Matthee throughout the book by using character foils to compare the Long Kloof and the Forest.
The older sister, Sourdi, was raised more in her oriental culture, she understands her role and obeys her elders. Nea was raised more in an American culture and does not understand her Ma or Sourdi”s values. Especially, when Sourdi marries a man for financial security and leaves home. The culture differences attributes to the foil. The two girls also have contrasting physical appearances, Nea states, “She was smooth where I had angles and soft where I was bone”(Meyer pg. 85). The author wants to make sure the reader is visualizing the contrast between Nea, the main character, and Sourdi. The author, May-Lee Cahi, is consistent in using foil characters to points out the immature actions and decisions of Nea, the protagonist, as a tragic hero that does not grow up and mature as life
The story is seen through the innocent eyes of a 13 year old boy called Charlie Bucktin. The first person central point of view helps us to understand Charlie, to identify with him and his attitudes and values and for reader positioning. Silvey uses language conventions such as descriptive language, dialogue, diction, register and imagery to construct Charlie’s point of view. Since we only see and know what Charlie does thus this helps us create and certain bond with him as he grows, learns, and faces new problems throughout the novel. The fact that Charlie is a teenager and the readers are provided with teenager reactions the teenager audience is able to identify with the character and why he does things that way. Charlie starts of as a the model son, ever the obedient never to do anything wrong… to eventually losing his innocence and naivety and having a better understanding of what is right and what is wrong.
In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Poisonwood Bible, characters Adah and Rachel Price differ in their outlooks on life. Adah contrasts Rachel with her inside reality, her dark fiction, as well as her dependence on others due to her slant. Rachel, on the other hand, loves the outside reality, compares her life to that of a light fairy tale, and is independent. Kingsolver’s choice of two vastly different characters aids in the demonstration of the complexity each character has. In order to portray each character’s aspects, Kingsolver uses forms of diction, metaphors, and symbolism.
Be it in films, television series’ or works of literature, it is true when one says, “[the] Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations” ( Bradbury 139). We always bear in mind the characters that bring us the essence within the storyline; the ones that we most often remember are the heroes and their villains. Character “foils” allow us to differentiate between the good and the evil present within the storyline. The classic novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, consists of several opposing characters, who inform us of the good, and the bad of Maycomb County. This includes Boo and Nathan Radley; Walter Cunningham Jr. and Burris Ewell; and Miss Maudie Atkinson and Miss Stephanie Crawford.
Whether we read books, watch movies, or simply live life, we cannot ignore that writers, directors or people create pairs of characters that may have things in common and characteristics that show them as opposites. Sometimes, they may seem obvious but at other times, the individuals have to be analyzed and understood. They are placed in stories to show the good and the bad in the story. However, placing similar and somewhat opposite characters together is clearly portrayed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. These characters go through some of the same situations but they can be distinguished differently by the way they choose to deal a situation. Sometimes, their intention may be alike however, in the end, their doing is what makes them two different people. This contrast is especially evident when comparing Walter Cunningham Sr. and Bob Ewell, Boo Radely and Nathan Radely, and, lastly, Miss. Maudie and Miss. Stephanie.
The author clearly shows how his childhood effected his adulthood, making in a living example of what he is writing about allowing the audience to more easily trust what he is writing about. Instead of using factually evidence from other dysfunctional family incidences, the author decides to make it more personal, by using his own life and comparing family ideas of the past to the present.
The first effect of the birth imagery is to present the speaker's book as a reflection of what she sees in herself. Unfortunately, the "child" displays blemishes and crippling handicaps, which represent what the speaker sees as deep faults and imperfections in herself. She is not only embarrassed but ashamed of these flaws, even considering them "unfit for light". Although she is repulsed by its flaws, the speaker understands that her book is the offspring of her own "feeble brain", and the lamentable errors it displays are therefore her own.
Stylistically, the book is arranged in rotating chapters. Every fourth chapter is devoted to each individual character and their continuation alo...
A novel creates a dynamic connection with the audience and helps its readers use different physical and ideological perspectives to evaluate a figure. Style and rhetorical devices are used to express the author’s ideas. An author’s style makes a novel colorful and convincing or bland and boring. Octavia E. Butler’s novel, Parable of the Sower gives us very detailed examples that allow me to see the world through completely different lenses. Based on those examples, I have chosen to analyze and evaluate the main character, Lauren Olimina, in several ways.
Golding was such an excellent writer because even though his plot was incredibly simple it makes us think about the true meaning behind his words. Golding is able to convey vast information in simple ways through characterization such as when we see Jack manipulating the boys through pathos, Ralph establishing himself and relying on his ethos, and Piggy ineffectively attempting to use logos. The devote use of symbolism throughout the novel creates a unique writing style and conveys an elegant tone. When the novel is examined for rhetoric, knowledge of ethos, logos, and pathos is gained because of Golding’s ability to deliver a message through visual imagery, vivid character descriptions and the underlying messages in his
As soon forgotten his condition, Benjamin would go to many parties he had been invited to. People would wonder about his marriage with Hildegarde. According to page 22 written by Scott Fitzgerald “Never a party of any kind in the city of Baltimore but he was there, dancing with the prettiest of the young married women, chatting with the most popular of the debutantes, and finding their company charming, while his wife, a dowager of evil omen, sat among the chaperons…”. Benjamin starts neglecting his wife and family but, started to care more only about himself. “There was only one fly in the delicious ointment-he hated to appear in public with his wife” (Fitzgerald 22). Equally similar, in today’s society sometimes after someone has been ridiculed for the longest, they later on start not get bothered by it, they choose to tune it out. Many teens are often bullied, but some don’t recognize that bullying is a type of
Foils are used in plays so that the readers are better able to understand the major character (Hamlet). In a foil, the minor character is similar in many ways to the main character so that we will compare the two. However, it is through these similarities that we are able to see the more important differences between the two.
Random House Webster's dictionary defines a foil as "a person or thing that makes another seem better by contrast." This essay will focus on the use of the foil to contrast another character. The characters of Nora and Mrs. Linde provide an excellent example of this literary device. Mrs. Linde's aged, experienced personality is the perfect foil for Nora's childish nature. Mrs. Linde's hard life is used to contrast the frivolity and sheltered aspects of Nora's life. Nora's optimism and belief in things improbable is an opposite to the rationality and down-to-earth mentality of Mrs. Linde. Finally, the rekindling of the flame between Mrs. Linde and Krogstad is a direct contrast to the burning down of Nora and Torvald's "doll's house."
perceive the novel in the rational of an eleven-year-old girl. One short, simple sentence is followed by another , relating each in an easy flow of thoughts. Gibbons allows this stream of thoughts to again emphasize the childish perception of life’s greatest tragedies. For example, Gibbons uses the simple diction and stream of consciousness as Ellen searches herself for the true person she is. Gibbons uses this to show the reader how Ellen is an average girl who enjoys all of the things normal children relish and to contrast the naive lucidity of the sentences to the depth of the conceptions which Ellen has such a simplistic way of explaining.
Cinderella’s mother passed away and her father remarried a woman who had two daughters from a previous marriage. A few weeks passed and a prince is holding a three day festival and all the beautiful young girls in the town were invited. Cinderella wanted to go but her evil stepmother gave her two impossible tasks to complete before she could attend the festival. Cinderella completes the two tasks with the help of her bird friends and her mother’s grave. Cinderella goes to the festival and she dances with the prince all three days. Finally, the prince has fallen in love with her and eventually they get married. Fairytales and Disney productions threaten gender politics and women’s role by portraying women in certain areas like domestic behaviors