Essay On Half Killed Mary By Margaret Atwood

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Author Margaret Atwood wrote "Half-Hanged Mary" to depict Mary's thoughts and feelings during the night she was hanged. The way Atwood utilizes diction helps us feel for what is going on in the story. Atwood’s use of diction helps create better impact on the mood in the poem.
The author at the beginning of the poem set the mood as almost mournful. The author wanted to induce sympathy from the reader. The word choice of the author is powerful; she uses notable language to get the reader to feel what Mary is exactly going through.. Mary depicts on what it is like to be hanged, "I didn't feel the smashed flash closing over it like water over a thrown stone" (Atwood). This continues with the mournful mood; it makes the audience feel pity for what is happening. …show more content…

She says "Help me down? You don't dare" (Atwood). Mary has so much resentment against the people in her town because they are the cause of why she is there. The expressions "The words boil out of me,” (Atwood), “…coil after coil of sinuous possibility" (Atwood), and "An ambiguous nimbus" (Atwood), are used to help create a very angry mood. This causes an emotional effect for whoever is reading.
At one point, the mood of the poem is mocking and contemptuous. Mary’s attitude shows her contempt towards the townspeople. Margaret Atwood’s use of words demonstrates the tone in the poem. Mary vocalizes "surprise, surprise, I was still alive” (Atwood), and “Tough luck, folks, I know the law, you can't execute me twice, for the same thing. How nice" (Atwood). Mary exudes scorn and sarcasm that lets the reader get to see what is going on in Mary’s mind, and also provides a somewhat mocking attitude toward the people of her

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