Teenagers are often burdened with the pressure of adulthood as they have to make good choices for themselves and others. It is very difficult to do the right thing as doing the opposite thing seems more appealing and easier. In William Stafford’s poem, “Fifteen”, the narrator of the poem is a fifteen year old male who finds a motorcycle off the road. He admires the motorcycle and how appealing it looks but finds himself in a predicament: Find the owner of the motorcycle or take it for himself? In this poem, Stafford uses imagery, juxtaposition, characterization to argue that doing the right thing may be difficult, but it is the best option.
To start, Stafford uses imagery for his argument to explore the difficulty part of doing the right thing. By describing the motorcycle, he makes the object more appealing to the narrator. The narrator first discovers
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the motorcycle in the grass off the road. He then examines the vehicle, remarking, “I admired all that pulsing gleam, / the shiny flanks, the demure headlights / fringed where it lay” (Stafford lines 6-8). There are many adjectives in the quote that amplify the motorcycle’s qualities. Phrases like “pulsing gleam”, “shiny flanks” and “demure headlights” makes the motorcycle so appealing to the narrator. It increases his desire to want the cycle for himself. By using imagery, Stafford makes the motorcycle tempting to take, showing the difficulty aspect of doing the right thing. Next, Stafford uses juxtaposition to show that doing the right thing is difficult.
He uses juxtaposition to create a contrasting effect. The narrator hypothesizes a scenario of what would happen if he took the motorcycle for himself. He then questions himself whether it would be right to do so. He imagines, “We could find the end of a road, meet / the sky on out the Seventeenth. I thought about / hills, and patting the handle got back a confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged / a forward feeling, a tremble.” (Stafford lines 11-15). The first part of the quote has a positive feeling, where the narrator thinks about how much fun he could have with the motorcycle. However, the second part of the quote has a more questionable feeling. The phrase “a forward feeling, a tremble” is a contrast to “a confident opinion” said in the last part. Trembling is often associated with anxiety or nervousness, something the narrator is feeling when he questioning whether it is right to take the motorcycle. By using juxtaposition, Stafford shows how difficult making the right choice is, when the narrator second guesses
himself. Finally, Stafford uses characterization to demonstrate that doing the right thing is the best choice. Characterization is used when the narrator decides to not take the motorcycle. Instead, he decides to find the rider of the bike. The narrator recounts, “Thinking, back farther in the grass I found / the owner, just coming to, where he had flipped / over the rail. He had blood on his hand, was pale -/ I helped him walk to his machine. He ran his hand / over it, called me a good man, roared away.” (Stafford lines 16-20). The narrator in this paragraph is different compared to the other paragraphs. At first, he thought of what would have happened if he took the motorcycle for himself. Now, he does the right choice by helping the fallen man to his vehicle. There is a sense of maturity in his actions. The biker even recognizes this selflessness by calling the narrator “a good man” before he left. It was hard for the narrator to let go the motorcycle but it was the right choice. By using characterization, Stafford shows how the narrator grows to make the right choice.
The climax of the story is when Miles is shot by the Bonewoman. The reader comes to realize that Miles’ choice to live life on the safe side was a mistake:
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Across Five April's by Irene Hunt is about how the civil war tears apart a family during the hard times of the civil war. There were 239 pages it this story. The book follows the life of Jethro Creighton, a young farm boy in rural Illinois as he grows from a protected and provided for nine year old, to a educated and respectable young adult during the chaos of the civil war.
...escribable sadness that lurks in the air around them. The way the young child will not be satisfied sends his father into a frustrated resentment of modern society. People take too much for granted in a place of hope, privileges, and freedom while war drags on in another country, ten thousand miles away. The appreciation of youthful innocence is thus juxtaposed with selfishness and an inability to be satisfied, which seems to create a double tone that creates a contrast about the reality of humanity. Sometimes we can never be content with what we have until something is lost or sacrificed. In youth and innocence, satisfaction and the appreciation of the world around us seem to come more easily, perhaps because life has not yet been tainted by greed. It may be part of human nature that, as one grows, his desires become more complex and thus more difficult to satiate.
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Thirteen days is a historical account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is told from the perspective of Robert F. Kennedy, senator and brother to President John F. Kennedy. It is an account of the thirteen days in October of 1962. It lasted from the 16th to the 28th. During this time many crucial events in United States.
In the poem pride, Dahlia Ravikovitch uses many poetic devices. She uses an analogy for the poem as a whole, and a few metaphors inside it, such as, “the rock has an open wound.” Ravikovitch also uses personification multiple times, for example: “Years pass over them as they wait.” and, “the seaweed whips around, the sea bursts forth and rolls back--” Ravikovitch also uses inclusive language such as when she says: “I’m telling you,” and “I told you.” She uses these phrases to make the reader feel apart of the poem, and to draw the reader in. She also uses repetition, for example, repetition of the word years.
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A sense of belonging and community is essential in finding value and purpose in life. Dogs are naturally social animals that seek to live in packs. In the novel “Fifteen Dogs”, written by André Alexis, the dogs are given human intelligence and are forced to face a difficult question; to embrace this new way of life or revert back to their old nature. The intelligence the dogs gain unites the pack of dogs together, but, it is also what separates them from all other dogs. The introduction of language to the pack creates disorder within the hierarchy of the group which leads to divisions between the dogs.
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What comes to mind when one thinks of the word ‘puppy’? It is probable describe a puppy as a lovable, adorable, and cuddly companion. However, one might also identify the animal as a menace and a liability or even as a delicious source of food. Why does this single word hold so many meanings? One’s past experiences and biases influences these conflicting views and attitudes. For instance, an individual’s fond view of puppies may exist because they were raised with puppies and consequently grew affectionate toward the animals. On the contrary, if another individual has not bonded with puppies as pets, then they will share the latter point of view. In the short story “Puppy” by George Saunders, the multiple characters view single events and objects with contrasting perceptions. Therefore, instead of painting a precise picture of the characters and the plot, the story expresses several views regarding the morals of the characters, the motivations of their actions, and the meaning of the events that take place. In “Puppy”, George Saunders explores the theory that perception is not an elementary, universal definition of an object or idea, but a complex interpretation that is influenced by one’s unique and varying past experiences and opinions. The complexity of perception is evident in one the story’s narrator’s, Marie’s, vantage point.
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