AP Prompt 2009 Essay
Although not picturesque at first, the grim energy of the urban wind extracts the dreary colors of “the dirt and dust and grime” (Petry) from the city sidewalks and dances around the readers, entrancing their first glimpse of Ann Petry’s 1946 novel, The Street. Throughout the introduction, Petry portrays the wind through personification as a tour guide in the blustery town. She then includes small important details to make the readers accustomed to the town’s characteristics. By following the wind’s guiding hands Petry explores the wind’s relationship with people in the town through figurative language and finally wrestles with imagery as the focus of the story zooms in on Lutie Johnson and her frustration then reluctant approval with the urban setting.
Before the reader meets Lutie Johnson, Petry introduces the “cold November wind” and how it “rattled the tops of garbage cans, sucked window shades out…and drove people off the street [in] its violent assault” (Petry). The immediate encounter with such a vicious character puts the
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reader on edge and later the same force grapples with Lutie. Therefore at this point the reader’s opinion of the wind which may be sullen is the same as Lutie’s relationship with the town. However all relationships can change. As Petry describes what the wind blows and hints at the wind’s playful attitude, understanding of the wind arises and the town looks slightly less dingy. The slight shift in paradigms would not have been possible had not Petry emphasized the select details such as “The theater throwaways, the heavy waxed paper that loaves of bread had been wrapped in, the thinner waxed paper that had enclosed sandwiches, old envelops, [and] newspaper,” all of which the wind carries across the street. While these city remnants may appear to be corrupting the town with a trashy atmosphere, they may also signify what urban life could entail for Lutie: dance shows, good food, and local news. The issue is none of these things are happening right now and the wind is still eating up parts of the town. Petry continues to explore the friendly and devastating effect the wind has on the perfectly fine town through the figurative language she uses to express the game of newspaper versus pedestrians: the newspaper “entangled them until [they] cursed deep in their throats, stamped their feet, kicked at the paper… and they were forced to stoop and dislodge the paper with their hands” (Petry).
As the wind continues to “grab their hats, pry their scarves…and stick its fingers inside their coat collars” (Petry) it is clear that the wind doesn’t literally act like a human to play these tricks. However, at this point in the story it allows for the reader to sense the shiver and fear from the utter closeness of the wind’s fingers. This image brought about through the figurative language draws forth an image relying heavily on the reader’s senses. Now Petry introduces Lutie in the situation the reader was just beginning to
feel. With Lutie in the picture, Petry circles back around to the original fear and frustration the urban wind caused. As Petry describes Lutie’s purpose in the town through the views of a sign flashing all around, the reader also detects the winds influence on Lutie as it’s “cold fingers touch the back of her neck…and even blew her eyelashes away from her eyes so that her eyeballs were bathed in a rush of coldness” (Petry). After a considerable struggle to read the sign, as images of “the white paint” and “dark red stain” (Petry) flashed by, Lutie finally catches a glimpse of the sign and deems the building she seeks a room in to be “reasonable” (Petry). After Lutie’s tussle with the wind, finally a view of the urban accommodations allows her to take a breath and settle in with the room she has spotted. The long battle with the wind primarily allows Petry to establish a harsh atmosphere but when Lutie enters the story, she struggles but ultimately her confidence and courage prevails. These characteristics show she is dedicated to the urban setting because she withstood the grim views and was able to witness the small details of the town. Petry would not have effectively conveyed this message to the reader had she not used the personification of the wind, the details of what the wind blew, the figurative language describing the wind’s playful tricks on the citizens, and the image of the wind’s effect on Lutie’s first encounter with the urban setting. And through the whole passage the wind blusters about doing its job as well as Petry did her job.
The soft island breeze blows across the sound and the smell of the sea fills the air in Willow Springs. Meanwhile, a thousand miles away in Lower Manhattan the smell of garbage and street vendors’ hotdogs hangs in the air. These two settings are key to Gloria Naylor’s 1988 novel Mama Day where the freedom and consistency of the Sea Islands is poised against the confinement of the ever-changing city, two settings that not only changes characters’ personalities but also their perceptions. On the surface the two places seem to share no similarities and represent different aspects. There are, however, some similarities, among which is the effect of the setting on the characters. Naylor demonstrates through the characters Cocoa Day and George Andrews that a person’s surroundings affect the way they behave and either allows or permits them to believe in certain aspects of life, especially in respect to believing in magic or logic.
A Pulitzer Prize is an award for an achievement in American journalism, literature, or music. Paul Gigot, chairman of the Pulitzer Prize board, described the award as a “proud and robust tradition”. How does one carry on this robust tradition? By mastery of skilled writing technique, one can be considered for the awarding of this prize. Since its creation in 1917, 13 have been awarded annually, one of which, in 1939, was given to Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings for her novel, The Yearling. Rawlings is an American author from Florida known for writing rural themed novels. Consequently, The Yearling is about a boy living on a farm who adopts an orphaned fawn. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings procured a prestigious Pulitzer Prize for her effectual use of figurative language, sensory details, and syntax.
In “Queens, 1963”, the speaker narrates to her audience her observations that she has collected from living in her neighborhood located in Queens, New York in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. The narrator is a thirteen-year-old female immigrant who moved from the Dominican Republic to America with her family. As she reflects on her past year of living in America, she reveals a superb understanding of the reasons why the people in her neighborhood act the way they do towards other neighbors. In “Queens, 1963” by Julia Alvarez, the poet utilizes diction, figurative language, and irony to effectively display to the readers that segregation is a strong part of the American melting pot.
Everyone has a different view on life. One's perception can significantly impact the way that he/she views the rest of the world. This perception can be both positive and negative. Perception often plays a big role in determining how one is viewed by both themselves and others. People are often judged by their appearance and their actions. However, it is things such as their personality and their character that truly define them as individuals. In Budge Wilson's "The Metaphor," Miss Hancock is faced with the fact that other individuals often overlook her. Though others may not be aware of what they are doing, their actions can greatly impact another individual throughout their lifetime. The way that one is perceived can both positively and negatively affect the way that others view them as an individual, which can greatly affect their entire life.
... being depressed but she connects these events to the wind to emphasize that this wind really means more to these people than just being a seasonal phenomenon. In Brush Fire by Linda Thomas, she takes a different tack. Thomas uses less hyperboles and dramatizations and utilizes more similes and metaphors. Phrases such as, “like a locomotive” help the readers who do not necessarily know much about the intensity of the fire get a clearer picture of what is going on. Both authors use various aspects of rhetoric to portray their different views on the wind.
The main character of "The Street" is strong and determined and acquiring what she needs. This is seen when she says; "if it said two-why, there wasn't any point," (Petry 3). This is proof of her determination/persistence, because she needs exactly what she needs anything less won't work. Next, we see that because of her persistence, she is given a chance to overcome her obstacle which in this case is the wind. This is shown with this quote; "The wind held it still for an instant in front of her," (Petry 3). Finally, we see that the setting plays a part in her struggle. This is shown in this quote; "There was a cold November wind," (Petry 1). This quote does well to illustrate the setting, as well as allude to the fact that because it is a cold wind it will be that much more troublesome to face. Between the struggle of facing the cold wind and her actions, once again the theme is
the street, letting the wind play with the soft ribbons of her cap" (610). The
Didion paints uneasy and somber images when describing the Santa Ana winds. “There is something uneasy in the Los Angeles air… some unnatural stillness, some tension,” starts the essay off with the image of Los Angeles people in a sense of stillness or tense. She further adds, “Blowing up sandstorms out along Route 66… we will see smoke back in the canyons, and hear sirens in the night,” propagating the uneasy and stark image of Los Angeles. “The baby frets. The maid sulks,” she adds, giving a depressing view into the effects of the Santa Ana winds on people. Didion, in an attempt to show the craziness associated with the Santa Ana winds, points out the Indians who throw themselves into the sea when bad winds came. At any rate, Didion attempts to show the negative effects of the Santa Ana winds through images of stillness, uneasiness, and sobriety.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future, The Road describes a father and son’s fight for their lives as they journey the road south for the winter. An unknown catastrophe has plagued the world, leaving hell on Earth for all who inhabit it. Rotting corpses, abandoned homes, and devastated landscapes are an everyday sight. Worst of all, human beings have reverted back to barbarism, leaving humanity and any sense of morals behind. Critics argue that The Road has “no plotline or story arc of character development” (165). Although even though The Road explains nothing, it actually explains everything. In fact, the novel consists of deeper meanings intended for readers to uncover themselves. In particular, the road itself is a major symbolic aspect of the
On the other hand, poor weather in the novel was used to foreshadow negative events or moods. In the opening of the novel, when Jane was living in Gateshead, she was reading while an unpleasant visit of John Reed was foreshadowed: “After it offered a pale blank of mist and cloud: hear, a scene of wet lawn and storm-beat shrub” (2).
The 1946 novel, “The Street” by Ann Petry establishes a struggling relationship between the main character; Lutie Johnson, and her new surroundings. Lutie seeks, her overall objective in finding a safe refuge to live, however; the description of 116th street seems less than an ideal home. Petry uses decrepit imagery and forceful personification showing a battle between Lutie, the town, and the wind. The combination of the destructive town, and the winds haunting figure creates an overall feeling of caution within this gloomy road, making the goal seem near impossible.
Firstly, the narrator gives little detail throughout the whole story. The greatest amount of detail is given in the first paragraph where the narrator describes the weather. This description sets the tone and mood of the events that follow. Giving the impression that a cold, wet, miserable evening was in
Through the open window she sees many other symbols furthering the feelings of goodness in the reader. She sees the tops of trees that "were all quiver with the new spring life" symbolizing a new life to come, something new happening in her life. The setting of a "delicious breath of rain" in the air refers to the calmness after a storm when the sun comes back out. Kate Chopin is using this to refer to the death of Mrs. Mallards' husband and the new joyous life she may now lead that she is free of him. Also to be heard outside are the singing of birds and the notes of a distant song someone was singing, symbolizing an oncoming feeling of wellness, a build up to her realization that she is now free of the tyrannical rule of her husband.
The next supernatural element in the story is blowing of a furious storm when Heathcliff after over-hearing some of the words spoken by Cathy to Nelly, disappears from the Heights. The way Nelly describes the storm shows that it has something to do with the wounded feelings of Heathcliff and the agitation in Cathy’s heart resulting from his disappearance. The storm in nature corresponds to the tumult in two young hearts, those of Heathcliff and Cathy.
The clouded mystery behind a novel’s meaning often makes the work more enjoyable to read. In Emily Bronte’s novel Wuthering Heights, there is a mysterious aura which defines every aspect of the story. When understanding the story, the reader cannot look at Weathering Heights simply as a home, but as a necessary and unshakable part of life for the main characters. Critics argue many different theories regarding Weathering Heights and what its central theme is supposed to be interpreted as. Although the critics hold different interpretations of the novel, they all agree on the simple fact that deceit and deception both hold key roles within the story. This is not solely seen in characters like Heathcliff, but also in Emily Bronte herself in the way she presents the story. By neglecting to provide the reader with adequate explanations and conclusions of vital events in the story, the author deceives the reader into thinking that they can interpret the situations in their own way. Although it may seem that certain details are left out on purpose for the reader to fill in themselves, this is simply not the case. This is highlighted by J. Hillis Miller when he states: “This act of interpretation always leaves something over, something just at the edge of the circle of theoretical vision which that vision does not encompass. This something left out is clearly a significant detail” (369). By deceiving the average reader with these scenarios, Emily Bronte mirrors some of her own characters. The similarity between the author’s interaction with her readers and the deceptive interactions between characters are crucial attributes to the novel’s brilliance. In this way, Emily Bronte controls her audience in the same way Heathcliff control’s his...