Flight/Your Shoes: A comparitive essay In this essay I will be comparing ‘Flight’ by Doris Lessing and ‘Your Shoes’ by Michèle Roberts. The content and style for both stories are similar in some ways and different in other ways. For example, the main problem in both stories is the daughter leaving home for the first time. Another example of a difference is ‘Flight’ is written in third-person whereas ‘Your Shoes’ is written as an interior monologue. The difficulties about the daughters leaving are: in ‘Flight’, the grandfather is reluctant to let his granddaughter go off and marry. This is because she is his favourite granddaughter and his last. ‘He confronted her, his eyes narrowed, shoulders hunched, tight in a hard knot of pain which included the preening birds, the sunlight, the flowers. He said: “Think you’re old enough to go courting, hey?”’ He also does not like Steven, the postmaster’s son, and is maybe jealous of him and how he can win over his granddaughter better than he can himself. ‘“Waiting for Steven, hey?” he said, his fingers curling like claws into his palm. “Any objection?” she asked him lightly, refusing to look at him.’ In ‘Your Shoes’ the mother has a bigger problem because her daughter has already left and she does not know where she is. To justify this she goes mad and pretends that she is talking to her daughter through a pair of white trainers, the most expensive and perfect item that the mother bought her daughter before she left. ‘I’ve tied the shoes’ laces together so they won’t get separated or lost. White laces, that I washed and ironed.’ These shoes represent what the mother would like her daughter to be, perfect. ‘I locked the wardrobe door on those rebellious shoes.’... ... middle of paper ... ...d to ‘Flight’, the Justin Liu Maine A English AXS Flight/Your Shoes (cont…) mother’s condition clearly gets worse and lapses into madness at the end. ‘Laces like strings of white liquorice. They taste sweet.’ Again there is the symbolism of the shoes and again it represents the way the mother would like her daughter to be. I prefer ‘Flight’ to ‘Your Shoes’ because the story is much clearer and you get to see everyone’s point of view whereas in ‘Your Shoes’ the storyline is not so clear and harder to understand because only one person is speaking. However, ‘Flight’ has less detail than ‘Your Shoes’ because there are many more people to focus on. For example, in ‘Your Shoes’ you know who is still alive and who is not whereas in ‘Flight’ it is not as clear. However, I enjoyed both stories and thought that they had more similarities than differences.
Early in the novel Morrison, uses the juxtaposition of Ruth Foster and Pilate dead, when she tells of the flight of Mr. Robert Smith from Mercy Hospital. Ruth Foster, not yet described as such, is known as the “dead doctor’s daughter” (5). During this scene her insignificance is made clear, “the rose-petal scramble, got a lot of attention, but the pregnant lady’s moans did not” (5). This scene perfectly embodies Ruth Foster’s character, as diminutive, and unimportant, she also ignores the flight of the Mr. Smith as the pedestrians ignore her and Mr. Smith. On the other hand, Pilate Dead, is the singer in the crowd that notices Mr. Smith’s flight and says, “O Sugarman done fly away” (6), introducing the theme of the novel, flight, and representing her understanding of it, while others remain oblivious. This is important, because this is Milkman’s journey, the discovery of the flight of his people, or the realization of his people’s culture. Pilate, Milkman’s aunt, also foreshadows his “flight”, which is a main theme of the novel, ‘A little bird’ll be here with the morning” (9), whereas his mother, Ruth, says, “It can’t be...It’s too soon,” (9) this shows her role in the novel as keeping Milkman from his flight, while Pilate teaches him he can fly. "Mr. Smith's blue silk wings must have left their mark, because when the little boy discovered, at four, the same thing Mr. Smith had learned earlier - that only birds and airplanes could fly - he lost all interest in himself" (9). Tis loss of flight symbolizes Milkman’s loss of his heritage, which Pilate tries to reinstall in him, ...
On an everyday basis teens all around the world fight and disagree with their parents. In the passages Confetti Girl and Tortilla Sun this very thing is clearly demonstrated. Both stories feature two teenage girls that have lost one of their parents. They both now face the daily struggle of agreeing and relating to their remaining parent. In Confetti Girl, the narrator is constantly overlooked and out shadowed by her father’s favorite thing, books and literacy.
“I wish you weren’t my parent!” A phrase often said to parents when their children are upset. In “Tortilla Sun” written by Jennifer Cervantes, and “Confetti Girl” written by Diana Lopez, the same type of frustration arises. “Tortilla Sun” involves a girl and her mother in an argument. The girl’s mother decides to pursue her education and needs to leaves her daughter at her grandma’s house. “Confetti Girl” is similar; the main conflict is a daughter missing her mother, and her father not being able to bond with her. Because of the divergent mindsets of both parents and their children, awkward and tense situations cause conflicts in both short stories.
... father, turned to alcohol to make the pain less noticeable. It is important to understand stereotypes because they often have a deeper meaning than what is seen at the surface. In addition to the stereotypes, it is also important to understand that the more things seem to change, the more they stay the same. History repeats itself, and Flight takes that statement literally to develop a coming-of-age story that is deeply rooted in Native American history. The story of an orphaned child who has to live through vivid tales of murder, mutilation, suicide, and alcoholism from the past to come to a point of self-realization shows the reader how important it is to have knowledge of the past so that they can apply it to the present and eventually guide what course they take in the future. Hopefully, this cycle that often begins and ends with alcoholism will soon be broken.
Theme of Flight in Song of Solomon Clearly, the significant silences and the stunning absences throughout Morrison's texts become profoundly political as well as stylistically crucial. Morrison describes her own work as containing "holes and spaces so the reader can come into it" (Tate 125), testament to her rejection of theories that privilege the author over the reader. Morrison disdains such hierarchies in which the reader as participant in the text is ignored: "My writing expects, demands participatory reading, and I think that is what literature is supposed to do.
Usually, a short story may contain profound thoughts. Writers always convey their ideas or opinions by offering several arguments in their productions. These arguments are essential to advancing the story and defining characters. In "Aunt Mary" written by Joseph Imperiale, we might identify three arguments here.
Although the little girl doesn’t listen to the mother the first time she eventually listens in the end. For example, in stanzas 1-4, the little girl asks if she can go to the Freedom March not once, but twice even after her mother had already denied her the first time. These stanzas show how the daughter is a little disobedient at first, but then is able to respect her mother’s wishes. In stanzas 5 and 6, as the little girl is getting ready the mother is happy and smiling because she knows that her little girl is going to be safe, or so she thinks. By these stanzas the reader is able to tell how happy the mother was because she thought her daughter would be safe by listening to her and not going to the March. The last two stanzas, 7 and 8, show that the mother senses something is wrong, she runs to the church to find nothing, but her daughter’s shoe. At this moment she realizes that her baby is gone. These stanzas symbolize that even though her daughter listened to her she still wasn’t safe and is now dead. The Shoe symbolizes the loss the mother is going through and her loss of hope as well. This poem shows how elastic the bond between the daughter and her mother is because the daughter respected her mother’s wish by not going to the March and although the daughter is now dead her mother will always have her in her heart. By her having her
The daughter alludes to an idea that her mother was also judged harshly and made to feel ashamed. By the daughters ability to see through her mothers flaws and recognize that she was as wounded as the child was, there is sense of freedom for both when the daughter find her true self. Line such as “your nightmare of weakness,” and I learned from you to define myself through your denials,” present the idea that the mother was never able to defeat those that held her captive or she denied her chance to break free. The daughter moments of personal epiphany is a victory with the mother because it breaks a chain of self-loathing or hatred. There is pride and love for the women they truly were and is to be celebrated for mother and daughter.
I was carrying my whole life with me, as I walked towards the aircraft. I was carrying two suitcases, filled mainly with clothes and books. I know they were less than 20 kilograms because that was the permissible weight. I could not feel their weight as they were on the trolley. I had a backpack on my shoulders. It contained some eatables, some clothes, a novel, some magazines, a portable CD player, some CDS, a deck of cards, and an inflatable pillow. I was well prepared for my long flight. In my hand I carried as brown leather case containing my passport, visa, and all other personal documents and papers. If I were to lose that case, technically I would cease to exist. Other than that, I had a tennis racket slung over my left shoulder. In short, I was carrying almost all my belongings with me. But that was not all I was taking with me. I was carrying with me memories of 18 years. Things and incidents, long forgotten, resurfaced in my mind, with incredible detail. Every face around me reminded me of uncountable incidents. I was carrying with me a sense of tremendous loss. But, at the same time, I was also carrying with me hope and excitement. A new world called me, and I was looking forward to go there. To protect me in this new place, I had a holy red thread tied on my wrist. That was the explanation my Mom had given me when she was tying it. Though I did not necessarily agree with her, looking at the thread did bring a warm feeling in my heart. It symbolized the love and blessings of my parents which I carried with me, wherever I went.
Linda Pastan’s poem, “For a Daughter Leaving Home,” displays how a parent views the life of his or her daughter by relating it to their daughter’s first bicycle ride. Her bicycle ride represents the difficult and stressful journey that the girl has embarked on throughout her life. Although the girl is now grown up and ready to start a life of her own, her parent is recalling everything about the girl’s life up to this point.
...ary devices covered in this paper cannot even begin to cover the entirety of a great short story. The point of view, the symbolism, and the setting are just a few things that make these stories so memorable. The ability of Shirley Jackson to make a reader question the way society allows as normal with its traditions, families, and customs causes the reader to think that this can happen anywhere. Charlotte Perkins Gilman makes the reader wonder throughout the story is she crazy or is she possessed. The ability to make the reader sit white knuckled holding the book is amazing and the writing styles of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Shirley Jackson will forever go down in literary history.
The story begins as a tale told to an orphan recovered and claimed by Hibble, a man of mystery, dark and wise. The orphan, Flora, has been retrieved by Hibble and is on a journey to America to meet a fate she does not understand. Along the way, Hibble has been instructed to read to her the diary of her mother, Moll Flanders. It is an introduction to a woman who’s soul does not come across well on the written page, but Hibble struggles along, trying to entice the young girl with the memory of an extraordinary friend and confidante. Threats and lectures begin a journey that soon intrigues the young woman on its own merit. Her mother, it would seem, was more than she ever dreamed.
Wilbur and Orville Wright are known as “the Fathers of Modern Aviation.” Wilbur and Orville Wright came from a family with five children. Their father, Milton Wright, was a bishop and often traveled around as a result. Their mother was Susan Catherine Koerner and their father brought toys for their children when he comes back from his trips. Wilbur was born on April 16, 1867 and Orville was born in 1871. In 1878, when Wilbur was about 11 years old and Orville was about 7 years old, their father brought back a small model helicopter. It peaked their interest so much that this gift from their father helped develop their love of aeronautics. The model helicopter was made of materials such
The heart begins racing the moment the car pulls into the airport parking lot. The smell of jet fuel, automobile exhaust, and hot tarmac combine to assault the senses with images of exotic escapes and the kind of freedom that can only come from airports. I feel the thrum of the engines at takeoff and the vibration of the plane during the flight in my skin. I see people listening to MP3s and playing video games. I hear the couple behind me chatting about the weather in Florida and the possibility of rain. I recognize the smell of fading perfume that women are wearing. Chanel, Windsong and White Diamonds clash with the smell of popcorn and Quizno sandwiches.
The following essay is a critical comparison of ‘The Weekend’ by Makhosazana Xaba and ‘Going’ by Amy Hemphel. This essays main focus is the characteristics of Voice and exactly how they were manipulated to achieve the desired outcome of both the short stories. The comparison will include a breakdown of the characteristics and how they were applied to each short story, resulting in the required effect. This essay is broken down into four different headings; your voice, persona, character voice and point of view. Under each of these headings will be a critical comparison between both stories and the use of these techniques. All information used will be taken from articles and the short stories in the course reader, ‘ENGL 308 Contemporary Literature & Culture, Reading for Writing: Short Fiction by Dr Kobus Moolman.