How far would a mother go for her daughter? In the story “Leap” by Louise Erdrich the daughter describes numerous sacrifices her mother made in order to get the daughter to where she is now. On a shallow analysis, the story is about how the daughter is grateful for her mother. On a deeper analysis, the story expresses how in moments of decision in the characters lives one can choose to change their succession through life. For the duration of the story the daughter tells us how the mother withstood troublesome times and how she managed. Amidst the characterization, Irony and foreshadowing, and mood the the theme is eminently evident. These literary elements show us the theme that in order to overcome your fears you have to face them and ‘leap’ …show more content…
over them. Firstly, through the characterization of the daughter and the mother, Anna Avalon, the theme is displayed fairly vividly. The lucidity of how these personalities are brought to life make complex concepts easier to grasp. The daughter mentions “I know that she's right. I knew it even then. As you fall there is time to think. Curled as I was, against her stomach, I was not startled by the cries of the crowd or the looming faces, ”. This quote displays the mother remarkably calm when she is facing her fears which also supports the main theme the author is trying to convey. In addition, the daughter tells us “My mother lives comfortably in extreme elements,”. After reading this segment we know the mother is rational and in control of her feelings. This is the approach she takes in order to leap over the hurdles she faces in life. Similarly, the daughter is prudent and considerate. Not only does she read to her mother every night and she also says “I owe her my existance three times”. The daughter also acknowledges the mother's approach to different scenarios. Indeed, the entire story is about the daughter thanking her mother for everything. Through these points we can see the daughter is very honest with herself. This is the method she uses to face her anxiety. Overall, we can see the author's use of characterization helps the reader understand the theme of the story. To be able to face your phobias, one must have no doubt and approach the problem head-on. Likewise, Irony and foreshadowing are both as important as characterization. Furthermore, the irony and foreshadowing in the story are certainly compelling when disclosing the theme.
To elaborate, the daughter says ``My mother once said that I’d be amazed at how many things a person can do within the act of falling``. This instance of foreshadowing lets the reader know how the characters point of view about life is. As well, the daughter is giving us a hint when she says ``That is the debt we take for granted since none of us asks for life. It is only once we have it that we hang on so dearly``. She is referring to the end of the story when she is holding on to her mother as they are both falling down into the firefighters net. Both these examples refer to falling, and in both a figurative and literary way. The author could be referring to falling down from somewhere, however in a profound meaning it is meant to refer to times when you are feeling low or having the belief that things could not get any worse. The significance of this is how you have time to think and bounce back. Subsequently, it is quite ironic how the first time she leaps to save a life the daughter in which she is pregnant with at the time passes away. In contrast when she leaps the second time to save a life she actually saves her second daughter's life. This pattern is critical in order to display the mothers fearless determination even though the last time an event like this occur it did not turn ot as well as she wanted it to turn out. Overall, we can see how irony and …show more content…
foreshadowing is used throughout the story to show the reader how well the characters manage before, during and after the traumatic incidents they encounter. How they are doing all adds up to bravery and having the courage to face even the worst of fears. Just as crucial in communicating the theme is mood and tone. Identically, the mood and tone of the story truly set the theme.
The mood and tone of the story are extremely strong because of the way the story is written and the words used. Even though there are numerous occasions where the characters go through rough times, somehow the story is still light hearted. The author used examples such as ``They dropped gracefully from nowhere, like two sparkling birds`` and ``It was the friendliest tap, a bit tentative, as if she was afraid she had arrived too early at a friends house``. These quotes and many others in the story use generally positive words even though they are setting the scene for an incident. The message the author is giving the reader is that there is always something positive to look forward to even if you are going through hard times. In like manner, the author describes the activities the characters in the story do in order to get past what they have been through. For example, when the daughter says ``She finally learned to read and write, as a way of overcoming boredom and depression of those weeks, and it was my father who insisted on teaching her, ``. Correspondingly, even though her husband passed away in the circus, she went to the hospital where she fell in love all over again. It was the incident in the circus that brought the daughters parents together, which the daughter is clearly grateful for as well when she says ``I owe my existence, the second time then, to the two of them and the hospital that brought
them together. That is the debt we take for granted since none of us asks for life``. Once again, we can learn from the mood and tone that there is always a positive point of view on all these situations and this is how they got past the obstacles they were facing in life. In conclusion, the theme of the story is conveyed through characterization, irony and foreshadowing, and mood. ``the Leap`` is a rich story full with examples of how you can get past your fears. In the end, we must all live our life in the best possible way we can. It is not a coincidence that the author uses the words ``anticipation`` and ``preparation`` repeatedly throughout the story, which go hand in hand to show us the teme. Now, we must think to ourselves, how far are we willing to go for someone else?
In conclusion, the story describes that life changes, and nothing stays the same throughout it. It is in the hands of the people to decide that how they want their life to be. They can make it as beautiful as they want to and they can also make it worse than it has ever been
The overall message of the passage was that with all the struggles that the little girl went through you can still over come those struggles. With having to deal with someone abusing her mother, to having to deal with in order to protect her mother was to leave and finally having to kill someone in order to protect her self. This little girl has experience more things in life than many people will ever have to deal with. I really do believe that Blocks message that she was trying to give her readers is that there are some real struggles that people go through. It’s how you learn and over come those struggles is the person that everyone should know about
...o the conclusion of the theme. I strongly think that the message the author Sharon Draper was trying to explain to the readers is that even though we all fall that we also must learn to get back up. Amari had given me inspiration because even thought she went through some of the worst problems that any girl her age can experience Amari with the help of everyone around her was able to use her backbone to get her back up and lift her head up high to accept what future awaited her. The people around her helped shape who she will be one day and I can relate this to my life in which I choose to follow or not follow the ideas of society to help shape my future life into a better one than it is right now. And I have also learned that even through the toughest times to always remember that I am not alone, that I have my experiences and hopes to guide me through the journey.
All through the times of the intense expectation, overwhelming sadness, and inspiring hope in this novel comes a feeling of relief in knowing that this family will make it through the wearisome times with triumph in their faces. The relationships that the mother shares with her children and parents are what save her from despair and ruin, and these relationships are the key to any and all families emerging from the depths of darkness into the fresh air of hope and happiness.
Now the hero finds him or herself understanding of the world changing (“The Hero’s Journey”). As the sun sets in the sky, Martas mood changes considerably. She now reaches the levels in which the people aren’t so wealthy. These people are now hard workers well on their way to achieve their goals. “Now Marta no longer saw just groups of carefree people inside the apartments; at times there were even some businesses where the employees, in black or blue aprons, were sitting at desks in long rows. Several of them were young people as old as or older then she, and weary of the day by now, every once in a while they raised their eyes from their duties and from typewriters” (“The Falling Girl” 2). Her beauty and graces is fleeing. As she ages, more people are focused on the day to day work. For the very first time the writer gives us a true sense of what Marta is after, “They were obviously giving a large party, exactly the kind that Marta dreamed of ever since she was a child. Heaven help her if she missed it. Down there opportunity was waiting for her, fate, romance, the true inauguration of her life” (“The Falling Girl 3). The girl is in such a hurry to her goal she is not appreciating the journey. At this point in the journey, other girls begin to fall and Marta realizes she is not alone. This shows that in society many other girls are wasting their lives
The little girl wants to be someone else and to be something more in her life, so her character literally fly’s to new places to visit interesting people. The mother wants to fly to see her family, but the concluding statement made by her depicts that she also wants to fly out of the financial circumstances that her family is in. The two character’s both want something more out of life, but for the little girl it is still a dream and she can control the outcome any time she wants. The mother dreams of flying to see her family, but she wants her dreams to become reality so she and her family can have better
In Louise Erdrich’s “Tracks';, the readers discovers by the second chapter that there are two narrators, Nanapush and Pauline Puyat. This method of having two narrators telling their stories alternately could be at first confusing, especially if the readers hasn’t been briefed about it or hasn’t read a synopsis of it. Traditionally, there is one narrator in the story, but Erdrich does an effective and spectacular job in combining Nanapush and Pauline’s stories. It is so well written that one might question as he or she reads who is the principal character in this story? Being that there are two narrators, is it Nanapush, the first narrator, him being a participant in the story, who tells his story in the “I'; form? Or is it Pauline, the second narrator, who also narrates in the “I'; form? Upon further reading, the motive for both narrators’ stories become more evident, and by the end of the book, it becomes clear that one character is the driving force for both of the narrators’ stories. This central character is Fleur Pillager. She in fact is the protagonist of “Tracks';. Even though she is limited in dialogues, her actions speak more than words itself.
“When i was a child i played with my cousin outside, where the lamplight fell upon the group and the singing of the old people rose around us and carries away into the darkness.” the idea of dark and light is a motif throughout this whole story not only showing good versus evil but also knowledge and the lack of knowledge. This also encompasses the traditions of singing and dancing. The elders and the singing bring knowledge which is represented through the lamplight which is singing on the children, who will soon gain the knowledge passed down. “Still, it was early in the morning, and the birds sang out of the shadows.” this is when he is older and the birds are the elders, still singing their traditional songs. This time we is in the light because his grandmother dies, and because he is older. In a way he is coming to realizations and the truth is seeping through. His personal experiences in rainy mountain helped his discover partes of himself, both the playful, happy child, and the mourning adult. The change in setting plays a large role in both aspects of his life, the darkness is bing naive and the sunlight is finally gaining knowledge. This is representative of everyone 's oneself. Each person 's experiences shape who they are. Not only the good but also the bad experiences cause you to learn about your innerself. This causes to you to grow as a person
I think there could be multiple things that the author could have intended to get through to the readers. She could have wanted to teach or show young adults how hard life could get under certain circumstances. She also could have meant to reveal to kids that life isn’t always nice,easy or as pretty as you might have thought it was as a little kid. The true intent of the book could very well be something completely different from both of these things.
The hope to survive is shown through the author’s use of figurative language. For example, Gerda listening to her parents’ conversation about her father leaving on the train the next morning brings her strength. Her parents’ love and courage sustains Gerda through the happy
The story made me feel sad because the antagonist had suffered after entering the real world from his fantasies. The strongest aspect of the story is when Neddy learned the lesson from his journey that time pass quickly and life is too short. The weakest aspect of the story is Neddy attitude and feelings had changed as he went through his journey by meeting people. The story thought me that life is short and don’t waste time on things which are not worthy, besides, focus on your goals which can make you and
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.
The poet tries to appreciate the people, who are always present when their friends and family are in need. She says that when people are in need of help, and/or suffering, all one needs to do is stick by their side, to give them courage to overcome their troubles.
There are a couple of similes the author uses in the poem to stress the helplessness she felt in childhood. In the lines, “The tears/ running down like mud” (11,12), the reader may notice the words sliding down the page in lines 12-14 like mud and tears that flowed in childhood days. The speaker compares a...
“The story employs a dramatic point of view that emphasizes the fragility of human relationships. It shows understanding and agreemen...