Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay on matured innocence
Elements of literary text
Common themes in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Do you know anyone who is destructive when they get mad? In “Marigolds”, Lizabeth does not know how to express her anger. In the beginning, Lizabeth thought that the marigolds were useless and pointless but at the end she matured and realized that it symbolized beauty. The theme of this story is The loss of youth’s innocence comes compassion for others and deeper understanding of life. In lines 354-356 it says “That violent, crazy act was the last act of childhood.” This goes along with the theme because she’s finally growing up and understanding the true importance of the marigolds. She learns to stay away from judgments, and begins to have empathy for others. Lizabeth becomes more mature and grows from childhood to early adulthood. She
Klein, Maxwell. The Images and Metaphors of Flower Children. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1988.
Loss of Innocence in Killing a Mockingbird Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather, the streets turned red slop; grass grew on the sidewalks, the courthouse sagged in the square. " (Lee 9). This environment, as Scout Finch accurately describes, is not conducive to young children, loud noises, and games. But, the Finch children and Dill must occupy themselves in order to avoid boredom.
Marita Bonner starts her short essay by describing the joys and innocence of youth. She depicts the carefree fancies of a cheerful and intelligent child. She compares the feelings of such abandonment and gaiety to that of a kitten in a field of catnip. Where the future is opened to endless opportunities and filled with all the dream and promises that only a youth can know. There are so many things in the world to see, learn, and experience that your mind in split into many directions of interest. This is a memorable time in life filled with bliss and lack of hardships.
Eugenia Collier’s “Marigolds” is a memoir of a colored girl living in the Great Depression. The story does not focus on the troubles society presents to the narrator (Elizabeth), but rather is focused on the conflict within her. Collier uses marigolds to show that the changes from childhood to adulthood cause fear in Elizabeth, which is the enemy of compassion and hope.
In Maragold, Lizabeth uses the symbolism of the maragold to help show the feeling and meaning behind the marigold. According to Maragold, “ Whatever verve there was left in her, whatever was of love and beauty and joy that had not been squeezed out by life, had been there in the marigolds she had so tenderly cared for.” (10) At this point, Lizbeth finally realizes the terrible consequences of allowing her pride to take over her emotions and thoughts because she realizes how much the marigold has meaning in it and beauty and how long it took for her to grow it. Another way Lizbeth uses language to develop the theme is through mood . The mood of this story is clearly revealed when Lizbeth says, “ Suddenly I was ashamed, and I did not like being ashamed. The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun, but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack that I had led. The mood lasted all afternoon. (7)” This shows that Lizbeth is feeling ashamed and taking all her emotions and anger out on the marigold, she does this because she had all her emotions built up into one ball and she took it out on the marigolds instead of talking about it . And she just felt like her whole family wasn't listening to her and didn’t care what she was feeling. The symbolism of the Marigolds and the language that creates the regretful, guilty and loneliness tone of the story help the author
The Monster attempted to coexist with humanity, dealing with violence and abuse, only to be rejected and alone, much like how Satan is rejected by God. He is hoping that the wicked nature of the humans was not common between them all, until he meets the family which sways his opinions about the race. This fruit of hope soon turns rotten when he decides to befriend them only to be rejected again saying “from that moment on I declared everlasting war against the species” (Shelly 124) after their reaction. It was at this moment where he lost his innocence, seeing the truth that all humans are violent, only to make himself more lonely, which is seen in Paradise Lost from Satans rejection from God after they were defeated. Satan is a fallen angel,
symbolize poverty, the author’s use of marigolds further expresses this poverty by sheer contrast. The other image,
The characters in the short story “Marigolds”, live in a dusty, broken down, and poor
Boxed in by her notions, she turns to a man to be her "dandelion"(4) amongst a field of grass. Here dandelion is a symbol for identity. Dandelion is very vibrant and can be seen from a distance amongst the grass. Sadly in line thr...
Lizabeth is a young black girl in the time of the depression. Like many others in that time period she lives in a shantytown. Her father in unemployed and her mother works a domestic job. In her "neighborhood" there is an old Woman referred to as Ms. Lottie in the story/ Ms. Lottie lives in a ramshackle hut as well but unlike the other members of the "neighborhood" she has planted bright marigolds in the front of her house. A beautiful contrast to the time period. However, Lizabeth and her brother
The carousel is used to demonstrate Holden’s ideal image of innocence. For instance, when Holden buys a ticket with Phoebe’s money to the carousel for her and he “felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe kept going around and around” on the carousel kept inside the circle of innocence that protects her from maturity. Holden’s feels that children are the perfect picture of innocence and he wants the world to keep as much innocence as possible and he especially feels this way towards Phoebe because she is the last innocent person that Holden has left after Allie died. Another example would be when Holden is in DB’s room talking to Phoebe he zones out and begins think “What I have to do, T have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff -- I mean if their running and they they don’t look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them” (Salinger 191). Holden is still obsessed with the incorrect lyric of catch, which he heard a little kid singing, because it keeps that ideal that all little kids are innocent and
In “Ripe Figs”, the imagery of nature is present, but at the same time, it is not heavy-handed. Here, Chopin introduces Babette and her god-mother Mamane-Nanaine as they wait for the ripening of the figs before a summer trip to visit family. As the figs were described as “tender yet” and “little hard, green marbles,” so too is Babette, a young child who has not yet grown into a young adult (11). Mamane-Nanaine sees this and is pressing her to slow down, but does not stop her from going out to check on the figs. It is in this way that Mamane-Nanaine is described as “patient as the statue of la Madone,” never trying to rush things, while Babette is “as restless as a hummingbird,” unable to sit still for any real period of time (11). This is a very good contrast between the two, the older one capable of staying still and savoring time as it passes while the younger one must constantly be moving, trying to hurry things and make the time pass quickly. While these images of nature are light, they are still present and are very pleasing metaphors, contributing greatly to this wonderful short story.
Although it was proven that “our neighbor says they’re not for her, / and no one has a birthday near”(4-5), it was still a sweet anonymous “blunder” that belonged to nothing but the surface it sat on. The unexpected flowers can be symbolized as the unforeseen events to change an individual’s life and how the neighbors had no relation to the anonymous gift can represent an affected individual feeling alone or without any help from close ones. As the mystery continues, it even escalates to the point where both partners in the relationship start to question, “Is one of us having an affair? / At first we laugh, and then we wonder”(7-8), which they both have the feeling of insecurity or denial behind each other’s
Just as lavender invites the appreciation of others by because of its beauty, Lucie inspires the love and affection of others by virtue of her beauty. Lucie’s beauty and its effects on others are illustrated when Stryver comments that, “she is charming creature…worthy of good fortune” (164; bk.2, ch. 11). Lavender’s appearance draws people to it; Lucie’s charm and beauty also infatuate men, exemplified by Stryver who decides to propose to Lucie based solely on her physical beauty and outward charm. In general, lavender and Lucie are revered for their beauty. Lavender is planted in gardens to add beauty; similarly, Lucie is gorgeous and adds beauty to her home, even in the darkest situations. Lucie’s continuing people is illustrated when she is trapped in Paris by her husband’s imprisonment, yet manages to “[remain] very pretty and comely” (327, bk. 3, ch. 5). Lavender brightens its surroundings even in dark times; comparably, even in the darkest time of her life and separated from her husband because of his imprisonment, Lucie Manette remains beautiful and brightens her dark, dismal surroundings with her continued physical and spiritual beauty. Hence, just as lavender is known for its beauty that entices others and brightens its surroundings, Lucie Manette is adored for her attractiveness and ability to lighten even the
The vivid imagery of this poem lends itself to the idea of a cyclical spiritual life, that earthly trials and troubles are only temporary. “The Flower” begins in spring, when “grief melts away / like snow in May, / as if there were no such cold thing” (5-7). When the sunshine melts away