Analysis Of The Only Girl At The Boys Party By Sharon Olds

All in all, the short story “Through the Tunnel” by Doris Lessing conveys the theme of adolescence through symbolism of setting and comparison. By setting the tunnel as a symbol of adolescence, the author helps readers understand the mental and physical struggles of adolescence. Adolescence is a difficult and crazy period in life, but somehow once most people get through it, they become mature, strong and kind. In other words, they’re

In the short story “Girl”, by Jamaica Kincaid is told from the perspective of two different people. There is a bonding relationship that is happening between the two people in this short story. The mother seems to be the main character in this essay uses a very strict tone to her daughter. The daughter is being told about how to do things in her life the correct way. The daughter barely speaks during this essay, she is doing more analyzing than arguing with her mother. When the mother gives the daughter advise she was trying to give her words of wisdom. But, at the same time, some of the ideas the mother gave to her child was offensive like “slut”. The mother has different perspectives throughout this essay with a lot of different

“The Metaphor,” by Budge Wilson tells the story of a shy and embarrassed middle-schooler, turned beautiful and confident high-schooler. As Charlotte reflects on her time as an adolescent, she remembers one of her favorite English teacher who was tragically killed. Miss Hancock inspired Charlotte in more ways than one, which is why it is understandable that she felt a great deal of guilt after she was killed. Although the story does not clarify, it is quite clear that Miss Hancock’s death was not a coincidence. The school bus that takes her life was symbolic of her failures as a teacher, which affected her deeply towards the end of her life. In Miss Hancock’s case, it was what she loved the most that ended up taking the most from her.

The poem is about an adolescent who believes that his body houses one hundred and two gallons of water. The poem begins, “Somewhere a mistaken word distorts the sum:” this opening statement gives the reader the impression that a conflict or complication is about to emerge. “...divide becomes multiply so he'd wrestle his parents who defy what he insists.” The reader can clearly see the adolescent's relationship with his parents here. There is an evident tension between the boy and his parents which the next line shines more light on; "I did the problem and my teacher said I was right!" so the child is clearly exclaiming his intelligence to be superior to that of his parents.

Charlotte, a teenager making her way through high school, undergoes a coming of age transformation through the teachings of her Mrs. Hancock and her mother in “The Metaphor” by Budge Wilson. As with most stories like these, Charlotte has a major conflict that determines how she will grow up. For the protagonist, the conflict is not so much between her teacher and mother, but more so the lessons they bestow upon Charlotte. Through her use of literary techniques, the author is able to craft this dynamic between the two schools of thought. The symbolism, diction, tone and metaphors that Wilson uses shows which discipline, flamboyant and exciting or controlling and passive-aggressive, she chooses to live by.

The child seems to address the reader and says, “You tell me it’s too early to be looking back, but that is because you have forgotten the perfect simplicity of being one and the beautiful complexity introduced by two” (76). The child goes on to list more magnificent experiences he had as a younger child. With these lines Collins masterfully predicts what the reader must be feeling. The reader is doubtful at first that this boy is old enough to be thinking about this, but as the stanza carries on they begin to realize he has a point. Collins reminds the reader of possible memories they have and proves that what this child is feeling is valid. The boy goes on to proclaim, “It is time to say goodbye to my imaginary friends, time to turn the first big number. Collins suggests that an active and free roaming imagination must be let go as one grows older. Again he targets the readers past experiences and reminds them that growing up can be a really sad thing. The reader is also reminded of the fun childhood they lost. It is clear to see that adults who have forgotten their past are the targeted audience as the poem reminds them of old times and causes them to remember lost memories of growing

The friends of the narrator, however, do not hide in the imaginary world of childhood and are maturing into adolescents. Sally, “ screamed if she got her stockings muddy,” felt they were too old to “ the games” (paragraph 9). Sally stayed by the curb and talked to the boys (paragraph 10).

The trials and tribulations adolescents face as they shed their innocence and cross the threshold into adulthood is a universal issue facing young readers in all eras. The dazzling use of simile in Charlies’ statement “my exit from

But, for the first time, her daughter stares into her eyes, and her response is astounding as well as startling, considering her age. She says, “Mommy, there's a world in your eye. Mommy, where did you get that world in your eye?", and for the first time since the beginning of the piece, we experience Alice’s confidence once again (6). She realizes her self-worth, and that it is not determined by her appearance, she says, “Yes indeed, I realized, looking into the mirror. There was a world in my eye” and although she went through a good portion of her life believing that she wasn’t beautiful, or sufficient, it was all worth it because it taught her to love herself even more now (6). To end the piece, she illustrates a dream she had: it’s her old self-doubting self and another her, confident and radiating, coming together. She is once again able to speak of herself in a positive way, she states that the latter self is “beautiful, whole, and free. And she is also [her]”, which, in a way, exhibits that same attitude she had as a two-year-old (6). Twenty-seven-year-old Alice completely contradicts twelve-year-old Alice, who would “abuse [her] eye” and who did “not pray for sight” but “for beauty” (4); she now speaks of herself

In Gwen Harwood’s poetry, the changes in an individual’s perspective and attitudes towards situations, surroundings and, therefore transformations in themselves, are brought on by external influences, usually in the form of a person or an event. These changes are either results of a dramatic realisation, as seen with shattering of a child’s hopes in The Glass Jar, or a melancholy and gradual process, where a series of not so obvious discoveries produces similar reformation. An example of the later case would be Nightfall, the second section of Father and Child, where the persona refers to her forty years of life causing “maturation”. For the most part these changes are not narrated directly but are represented by using dynamic language

Many time we spend our whole childhood wishing we were older and now we’re spending our adulthood wishing to be younger. In the poems “Quinceanera” and “Rite of Passage” both Cofer and Olds explore the theme of coming of age and we acquire to truly live up to those adult characteristics that every child has within them , the authors use various literary devices, such as imagery, tone, and figurative language, such as similes.

Though its primary function is usually plot driven--as a source of humor and a means to effect changes in characters through disguise and deception—cross dressing is also a sociological motif involving gendered play. My earlier essay on the use of the motif in Shakespeare's plays pointed out that cross dressing has been discussed as a symptom of "a radical discontinuity in the meaning of the family" (Belsey 178), as cul-tural anxiety over the destabilization of the social hierarchy (Baker, Howard, Garber), as the means for a woman to be assertive without arousing hostility (Claiborne Park), and as homoerotic arousal (Jardine). This variety of interpretations suggests the multivoiced character of the motif, but

We live in a society where the similarities between female and males are seen at birth. It begins innocently with the toddlers; girls get pink while boys get blue. The gap between boys and girls develops with time and becomes increasingly apparent. There are still gender stereotypes today, but it is not as bad as it was in the past. Jamaica Kincaid’s short story “Girl” perfectly portrays gender stereotypes. It represents gender concepts as cultural constructs in the period it was written. These conceptions are comparable to current stereotypes about gender. The book gives us a list of commands from a mother to a daughter. Men in the society are dominant to the women, and the set of rules is a product of patriarchy whereby the mother and daughter appear as subordinates to the men in their lives. The article makes one aware of the prevailing masculine hierarchy that exists in a family, and how it creates firm gender roles for females in the society.

In the story Girl, The author Jamaica Kincaid uses point if view to show how the mother teaches her daughter how to be the proper or perfect woman for a man. She also uses” This is how”shows how the mother teaches the daughter how to be sophisticated.

Alice Munro's short story, "Boys and Girls," explores the different roles of men and women in society through a young girl's discovery of what it means to be a girl. A close examination of the elements of a short story as they are used in "Boys and Girls" helps us to understand the meaning of the story.