Close Reading of "What the Snakes Brings to the World" by Lorna Crozier

“…. because a girl of my age ought to be able to brush her own hair and it was a travesty that my mother hadn’t taught me” (Evans 39). It is often the case that most people develop awareness of their identity when they become involved in diverse social circles, neighborhoods, or schools. In “Snakes”, Danielle Evans carefully chooses the characterization of her characters to give the reader an insight into the racial division that has been pervasive in America. Having never been aware of her biracial identity, Tara confronts the reality of her identity when she leaves her parent’s house to spend the summer with her grandmother. Evans portrays Lydia, Tara’s grandmother, as brutal, bigoted white grandmother to draw parallel between her and white

The detail increases the power the snake exudes in the perspective of the man. “Children, dogs, and horses…who weren’t as strong” compared to the snake, created panic and fear, because of its “six powerful fangs” and “little

The author’s use of imagery also leaves the listeners crying at their misfortunes. To fully illustrate the burning, agony of Hell, the author frequently uses the phrases “glowing flames” and “Hell’s wide gaping mouth open”. This depict that Hell is very “hot” to endure

In the book collection Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self, author Danielle Evans suggests that the issue of race and how it affects families is still relevant in today’s society in a particular piece known as “Snakes.” Evans, an American writer, and educator set up the story “Snakes” to where the setting is constantly changing, which is reflective of the character changing as a whole. Evans suggests that at the beginning of this story, relationships between characters is shown through the layout of the setting. The setting begins in an airport in Tallahassee as the protagonist, Tara, is unsure and confused as to why her parents would

The poem suddenly becomes much darker in the last stanza and a Billy Collins explains how teachers, students or general readers of poetry ‘torture’ a poem by being what he believes is cruelly analytical. He says, “all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it”. Here, the poem is being personified yet again and this brings about an almost human connection between the reader and the poem. This use of personification is effective as it makes the

It is apparent from the first line of the poem that author is in a state of overriding fear travelling through the unknown: likening the road to an “old snake shedding its skin.” A snake is a clear representation of childhood fear and youthful paranoia, due to its intimidating nature. Walcott compares the path to a snake because he fears it just like a snake, to him the path is daunting and potentially deadly at first. The author not only compares the road to a snake but a snake shedding its skin. This paints a grotesque image for readers and illustrates how he views his initial journey with anything but enthusiasm. The author is in the unfamiliar wilderness searching for not only the storyteller’s house but himself. His state of childhood terror is only counterbalanced by his encounter with the storyteller.

Early Christian theologian and philosopher Augustine of Hippo once declared that “we ought to wish ours (teachings) to conform to that of sacred scripture.” In this essay, we will be analyzing theological perspectives of Saint Augustine and will discuss his ideas about the role of women in the Fall of Man, his views on intentionality and the nature of evil, and the ways in which his teachings influenced C.S. Lewis and his literally works in The Chronicles of Narnia. To begin, Saint Augustine had a utilitarian view of women, and his writings would influence the early Catholic and Protestant churches for centuries to come. In addressing the Fall of Man, Augustine believes that Adam and Eve had different motives for eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden and is forced to explain these different roles because of 1st Timothy 2:14, which states, “Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Augustine theorized that Eve ate the fruit because she saw it as pleasing to the eye, and when she was approached by the snake had neither the wisdom nor the prowess to avoid falling into temptation. She was, after all, only a companion to Adam and in the end, Adam chose her companionship over the will of the Lord. There is also an early Christian theology that supports the idea that beautiful women are temptresses, and modest beauty is much more pleasing to God. We see this idea in many of C.S. Lewis’ works, but we will draw on an example from The

The reference to snakes refers back to the snake in the Garden of Eden. Additionally, the reference to berries seem to make them something holy, an unattainable object that is craved for, “Just one of the berries and you felt anointed” (136). Further, the reference to how the adults follow the example of the innocent, “…the baby’s thrilled eyes and smacking lips

The third stanza describes the snake as “cool and gleaming as a braided whip” (9-10). Describing the snake as a braided whip demonstrates the intricate woven pattern of the snake’s scales and the poet’s appreciation for nature and its’ beauty. The snake is not a useless piece of rubber, but a beautiful and vibrant part of nature. “He is as beautiful and quiet as a bead brother” (10-11). The snake is quiet, makes no sound, and snuggles into

Therefore, most of the Stanza and the 10th line focus on introducing the reader into the problem and the perpetrators of the violence. The use of religion is not only symbolic to the inevitable suffering of the Latin Americans at the Poets country but also is ironical to the end times which marks massive violence acts against humanity. The aspect is brought to form by the last two lines which liken the treatment of the Indian bodies being killed as rotten fruits, thrown in a pile of garbage. The words rotten and garbage bring out the ugly scene of dead bodies surrounded by flies that feed on the decomposed material, an immense feeling of empathy towards the dead.

Language: the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other. Cadmus is relevant because his story connected Greek mythology together so it is relatable to the lives of the Greece population. His story influenced all aspects’ of culture, he was an epic hero, and his influence is still felt today. Cadmus’s story has influenced culture through written language and bravery.

“Piano” and “Snake” in D.H Lawrence’s representations express an inner conflict; the troubles they face are based upon distinct and similar reasons, they want an escape to their present state. “Piano” and “Snake” in D.H Lawrence’s representations express an inner conflict; the troubles they face are for distinct and similar reasons; they want an escape to their present state. The interpretation received when analyzing “Piano” was that the narrator himself was having a troublesome time because he aspired something that was nostalgically unreachable for him, his childhood. What caused this inclination to be unreachable was due to the time passing which resulted in him becoming an adult and conforming to the constitutional systems. Snake’s narrator’s inner distress came from the need to break down the structural voices and principles that educational systems had constructed upon him. Both narrators have heavily built up emotions for the want of liberation from the prisons that confine them to the structures meant for them; their desires although differing in context are similar in topic matter. There are in fact differences in what they long for, but there is no doubt that they do desire something different from what they presently have.

A popular characteristic in many of Blake’s poems is the inclusion of biblical allusions to convey meaning. In his poem “A Poison Tree”, Blake uses anaphora, diction, and symbol to allow biblical allusions that depicts the evil that man is capable to come into being. Anaphora is the usage of the same word or phrase at the beginning of every consecutive line. In stanza one, the word ‘I’ begins every line, and later on the word ‘and’ is used seven times to signify the start of some of the lines. The poem is organized in a way that immediately starts off using anaphora and since anaphora is mainly

Love makes people become selfish, but it is also makes the world greater. In this poem, the world that the speaker lives and loves is not limited in “my North, my South, my East and West / my working week and my Sunday rest” (9-10), it spreads to “My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song (11). The poem’s imagery dominates most of the third stanza giving readers an image of a peaceful world in which everything is in order. However, the last sentence of the stanza is the decisive element. This element not only destroys the inner world of the speaker, but it also sends out the message that love or life is mortal.

But my cousin towered over my grandmother and me. I’m not sure if my grandmother wanted to, but even had she, there was little to nothing she could have done that would have befitted or equal to the punishment of his crime or the punishment I paid for his crime. Thus, with “The Snake” my grandmother, a church going faithful, poured her indignation out on me, shamelessly. She tried to beat the devil out of me and to keep me on the straight and narrow path to God. And as my grandmother beat the demons out, both mine and hers, the shell to my soul cracked open under the pressure. And with every raising and falling of “The Snake” in grand momma’s hand, she and I were propelled into paralleled existences, yet in different