Finding Hope: A Narrative Fiction

Among other animal imagery, birds appear frequently throughout the story in times of crisis. The birds often foreshadow dangers that lie ahead. For instance, when Robert's team takes a wrong turn, "the fog is full of noises"(80) of birds. Then the birds fly out of the ditch and disappear. Robert and Poole know that "[there] must be something terribly wrong...but neither one knew how to put it into words. The birds, being gone, had taken some mysterious presence with them. There was an awful sense of void--as if the world had been emptied" (81). The birds return and when Robert nears the collapsing dike and "one of the birds [flies] up cut[s] across Robert's path" as if it is trying to prevent him from going any further. Robert does not heed the warning and almost dies in the sinking mud.

How would you react living in an airport since you were young, well Andrew manages to keep a positive attitude. In the story Andrew said “My dad and I live in the airport, that's because we don't have a home and the airport is better than the streets.” This shows his attitude while living in the airport it’s tough but he does not want to show his dad that he truly wants to live in a house. Andrew tries to stay positive through the situation he’s going through. But he is a lot more positive than most people would be in his predicament. Another example on how Andrew is positive is when he saw the bird get stuck in the airport, “Don’t stop trying!” he told it silently. “Don’t! You can get out.” This part is significant to the story by showing how he is encouraging the bird to continue trying, that the bird can get out. But this makes me wonder if maybe he was just talking to himself because he has no one to help him stay positive. His dad surely does not encourage him his dad likes it at the airport his dad does not understand what Andrew really wants, yet Andrew still fights and he still has hope. The last example on how Andrew is positive is when he said “Then I remember the bird, It took awhile but a door opened and when the bird left, when it flew free, I knew it was singing.” It is important to notice that before he said this he almost lost hope, he got mad at the people around him because they had more than him. But he then tried to focus on something positive this shows that he truly wants to have hope and be positive.

When he bought it he whispered to the bird,”I know who will take care of you, little bird.” He was going to give the bird to his ill daughter to make her feel better. Like all of the other characters the man didn’t know what the swallow was saying. He placed the cage in the room and left. When the girl woke up in the middle of the night she saw the birdcage in her room and she realised how terrible it can be when a bird is in there. None of the characters understood what the bird wanted so badly but finally the bird has its chance. The bird slightly hesitated then opened its wings and flew away. Additionally, the girl said,”Will you fly for me, too, little bird?” stating that she can’t get free but she wants to feel free.

In the story the father didn’t understand his daughter which made their relationship rocky. In the text it says ‘‘...watching him get out of the truck and walk toward me, noticing that there was no smile on his face but still feeling my body move toward him, my arms opening for an embrace, something rising in my throat. My father stopped and held out his right hand.’’ This quote shows that the father had a hard time showing his emotions to his daughter. In the end of the story they bonded over a bird and the father began to understand his daughter.

The bird then returns to his former place in the cage, the speaker emphasizing the pain in the bird’s “old, old scars”, imparting that the bird has attempted to escape in this manner multiple times in the past. From the line in which the speaker says “And they pulse again with a keener sting,” which refers to the bird’s scars, the reader can assume that the “keener sting” is a fire in the bird’s wings fueled by determination to achieve freedom, and that the bird will continue attempting to escape relentlessly. The speaker states that he “knows why he beats his wing”, meaning that he knows the forces that can drive a creature to harm themselves in the process of trying to achieve something, and he has come in contact with those forces in his life.

As Cole stared at the tiny bodies, sadness flooded through him. The sparrows were so frail, helpless, and innocent. They hadn’t deserved to die. Then again, what right did they have to live? This haunted Cole. Did the birds’ insignificant little existences have any meaning at all? Or did his (82)?

One of the women made the comment that Mrs. Wright used to be pretty and happy, when she was Minnie Foster not Minnie Wright. This is just the beginning of realizing that she was just pushed to far into depression and couldn't live up to John Wright's expectations anymore. The Wrights had no children and Mrs. Wright was alone in the house all day long. The women perceive John Wright to be a controlling husband who in fact probably wouldn't have children and this may have upset Mrs. Wright. They eventually find vacant bird cage and ponder upon what happened to the bird, realizing Mrs. Wright was lonely they figured she loved the bird and it kept her company. The women make reference to the fact that Mrs. Wright was kind of like a bird herself, and that she changed so much since she married John Wright. They begin looking for stuff to bring her and they find the bird dead and they realize someone had wrung its neck. This is when they realize Mrs. Wright was in fact pushed to far, John Wright had wrung her bird's neck and in return Minnie Wright wrung his.

This man caused Louie to drink and to smoke, he became terrified to sleep due to the pain and the way he wanted so bad to get revenge. The Bird made Louie come extremely close to ruining his marriage and gave him an unsettling mindset from the thoughts of The Bird so intensely that he was scared he would injure someone in his sleep: “Louie was straddling Cynthia's chest, his hands locked around her neck. Through her closing throat, she was screaming. Louie was strangling his pregnant wife” (373). Louie was lucky, lucky he did not kill his wife, or hurt her, or kill his baby, he was lucky to have a wife as kind as Cynthia to stay by his side and not let him go. Luck once again was rushing through Louie’s life as Cynthia could’ve ended this marriage in a heartbeat, but instead took Louie to a preacher named Billy to retrieve him help so he would understand what wrong he is doing: “Cynthia stayed in the hall, listening to the neighbor. When she returned to the apartment, she told Louie that she wanted him to take her to hear Graham speak” (378). At the sound of God, Louie started to believe, he changed once more and went back to having a strong mind. A simple promise that Louie remembered to keep him strong and to keep him fighting to stay determined: “If you will save me, I will serve you forever” (382). Louie became a better man and from that moment

She held her son tightly and began to tell a story. There once was a white bird named Mr. Dove and he was full of peace and delight. Many people loved him as he we was well known for his speeches about equality and loving one another. However, a group of birds named the Ravens despised Mr. Dove and won day they trapped him. They nailed his talons to the cross and began to gnaw at his body until his skin was deteriorated. The Ravens laughed and went home bragging to everyone they knew. Many birds decided to go take a look at what they had done the next morning. When they reached the cross, it was empty. Mr. Dove had risen but that’s not the point she told Nwoye. Follow your heart my child, let it lead the way. Just as Mr. Dove had risen, you will soon rise

In an excerpt from the end of chapter three of William Golding’s novel, Lord of the Flies, Golding uses imagery and diction to create a serene mood. The chapter begins with Simon discovering a new part of the forest, where there is a mat created by creepers naturally weaving together. Golding describes Simon as being “secure in the middle he was in a little cabin screened off from the open space by a few leaves” (57). The use of the word “secure” in the passage connotes that Simon is completely safe in the mat, and the use of “little cabin” further implies that Simon is secure, in addition to being cozy and peaceful. This is because people would connote a “little cabin” as a comfortable, secure place in the woods that almost acts as a fort to the nature that surrounds it.

There was a bathos of birds that came down and raided the calm picnic and stole their food.

At the bird’s appearance and apparent vocal articulation, he is at first impressed, then saddened. He compares this evening visitor as only another friend which will soon depart, just as “other friends have flown before” (58). But the raven again echoes quite aptly his one-word vocabulary, thus leading the man on to think more deeply about the possibilities that exist at this juncture. Somewhere deep inside him, he has realized that it doesn’t matter what question he poses, the bird will respond the same.

Later, when Fritz brings back a fantastic bird the boys cheered “Bravo! Bravo!” (286). In the beginning, the boys beat and killed many animals without putting a second thought to it – especially Jack. The father reprimanded and reminded them not to kill

Other aspect of Nat’s personality is that he is quite ungrateful. After Death had granted him an extra day of life (taking in consideration his feelings and wishes) Nat still had the nerve to call him a schlep to his friend. He’s rudeness and ungrateful attitude very clear. We observe his lack of humbleness towards Death also

He wonders why the birds are just waiting in the sky as if they are waiting for a command, why they are restless, and he thinks it is strange that they are little birds and they are the type of the birds that normally keep to their own territory and don’t have a history of attacking people . When he looks out toward the coast, he sees the birds flocking in his direction and he believes that for some odd reason, they are going to come down to the