Literary Analysis: A 'Beloved Pocketknife'

Eudora Welty’s short story, “A Worn Path,” details the journey of an old woman, Phoenix Jackson, going to town to retrieve medicine for her ill grandson. Her trek is filled with many difficulties that challenge her mental and physical state. Throughout the short story, Welty relays Jackson’s experiences through the use of allusion and symbolism. In applying these literary devices, Welty successfully shows how the hardships Jackson faced increased her will to persevere despite doubt from others, deprivation, and isolation. The title, “A Worn Path,” alludes to the central theme of the short story, perseverance. Jackson’s repeated walk to town and through life enables her to learn how to use her disadvantages in her favor.

They carry many things, they carry a massive amount of weight on their shoulders. However, the heaviest thing that they carry cannot be touched. The intangible weight of fear, loss, anger, and guilt far outweigh any tangible item that they could possibly possess. The Thing They Carried is not only an eye-opening collection of war stories, but it is also a love story, a memoir, and a tribute to the unimaginable things that happen to our soldiers in war zones. War changes men, makes them different, and when they come home they are not the same person and they often have trouble readjusting to the life of a civilian.

Section 1-Let a man so much as scrape his finger pushing a truck in the pickle rooms, and he might have a sore that would put him out of the world; all the joints in his fingers might be eaten by the acid, one by one. Of the butchers and floorsmen, the beef-boners and trimmers, and all those who used knives, you could scarcely find a person who had the use of his thumb; time and time again the base of it had been slashed, till it was a mere lump of flesh against which the man pressed the knife to hold it. The hands of these men would be criss- crossed

Power and control plays a big role in the lives many. When power is used as a form of control, it leads to depression and misery in the relationship. This is proven through the themes and symbolism used in the stories Lesson before Dying, The fun they had, The strangers that came to town, and Dolls house through the median of three major unsuccessful relationship: racial tension between the African Americans and the caucasians in the novel Lesson before Dying, Doll’s House demonstrates a controlling relationship can be detrimental for both individuals and The Stranger That Came To Town along with The Fun They Had show that when an individual is suppressed by majority they become despondent.

In the book Everything I Never Told You, there are many different elements and techniques used within the book. The technique that I want to go into more depth on is the use of symbolism. I specifically want to focus on the symbolism in regards to Lydia, Hannah, and Nath’s love of astronauts and space.

In past years, as well as, in the twenty-first century, African Americans are being oppressed and judged based on the color of their skin. In, A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, this is the primary conflict that plagues Jefferson’s as well as Grant’s everyday life. By pleading guilty to a murder that he did not commit, Jefferson has to choose to die just as he is, a hog in the white’s eyes, or die a man. On the other hand, Grant, who is his teacher, is faced with being looked down upon by his community all because of his race and status. He is graced with the challenge of turning Jefferson into a man before his execution date. It is only a matter of time before they both realize that they cannot change the past and they have

‘Disabled’ and ‘The Necklace’ are two differing texts, dating from different times, and which both depict loss faced by the main characters. ‘The Necklace’, written by famous French writer Guy de Maupassant, tells the story of Mrs Loisel, a middle class woman living around late twentieth century France. She faces tragedy after losing a necklace she thought was inestimable, as she spends the rest of her life repaying it and sacrificing her riches, only to find out the necklace was an imitation. This philosophical story is based on morals and nevertheless warns us not to take granted what we already have. The other text, ‘Disabled’, is a poem written by the famous poet Wilfred Owen. It is set during World War One and is presented through the

In Kate Grenville’s bildungsroman, “The Lieutenant”, Grenville uses figurative language to convey various ideas through the landscapes and character behaviours. One such idea presented is the evident secrets and distrust among characters in the novel. Grenville further presents the isolation that people who were suspected to in the late 1700s to early 1800s as well as the issues in the colonisation and slavery of the British Empire.

When I chose A Bat In The Belfry and Berried to the Hilt,two murder mystery novels that both take place on the coast of Maine, my first thought was how similar the two books seemed. I do not typically gravitate toward mysteries, but I figured the suspense could push me through the books faster. Plus, I had not even started reading and I had already discovered three common elements among the two novels! Although there was a repetitive setting, genre and theme, I quickly found out how different the books really were.

In "The Necklace" the authors choice of words, or diction, is very well articulated. I enjoyed this story because the narrator, Guy de Maupassant sets us so much suspense with the tone of the story. Madame Louisel essentailly loses a valuable item, or so she thought, and goes to major extents and even life-deminishing problems to just make it seem like she was not responsible enough to take care of a necklace for a night.

Along with “Introduction to Poetry,” in “The Lanyard,” the speaker recalls making a lanyard at camp for mother, and illustrates the powerful memories and connections ordinary objects can bring. By repeating “and I gave her a lanyard” (20), “and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard” (26), “And here is your lanyard” (29), or “and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp” (34), Collins emphasizes the humor and irony it rouses simultaneously: although his mother “gave [him] life and milk from her breasts,” all the narrator could give was “a boxy/ red and white lanyard” (19, 17-18). Collins creates a comical effect as the speaker continuously derides his gift; thus comparing the greatness of the mother’s nurture and the meagerness of what he could return. However, Collins narrates an irony that “this useless, worthless thing [he] wove/ out of boredom would be enough to make [them] even” (41-42). Though the two-tone plastic strips speaker braided are trivial, the action of giving touches his mother’s heart, and showed the genuine love towards each other. Collins’ usage of irony is also described in “Forgetfulness”: “It has floated away down a dark mythological river/ whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall” (14-15). Yet the speaker only recalls the letter “L” from the entire name due to his “forgetfulness,” it is, however, possible to discover the rest of the

Within the novel, Tuck Everlasting, authored by Natalie Babbitt, there are vast amount of diverse morals. I agree that love is powerful, has been sustained by various examples throughout the novel. For example, Mae loved Winnie so much that she committed murder, by hitting the Man in the Yellow Suit with a shotgun. Another example, is that Jesse loved Winnie so much that he asked if they can get married, when she becomes 17. Finally, Tuck loved Winnie so much that he told her to not to drink the water, by telling negative outcome of drinking it.

Chinua Achebe was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor and critic. He is mainly known for his trilogy that investigates, using fiction, the history of Nigeria. The trilogy begins with Things Fall Apart, followed by No Longer at Ease and ended with Arrow of God. Furthermore, in this critically analytical essay, through a feminist perspective, a chapter of his second novel, No Longer at Ease, published in 1960, will be discussed. The setting of the novel is Lagos, Nigeria and Umuofia, Nigeria during the 1950s, before Nigeria attained independence from Great Britain. The novel, No Longer at Ease begins with Obi Okonkwo on trial, charged for accepting a bribe. However, using flashback, the author takes us back to the point before Obi’s departure

Symbolic objects can be observed by inquisitive and perceptive readers. Symbols fit naturally into context and can be overlooked by even the most perceptive reader. A symbol can have no apparent connection to the text, and therefore be considered as irrational, but the symbol's relation to the object is often typical for what it stands for. However, the main goal in using symbolism is to grasp a more complex meaning beyond its natural state. Glaspell's use of a birdcage is an apparent connection to Mrs. Wright's life on the farm with her husband. While Mr. Wright works on the house farm, Mrs. Wright is held captive; as a caged animal, alone to fulfill wifely duties. In agreement, a composed analysis by Ariang Bangga on Glaspell's Trifles explains how, "Traditional beliefs have held women captive for years. In Trifles, [readers] clearly [see] that there is an obvious distinction between men’s and woman’s role" (Ariang Bangga 1). The bird cage signifies Mr. Wright's treatment and harshness toward his wife to prevent Minnie from socializing with the outside world. Due to his cruelty, Minnie is like the trapped bird imprisoned by traditional male dominance. With that being said, another object of significance is brought forth, that being the bird. Glaspell strategically places symbols for readers to form their own suggested significance. In this matter, the bird is only allowed to wonder within its cage and depend completely on its owner. Relatively, Minnie is conformed to housekeeping matters and what Mr. Wright allows. Turning back to the birdcage that the two women found later in the play, it was found already broken without a bird inside. Marisarah’s article, "A Study of Symbols," suggests that the bird was removed roughly, resulting in the cage breaking. "It implies what just happened to Minnie's life, which she can finally [break away] from a cold and hard husband with a rough way too"

Herbert Marcuse, a Frankfurt philosopher, wrote his book One-Dimensional Man in the 1960’s during at the height of the Cold War. The book One Dimensional Man was both influential and highly critical of modern industrial capitalism and as Marcuse believed, its subsequent exploitation of people and nature, as well as its contribution to modern consumer culture and new forms of social control. One Dimensional Man offers an analysis of the new state of consumerism during the 1960’s through a critical lens. This essay will focus on One Dimensional Man as I explore his view that technological development, alienated labour and consumerism have distorted affluent societies in creating false needs as well as perpetuating unfairness through various