'Man's Sympathy In The Rattler'

There has been a time at one point in a person’s life where they were given a task they did not want to do. Sometimes it has to be done. The the short story The Rattler, a mane is talking a walk through a desert setting. His walked was suddenly stopped when he saw a dangerous looking snake, at first glance anyway. He was faced with the task of killing the snake. When the task was complete, he was not thrilled. In The Rattler, the author creates the effect of empathy for the man and sympathy for the snake. The techniques used to achieve that are the description of the man, description of the snake, the setting.

In the morosely reluctant passage, “The Rattler,” the author depicts a conflict between a man’s consciousness and his duty to kill the snake. With the detailed images of the scene, the reader comes to understand the man’s internal conflict. He must decide whether or not it is necessary to kill an innocent rattlesnake; however, when the obligation to protect others is greater than the life of the snake, the man has no other choice but to kill the snake. Throughout the passage, “The Rattler” brilliantly utilizes diction, detail, syntax and overall organization to convey his message.

When in times of danger, people must often take the actions they see best fit. In "The Rattler," the author depicts a vivid story of a man who has to make a difficult choice while facing a rattlesnake in the desert. Despite the man seeing a threat in the snake, it is him that becomes a threat to the other. By using the descriptions of the man, the snake and the specific setting, the author affects the reader by creating a sense of empathy for the narrator and sympathy for the snake. With such a connection, it adds a greater depth to the story for the reader to analyze.

The author’s diction heightens the intensity and power the snake brings as it also aids in describing the inner thoughts of the protagonist. When the main character saw that the snake was “waiting for him”, he “stopped short” and the snake continued to “[hold] his ground”. The snake created anticipation as he completed these actions, therefore causing the man to feel curious and uneasy. Like a “live wire” the snake “drew his head back,” preparing to strike, this action seemed effortless and almost as if it was a “mechanical reflex”. The reptile is seen as being extremely lethal due to its quick and natural reflexes. Snakes similar to this one are born with the same instinct as their hominid adversaries; to survive. The diction in “The Rattler” effects the tone that is understood by the audience. Detail is another key factor when trying to convey the deeper meaning within the narrative.

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.

The climax of Salvation on Sand Mountain, author Dennis Covington’s account of his own exploration into the bizarre and small world of snake-handling, is when Covington himself takes up the snakes for his first (and last) time. As he describes in great detail, the experience of snake-handling for Covington was similar to that of an awakening. Covington felt no fear, as the snake became an extension of himself and the entire room faded to white. As Covington begins to come back into himself, the sound, smell, and heat of the church all return, and he hands the snake back to Carl. The most climatic scene in the work ends. As I read this scene, though, my own views and understanding of religion began to complicate because I am accustomed to thinking of religious in the context of the quiet of the Catholic Church and not the chaos of the snake-handlers’ church. Thus, I also became skeptical of Covington’s experience due to his previous affinity for danger.

The organization found within the passage of “The Rattler” illustrates to the reader how the once calm mood turns into one of hostility. At the beginning of the second paragraph, the reader notices how at first the snake’s body lay “undulant”. This moment shows although the snake is capable of attack, it has no intentions to harm the narrator. The mood seems to remain calm until not the snake, but the man, “dragged him out of it with his back broken.” This action exemplifies the mood only becomes hostile when the man initiates attack. Towards the end, the reader can see regret from the man of the “nasty sight”. Respect can be found for both characters as they are both trying to protect something dear to them – the man his fellow members of

The high school graduate is happy because he is going to be done with school and starting a fresh new life. The snake is happy because it is now in position to control the student’s life. The debt-snake is now ready to eat the student alive. The snake is not killing the student because student debt will not completely ruin a student’s life. The photographer is good to detail showing how the debt will have a major controlling role in the student’s life but it will not kill

A particularly sad scene in this chapter included the finding of a sun-bleached human bone on a rock in the middle of the desert – with no other items insight. The evil of the US is reflected in a symbolic evil of the desert. The desert will wipe away

The symbolism that is apparent in this story is the snake. Delia is terrified of snakes and her husband Sykes loves to tease her about her fear of snakes (Hurston, 1926). In the beginning of the story, while Delia is sorting clothes Sykes throws his big bull whip on her and she is terrified until she notices what it is (Hurston, 1926). Irony is shown in the story because even though Sykes brings the rattlesnake home to scare Delia off, it ends up killing him in the end (Hurston, 1926). The reader can also see the literary element of figurative language being used when Delia gets fed up with Sykes having the rattlesnake at their house and she begins to let him know how fed up she is of him: “Yo’ ole black hide don’t look lak nothin’ tuh me, but uh passle uh wrinkled up rubber, wid yo’ big ole yeahs flappin’ on each side lak uh paih uh buzzard wings (Hurston, 1926, para.49). Although the above example may be hard to read, it is a great example of similes being used in this short story.

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

“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.

The poem, “A Narrow Fellow in the Grass,” by Emily Dickinson is a collaboration of fear and intrigue. The poem is presented through a young boy as he makes his way through cool and damp grassland during the afternoon. The issue the young boy must deal with is the unwelcome encounter with a snake. From the first glimpse of the slithering snake the tone of the poem is set: an uneasiness mood followed by persistent fear. The combination of external conflict and dexterous imagery create the atmosphere of this poem.

Through the author’s use of characterization, the audience observes the idea that people are never appeased. For instance, in chapter 1, the doctor’s greed is shown by his refusal to treat Juana’s and Kino’s child, Coyotito, who had been stung by a scorpion (12). The doctor refuses to acknowledge helping them until he learns that they had gained the funds to pay for the services that he would provide. (30). In life, it is seen that many people will ignore others troubles and suffer when it does not align with their wishes or if it does not benefit them in any way. This relates to the theme because other people disregard the hardships of others to take what they want, believing it could better benefit them than those who have it. They insist on pushing their ideas and actions on others taking the other’s freedom of being able to surpass the troubles they experience. They couldn’t be satiated with what they had and desire more. Kino had basic knowledge in knew how to fish, how to work, and how to take care of his family, but he wanted to know more. Furthermore, the reader observes the

Have you ever been close to death by a venomous snake? In the short story “Poison” by Roald Dahl a guy named Harry Pope has an encounter with a venomous snake. Today i'm showing how Roald Dahl going creates suspense in “Poison” . The plot of this story is that a man tells his friend he has a snake on his stomach, and they try to either kill it or remove with the help of an Indian doctor. Roald Dahl shows suspense by his serious tone, creating difficult solutions to problems, and having long solutions to problems.