Mastiff By Joyce Carol Oates: Literary Analysis

In the story "The Chrysanthemums," by John Steinbeck, imagery is important in the development of his characters. The man who drives the wagon and fixes things is a perfect example of imagery. "His worn black suit was wrinkled and spotted with grease. The laughter had disappeared from his face and eyes the moment his laughing voice ceased. His eyes were dark, and they were full of the

First and foremost, Willa Cather and Mary Austin both employ beautiful imagery in their writings to recreate the landscape of the story they are telling, which heightens the understanding and appreciation for their writings. Their use of imagery is specific to appealing to their audience’s visual senses. In My Antonia, for example, Willa Cather describes the landscape at a particular moment by saying, “One afternoon we were having our reading lessons on the warm, grassy bank where the badger lived. It was a day of amber sunlight, but there was a shiver of coming winter in the air. I had seen ice on the little horsepond that morning, and as we went through the garden we found tall asparagus, with its red berries, lying on the ground, a mass of slimy green” (Cather 29). My Antonia has these descriptive passages throughout it, which enables the reader to feel part of the book. Likewise, Mary Austin’s The Land of Little Rain also utilizes imagery: Mary Austin says, “the mountains are steep and the rains are heavy, the pool is

Behind every story, there is a layer of reason and purpose. James Hurst is the author of The Scarlet Ibis, which was a sad tale about a boy, Brother, and his younger brother, Doodle, who had a disease/condition. Brother was very determined to have Doodle be able to do physical activities that were dangerous to Doodle’s health, and he expected too many things from Doodle. This led to the inevitable death of Doodle. After reading the story, it was inquired, “Why was this story written?”

Overall, Truman Capote’s use of imagery allows the reader to experience the events as they occurred the night of the murder as well as to understand Dick and Perry’s reason for committing the crime. The novel In Cold Blood is an example of why imagery is such an important factor in books because it adds to the suspense that is building up throughout the novel. Imagery is what allows one to feel the emotions similar to the characters in a work, thus, making the subject more discernible and relatable to its

Why would an author want to include images in a piece of literature? A. The definition of imagery is descriptive language that can give the reader a better mental imagine of the world inside the story. B.

We often rely on imagery, a literary device that uses vivid descriptions and appeals to the senses, in our storytelling to point out the important facts in our stories. It helps our audience picture the scene and understand the severity of the situation. In my opinion, a well-written scene can be incredibly meaningful and thought-provoking with the help of imagery, sometimes even more so than a photograph. In literature, this is no different. Authors will describe characters and events in great detail when they feel it is important to the story. They will use imagery to point out character traits, themes, symbols, and motifs. A good author paints you a picture so you can imagine the places, colors, expressions, textures, with all the fine details.

While literature is can be for entertainment, it is also used to teach a lesson or get a point across. Throughout a literary work, an author will include many possible topics, themes, theories, archetypes, symbols, and ideas to teach their lesson or make their point. As one reads through “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff,” written by Patrick Chamoiseau, it is important to know that the author is not only highlighting the life of a slave, but also expressing everyday struggles through the parallels of the story. While the story focuses on the life of slavery, the Master of the plantation, and a mastiff, it is imperative to analyze the different archetypes in the story. The archetypes are “recurrent as a symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology” (Archetypal). “The Old Man Slave and the Mastiff” is comprised of the following literary archetypes: a hero, a dog, a master, and slaves.

Stories use narrative to involve the responder in a range of experiences. Storytellers use narrative techniques to establish a setting and shape the characters personality. This is shown in Henry Lawson’s short stories the drover’s wife and the loaded dog as well as Roger hargreaves picture book little miss sunshine.

In writing, an author should be mindful of what they are trying to accomplish with what they are describing. Stockett is able to accomplish this when she uses imagery thoughtfully. “In the lounge, the air seems to still. Husbands drinking their whiskeys stop in mid-sip, spotting this pink thing at the door. It takes a second for the image to register. They stare, but don’t see, not yet. But as it turns real—real skin, real cleavage, perhaps not-so-real blond hair—their faces slowly light up. They all seem to be thinking the same thing—Finally... But then, feeling the fingernails of their wives, also starring, digging into their arms, their foreheads wrinkle. Their eyes hint remorse, as marriages are scorned (she never lets me do anything fun), youth is remembered (why didn’t I go to California that summer?), first loves are recalled (Roxanne . . .). All of this happens in a span of about five seconds and then it is over and they are left just staring” (321). Imagery provides a way for a character and conflict to develop. Also, since imagery provides a way for the reader to immerse themselves in a story, it is considered a defining part of what makes a good

Without imagery in “The Most Dangerous Game,” the setting wouldn’t be nearly as powerful. The imagery allows readers to better understand how difficult it is for Rainsford to navigate the terrain. At the beginning of the story, the narrator uses imagery to describe the island: “dense jungle came down to the very edge of the cliffs. What perils that tangle of trees and underbrush might hold for him did not concern Rainsford just Then” (Connell). The imagery is very effective in this scene because the narrator uses words such as “dense” and “tangle,” which clearly illustrate how hard it is to navigate the terrain. The imagery also allows readers to picture General Zaroff’s mansion. The narrator describes what Rainsford sees when he comes across the mansion: “but as he forged along he saw to his great astonishment that all the lights were in one enormous building--a lofty structure with pointed towers plunging upward into the gloom. His eyes made out the shadowy outlines of a palatial chateau; it was set on a high bluff, and on three sides of it cliffs dived down to where the sea licked greedy lips in the shadows” (Connell). By using words such as “lofty” and “enormous,” readers are better able to picture what the mansion looks like. Therefore, imagery is one of the reasons why “The Most Dangerous Game” is a successful short story because it enables readers to picture the setting, which is very important to the plot.

These paragraphs inform the the readers about the writers purpose by using diffrent types of imagery in order to create a personal imagine inside of the reader"s heads. This gives the reader a better understandinmg of what the author is trying to make a point about. For example stated by Jenny Allen, "lie down and stare at the ceiling hoping that if they will focus all of thier thoughts and energyon the

The author uses imagery to interest the reader in her story that may seem mundane without the imagery. An example of this happening is when Jeannette is going to her new school in Welch it was her first day and the teacher picks on her because she did not have to give the school her records to her not having them as that is happening a tall girl stabs her out of nowhere“I felt something sharp and painful between my shoulder blades and turned around. The tall black girl with the almond eyes was sitting at the desk behind me.

Another example of imagery in the story is when the author used it to describe Emily when she ask for poison to the druggist.“still a slight woman, though thinner than usual, with cold, haughty black eyes in a face the flesh of which was strained across the temples and about the eyes ockets as you imagine a lighthouse-keepers face ought to look”. The author makes emphasis in Emily’s face and eyes meaning that she is lost in her own world and foreshadows that Emily would use the poison for something wrong.

Imagery is a strong element that helps portray a lot of internal feelings for the audience to fathom with, thus creating an experience that the audience can enjoy. Imagery is the language represented by sense experience and a literary device that helps create a mental picture for the reader to understand what the writer is trying to say to the audience (Johnson, Arp 779). The following is the poem by Langston Hughes: “The calm,/Cool face of the river/Asked me for a kiss.” (Hughes 1-3) When examining the poem, “Suicide’s Note”, it is full of imagery with only three lines present. The

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