J.F. Power’s The Old Bird, A Love Story tells the story of an elderly and unemployed Mr. Newman who must learn to adapt to a new reality: adapting to a job that is not white-collared. Through this short story, J.F. Power is able to portray the toil and turmoil of emotions that Mr. Newman experiences in the course of his first day at a new job. The author introduces four different characters, all key components to help the reader determine and decide what emotions Mr. Newman may be feeling. Each character is used thoughtfully and expertly to convey the author’s own sympathy for Mr. Newman’s situation. The author cleverly and appropriately names his main character Mr. Newman. Mr. Newman’s own name is a play on his situation and his slow …show more content…
Mr. Newman, lingering on, longed to confide in her, to tell her something of himself” (Powers 6). Mr. Newman wants a personal connection to be made, so he puts on a big smile and makes jokes. He’s awarded easily with a lively smile, one much different from the ones that she had steely put into place. When he describes her smile as “alive”, he really means that the connection had been made with each other. Soon after, he is able to meet his boss Mr. Shanahan. Mr. Shanahan is the very symbol of a businessman. He is well polished, and Mr. Newman is quick to show him he is worth more than a labor job. “For an instant Mr. Newman succeeded in making it plain that he, like any man of his business experience, was meant for better things” (Powers 7). Since Mr. Shanahan is “in charge”, Mr. Newman’s fate and future job is in his hands. “He said it in such a flattering way that Mr. Newman trembled under the desire to be worthy” (Powers 7). He can already feel the weight of Mr. Shanahan’s power, as he struggles to prove to his potential boss just how crucial he can be to their business. When Mr. Newman meets Mr. Hurley, he finds a comfort and companion in him, something that he had been looking for ever since he stepped into the building. “Talking with Mr. Hurley gave Mr. Newman a good feeling. It was man-to-man or nothing with Hurley” (Powers 9). He finds a friendship already starting to blossom when he
In “The Company Man” by Ellen Goodman, throughout the passage Goodman illustrates her feelings of distaste and anger toward Phil, as he in her mind represents Corporate America: routine, indifferent, almost robotic. Goodman uses numerous rhetorical strategies to convey her attitude toward Phil, including tone, repetition, the use of statistics, sarcasm, anecdotes, differing syntax, and irony.
Porter's "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" depicts the story of a dying woman's life. Throughout her eighty years of life Mrs. Weatherall has had her fair share of disappointments, heartaches, and unfavorable outcomes. This short story is written in a manner that allows the reader to get an outside view looking in; similar to looking at the story through a window as if being acted out in front of you in the theater. The story is eloquently written and leaves the reader with a sense of familiarity towards the family. The populations of readers who have had the pleasure of experiencing this pathetic story have come to relate their own experiences and disappointments towards the story and have empathetic feelings towards the main
Cold Little Bird, a short story by Ben Marcus, is about an intelligent young boy whose parents struggle coping with his emotional detachment. Throughout the story, the boy’s father, Martin, has the reader questioning whether or not there actually is a problem with Jonah or whether he is over-reacting. Through various scenes in the story one may conclude that it is combination of both.
Miloš Forman and John Steinbeck in their texts One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Of Mice and Men (1937) heavily use and explore the key ideas of ambition and companionship explored throughout their texts, primarily through the use of characterization but also through imagery and symbolisms. Alongside techniques, Forman and Steinbeck utilise other themes and ideas to further develop and convey their ideas, exploring the effect and power of ambition and dreams alongside belonging and individuality being used to explore themes of companionship.
Self image is crucial for an individual’s sense of well being. It can also be a source for their identity and dreams for the future. As well, others’ impressions of the individual considerably affects their view of themselves. This interaction can either build their self esteem or tear it down. In his short story, “The Glass Roses”, Alden Nowlan explores the idea that when an individual is coming of age and is struggling to determine their identity, how others’ perceive them - specifically father figures - deeply influences how they perceive themselves. Stephen, the protagonist, is a fifteen year old boy on the cusp of adulthood working in his father’s woodcutting company. As he finds fascination in beauty and feels enslaved by the work, he fails to gain his father’s approval and falls to depression. Fortunately, he forms a friendship with the Polack, who provides a kinder definition of being a man as well as a hope for the future.
Psychologists have suggested the idea that correlation does not imply causation. In The Birds, viewers find themselves unable to identify the purpose or the cause for the birds’ attacks. Hitchcock does not want us to know the answers either, since Hitchcock marvels at his ability to make viewers question his films and struggle at truly enjoying without fully understanding them. Although this essay cannot find a cause for the attacks in the town or to the characters that seem to be innocent like the children and the old man in the farm, it should shed some light on the correlation between the timing of the attacks near the Brenner family and Melanie and their internal struggle. The symbolism of the caged birds versus the free birds, the Jocasta complex Lydia struggles with, and the imagery of the light versus darkness when the birds attack represent the journey Mitch and Melanie face in trying to be together.
Lyron Levoy's short story, “Aaron’s Gift” starts when a kid Aaron who grows up in New York. He finds a bird with a broken wing, and saves it. It is mainly about Aaron's adventure with Pidge, and his Grandmother’s birthday. Throughout the story, Levoy reveals the theme of determination by answering the question, “What would you do for family?” The author demonstrates that Aaron was going to give his Grandmother for his birthday, and it explains the risks Aaron goes through to save his friend, Pidge.
As the ladies examine the house, while the men are other places, picking clothes and an apron up for Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Hale gains sympathy for her until finally she starts to take action. When they find the block of quilting that has stitching askew, she starts to fix it, perhaps to cover for Mrs. Wright?s distraught state of mind. While Mrs. Hale is finding sympathy for Mrs. Wright, Mrs. Peters offers a counterpoint that tries to justifies the men?s viewpoints and actions. Her comments to Mrs. Hale?s resentful musings on Mrs. Wright?s unhappy life and on the actions of men in regards to women in general all seem to be rote answers programmed into her by society and a desire not to cause any trouble. This all changes as soon as Mrs. Peters finds the bird.
More than once in every man’s life he has yearned for something that is out of his reach. Whether it be fashionable clothes, an elaborate home, a newer car, or a more desirable career, some things are unattainable. George Milton, one of the main characters
Betrayal and loneliness are two of the hardest emotions to encounter in life. Nevertheless, at some point everyone will experience and be forced to deal with them. This is made even harder when they are caused by someone you love and trust. In Meredith Hall’s “Killing Chickens”, she uses various literary devices such as metaphor, simile, and imagery as she processes her husband’s affair and describes having to kill chickens. Hall’s literary nonfiction is based on the happenings of a specific day that was truly hard to handle after being deceived by ones she loved:
?Sylvia still watched the young man with loving admiration. She had never seen anybody so charming and delightful, the woman?s heart, asleep in the child, was vaguely thrilled by a dream of love.? As the symbol of masculinity, the hunter is an aggressor although he is described to be kind, handsome, friendly and sympathetic. When first met Sylvia in the woods, he ?called out in a very cheerful and persuasive tone? and spoke to her in a courteous way. In fact, he takes advantages of Sylvia because he is in need of home and food. When he needs Sylvia?s help, he proves he cares for her so much, ?He listened eagerly to the old woman?s quaint talk, he watched Sylvia?s pale face and shining gray eyes with ever growing enthusiasm.? ?He told her many things about the birds and what they knew and where they lived and what they did with themselves. And he gave her a jack-knife, which she thought as great a treasure as if she were a desert-islander.? However, he is cruel and merciless to nature, his gun is a convention which is to destroy the nature. ?I have been hunting for some birds?. At the end, he goes away and does not help her family when she refuses to tell him about the heron?s nest.
Interestingly, Eudora Welty’s short story “A Worn Path” stirs up the imagination of many people of what Phoenix Jackson looked like, were she lived, and what the path looked like that cold December morning. People like to talk about this story, but it would be doubtful if anyone would want to go back and live like Phoenix did. My Argument that Phoenix Jackson is driven by love finds strong support in Saunders article based on three important things Phoenix is characterized like the mythical phoenix bird, treated like a child of nature, and confidently determined. The similarities in Mr. Saunders article of, Phoenix Jackson being like the mythological phoenix bird exemplify the ideas in my essay “Come on Phoenix Jackson
J.F. Powers tells the story of Mr.Newman while creating sympathy and sentimentality for his plight. Mr.Newman tries his hardest at his new job, but his effort is disregarded since he is an “old bird.” This gets Mr.Newman down for a time, but he rebounds to become giddy at the end of the story when he describes his day to his wife. Both become excited about the new reality in their simple lives, which are now greatly
Their child growing up is a fear all parents must face. For Martin, this fear has an unusual reality in the short story, "The Cold Little Bird." Jonah, a young 10-year-old boy, has decided to grow up and isolate himself from his parents, Martin and Rachel. He pulls away from his parents in a cold yet reasonable way and insists he no longer loves them. He changes the dynamic of the family, and leaves Martin distraught. The author, Ben Marcus, leaves the reader with a heartfelt theme. The theme of change being painful is shown through the struggle Martin endures as he tries to deal with the adjustment his newly grown up son provides.
As an old childless couple living a monotonous and comfortable relationship is about to go to bed, they are disrupted by an unexpected guest: a homeless man which will stir deep ancient waters and make unsolved problems resurface. As they were about to close their eyes to go to bed, this young man is about to open their eyes forever. This leads to the seemingly hard stone routine of their longtime relationship being turned upside down which forms the plot of The Goodnight Bird, one of Coleen Murphy’s dramatic comedy. The omnipresence of nature within the play can be pointed out. In fact, the multiple mentions of nature elements and plants have an important significance in this play as they are symbolic of larger themes within it, such as the opposition of nature and