“Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier is a personal narrative of the challenges that adolescents face with coming of age. The author is able to accurately capture the voice of her younger self-using literary devices such as imagery, juxtaposition, and diction. The author uses these literary devices to give the reader a precise representation of the struggles she surpassed, which pushed her towards adulthood.
Mum was a light in my life as I am sure she was a light in all of yours. She would give anyone the shirt off her back and go out of her way to help a friend in need. I remember one time when I was little Mum got a phone call late at night from a friend who lived on the other side of the Street. She had fought with her husband and was really upset. Mum dressed us and went out in her nightgown with us to go console her because Dad was working that night. She would always be there for her friends and family.
In the story “Marigolds”, by Eugenia Collier, the theme consists of accepting who you are- because if you put it off, you may do something you may regret. The main character, Lizabeth, is on a path to adulthood, which is greatly treacherous and is a journey full of many challenges. Lizabeth quotes in many parts of the story that she feels conflicted in whatever she does, making her very emotionally frustrated. “The child in me sulked and said it was all in fun but the woman in me flinched at the thought of the malicious attack we led.” (Collier 124). Lizabeth’s statement proves that she feels very split on what to do, because of the emotions interfering with her. Her statement proves that the path to adulthood is not as easy
Writers are able to leave their personal fingertips on their pieces, which is why writing is such a beautiful hobby. Whether one is writing poetry, short stories, novels, scripts, articles, etc., the diversity and uniqueness is absolutely amazing. In order for writers to keep their pieces original, they use literary devices such as imagery, juxtaposition, and diction. These devices help create something called voice, which is essentially the special way an author writes, including word choice and the way the author communicates his or hers ideas. These three literary devices are used frequently in the short story “Marigolds,” and each of them contribute to the author’s voice.
The transformations in people are caused by a variety of circumstances. Within the variety of these circumstances, stress is the most influential one. In Eugenia Collier’s short story Marigolds, it tells the narrative of a young African-American girl living in rural Maryland. Due to her frustration with life, she destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds. In the story Marigolds, the author uses the narrator’s transformation and characterization to convey that identity is only found in times of crisis.
In the short story “Marigolds”, Eugenia Collier uses character development of the protagonist and mood to help the reader better understand that happiness doesn’t come from destroying one’s attempt at making beauty.
“Marigolds”, a short story written by Eugenia W. Collier, describes the events leading up to Lizabeth’s loss of innocence. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Lizabeth, a girl who is living in a poor, barren, sad, shanty town during the Great Depression. When we first meet her, she acts very childish as she and some of the other children begin to destroy Miss Lottie’s sunflowers. These sunflowers are very special to Miss Lottie, because they bring hope to the sad times and also bring positivity and color to the poor town. Further in the story, Lizabeth is very frustrated and emotional about the state her family is in. First of all, she is upset that her Mom is never home because she has to work. Next, her father is frustrated that he has no work, which also upsets Lizabeth. Finally, she is confused on whether she is a young lady or still a child. All of these lead up to her letting out her frustrations, destroying all of Miss Lottie’s marigolds. In the story, the marigolds represent different things for different people. For Miss Lottie, they are the one thing giving her joy and keeping her
When you think of Marigolds, you would probably think of summertime, or yellow flowers. Would you think of a transition to adulthood? The fiction story “Marigolds”, is about an African American girl named Lizabeth who lives in an impoverished community in Maryland. Over the course of “Marigolds”, Lizabeth transitioned from childhood, to adulthood. Lizabeth overhears the financial struggle her family is going through, and hears her father cry. After hearing this she destroys Miss Lottie’s marigolds in a fit of rage. Lizabeth then stops, and see’s Miss Lottie’s face, and feels as if she lost her innocence. Lizabeth, going through a time of hardships and uncertainty, lost her innocence, and transitioned from childhood to adulthood.
At the end of paragraph two of “Marigolds” written by Eugenia Collier Lizabeth “remembers [the marigold] quite vividly now as [she] desperately pass away the time waiting for you, who will not come” (1) this is more than likely Lizabeth talking about how she is waiting for Ms. Lottie’s forgiveness for her destructive actions as a child. For example, when Lizabeth is an adult, she begins to remember her time as a child during the great depression and primarily her days spent terrorizing Ms. Lottie. When Lizabeth “was suddenly more women than child” (1) she began thinking of Ms. Lottie’s yard years ago and the time that she had destroyed her [Ms. Lottie’s.] marigolds. This shows that more than likely Lizabeth felt remorseful about her actions
Lizabeths character has developed quite a bit throughout the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier. At first she was insecure in who she is. She became scared. By the end Lizabeth had developed regret.
I wonder why Koly shuddered at the thought of the marigolds. I can Infer that it symbolises good fortune or luck for people or the families of people that have died. After conducting research, I found this website. On this particular website, it says that the marigolds can mean mourning over the loss of friends or family, “Sacred offerings to the Gods”, or “Remembering and celebrating the dead”. This leads me to believe that Chandra or even the Mehta family as a whole knows that Hari is definitely not going to survive his
The day I planted my marigolds was when I was little there was this really nicely colored blanket that my cousin got the day before. He loved it so much he would take it everywhere; So one day I decided I wanted it one too so I took it, I would sleep with it and it had colorful designs on it, also I knew it was wrong but i was so mad that i wasn't thinking about it.
In the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier, dramatic characterization used to deepen the meaning of the theme by making them analyze the story and the characters more critically. Reading the story in third person, the readers get a good idea of Lizabeth’s personality. Early in the story, Lizabeth is shown to be on the verge of childhood and adulthood, when she has to carefully decide whether she should throw the stones at the flowers or not. Using dramatic characterization, Lizabeth’s personality alters, letting readers get to know the reasons behind her actions. Lizabeth undergoes some emotional changes throughout the story, and the readers get to see her cope with these feelings. When Lizabeth witnesses her father crying, she doesn’t
My mother, the blinding light in any darkness, is my connection in the hard but yet easy life I live.
The memory of my mother will follow me wherever I go, and however far living my dreams with a gentle scent of her perfume and the shimmering of her laugh. She was there to show me how much she cared and She was there when I made my first steps. She taught me to smile and laugh.