Sympathy Foreshadowing In 'The Rattler'

Dennis Covington was not biased when it came to writing Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia. Covington did not have a preconceived notion or bias towards snake handling. Prior to Covington's involvement with the snake handlers, he was in a spiritual place in his life were he was not for or against snake handling. When Covington was assigned to cover the Reverend's trial, he did not come with the intention of becoming a member of the snake handling community. The book represents his experience as a snake handler and his spiritual journey on Sand Mountain. There is undeniably a sheer strangeness with the snake handling practices. Before reading the book, I was unaware that snake handling was used

The details about how the man feels and thinks gives the reader a sense that he is a sensible man. The man does not take joy in the task of killing the snake given to him by himself. The man knows that “the sport in taking life is a satisfaction [he] can’t feel.” THe man wants to let the snake go and not kill it. It is a similar feeling to having to give something up despite wanting to keep it. The reader has some experience with a situation like this and can feel how the man wishes to let the snake go. The man feels that the job he has given himself is something that has to be done. He looked at it as “[his] duty, plainly, was to kill the snake.” The feeling of having to have to do something is not enjoyable. It comes with some kind of displeasure in what is going on. A similar feeling could be like having to go to the dentist to get teeth pulled. The situation

“..inserted a medicine into my skin that protected me from snakebite and enabled me to control snakes..” (pg 54). That quote explains how he supposedly can control snakes and protect him from a snakebite. Well, on the same page, there was another quote. “I accidentally stepped on the tail of a snake. I ran as fast as I could for a long time.” (pg 54). If the reader pays attention, then they will realize that the two quotes contradict themself. If he could supposedly control and protect himself from snakes, then why would he run away from it? Well, the theme of the novel is to inform readers about how children are affected by war, and having those two quotes contradicting themself, didn’t effect the theme at all. The author may seem dishonest at times, but the reader also has to ask themself if the “lie” affected the mood or theme at

Beeler uses symbolism, labeling and exaggeration. The snake symbolizes evil because he is trying to eat the man. Labeling is used on the snake, there is a bold and clear white label that says “debt”. The size of the man’s cellphone, his face, and the snake are exaggerated. The snake is much bigger than the man. These elements bring depth to the cartoon and give you more to look at than just a snake eating a man. The use of exaggeration on the snake shows that debt is bigger than you and it can be suffocating.

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 snake is harmless, minding its own business and is no threat to Margaret but she goes on to attack it because she had been told by Miss Laing that they are dangerous. This is therefore like the anti-German propaganda fed to the British public during the war. There are also biblical links in the relation to the snake as Adam and Eve were tempted by the devil in the form of a snake in Genes. Now Margaret has been tempted to disobeying Miss Laing.

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 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

The snake in the story symbolizes evil which portrays domestic violence. Sykes tried getting rid of Delia so he could go and be with Bertha, his mistress. He knew how afraid Delia was of snakes so he decided to bring one home. “Then, moved by both horror and terror, she sprang back toward the door. There lay the snake in the basket!” (Hurston 8). He really wanted the snake to bite Delia so he could get rid of her. Leaving the snake in the basket where he knew was the easiest place for it to bite her. Sykes knew that the snake would bite her. He was pure evil. The snake however did not bite Delia but it bit Sykes. “He crept an inch or two toward

The reader generates sympathy through the personification of the snake due to the use of language and detail. The rattlesnake is first presented as calm and watchful. At the sight of the man “he” did not rattle, but looked upon the man with “calm watchfulness”. The snake did not feel threatened by the presence of the man and waiting to see how he would respond to the encounter. The rattler can not only be described as fair, but as generous too. Upon feeling

Language, details, and actions are used to make the readers feel sympathy for the snake. In the story, the snake is very relaxed, calm and non-aggressive. When the snake is first noticed, its head is not “drawn back to strike” the man. This shows that the snake is not being aggressive, which means that it’s intentions were not to fight the man. The snake also “held his ground with calm watchfulness”.The

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.