John Steinbeck Flight

As the snake “drew back his head and [the man] raised [his] weapon” they both were ready for their last fight. Both felt threatened by each other; thus, both felt the necessity to become defensive. However, neither one saw the situation as an immediate threat, so they did not immediately strike. When the narrator “made an unprovoked attack,” the snake performed “a little song of death.” The reader’s sympathy for the snake once again returns because the snake did nothing wrong. The “little song of death” depicts an image of the snake’s last effort to live. However, there is nothing “little” in death, but rather displays the snake’s submissiveness to the man. The “ominous” situation with “poison dripping from [the snake’s] fangs” is reminiscent of the tragedy that just occurred. The author reminds the reader of the necessity to rid the world of the danger from a snake. It lessens the reader’s grief towards the snake, bringing a more neutral tone to the

The detail increases the power the snake exudes in the perspective of the man. “Children, dogs, and horses…who weren’t as strong” compared to the snake, created panic and fear, because of its “six powerful fangs” and “little

As the initial path of conflict between snake and man is developed, literary devices such as imagery allow the reader to more easily visualize and connect to the story. Descriptive imagery is the first literary device used in “The Rattler”. The use of “ Light was thinning; the scrub’s dry savory odors were sweet on the cooler air. In this, the first pleasant moment for a walk after long blazing hours” (The Rattler 1) in the opening of the piece encourages the reader to delve into the narrator’s life and experience what he feels. After the narrator abruptly sees the snake, the imagery changes from the peaceful rural life to a dark, intense description of the snake, “a six-foot black snake thick as my wrist, capable of long-range attack and armed with powerful fangs” (The Rattler 2), changing to the viewpoint of the snake for the reader. The switch in the use of imagery takes the reader through a completely different path and alters their emotional response to the story. The snake’s presence illustrates the narrator’s obvious fear and anxiety while allowing the reader to feel the same emotions

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

The diction which is emphasized upon the story gives a clear picture of how everything happened in a sudden and fulfilling way. The man noticed that the snake “lay rigid” and had “suddenly arrested” and eventually watched him in calm watchfulness. The snake was placid and was not doing any violent action. The man, instead, decided to fulfill his duty concerning the community. The man describes seeing the snake as he looked like a “live wire” while his “tocsin sounded”. The man’s sudden encounter with the snake was still calm up until he decides to bring out the hoe.

Steinbeck uses a self vs nature appeal to continue the naturalistic style. Steinbeck uses Pepe’s struggle against the wild to appeal to this idea. Steinbeck says, “Stripped of civilized tools, Pepe’s movement are increasingly described in verbs that suggest a primordial or serpentine” (“Flight”). Pepe has been struggling to survive his flight through the mountain. As he proceeds on his journey Pepe struggles to survive against nature as he slowly loses everything he was given to survive his ordeal. After losing everything this is when Pepe becomes more animal like because he lost all the tools that connected him to humans. To survive Pepe must move like the animals and eventually sounds like one. Steinbeck describes “Pepe crawled in the direction of the ridge peak, zig-zagging for cover” (Steinbeck 92). Pepe is described using movements that are like that of a snake. Steinbeck appears to be furthering the naturalistic style by continuing to show Pepe’s struggle against the

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.

While the dog puts its heart and soul into every step it takes, pounding the earth, the coyote “glides” in a “calm, soft-footed trot”. “Glide” implies effortless and graceful movement, perfectly antithetical to the dog’s “furious” gate. Unlike Twain’s prior list of adverse and disturbing traits of the coyote, his description of the coyote’s beautiful gate hints at an intricacy in the predominantly disgusted attitude: awe. Twain did not just acknowledge the existence of the coyote’s incredible speed, he embellished it with imagery and hyperbole, just as he did with the coyote’s hideous countenance. This fervor shows Twain has a strong sense of amazement toward the coyote. Twain described the coyote’s escape from the dog dramatically as a “sudden splitting of a long crack though the atmosphere”, exactly like a gunshot. Clearly the coyote did not break the sound barrier, but Twain’s exaggerated portrayal of the scene proves he was left absolutely flabbergasted. His attitude toward the coyote, thereafter, was that of

    Flight is a major theme in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. “Flight echoes throughout the story as a reward, as a hoped-for skill, as an escape, and as proof of intrinsic worth; however, by the end this is not so clear a proposition”(Lubiano 96). Song of Solomon ends with ‘flight’ but in such a way that the act allows for multiple interpretations: suicide; "real" flight and then a wheeling attack on his "brother"; or "real" flight and then some kind of encounter with the (possibly) killing arms of his brother.

In " The Rattler ", the author uses both connotative and denotative middle writings which seem to have made the syntax more interesting. The author uses a mixture of poetic work, and with the neutral level of formality, creates an easy descriptive scene in the reader's mind, making it seem brighter than if it was only in connotative style. The syntax, working along with the diction, emphasizes the abrupt changes in the man's relieving walk, allowing the reader to feel the shock and the contemplation to walk away or confront the rattlesnake for the good of others. The brief introduction emphasizes this point while the author goes a bit more into detail about the confrontation with the rattlesnake. The word choice adds a more clear description

bracing air of the Sierras to the camp where they spent their last days together.Here is an example of how Harte told the

1) “He was the only person making his way into the city; he met hundreds and hundreds who were fleeing, and every one of them seemed to be hurt in some way. The eyebrows of some were burned off and skin hung from their faces and hands. Others, because of pain, held their arms up as if carrying something in both hands. Some were vomiting as they walked. Many were naked or in shreds of clothing.” (Chapter 2)

The language in this passage shows just how daunting a task it was for Petit to walk between the Twin Towers on a cable. He describes how meticulously he had to prepare the cable the night before the big walk. He says that the cable “had its own moods” and could twist by itself like a snake. This personification of a metal wire into a snake shows the danger of the walker is putting himself into. It turns the cable into a vicious creature that could lead to a person’s death. The impending sense of doom builds the reader’s anticipation to see walk would happen to the brave man. To further demonstrate the reader’s fear, the author describes how Petit was “so dehydrated that his body would crack on movement.” In fact, the author carefully describes

wind. It was as if it was crying, almost howling for its voice to be

The hot, arid air burned into my soul as millions of needles pricked my delicate skin. Beads of sweat coursed down my face as I turned towards the window facing the barren desert surrounding me. My family and I were on an ever sought vacation to the Grand Canyon, yet we had to drive from New York to Arizona and I radiated impatience throughout the journey. Walls of heat shrouded me as I gasped for air, yet my efforts were fruitless, swallowing nothing but fire. As my lungs collapsed, I looked out the window and into the heart of the looming sun, taunting me from afar. Suddenly, my eyes gave out and sweat and tears engulfed them till they took their true form. A forest blanketed with soft and gleaming snow, blemished by the phrase: “Only 10 more minutes.” However, I was awakened from my revery by a vehement cry as I gazed into the eyes of tattered vultures, of every discrepancy, with an unforgettably shrill voice. “Who dares enter our land!” they screeched dissonantly. Trembling, my eyes flashed over the sun and I was standing in a perpetual desert, with vulture's eyes glued to me. I froze with fear, though the sun baked my skin.