The Changing Effects of One as told in Children on Their Birthdays

In remembering her seventh-grade class in 1965, Charlotte recalls how much she and her friends loved Miss Hancock. They were "backward" because they "had not yet embraced sophistication, boredom, cruelty, drugs, alcohol, or sex." Because of their innocence and their sheltered environments, Miss Hancock "was able to survive, even flourish" as their teacher. Charlotte recalls when Miss Hancock read poetry aloud, the class "sat bewitched, transformed," and they were "drugged by some words as some children are by electronic games." This description juxtaposes the end of the short story. Miss Hancock's teaching career no longer inspired the children because they were no longer the broad-minded, influenceable children they once were. Nostalgia eats away at Miss Hancock, especially in the case of Charlotte. Once so inspired by the composure of a metaphor, “grown up” Charlotte, when asked if she still wrote metaphors responded, “oh, I dunno.” Miss Hancock once knew the mesmerizing and transformative power of words; however, as she and her students aged the words lost their power, in turn she too lost power.

Caitlin loves Billy’s character even though he is homeless. Caitlin is fascinated with Billy’s character rather than what he has and his status. Caitlin is engrossed in Billy because he is clean. Billy keeps his clothes clean, himself clean and his carriage clean. In the passage Billy’s cave (p. 62).Caitlin says that his carriage is clean and warm. Caitlin is also attracted to billy’s character because he is not a normal hobo. Billy is smart, clean, polite and calm. In the passage Caitlin and mopping (p. 35).Caitlin says that Billy as ‘so calm’ when he exited McDonalds. This shows that Caitlin enjoys Billy’s company despite Billy not having any

Capote’s description of things is also different from the typical person’s description. For example, to the laymen, the sun is a big, bright, shiny ball of fire. To Capote, the sun rises "…round as orange and orange as hot weather moons, balanc[ing] on the horizon, burnish[ing] the silvered winter woods." His word choice elicits more than just a visual sense of what he is describing; they entice all the senses to jump into his memory. It is distressing that the friends lack any real interaction with the others in the household other than to be scolded. The reader feels as if perhaps the neglected ones should be pitied. Yet, it is comforting that they find consolation in each other and can appreciate each moment for its beauty. In the end, Capote recalls his friend looking upon the land in front of them

Even before the first page is read, the readers are previously made aware of how the book ends, there is no secret to Capote’s novel. The story the novel provides the description of what took place before, during and after the murder trials, it explains the lives of the murderers themselves, and show how the

Capote uses literary devices such as anaphora to describe the town Holcomb to give readers a comprehension on how Holcomb acted before the chaos began. In the beginning of the book Capote reports Holcomb town as, “Like the waters of the river, like the motorists on the highway, and like the yellow streaking down the Santa Fe tracks, drama, in the shape of exceptional happenings, has never stopped there” (Capote 5). Life in Holcomb was as if the town had its own little world and nothing from the outside mattered. Holcomb was just a small, quiet town in the middle of nowhere. Capote wants people to know how separated Holcomb town was and how one big murder could matter so much.

The section begins with a description of the town, “After rain, or when snowfalls thaw, the streets, unnamed, unshaded, unpaved, turn from the thickest dust to the direst mud”(Capote 1). By including these details in the description of the town it shows that the town is a very old fashioned town that is behind the societies that are in more developed, larger cities in America. Capote goes on, “The bank closed in 1933, and its former counting rooms have be converted into apartments”(Capote 2). With the bank having been closed around the time of the depression it shows that the town no longer trusted the government after the banks failed them and they do all their business between themselves. The town is a very closed off from the national system and the only connection they have is through their post office. All these descriptions cause the town to be a perfect picture of a safe, rural community where nothing bad happens and people all depend on each other.

Indeed, one should not be satisfied with a clear-cut division between the good and the bad, the successful and the rejected. Capote’s presentation of the family and his description of the two young murderers whose troubled pasts and toxic personalities have preyed on an innocent family resulting in tragedy which is driven in part by ignorance, disillusionment and self-deception, according to Perry Smith’s own account (Olsza, 2009). In the play, like

F Scott Fitzgerald’s “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” is another one of his more well-known works. This short story is the tale of Bernice, a young girl from the Midwest who is under increasing societal pressure to change. However, when she takes her changes too far it. The plot and the actions of the characters reveal the theme of the double-edged nature of change.

Capote starts his novel describing the small town of Holcomb, setting the stage for how the murders will change the town. Capote wants to make the readers understand that the small town

    Throughout most of the book Capote takes the place of a third person omniscient narrator. With Capote presenting much of the background information on events, places, and characters, readers are able to see how and why the mood of areas and people begin to change. Take the townspeople of Holcomb for example, before the Clutter murder everyone got along and trusted each other. However, after the murders, Capote describes the townspeople as “suddenly...distrusting [of] each other... [and] they believed that the murderer was among themselves” (Capote 88). This shows how the death of the Clutters affected everyone in Holcomb, so much so that the harmony that was once within the town seemed as if it would never return.

Capote begins his novel with a conventional narrative structure choice: describing the setting. He spends several pages familiarizing the reader with the town of Holcomb, Kansas. This move is crucial, especially when contrasted with his unconventional choices for the traditional narrative timeline as the book progresses. As Capote introduces the reader to the Clutter family, with a particular focus on Herb, he sets the groundwork for the conflict. With necessary background information in mind, the reader first confronts the conflict with the words, “...he headed for home and the day’s work, unaware that it would be his last” (13). It is this moment, that the reader experiences the first sense of satisfaction. This is the

Come 1934, Tee Bob is in college. However, Jane finds that he is coming home to visit almost every single day to see a teacher on Samson’s plantation named Mary Agnes. Mary has black roots, so their love is forbidden. Again, Tee Bob does not understand why it is such a big deal, so he kills himself with a letter opener. Because of this, Jane wants to move. Robert does not want her to leave, so she ends up staying for five years then she moves from the big house down to the quarters.

Truman Capote gives the reader a detailed report of Perry Smith's and Dick Hickock's childhoods. Smith's childhood was very problematic and

As a result of the size of Stamps, and the people that inhabited the town, there was very little you could do without the whole town knowing. Throughout Maya Angelou’s and Bailey’s childhood they were constantly limited by the narrow-minded town and in San Francisco they gained the freedom to expand their minds. In San Francisco they left Momma’s disciplined ways and benefited from Vivian’s laid back ways. Considering this independence that they children were given, they reacted well and due to it, they realized who they were as a person and were able to

Throughout the short story, The Birthday, the writer, Samantha Ashenhurst uses the writing tool: Get the name of the dog. To begin with, Samantha begins the story with a descriptive introduction, which gives the reader the ability to visualize the current circumstance’s atmosphere. For instance, the author mentions the specific kind of drink and pizza, the color of the blinds, the exact number of times she pukes, and takes medicine, etc. She describes the background’s setting in details as well. In my opinion, Samantha’s very specific, which portrays how honest she is. This also leads to building the writer’s own distinct voice. Thus, this effectively initiates a connection with the reader psychologically.