The Swap In Okay For Now By Gary Schmidt

‘Sleep good Doug?’ he said, as if he has been here all the time, and hadn’t been gone for three months” (2). The author writing through Doug in the first person allows him to give more detail and clarity to the situation as well as highlight how Doug views his father as a man who leaves his family for a long period of time, yet returns as if he never left. Doug’s view of his father after his return sheds light on the recurring notion of a poorly functioning family, a key theme within the reading. Furthermore, the author inserts dialogue within Doug’s story of events to add more credibility to Doug’s version of events. Dialogue is added when Doug speaks with his father while on vacation, “Doug …. I want you to promise me something. ‘What?’ Don’t ever be a Rocket Man. …. I mean it” (7). Doug’s conversation with his father is an example of how Bradbury tells the story through Doug, just another way the author is able to exemplify the father’s unhappiness and dysfunctional family while keeping a consistent and eventful storyline.

First, the similes in “ The Jacket” supports the overarching theme: Be grateful for what you have. In fact, the main character was ungrateful for his new jacket that his mom bought him because he truly wanted a biker’s jacket to fit in and

The bench was passed on to Mama from many generations. The rump prints on the bench shows the history of their ancestors. Mama and Maggie still use this same bench at their table because they could not afford chairs. The butter dish that was Grandma Dees' is also being used at the table. Also the churn top that was whittled out of a tree by Uncle Buddy still plays a large role in Mama and Maggie's daily life. The main family item that Walker uses to symbolize heritage are the two quilts. These quilts are sewed from pasted ancestors and the meanings of these quilts are filled with history. The churn top, the bench with her ancestor's rump prints, the butter dish, and the quilts are all symbols of their heritage.

Here the tone shifted from prideful to authoritative. Dee demanded to own the two quilts. Mama said the quilts had been made by her ancestors and she “hung up on them on the quilt frames on the front porch and made them (762).” The quilt frames symbolize the object which helps organize and keep the family's generations alive, and the front porch symbolizes the connection of the family with the world. Mama knew the quilts were what kept the generations together, regardless of what the people around thought or did.The quilts needed to be used in order to keep the family traditions alive. Soon after, the protagonist came up with an excuse and said the “lavender [pieces], [came] from old clothes” which had been “handed down (762).” The lavender symbolizes love and devotion. The old clothes symbolize the legacy of the family's heritage. Although Dee only wanted to the quilts, Mama felt her past family's love and devotion through the quilts. Dee wanted the quilts because to preserve them, not because of an emotional connection to them. In addition, the young woman continued to offend her mother to the point where Mama told her the quilts were for Maggie, the youngest sister, and Dee exclaimed how her sister could never “appreciate the quilts.” She continued and said “She'd probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use (762).” Everyday use represents the “everyday use” of customs and true purpose of the quilts. Although Dee thinks her sister will destroy the blankets through sex and daily use, Mama wanted her to understand how everything she wanted had a special purpose in their

This attire became a symbol of identity of Mexican Americans in the California area and those men who wanted to contest the life conditions and the social and economic situation of their community. Wearing the Zoot Suit became a symbol of identity that would later be criminalized. The soot suit consisted of an oversized suit, a very long jacket and exaggerated pants; with very especial characteristics. One of the most distinctive accessories was the watch chain hanging from the pants, between the legs, a symbol of their manhood. The other significant element was the real leather-soled shoes. These two traits were especially shocking for those who did not accept the community: They were symbols of a more open sexuality and a disregard for the rationing policy that reign in the country.

Co-chair of California Republicans, Ronald Reagan, in his speech, “A Time for Choosing”, talks about assisting the Barry Goldwater campaign, switching from Democrat to Republican, motivating the public to vote for Goldwater/choosing for what’s right, how the government is taking away freedom and explaining the wrong things and changes in the government. Reagan’s purpose is to tell that, in 1964, it’s time for a change in America and to choose a campaign that will benefit the public. He adopts different moods by the way he talks and his body language, as well as different tones. Reagan’s purpose is to convince the voters that there will be a change in America and that the Goldwater campaign including his self are equal to U.S. citizens. Logos, ethos and pathos are used throughout the speech. In addition to rhetorical devices, Reagan uses anecdote, epistrophe, metaphors, similes, schemes and tropes.

Coming back from the war, Hazel Motes’ mindset is simple – following a commission of sharing his gospel. O’Connor uses inanimate objects to draw comparisons and also contrast Haze’s secular and spiritual sides. One of the objects in Haze’s life that becomes an obstacle for him is his hat. The issue with Haze’s hat is shown by saying, “Haze had a stiff black broad-brimmed hat on his lap, a hat that an elderly country preacher would wear” (O’Connor 4). As Haze tries to escape his preacher image, many around him see the hat as an indication of his spirituality. This frustrates him, as he rejects any title that one may give him concerning religion. In “Nervous Shadow Walking Backwards,” the author describes the reason why this affects Haze so much by saying, “In literature, a character’s hat often symbolizes identity, the selfhood of the character. Haze’s hat is mistaken throughout the book as a preacher’s hat, an identity that he rejects” (Bolton 91). Because of his desperation to escape this reputation, Haze purchases a new hat that, counterintuitively, attracts the same comments as before. O’Connor uses this hat to symbolize the inability of Haze to escape the image he so intensely despises.

One of the first symbols introduced in the work, Mrs. Wright’s apron is deeply symbolic of her personal struggle in her home and marriage. Physically, the apron is a feminine piece of

There are several occasions in one’s life that he should have spoken up or had not said a lie to where it hurt another, yet the fact is, he is only human and everyone is guilty of making these choices. Why does this become habitual? Is it because integrity is holding him back? These questions are always hard to answer, because no one really thinks about integrity, honesty, or the need to speak up. William Buckley and Stephanie Ericsson, however, do address these topics with a huge amount of thought and purpose. Buckley and Ericsson, under the thematic concept of ethics, have valid points concerning ethics within their rhetoric and style.

Curtis uses the Brown Bomber to symbolize bonding because in the story the family was forced to bond together during the long journey to Birmingham, Alabama. While driving through the night in the mountains, the family experiences something new. Kenny and his family were relaxed, “ as we drove down the mountains with our arms sticking out of the windows and our fingers wiggling in the breeze… Whatever we were doing it was the best part of the trip so far. What could be better than driving on a mountain while ‘Yakety Yak’ played and cool, light air blew all over you?”(148).

When Doug is given hope by Lil, his attitude improves dramatically. He gets closer to his mother. “‘Mom,’ I said… ‘Oh, Douggie, Douggie,’ she said. ‘I’m so glad you’re home. Look at this.’ There was a U.S. Army insignia in the left-hand corner...Then

In Ok For Now by Gary Schmidt, Doug, the strong and persevering young protagonist relates to many birds. I feel some of Doug's experiences relate to the print of Ferruginous Thrush from John James Audubon: Birds of America. This print depicts four birds fighting off a snake in their nest. The whole story Doug and his family are bullied by his father. The way I see this piece is that the snake is Mr. Swieteck tormenting the rest of his family throughout the story. Mr. Swieteck constantly physically abuses his children and emotionally abuses his wife. For one of Doug’s birthdays his father came home drunk and took him on a drive. Doug was in pain and describing how “ It hurt and my father pushed me down” (Schmidt 146). When the Sweiteck’s are

Along with “Introduction to Poetry,” in “The Lanyard,” the speaker recalls making a lanyard at camp for mother, and illustrates the powerful memories and connections ordinary objects can bring. By repeating “and I gave her a lanyard” (20), “and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard” (26), “And here is your lanyard” (29), or “and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp” (34), Collins emphasizes the humor and irony it rouses simultaneously: although his mother “gave [him] life and milk from her breasts,” all the narrator could give was “a boxy/ red and white lanyard” (19, 17-18). Collins creates a comical effect as the speaker continuously derides his gift; thus comparing the greatness of the mother’s nurture and the meagerness of what he could return. However, Collins narrates an irony that “this useless, worthless thing [he] wove/ out of boredom would be enough to make [them] even” (41-42). Though the two-tone plastic strips speaker braided are trivial, the action of giving touches his mother’s heart, and showed the genuine love towards each other. Collins’ usage of irony is also described in “Forgetfulness”: “It has floated away down a dark mythological river/ whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall” (14-15). Yet the speaker only recalls the letter “L” from the entire name due to his “forgetfulness,” it is, however, possible to discover the rest of the

Howard Becker, an American sociologist who has made major contributions to the sociology of deviance, art, and music begins his article “Whose side are we on” by questioning the values of sociologist when undertaking the studies of problem within the world we live in. He believes they are caught in a “crossfire” between

How do you decide what is and isn't fair? Many countries have policies based on equality of opportunity. These are policies that result in a transfer of wealth from the rich to the poor. In spite of this, these policies do not result in greater equality. Nations of the world are characterized by a disparity between the rich and the poor. The prevailing myth is that this disparity results from capitalism and the use of free markets. The facts are that the disparity is greater in societies that don't use free markets. Soviet Russia had two distinct classes. The upper class was comprised of the bureaucrats and the rest of population constituted the lower class. This disparity also exists in China. This is another way of saying that there is no middle class. Brazil is another country with a very marked disparity between the rich and the poor. Societies cannot have equality as a higher priority than freedom.