“Two days is eternity” is a statement given in the stage directions found in Warren Leight’s Nine Ten (Leight 865). This statement may seem to be a harmless remark made by an average person caught up in the hustle and bustle of today’s society. However, the readers soon find out that this statement is one of many instances of foreshadowing found in this drama. Along with foreshadowing, this play is filled with irony and a variety of stereotypical characters. Leight’s Nine Ten has in interesting storyline that is pushed along by multiple main characters who are drastically different from one another. John McCormack is the character in this story that by societies standards would be considered average. Sara Constantakis describes John by …show more content…
However, later in this story you find out that these details mean much more than just what occupations the characters hold. For example, John works on a high floor in his building that he describes by saying, “…I’m up so high, on a good day, you can see Europe” (Leight 862). Lyris’s brother, also works as a security guard in that building. Another way that Leight uses foreshadowing is in simple details within the character’s lives. Kearrie has a plane ticket for the following day, Leslie dates cops, and Nick reveals that he lives downtown. All of these things may seem irrelevant when they are brought up. However, in the end of the story, after the date is revealed, they add up to be very relevant. At the end of the story it is revealed to the readers that this story takes place on the day before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. This information makes those minor irrelevant details important to the storyline. When these facts are put in to context, John working on a high floor, Lyris’s brother’s job, and Nick living downtown put them all in the middle of the attacks on the next day. Leight also frequently uses irony in Nine Ten. Throughout the story, the characters complain about how boring things in their lives are. John complains about his monotonous everyday routine by saying, “Same office, same view” he continues by stating, “We take the same train to work. We have the same lunch” (Leight 865).
One example of foreshadowing is when Madamme Ratignolle warns Robert to stay away from Edna because she will take him too seriously may be forewarning of her suicide at the end of the novel.
The author uses Foreshadowing for a number of different reasons including giving background information, to show the character’s motivation, to build a mood and to get the reader’s predicting. One of the most important craft moves that the author uses throughout the book is foreshadowing. “The temporary rose tattoo on his left biceps showed below his sleeve, but the slight bulge of the handgun in his shoulder holster was barely noticeable under his shirt.”(page 3) In the beginning of the book, by using foreshadowing the author achieves the goal of building a mood. When she does this, she makes it seem as if something bad is about to happen. It creates a very suspenseful and eerie mood. Another goal the author achieves by using foreshadowing in the beginning of the book is to provide the reader’s with background information. When the author talks about
In one of O’Connor’s stories, A Good Man Is Hard to Find, her use of Foreshadow helps to make a story that seems like a simple tragedy, more cryptic and grotesque. O'Connor uses foreshadowing many times to clue the reader in on future events. One such passage reads as follows:
Therefore, the foreshadowing in the story creates suspense for both the characters and the readers.
Any good detective looks for clues or hints to solve a case. As readers, we act like detectives to put clues together and find out what really happened. Foreshadowing is similar to this because it gives us clues to see what will occur in a future event. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses foreshadowing very often to tell us what could possibly happen. In this book, two men dream to have their own piece of land together, but they can’t buy it because they don't have enough money. The two men set out find a job for money but along the way, many obstacles are thrown at them, and some of them they ca
This story could make one wonder, how far would you go to get the person of your dreams. Three young ladies walk into the A&P store wearing nothing but bathing suits. The girls catch the attention of Sammy who is the cashier. Sammy watches the girls walk around the store while making mental notes about each one of the girls. When Mr. Lengel the store manager sees the girls, he lets them know that the store policy is to have your shoulders covered and to dress appropriately when you enter the store. This conversation upsets Sammy, so in the moment Sammy spontaneously quits his job in hopes of being the girl’s hero. After Sammy takes off his apron and walks out the door he looks around, but the girls have already gone. Within John Updike’s short story “A&P” the author uses foreshadowing, a dynamic character, and symbolism to show us how life can be unpredictable at times.
Foreshadowing is a vital ingredient to any suspenseful story. It hints at the idea that something is off-kilter, without ever revealing exactly what that something is. This leaves readers with an uneasy feeling about the plot, but they can’t quite figure out why. Because of that suspicious feeling, readers are left with a burning desire to find out what happens on the next page. Foreshadowing can be achieved many different ways, such as through eree names, unpleasant conversations, and odd occurrences.
Foreshadowing can be talked about for a paragraph, or it will be mentioned in a sentence that can be easily missed.
One example of foreshadowing using characterization is that Arnold Friend begins as a strange man that was once staring at her, then he become a dangerous stalker, and when that happens, when you learn he’s a stalker, you get the feeling that he will do something worse to Connie than stalk her. On page 1, paragraph 7, and line 9 it reads “He wagged a finger and laughed and said,”Gonna get you, baby,” and Connie turned away again without Eddie noticing anything.” On page 4, paragraph 4 it reads “But I know what it is. I know your name and all about you, lots of things,” Arnold Friend said. He had not moved yet, but stood still leaning back against the side of his jalopy. “I took a special interest in you, such a pretty girl, and found out all about you-like I know your parents and sister are gone somewheres and I know where and how long they’re going to be gone, and I know who you were with last night, and your best friend's name is Betty. Right?” Arnold Friend is a manipulative person that you hypothesis will do something bad. When he introduces himself to Connie her tells her, everything that he knows about her and you start to classify him as a stalker. Arnold has a lot of personal and sensitive information on Connie. When he tells her that, you know he has to have
Shakespeare, in his play ‘Macbeth,’ establishes alliteration and foreshadowing in Act 5, Scene 5 to convey how the author exhibits life through Macbeth’s soliloquy. Through repetition of and relation to time, Shakespeare defines how life is nothing more than a promising illusion. The hopeless tone Shakespeare represents is reflected through the alliteration of words similarly relating to time or the passing of time, referencing the theme of unchecked ambition leading to the corruption and fall of even the best individuals in order to send an important life message to his Elizabethan audience.
Foreshadowing is a literary technique which is used by authors to give an advance hint of the upcoming events that will occur later in the story. This can give the reader a heads up about something, or increases tension. But either way, it keeps one
At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. What a profound change has come over his attitude towards the Unseen! No longer does he handle it in . . . [a] cheerful,
Irony is a technique that uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. For example, dramatic irony is a type of irony which is shown in the first Shrek movie. Fiona loves Shrek but only Donkey and the audience know. In this situation, dramatic irony is being created because the character Shrek does not know that Fiona loves him but the audience does. The short stories “The Lottery” the reader may find both situational and dramatic irony that both create the ironic ending.
“The Story of an Hour.” Perrines Literature, Structure, Sound and Sense, Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, publisher, 1997, pp. 532-534.
Introduction: William Shakespeare effectively uses dramatic irony to intrigue the reader and deepen the impact of the consequences Macbeth ultimately faces.