The Woods Annotation

Trees stand there, not saying a word, frozen. Melinda doesn’t talk a substantial amount in her class and social life, therefore, it is like she is frozen, not speaking. A dead tree can represent how Melinda wasn’t able to speak, the leaves on the dead tree are still clinging onto it, hoping it can live longer. Like that, Melinda would cling onto the idea that she would return to her happy self, maybe being able to freely express herself again. During Melinda’s science class, she draws a willow tree drooping into the water, this represents her sadness. “I look out the window. No limos... Now when I really want to leave, no one will give me a ride. I sketch a willow tree drooping into the water” (page 147). This shows how the willow tree expresses her negative emotion without saying a word. When Melinda’s dad was chopping down their tree; of course, it couldn’t say anything because it is only a tree. “ He is killing the tree... The tree is dying... There’s nothing to do or say. We watch in silence as the tree crashes piece by piece to the damp ground,” (page 187). This shows that when Melinda got raped, she did not say anything, instead she was dying inside, depression taking over. A tree in its various stages was an object that describes Melinda’s freshman year from the beginning to the

The narrator comes into the kitchen to see a huge mess and her mom in the middle of it. As she is walking in a piece of the debris almost hits her in the head. “I ducked as a piece of tile flew at me”. This already raises the tension in the story because the narrator has already almost been injured by a flying piece of tile. From the mothers point of view nothing is wrong and waves it off as it is was nothing which angers the narrator even more. “ I pushed past her to get the broom, but she grabbed me by the elbow. A feeling of nervous ness swelled inside me.” If that is not enough the narrators mother decides its the perfect time to tell her that in the next few days she will be leaving her mother and going to New Mexico for 3 months. “ But what am I supposed to do? That’s three whole months” The daughter is steamed because she is going to have to move again to a new place were she has not friends, but from the mothers point of view she is sending her child away so she can be safe while she going off to work in a unfamiliar place. The mother cannot see the situation from her daughters perspective that is why the passage progresses the way it does. It eventually leads to them fighting and the daughter locking herself in her room. If only the mother could have seen the daughters perspective then maybe she would have taken a different approach leading to a different more positive

Before reading the third chapter of “The Forest and the Trees”, I remember learning in the second chapter about symbolism, ideology and the construction of life in different cultures and societies around the world. For example, something interesting I remember learning was how every social system has a culture, consisting primarily of symbols (including words), ideas and practices. I believe this also connects and refers to how we tend to build our own sense of reality through the words and ideas that we use to mean something and people may use to name interpret what they experience and how cultures consist of symbols of ideas or words being portrayed. Based on what I read in the second chapter and the title of the third chapter, “The Structures

Childhood is portrayed as a time of safety that is often looked back upon with nostalgia from an adult perspective. Monosyllabic words are used to show the simplicity of childhood life, for example in the line “the thing I could not grasp or name”. The ‘spring violets’ are ‘in their loamy bed’ and are no longer frail and melancholy, and the memory takes place on a ‘hot afternoon’ in contrast to the ‘cold dusk’ that represents the present. Childhood is represented as a joyful, vivacious time in one’s life, and the value of a stable family life is conveyed. The unexpected integration of Australian vernacular in the line ‘it will soon be night, you goose’, adds a sense of freedom and relaxation to the otherwise formal discourse and more rigid structure of the poem, once again reflects the simplicity and innocence that is associated with childhood. The use of

The mood of the speaker changes to guilt as the speaker and her mother realize they would "crawl" with "shame" and leave an "emptiness" in their father's heart and yard. The author negatively connotes "crawl," "shame," and "emptiness" to invoke a more serious and shameful tone. The beginning of the conveyed a more matter-of-fact and pragmatic tone, but changes into a more sentimental one by the end to convey family is more important than the money. The symbol of the tree represents the family, and connects it to their father's hard work and dedication to the family. If they were to cut it down, it would be symbolic of their betrayal. Imagery of the tree is used to describe the freedom and beauty of the tree as it "swings through another year of sun and leaping winds, of leaves and bounding fruit." The tree represents their family bond and how strong it is even through the "whip-crack of the mortgage."

A shift in focus from the students to himself creates an interesting structure in the poem. Collins began discussing his disinterest of his students and their laughable yet pathetic lifestyle. Then toward the end, the author shifts to speak about himself. He expresses the impact of being a long time teacher and the loneliness that comes along with it. Collins creates the detailed image of his colonial house, the deflated car, and vines growing on the porch swing, revealing his depression and sense of being trapped. Therefore, the author connects how past students have driven him to insanity and caused him to create a false reality in his head.

One of the many themes developed in the novel, A Separate Peace, is fear. Going to war, not excelling in studies, and jumping from a tree are three events that show how fear is portrayed throughout the story. Fear is an important theme in this story because almost every character ends up being consumed by fear. The entire story revolves around fear and without it, the story wouldn’t be the same.

Throughout the story, the mood becomes more suspenseful. As Janet walks out of the strong spring storm and enters her cold damp house, she is overcome by feelings of isolation and loneliness. Her husband is not there; there are dead plants

fear throughout the story. The narrator says, “...-Oh! For a voice to speak! -oh! any horror but

First, tension is created in “Confetti Girl” because the narrator feels that she’s being neglected. The narrator feels as if her father’s books are more important to him than herself. For example, the passage states, “He might say I matter, but when he goes on a scavenger hunt for a book, I realize that I really don’t” (26). This piece from the story passage creates tension because the narrator feels that she doesn’t matter. Because the father has to go on a scavenger hunt to look for a book every time, a great deal of time must be spent with his books. And because of this lack of time with her daughter, she feels neglected and nonexistent. She winds up dreading her father and her books because of it. This difference in the point of view of

The speaker says, “Sunsets would threaten us,” which means that they can’t continue their adventure and fulfil their curiosity without light (5). Since light is a symbol of knowledge, it also means that they can’t go on without knowledge. Also, the image of a snake shedding its skin shows change and improvement (1). Molting shows that a snake is growing, and it helps the snake see clearly1. Overall, the storytelling has a lasting effect on how the speaker sees the world, which is illustrated by the line “Her voice travels my shelves” (19). Her influence on the “shelves” of his mind will allow the speaker to appreciate his heritage. The very end implies change as well when the speaker says that the two boys are “still” joined in one shadow (21). The word “still” implies that this will eventually change, perhaps after they are no longer in the shadow of

As a result of these roles, the daughter’s and mother’s perspectives differ greatly, thus adding tension between the characters. Since the family moves a lot, the teenage daughter has her own concerns. Such as, making friends, and trying not to be the “new kid” in school all the time. On the other hand, the single mother, has other concerns. These include trying her best to support her daughter, and going to Costa Rica to complete her research so she can graduate; and this is all “for the better,” for her and her daughter. In an intense argument about moving to Costa Rica, the mother states, “...this a wonderful opportunity for you,” the daughter responds, “Opportunity? For me? Or for you?” This depicts the rising tension between the mother and daughter. It is obvious that in this scenario, the daughter felt like she was powerless, and that her other always gets to decide everything. This causes the daughter to become contrary and withdrawn. At one point in the story, the narrator goes into her room, and ignores her mother who is trying to talk to her from the other side of the door. In the text, her mother states, ‘She paused for a moment then continued. ”Would you please talk to me?”’ This emphasizes the conflict between the two, since the tension at this point reached it’s peak. Since the daughter isn’t replying to anything her mother says, this really implies the emotional stress both the mother and daughter went through. In general, it’s hard to constantly switching schools and trying to make new friends, but in this case, it becomes evident that the narrator is at the end of her line. She can’t take it anymore, all the moving, and “fitting in.” This establishes a strong sense of emotional struggle from the narrator’s perspective. By doing so, the author makes it blatantly obvious that the

The reflection of each poet's childhood is displayed within these lines helping to build a tone for the memories of each narrator.

As she is developing, she is tantalized by the societal norms he represents. She is ready to give up the backwoods (a symbol of herself) for all he (a symbol of society) has to offer. Convinced of that, she sets off to find the secret of the elusive white heron and in order to find the heron, she had to climb to what was literally the top of the world for her, the top of the pine tree. The world from the top was different than the city and it was different from the woods at ground level. From the top her perspective about the world changed, it was vast and awesome, and she understood her place in it more than before. She understood it to mean more than to sacrifice her own self for the gifts this man had to offer that were tantalizing but incapitable with her personality and true self.

Also, when she talks about the "Woods being Sovereign", it gives a sense of control. This all gives me the impression that being a "loaded gun" she is harmless until her master takes possession of it (her). And in the line, "And every time I speak for him/ The Mountains straight reply", it represents language to