Unlike the hunter who concerns nonhuman or other humans merely for his own benefit, Sylvia tries to understand other species. When the young man is ignorant of how the family feels and keeps on asking Sylvia about the heron as if she is only a tool, Sylvia is watching a toad and guessing that the hop-toad may want to reach its hole. In contrast to the sportsman’s eagerness in extending his “collection of birds” (p. 200), Sylvia feels for the little creature, just as she enters into the thoughts of the birds in the boughs, wondering if they are “saying goodnight…in sleepy twitters” (p. 198). Whereas the male violently takes the singing creature down from the bough, Sylvia questions his intention for killing the birds he claims to like. For …show more content…
Sylvia manages to attain transversal communication with other life forms including her cow, the white heron and the old tree. All these friends help Sylvia to develop her identity through her bond with her natural landscape. In return, she must do something for the heron. She ought not to “give its life away” and must allow it to continue to live (p 203). After her internal conflict between the rapport with nature and the awakening interest in the opposite sex, Sylvia secures her purity and strength by refusing to surrender to the hunter and remaining in nature. Indeed, the reader can hardly not appreciate the “spirit of adventure” and rejoice at the “fancied triumph” for Sylvia and the ecosystem (p. 201).
References
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Griffith, K., Jr. (1985). Sylvia as hero in Sarah Orne Jewett's “A White Heron”. Colby Library Quarterly, 21(1), 22-27.
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Held, G. (1982). Heart to heart with nature: Ways of looking at "A White Heron". Colby Quarterly, 18(1), 55-65.
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Starting of with “A White Heron”, the story starts with a mellow, quiet mood. Sylvia is walking in the woods with her companion, her cow. Jewett includes words and phrases such as “childish patience” and “the little girl” that makes the reader grasp the idea of Sylvia being a child. The fact that Sylvia hears the whistle of the stranger and hides also show the idea of her being a young child. The first day meeting the stranger, Sylvia seems reserved and not paying much attention to him talking about the white heron, even when he confesses to pay ten dollar for anyone who helps him find it. Soon enough, Sylvia develops a crush on the hunter. She does go in the woods with him for his needs to find the white heron but she does not disclose where the bird could be, it seemed as if she just wanted to enjoy his company. When Sylvia goes on her
“The free bird thinks of another breeze….a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams…” The two literary works “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou and Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” can be seen as mockingbirds that have flown over fields of prejudice and repeat what they have seen for all to hear. Jem Finch, a young boy and lawyer’s son from “To Kill a Mockingbird” clearly symbolizes a mockingbird because of his youth and innocence, and because of his innocence he cannot fully understand the racism in the story. Jem also has many similarities to the caged and free birds in “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, whether it be Jem’s
“A White Heron” and “The Revolt of Mother” express symbolism through the color white. The color white is prominent in the title “A White Heron”. Sylvia presents herself to
In his poem “The Great Scarf of Birds”, John Updike uses a flock of birds to show that man can be uplifted by observing nature. Updike’s conclusion is lead up to with the beauty of autumn and what a binding spell it has on the two men playing golf. In Updike’s conclusion and throughout the poem, he uses metaphors, similes, and diction to show how nature mesmerizes humans.
One’s view on something often changes when you look at it from more than one point of view. Morality plays a significant role in any decision making process. It is hard to justify any decision that is not moral. Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron” has many elements of nature, and of the preservation of what Sylvia holds dearly. The thought provoking short story evokes emotions of caring, loving, and fear. All of these emotions are shown by different settings and characters in the story.
The major theme of this story is to some people, animals are more important than any human. The author and his sister love Henry, the parrot, like one of their family member. Sedaris makes his audiences confused. At first, he makes everyone think that Henry is a human being as he says: “My sister’s home didn’t really lend itself to snooping, so I spent my hour in the kitchen, making small talk with Henry”(445).
Thus, through the initial impression of the man of the bird’s brave and challenging movements by the utilisation of poetic techniques, the reader is able to visualise the bird’s characteristic it inherits and gain a deeper understanding of nature and the impression of humanity distinctively.
Mary Oliver’s passage from “Owls” is composed of various stylistic elements which she utilizes to thoroughly illustrate her nuanced views of owls and nature. Oliver’s use of intricate sentence structure–syntax– and a speculative tone are formal stylistic elements which effectively convey the complexity of her response to nature.
Kelly, Joseph. The Seagull Reader - Stories. 2nd ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2008. 354-72. Print.
The novel begins with the image of a bird that is trapped and cannot communicate:
In the story “Night Calls” one of the symbols is the Heron (bird) that the father takes care of. The father of the girl (narrator) had lost his wife and just got a heron to look after. The heron was a symbol of distraction for the father. The people told him that the heron was almost extinct and they would try to find a mate. Meanwhile the father took care of the bird, he was so interested in the bird in the beginning. When the girl/daughter/narrator would come home all he talked about was the heron. With that being said, the symbol is distraction by the heron.
Since its first appearance in the 1886 collection A White Heron and Other Stories, the short story A White Heron has become the most favorite and often anthologized of Sarah Orne Jewett. Like most of this regionalist writer's works, A White Heron was inspired by the people and landscapes in rural New England, where, as a little girl, she often accompanied her doctor father on his visiting patients. The story is about a nine-year-old girl who falls in love with a bird hunter but does not tell him the white heron's place because her love of nature is much greater. In this story, the author presents a conflict between femininity and masculinity by juxtaposing Sylvia, who has a peaceful life in country, to a hunter from town, which implies her
The White Heron is a spiritual story portraying great refinement and concerns with higher things in life. A 9 year old girl once isolated in the city found fulfillment in a farm surrounded by nature. Too those less unfortunate, money charm and other attractions can be intoxicated; Sylvia did not bite. She could have helped her situation and found a way to wealth but in the end she realized that it wouldn’t help her to be the person she wanted to be. This paper will illustrate a critical analysis of the story of White Heron and focus on the relationship between the literary elements of the story, plot, characterization, style, symbolism and women’s concerns that are specific to this period.
At the bird’s appearance and apparent vocal articulation, he is at first impressed, then saddened. He compares this evening visitor as only another friend which will soon depart, just as “other friends have flown before” (58). But the raven again echoes quite aptly his one-word vocabulary, thus leading the man on to think more deeply about the possibilities that exist at this juncture. Somewhere deep inside him, he has realized that it doesn’t matter what question he poses, the bird will respond the same.