The speaker uses stylistic devices to acknowledge how hard his father works to make his…
The narrators father lives in this town, and his job is a painter, although he is not that successful of a painter financially, he has great artistic skills and a creative mind. He also has very strong beliefs and this relates directly to his work because he paints things the way he thinks they should be painted. This is shown when he is asked to paint a portrait of a young girl and the mother makes many requests of what should be done but he ignores her and continues to paint it the way he thinks it would look best. And although the narrators father has different beliefs from the mother of how the portrait should be painted he paints it his way.…
1. The overarching tone of this piece is shamefully miserable. Sherman Alexie conveys this by using negative diction, for example; Alexie begins his first grade excerpt by saying, “My hair was short and the U.S. Government glasses were horn-rimmed, ugly…” The author uses the word ‘ugly’ to indicate young Alexie lacks in self confidence and is ashamed of his appearance. Alexie continues on saying, “… in school the other Indian boys chased me from one corner of the playground to the other. They pushed me down, buried me in the snow until I couldn’t breathe, thought I’d never breathe again.” He was miserable since the day he started school, that’s sad. The phrase “couldn’t breathe, thought I’d never breathe” makes me feel hopeless and vulnerable all at once. As the school years goes by, nothing seems to change except Alexie no longer gets physically hurt. He still feels ashamed and dejected from his own tribe. He will always be a misfit.…
This story of inequality between the sexes appropriately opens with a detailed account of the narrator's father. The narrator describes every aspect of her father's life, including his occupation, and even his friends. Throughout this first part of the story, the narrator's mother is virtually inexistent, outside her disapproval of her husband's pelting business. The reader is left uncertain about the mother's whereabouts, but is aware that the father figure is somewhat of an idol in the narrator's mind.…
A struggle for individualism is often masked by resistance to all things ‘parental’. The essay is written from the standpoint of a young adult reflecting on her childhood; who like the majority of young adults – finds nothing in common with her father. Vowell defiant personality is clear, “Our house was partitioned off into territories.” (Page 172). A stand is often taken by teenagers against their parents. However, Vowell’s description of her father’s shop, although seemingly in disgust, is lovingly depicted by using distinctive words that almost appeared optimistic.…
At the introduction of the essay, Mr. Brown does a great job of emotionally and visually pulling the reader into his work. By giving a detailed description of how him and his grandmother use to “walk the tree-lined sidewalks down to the neighborhood grocery store”, Brown creates a descriptive visual for his readers. He talks about how the grocer knew his grandmother by name, and how the man would lift him on his shoulders to pet the giant buffalo head mounted on the shops wall.…
Through the sincere and loyal tone, it becomes apparent that the speaker herself is proud of her work, but fearful of others’ responses to it. Although she refers to the book as a “rambling brat” and “hobbling,” due to the impressions of others, the tone is of protective sincerity, thus the mother-child metaphor. The narrator says, “‘mongst vulgars may’st thou roam,” in reference to the outside world being ultra-critical of the book and child – purporting a deep sense of motherly protection. This…
Within the first two sentences, the reader understands this family’s gentle disposition when the narrator hits his thumb with a hammer and supposes his father’s response. The narrator hurts himself with a hammer that has been passed down through his family for three generations. Through out the essay, words and actions from different generations of the family encompass a tender sarcasm, a light humor, and an understanding nature that renders a unique patience which is passed down from generation to generation, just like the hammer. This disposition was applied to being resourceful when the narrator’s grandfather married. Even though the grandfather “had not quite finished the house” by the day of the wedding, he “took his wife home and put her to work”. Before sunset, the house was finished. Though the narrator obviously was not present for the day of his grandparents’ wedding, from his point of view, he sees his grandfather dedicated to the endeavor of building a house for his future family. The narrator emulates the same behaviors…
So often in relationships we find the smallest idiosyncrasies or characteristics charming at first. However, after the initial “honeymoon phase” these characteristics cannot be overlooked any longer. This is especially evident in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “The Birthmark”. A man named Aylmer is no longer able to overlook the birthmark that was bestowed upon his wife, Georgiana’s, cheek. Even though the mark was small enough to be covered by two fingers, he was not able to allow it to disrupt the utter perfection of the rest of her face.…
Despite the mother’s countless efforts to oppress the need for change within the lives of her children, the narrator’s father seemed to have had the upper hand in the development of their children despite his limited efforts. An evidence of this can be witnessed in the occupation adopted by the narrator; as described by the line “I have to worry about being late and weather I have a clean shirt and weather my car will start and about all the other countless things one must worry about when he teaches at a great Midwestern university.” (Macleod 93) Portraying quite clearly that the narrator chose to pursue the path that his father had started him on. As opposed to the path that his mother had liked for him to have been on. Furthermore, proving that change is something that everyone adores, regardless of their age. And it was the father’s ability to accept that change within the lives of his children that allowed for him to have a greater impact upon their lives that their own mother.…
Her father was a lawyer and made a lot of money and came home looking pale and happy. Martinis put color back in his face, and at dinner he talked to his wife and two children. Oh give her a potato, he would say to Louise’s mother. She a growing girl. Her mother’s voice then became tense: If she has a potato she shouldn’t have dessert. She should have both, her father would say, and he would reach over and touch Louise’s cheek or hand or arm.…
Parenting, or bad parenting, is a strong and clearly defined theme in A Good Man is Hard to Find along with generational shifts. The grandmother wouldn’t take her “children in any direction with a criminal like” (1) The Misfit. Even with her warning bailey, as a clear example of generational shift, doesn’t “look up from his reading” (1). This showing of complete and utter disregard of his mother presents the problem of generational shifts, Bailey neither cares nor respects his old mother’s words.…
As an only child, Father had a happy childhood until his mother died when he was 14. He attended Groton and Harvard. His dad made a fortune in the Civil War, but lost everything due to unwise speculations. He died suddenly. Father’s constant unhappiness was established during his early adulthood. “His flamboyance had produced in his lonely son a personality that was cautious, sober, industrious and chronically unhappy” (181). He took the money and invested in a fireworks business. Starting his business with inherited money was archetypal during the Ragtime period.…
In this coming of age story, Charlie must question his conventional notions of what is right and wrong as he navigates small town morality, racism and hypocrisy. Discuss with close reference to the novel.…
In the passage from The Spectator, written by Joseph Addison, the life of a wealthy British man is satirically documented in a journal. Addison recounts the activities of six full days with the style of a personal journal. The journal entries mock the British upper class, this mockery ranges from the lackadaisical lifestyle to the repetitiveness of everyday. Addison created an entertaining work of satire through the use of repetition, detail, and tone. Throughout the passage Addison uses repetition to express the similarity of every day to a wealthy British person.…