The Farmer S Child
“The Farmer’s Children” Literary Essay Draft In modern, civilized society we believe that children should be nurtured and cared for by not only their parents but by the adults responsible. The story of Cato and Emerson told in “The
Farmer’s Children” by Elizabeth Bishop shows that in some cases, vulnerable children are held responsible to take care of themselves. The young boys are sent by their parents out into the cold to do the job that was originally meant for the hired man, Judd, and end up freezing to their deaths. Bishop enlists in the aid of many literary techniques to help her get a message across to the reader. Such as, allusion, characterization, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Bishop conveys that because of the carelessness of adults, the innocence of children is being lost with the use of allusion, characterization, and symbolism.
Bishop uses allusion to show connections to other stories that portray the same or a similar message to her own. She describes, “And he would see the crumbs leading straight back the way they had come, white and steadfast in the early light”(292), which is an allusion to the folk story, “Hansel and Grethel.” In the story, Hansel and Grethel are sent out into the forest by their parents who have decided that they cannot afford to feed them any longer and have to get rid of them. Hansel, however, is clever and leaves a trail leading back to the house so that when their parents leave them, they may find a way back home. This is similar to what Cato was doing in “The Farmer’s Children,” he crumbled up bread to make sure that they could find their way back home in the morning. The two stories are very similar but in this specific situation, the correlation between the two is that the
Farmer’s Children” by Elizabeth Bishop shows that in some cases, vulnerable children are held responsible to take care of themselves. The young boys are sent by their parents out into the cold to do the job that was originally meant for the hired man, Judd, and end up freezing to their deaths. Bishop enlists in the aid of many literary techniques to help her get a message across to the reader. Such as, allusion, characterization, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Bishop conveys that because of the carelessness of adults, the innocence of children is being lost with the use of allusion, characterization, and symbolism.
Bishop uses allusion to show connections to other stories that portray the same or a similar message to her own. She describes, “And he would see the crumbs leading straight back the way they had come, white and steadfast in the early light”(292), which is an allusion to the folk story, “Hansel and Grethel.” In the story, Hansel and Grethel are sent out into the forest by their parents who have decided that they cannot afford to feed them any longer and have to get rid of them. Hansel, however, is clever and leaves a trail leading back to the house so that when their parents leave them, they may find a way back home. This is similar to what Cato was doing in “The Farmer’s Children,” he crumbled up bread to make sure that they could find their way back home in the morning. The two stories are very similar but in this specific situation, the correlation between the two is that the