Coraghessan Boyle gives a whole new perspective on the bad boy persona in his story entitled “Greasy Lake”. This story about a single night in the life of a bad boy shows the development of the protagonist from a bad boy into a very different individual. To see his development, we must look at him towards the beginning of the story, before his change, what causes this change, the end result and the symbolism. At the beginning of the story,…
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Boyle’s story “Greasy Lake” is a story of three boys’ unforgettable night unfolds. The narrator does his best at first to describe the three boys as “dangerous characters” (56). However, the narrator shows that he and his friends are nothing more than kids testing the limits, and not actually “bad”. Despite what the narrator says compared to the “bad greasy character” (58), the narrator’s self-proclaimed “bad”-ness is undermined. The true “bad” character in “Greasy Lake” is the “character…
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literary devices such as symbolism and the use of similes the lair of Grendel and his mother is depicted as a literal Hell. The grove of trees surrounding the lake in which Grendel and his mother reside are symbolic of death. The trees are covered with “a frozen spray” representing winter an archetype for death. Furthermore the roots of the trees wind down “snakelike” into the lake and help keep it dark. The roots are symbolic of Satan and are evil helping keep the lake dark. Mist is also described…
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Within this excerpt from Beowulf, the narrator describes the home of monsters Grendel and his mother. The present alliteration, similes, gloomy diction, and symbolism effectively set the morose tone of the setting. The literary devices and word choice assist the reader in visualizing the residing place of Grendel and his mother. The imagery created by alliterated phrases such as “Roots that reach” and “stirs and storms” is rather detailed. The sprawled out roots and turbulent water establish an…
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The kite runner is a story rich with symbolism and deep, question raising motifs. Among them is the recurring mentioning of the monster in the lake that Hassan dreamt about, which symbolized both Hassan’s devotion to Amir, and Amir’s guilt after standing by as Hassan got raped. The morning of the kite-fighting tournament, while Hassan made breakfast, he described his dream to Amir, one where the two of them had shown the people at Lake Ghargha that there is no monster, and in turn earned the titles…
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various literary devices to develop ideas in their work. This handout explains some of the most commonly used literary elements and suggests strategies for using them to analyse short stories. The devices explored in this handout are: imagery, symbolism, irony, and foreshadowing. As you read literature, watch for how these various elements are used. IMAGERY Imagery is the way authors create pictures, or images, in readers’ minds. Through the creation of these images, the author often gives…
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The Orphan Boy and The Elk dog was a Blackfoot tribal legend. The Blackfoot tribe dwelled in The Great Plains during the 17th century and spoke of the myth of how they got horses. This story is about a deaf Indian boy named Long arrow, who later regains his hearing and his struggle to be accepted by society. The theme of this story would is never to give up and keep trying until you succeed.…
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The scion from when Paul firsts visits the Tomas Cruz Nursery is a superb example of symbolism to represent memory and the past. Page 164 is when the scion is first mentioned, Luis explains to Paul’s group “At this spot, we cut a slit into the rough lemon tree, set a new type of bud inside, and close the slit up with tape. Now we have turned…
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The Symbolism of The Watsons It has been said that a young man coming of age has a lot to go through. This is seen in the historical fiction novel The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis when the Watsons go to Birmingham, Alabama. During their time in Birmingham, there are many things that they experience that are in fact symbolic. The author uses symbolism to convey the message that coming of age is an important part of life. There are many uses of symbolism in the novel,…
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While the color purple has hundreds of different shades, all of them looking similar, many of them can have completely different meanings. Color can show emotion, symbolism, and even sound. In Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the color purple shows time passing, symbolism through a military award, and in the middle of a crisis, peace. Tim O'Brien uses color in key parts of the story in order to allow the reader to envision the scene that he is trying to retell, or capture, one of the first…
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