...Frost and Rhys: Writing Similarities and Differences Charles R. Cobb ENG 125: GSH1331C Alessandra Cusimano August 28, 2013 People experience poetry and short stories differently, yet they all use similar techniques or terms used to write literature. All literature uses some type of tone, a point-of-view, and symbols. This tools for writing help tell the story by giving the reader the emotions, perspective and the hidden messages, making the story come alive to reader and in captivating the reader into the story itself. Others use different terms to help tell their story for poems, rhythm is used often. While in short stories and dramas, foreshadowing and metaphors are used to help tell the story. These tools are not used in every work of literature, but they are tools to help bring the reader into the story more, making the reader become excited or antsy about what is coming next. Looking at the poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost and the short story “Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys, there are a couple of similarities and a few differences in their techniques. These techniques are what can make a poem and a short story differ are; symbolism, tone, point of view, foreshadowing, and rhythm will be discussed here. Symbolism A symbol in literature “is something that has a literal identity but also stands for something else-something that is widely understood and has been developed over a long period of time or by common agreement” (Clugston, R. 2010...
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...OF THE SHORT STORY ‘YOURS’ BY MARY ROBISON CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SHORT STORY ‘YOURS’ BY MARY ROBISON -MAHMUD HASSAN The short story ‘Yours’ is written by Mary Robison. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, where she teaches at the writing program at the University of Florida. The story ‘Yours’ is all about a married couple, Clark and Alison. Mary Robison managed to create a simple but very touching story about life and death, love and compassion. The story tells about a man and a woman, a married couple, who make jacks-o-lanterns out of pumpkins the night before Halloween. In the story we see that Alison is half younger than her husband. Here Clark is of seventy eighty and Alison is of thirty five years old. There is no indication in story for how long they are married. Clark is a doctor, internist and a Sunday water colorist and Alison works in a children day care center. ‘They were both quite tall and looked something alike in their facial features”. In general logic this very the difference of ages between the two seems illogical but there must be something that tied them in marital relationship. May be this relation occurred out of doctor-patient relationship, maybe he was her doctor. Whatever the causes may be it seems from the story that they love each other and trying to keep other happy by praising one another’s work. From the story we come to know...
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...Hughes's stories deal with and serve as a commentary of conditions befalling African Americans during the Depression Era. As Ostrom explains, "To a great degree, his stories speak for those who are disenfranchised, cheated, abused, or ignored because of race or class." (51) Hughes's stories speak of the downtrodden African-Americans neglected and overlooked by a prejudiced society. The recurring theme of powerlessness leads to violence is exemplified by the actions of Sargeant in "On the Road", old man Oyster in "Gumption", and the robber in "Why, You Reckon?" Hughes's "On the Road" explores what happens when a powerless individual takes action on behalf of his conditions. The short story illustrates the desperation and consequent violent actions of one man's homeless plight on a snowy winter evening. "He stopped and stood on the sidewalk hunched over- hungry, sleepy, and cold- looking up and down." (Hughes 90) Here, Sargeant is without the basic necessities of life- shelter and food. Sargeant, hopeless and starving, wanders the lonesome streets and happens upon a church. However, the reverend of the church denies Sargeant access. Mullen explains further- "And in "On the Road" an unemployed black man, given a quick brush-off by a high-toned preacher, breaks into a church" (81) When the Reverend refuses to house him, Sargeant's desperation and powerlessness leads him to commit a rash action- tear down the church door to a street of on-lookers. Shortly after, Police come to take...
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...Daniel Bragg Symbolism of a Journey Eng125: Introduction to Literature (ABG1222A) Professor Olabisi Adenekan 7-1-12 When it comes to reading poems and short stories, it seems that you can always find something more, the deeper you dive in to the respective works. The authors I am about to discuss were able to bring in readers with the use of imagery, tone, symbolism, and everyday understanding, among other things throughout their works. Without imagination however, I don’t believe it would be possible to truly get what each writer has intended their work to mean. You have to look close and pay attention to be able to visualize the symbolism in each of these literary pieces. In Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken”, and Jean Rhys’ short story “I Used to Live Here Once”, the consistent theme between the two would be; no matter who you are, you are the only one who chooses the road you take for your life’s journey. In other words, you choose your own destiny. And although they took different ways to say it, both Rhys and Frost use imagery, tone, and symbolism frequently to enhance the telling of their literary works. There are many people who travel a distance in life to find the path they should take or to remember the path they once took. In the poem “The Road Not Taken”, and the short story "I Used to Live Here Once", there are many similarities and differences. The authors’ use of describing a path helps them personify life’s journeys and self-reflection. Robert...
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...communicated in unique ways. I have chosen to do Robert Frosts "The Road Not Take," and the Jean Ryes "I Used to Live Here Once". Symbolism of the journey is in both of these literary works and it makes them both stronger and appealing to the readers. Being able to touch a reader and feel like the author is making it come alive is great because he know they are able to get their point across. There is always something to look for in a story that is so much more deep. It is our imagination that allows us, the readers, to use the descriptive words or symbols that are provided and create a mental vision. I will be comparing and contracting the style, form, and content. In this paper I will be accessing the area where both stories theme expressed the "The Journey." There is a similar theme in both "The Road Not Taken" and "I Used to Live Here Once." It was that no matter where we are in life or where we are going everyone has a choice to make. Everyone will make their very own destiny. But we cannot be fooled with the comparing themes as these two stories are very different when it comes to the way they were written and the symbolism used. They both describe an actual road or path which symbolizes the journey. A journey does not mean it is physical as it can be mental, spiritual, or even emotional. As a person will learn something along the way any way it goes. Rhys' story has a very dramatic ending because it reveals that she is deceased. This was important because it was not known...
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...it in our own different ways. Everyone has their own way of dealing with the loss of a loved one. In the short story “No Angel” from 2010, Bernie McGill processes this theme. In the short story, a girl called Annie loses her entire family. Bernie McGill writes about how she copes with her grief. In the following essay, I will analyze the author’s use of supernatural elements as a gateway between the living and the dead. The main character in ”No Angel” is a woman whose father has recently passed away. We are told that she has a boyfriend/fiancé . Even though she is technically being “haunted” by her dead father, she does not seem scared or “angry” in any way. She seems to understand the supernatural things that are happening to her. Probably because of the things that happened to her earlier in her life, with her brother and mother being dead , and now her father too. It is as if nothing can really surprise her anymore. She is drawn towards people with a higher self-esteem than her, like her brother Robbie. Which is also why she went out with Thomas who she says reminds her of Robbie. The reason for this can be the lack of bravery and boldness in herself. Even though the main character isn’t described as “lonely”, it seems very possible that she is not yet over her fathers’ death, which might also be the reason why she sees her father after his death. The story is told with a first person narrative. Which gives us a limited view of the events that happen in the main...
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...is a short story written by Debi Alper in 2010. The story takes place in Britain, more precisely in the southern part of London . In the beginning of the short story the main character, Max, is in his room. He is thinking back to the day his father left Max and his mother and back to the day he met Ishraqi – an Iranian girl who in a few hours changes Max’ life. This part of the story takes place at the UK Borders Agency. This place is an important part of the story because it is here he meets Ishraqi, who has an appointment there, and it is here his life changes. The short story is written in past tense, and the narrator is a third person that is all knowing, because the narrator knows what Max is thinking . The short story consists of three parts; the first part is where Max is home and is thinking back to when his father left him and his mother. The second part is where Max is thinking back to the day he met Ishraqi and the third part is where Max comes home to his mother and is completely changed because of Ishraqi. Max is a 16-year-old boy who did not care about school. He wanted to take as few exams as possible. He goes to a school named The Brit School. It is a school for performing arts and technology. It was the ideal school for Max, but he found it boring with subjects like Maths and English . He did admit though that The Brit School was an improvement from his old school . He has actually been full of enthusiasm for his new school, but it all changed when he came...
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..."The Arena" is a short story written by Martin Golan. I am going through this task to analyze and interpret this text. The text sheds light on several different areas. This means that the text comes in on topics, such as nervousness, stress, discomfort, family, children, etc. In rough outline deals with text around a father who has promised her that drive him over to an arena where ice hockey is played. The majority of the novel takes place in the car where the danger and the son sit and talk and discuss how far they will achieve it or not. For the son's point of view, it is not a disaster, whether they reach it or not, but in the father's heart, it is different. But getting through the text hints that there is a reason to believe that this incident has happened something cruel. In the text do you get as a reader to know that the father in the past have lost a son, and that he has gone to therapy. You may be able to call it his earlier life when this occurred. Through the short story will be told that the father has got a new wife, and thus also a new child. Although he is married, and "happy" there are still some different traits that makes you as a reader, becomes aware that he is not happy. It will be told in the short story, to his father's new wife is very similar to his previous wife. This can be a symbol of unrequited love and need. I believe that his new wife is a symbol of his old wife. He would like to have the Lady, which he lost, and the closest he comes to this is to...
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...how people react on changes and how people develop from them. It is told by a 3. person narrator, and therefor it is an omniscient narrator. The structure is chronically, which means that It does not jump in time. The story takes place in the 1950s where the family lives on the countryside outside the city Corinth, Mississippi. They are old fashioned and to survive they have to live of their land. They hunt and collect food in the nature. Arnold is a 9 years old boy, who lives with his parents, his sister Nora, and his brother Eugene who is 15 years old. The brothers share a room, and it looks like Arnold likes and looks up to Eugene as you can se here: To dispel emphatically his uneasy advantage over his sleeping brother, he threw himself on the hump of Eugie's body”. Arnold and Eugene woke up early in the morning and went picking peas. Arnold brought the riffle he got from his father. They had to go under a fence, but the gun got stuck and in the effort to get it loose, Arnold ends up shooting Eugene. Normal people would have run for help, but Arnold went out and picked like they had arranged. The parents act normal and runs out to see Eugene, and then calls the police. The father and the uncle named Andy, comes with Arnold to see the sheriff and he calls him a moron....
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..."The Arena" is a short story written by Martin Golan. I am going through this task to analyze and interpret this text. The text sheds light on several different areas. This means that the text comes in on topics, such as nervousness, stress, discomfort, family, children, etc. In rough outline deals with text around a father who has promised her that drive him over to an arena where ice hockey is played. The majority of the novel takes place in the car where the danger and the son sit and talk and discuss how far they will achieve it or not. For the son's point of view, it is not a disaster, whether they reach it or not, but in the father's heart, it is different. But getting through the text hints that there is a reason to believe that this incident has happened something cruel. In the text do you get as a reader to know that the father in the past have lost a son, and that he has gone to therapy. You may be able to call it his earlier life when this occurred. Through the short story will be told that the father has got a new wife, and thus also a new child. Although he is married, and "happy" there are still some different traits that makes you as a reader, becomes aware that he is not happy. It will be told in the short story, to his father's new wife is very similar to his previous wife. This can be a symbol of unrequited love and need. I believe that his new wife is a symbol of his old wife. He would like to have the Lady, which he lost, and the closest he comes to this is to...
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...Coming of Age “A & P” John Updike’s short story, A & P discusses a simple conflict resolved with a quick and definitive action. The story focuses on its main character; Sammy who has an epiphany when he realizes a line has been crossed while working his summer job. Updike’s story teaches us of a young and relatable man who will stand up for what he believes. The story starts of with Sammy describing three young girls that catch his eye as they walk into the store. “There was this chunky one, with the two-piece- it was bright green and the seams on the bra were still sharp and her belly was still pretty pale so I guessed she just got it (the suit)- there was this one, with one of those chubby berry –faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes”… “And then the third one, that wasn’t quite so tall. She was the queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round. She didn’t look around, not this queen” (320). When Sammy is describing these girls, he is really only describing one girl in particular. “She had on a kind of dirty-pink- beige, maybe, I don’t know- bathing suit with a little nubble all over it and, what got me, the straps were down” (321). Sammy sees these young women in such detail. He observes their every move, up until the time of their checkout. It is at this point, that the store manager...
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... SYMBOLISM OF THE JOURNEY A poem and short story, no matter how different are two literary pieces where a story is told. Authors of these works use a blend of different literary elements to take simple script and turn it into something captivating. This lets the story come alive to the reader and seem like so much more than a simple story. For this paper I chose to write about “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost as it has always been a favorite poem of mine, and the short story “I Used to Live Here Once” by Jean Rhys as it was the story that spoke to me the most from our text. These two literary works both share a similar story dealing with symbolism of their journey, which have several similarities as well as some differences. I the three literary works I have chosen to discuss are; the poem “The Road Not Taken” the short story “Used to Live Here Once” and the short story “A Worn Path” all share a common theme, even though they were all differently written. The theme for all three writings shows that no matter how long or how tough life’s journey is the end of the road still depends on the choices and decisions made by the journey person. The person on life’s journey essentially finished their own story. In the poem “The Road Not Taken” there is a traveler who comes to a split in a path in the woods. The traveler is trying to decide which path to takes when he decides to take the path that has been less traveled on. In the beginning...
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...Analysis of ”Death by Scrabble” ”Death by Scrabble” is a short story. The author of this short story is Charlie Fish. The short story is about a husband and wife playing Scrabble on a blistering hot Sunday afternoon. The husband hates his wife and he keeps thinking about all the things that he would have been doing if she weren’t there. The wife is close to winning, which makes him hate her even more. Now he wants to kill his wife. The letters they spell in the game will come true, or at least that’s what the husband thinks. He is desperately trying to find a fatal word to use against his wife, but she ends up using the word DEATH and that surprises the husband enough for him to choke on a scrabble letter and die. The short story opens in meduas res because he starts out by saying, “it’s a hot day, and I hate my wife”(1). The short story has a very closed ending, because we know that he is dead. The story is divided into three part, Introduction, climax and ending. In the introduction you get to know a little bit more about the teller, and he tells us about his relationship to his wife. The climax is when you know they both are looking for words to kill each other. The ending is when the husband is choking on a Scrabble letter and dies. Throughout the short, tension is being build up, and we can see that the words they are writing, is how they feel about their marriage. The narrator is the husband, and we know that because he says “I”. The narrator is very limited, because we...
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...could end up doing evil things everyday. In the short stories “The Tell-Tale Heart” “The Sniper” and “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” all share a similar theme “Everyone has the potential for evil. The theme for The Tell-Tale Heart is the truth always comes out.This quote is relevant because in the story the man who goes on to kill the old man end up showing the police officers where the body was hidden. “Villains!” I shrieked “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! -- tear up the planks! -- here, here! -- it is the beating of his hideous heart!” (Poe par. 18) This quote is relevant because he welcomed in the police and told them nothing was wrong...
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...RUNNING HEAD: SHORT STORY 1 Short Story Kathe Gunckle Baker College Ms. Stacy Dacheux RUNNING HEAD: SHORT STORY 2 Abstract Wendy is doctor in a small town. She loves her job and specializes in rare diseases and how to cure them. A stranger asks her to go to a far away land where her help is needed to help people who are dying. She is concerned about going because she is afraid of stepping outside her small town and her comfort zone. While traveling she encounters those who are trying to stop her, becomes unsure about her ability to help and becomes sick herself and does not understand what she is suffering from. In the end she is able to help those in need and bring back valuable information to help others in her small town and elsewhere. RUNNING HEAD: SHORT STORY 3 Short Story Helping those who can’t help themselves is so much a part of me now; it’s hard to recall just when it started. As kids, Caitlin Morse and I would play hospital for hours on end. Each and every blond haired, blue eyed baby doll as well as each cuddly teddy bear had been bandaged, operated on and cured of every imaginable disease by the time we were 12. Caitlin went on to marry a doctor and I chose to become one...
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