By using different literary methods authors are able to give their readers a better understanding of the message behind the piece of work. Using methods such as themes and symbolism allows readers to find the underlying meaning of the story rather than just simply reading something with no meaning or emotion behind it. While reading Robert Frost’s Poem The Road Not Taken and Eudora Welty’s short story A Worn Path, people get a sense that life is a lonely place full of sacrifice at times. Although these two pieces are different, their use of symbolism gives readers a better understanding of the characters in each work and figure out their real struggles with the choices they make. Literature is meant to take its readers to another place and allow them to become part of it, whether it be a story or a poem or play.
Symbolism of the Journey Stacey Lindsey Eng. 125 Introduction to Literature Instructor: Andrea Baer February 22, 2013 Symbolism of the Journey Robert Frost’s “The Path Not Taken” and Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” focus on one particular theme that is “Journey”. While the two writers have displayed a similar theme, it is a different point of view. Each of them have showed particular journey through which life can change. Out of many things in these two literatures there is one thing in common, i.e.
I knew the story had to be told. Not to transmit an experience is to betray it”(1) People would read what he wrote down and think about it. It usually comes the illusion after civilization but after reading it people might rethink about it. The impact on literacy is to let people consider what had happened with more points of view. Even though it is just Wiesel’s duty to write it down, the literacy may change people’s mind.
“The Journey leads to greater understanding”. This thesis cleverly states the importance of a journey, it expresses that through experiences in journeys a greater understanding will be obtained. This thesis can be shown in the poems, Summer Rain by John Foulcher and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, the classic American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and the children’s picture book, Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. In Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken the individual in the poem is analysing two different paths that are both equally appealing, yet he can only choose one to travel. On this journey the individual develops a greater understanding of both of the roads he is choosing from which he starts to develop a clearer view of the two, instead of stereotyping them.
Shirley Jackson, on the other hand, primarily makes use of names to stress the theme in her story, “The Lottery.” Although Jackson focuses mainly on names, she does incorporate the use of one object as a symbol of great importance to the theme. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown" and Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery" are both excellent examples of works which use symbolism, a literary device, throughout the plot in order to support the theme. Hawthorne uses the names of his characters as symbols. Although other examples are available in both works, Faith, Goodman Brown, and Mr. Graves are the most prominent between the two
In the attempt to capture truth in writing, writers and readers alike are cognisant of the artifice that occurs in the process of writing. This oxymoron; that truth and authenticity can result from artifice is the basis of the conflict that occurs between concepts of reality, truth and literary realism. The nature of fiction itself presents tension between truth and artifice: writers abide by the facets of literary realism, which has a “fidelity to the truth” (M.H. Abrams), and must create artifices to deliver meaning and create truth, utilising techniques of fiction such as metaphor, figures, imagery and dialogue which aren’t necessarily true. In order to create a sense of authenticity, Nam Le abides by verisimilitude in his short stories “Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice” and “Tehran Calling” in his collection The Boat.
The Tell-Tale Heart Assignment: We notice that some details in Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” make a literal reading of the story rather difficult. Advance and defend a figurative reading of the story consistent with the story’s details. Poe seems to focus on creating mood throughout his story. Many symbols in this story are interpreted in several different ways depending on the reader. These symbols throughout the story include the old mans eye, the heartbeat and the contradiction between love and hate in which I will be talking about in this paper.
At the same time, the use of fairytales in a writer’s own work creates a uniqueness which appeals to many readers Why do writers often choose fairytales to barrow from instead of other literature like Shakespeare or Homer? “What readers know varies so much more than it once did. So what can the writer use for parallels, analogies, plot structures, references that most of his readers will know?”(Foster 59). “While we may not know quite what to think about Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia or the fate of Laeters, we’re pretty darned sure what we think about the evil Rumpelstiltskin” (Foster 59). * Fairy tales are often alluded to in literature by writers because for on e, fairytales are easier to understand then the works of Shakespeare and Homer.
In both of these stories the authors use imagery to help drive home their main points, although in a somewhat different manner. In “Desiree’s Baby" Chopin uses imagery to hint at the “truth” and lead up to the ironic ending. While in Carver’s “Cathedral” imagery is used to reinforce his main theme of don’t judge a book by its cover. Now we will take a closer look at imagery, and examine the intricacies of how these great authors use it in their works. So what is imagery?
Two of the stories that I choose was I Used To Live Here Once by Jean Rhys and The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. The theme of both writings is Journey. I Used To Live Here Once is a short story while The Road Not Taken is a poem. In I Used To Live Here Once the story is a short story that is told in third person format. The story symbolizes life after death.