Kiss Of The Fur Queen Analysis

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The opening passage of the novel, Kiss of the Fur Queen by Tomson Highway, conjures the perfect amount of adventure and thrill to entice the reader into wanting to discover the rugged race’s outcome. Thanks to Highway’s use of the literary devices, repetition and simile, the passage fatally cuts at the reader’s emotions with its jagged edges located in between the lines. These two elements three-dimensionalize the story – echoing desperation, yet hope, in such a harsh and lifeless environment. Moreover, the author’s use of repetition and similes build many layers onto the story, giving its surrounding structure a deeper, more significant meaning. The author appeals to several of the reader’s visual and auditory senses to establish a well-developed setting. The…show more content…
Similes were strategically placed throughout the passage to maximize the impact on the reader. For example: The first simile, “The desperation in his voice, like a man about to sob, surprised him,”helps the reader understand how incredibly important winning this championship is to him. Okimasis is extremely weary but relentlessly carries forward. Another example would be, “The shafts of vapour rising from the dogs’ panting mouths, the curls of mist emerging from their undulating backs, made them look like insubstantial wisps of air,” simile adds to the passage’s imagery. This comment is also ironic because the dogs are not at all insubstantial. In fact, the dogs have put forth substantial effort to compete in such a grueling event and Okimasis’s performance depends heavily on this effort. Both of these examples compare two unlike things by using the word, “like”. The first simile reflects Okimasis’ unwavering passion to win. The latter simile gives the reader an idea of just how exhausted the dogs were, yet they floated along the snow-covered hills, gliding with their relentless

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