The First Day Edward P Jones Analysis

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Jessica A. English 12a 12 February 2013 Literary Analysis "I can't read. I don't know how to read or write, and I'm askin you to help me…" "The First Day," written by Edward P. Jones, is a short story about a little girl, who has grown up in a poverty stricken family, and her first day of school. In the story, the girl narrates her experiences with her first day of school while concurrently revealing clues of the story's bigger picture, so to speak. By showcasing a mother's desperate yearning for a life-better than the life she has had-for her daughter, Jones reveals some of the problems that are faced in today's society. Jones expresses these dilemmas within his story through an immense selection of literary devices and techniques. While preparing her daughter for her first day of school, the mother in the story puts a lot of time and effort into making sure her little girl's outer appearance is superb. By directly including the phrase, "like everything else I have on, my pale green slip and underwear are brand new," Jones throws the reader a bone, so to speak. This is a simple statement that Jones injects into his story to give the reader an opportunity to expand upon and potentially question the significance of the brand new clothes. In addition, Jones uses descriptive vocabulary as he addresses…show more content…
She has a strong sense of what is right and wrong, and makes sure that she reveals those opinions to her children. Rather than directly explaining the mother's personality, Jones reveals her character throughout the story in her actions, speech, and appearance. This literary technique is called indirect characterization, and is used along with a pattern of the recurring phrase, "This is my mother:". The writer uses this phrase three times throughout the story to add emphasis to the following sentences, which expose more about the mother to the
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