Attention to Detail

At the beginning of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, we learn that Amanda pays great attention to detail. In the first scene, we see the family eating what was suppose to be a nice relaxing dinner. We soon learn that Tom the narrator and Tom the character are completely different people. While they were eating dinner, Amanda instructs Tom on how to eat his food. She not only pays attention to the details of how he eats his food, but also to the food itself. Amanda states "A well cooked meal has lots of delicate flavors that have to be held in the mouth for appreciation" (Williams, 1237). She pays attention to the specific detail that some spices must have be held in the mouth for a certain amount of time in order to get the full flavor. She also pays attention to how the other member of her family, not just Tom do not take the time to appreciate the food. They do not share the same appreciation for the food as their mother. They also do not take the time to pay attention to the details of life. It shows how Tom and Laura do not take after their mom in every aspect of their lives. 

The Coffin

In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, Tom talks about the magic show, specifically about a  coffin. He compares his life to a coffin. He talks about how he is trapped in his home now because he cannot leave until he finds a man for his sister. I think that he compares his home to a coffin because no matter what he tries right now in his life he cannot escape from his house. He talks about how the man at the magic show was nailed into a coffin. "We nailed him to a coffin and he got out of the coffin without removing one nail" (Williams, 1249).  The man in the magic show that was trapped in the coffin is very similar to Tom's situation right now. The idea of escaping the coffin without removing a nail symbolizes Tom leaving the family without breaking the family. Since Tom is crucial to his delicate family, he is trying to find a way to leave his family without breaking them and destroying what they have together. Tom struggles with this throughout the novel and the reader never truly learns  how Tom deals with this struggle of escaping the family without breaking it. 

Laura and Jim

At the end of The Glass Menagerie, Tom brings his friend over to dinner at the families house. Amanda requests that he brings home a man from work for Laura so that he can finally leave the family. Jim, the man that Tom brought home from dinner, plays a significant role at the end of the story. Amanda truly believes that Jim could be the man for Laura. It is very obvious when she talks about how romantic he is. Amanda states, "Well that shows your romantic" (Williams, 1272) when Jim talks about how his favorite kind of light is candle light. At the end of the story, it talks about how Jim has truly broken Laura out of her social shell and allowed her to begin to talk to men again. Before, the only male in her life was her brother because he Dad walked out on her. Jim taught her that it is okay to associate with other men in her life. He also taught her that she can trust men and that not all of bad, even though he was engaged while this was happening. Their very short time together made a tremendous impact on Laura and her social status.

Imagery

Scene 4 of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams uses a great deal of imagery. In this scene, Tom says that he is going to the movies, but returns extremely late at night. When returning home late, he is questioned by Amanda about why he was returning home so late. Tom begins talking about how he attended the magic show that night. During this scene, a great deal of imagery is used to describe the magic show. Tom states, "He performed wonderful tricks, many of them, such as pouring water back and forth between pitchers" (William, 1249). He allows for the reader to really picture the magic show by describing some of the magic tricks that were performed. Some of the tricks that he goes in detail to talk about are turning water into wine and then turned it into beer, then finally turning it into whisky. By going into detail about the magic show, the reader also is able to come to the realization that certain parts of the magic show could apply to his real life. The reader can also begin to pay attention to what the symbolism could be regarding the tricks used in the magic show.

Symbolism

Symbolism is used in scene seven of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams. At the end of the scene when Jim and Laura kiss there are many uses of symbolism. The first use of symbolism is when he knocks over her glass menagerie. "its lost its- horn it doesn't matter" (Williams 1282) The horn on the unicorn getting knocked off and it looking like a horse symbolizes Laura breaking away from her unusual ways and becoming more "normal". The unicorn is a very odd and mystical creature which symbolizes her unusual ways and lifestyles. The horse is a more normal character that society recognizes as acceptable. The unicorn changing into the horse symbolizes her becoming more acceptable to society. Another use of symbolism at that scene has to do with the fact that she isn't even upset about the fact that he broke her glass menagerie. The fact that she isn't upset symbolizes that she is okay with embracing this new lifestyle of being open to society. She is also accepting the fact that change is not always a bad thing in today's society.

"Those Winter Sundays"- Imagery

In the poem "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden, imagery is used throughout the poem. Throughout the course of the poem, different kinds of imagery are used. In the beginning of the poem, imagery is used to describe a dark and cold moment. "My father got up early and put his clothes on the blueblack cold, then cracked hands that ached from labor" (Hayden, 781). The use of imagery in the first stanza of the poem allows for the reader to really see the tone of the situation. The tone was dark and painful misery. Another form of imagery is seen in the poem, but this time it is to display the admiration and respect that he has for his father. "When the rooms were warm, he'd call, and slowly I would rise and dress" (Hayden, 78). The imagery creates a picture for the reader of a father who is working hard to provide for his family. He spends his time working to create not only actual warmth, but a sense of warmth in the household. Imagery is used throughout the course of the poem to display both cold and dark imagery and compassion and respectful imagery.

Acceptance and even friendship- My Papa's Waltz

Acceptance is a theme throughout the course of the poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke. Throughout the course of the poem, the narrator learns to accept things that he does not particularly like about his father. In the first stanza, the narrator states, "The whisky on your great could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy" (Roethke, line 1-4). Even though the narrator does not like the fact that his father is an alcoholic, he accepts him. When he states that he hung on like death, he states that he is going to stay by his father's side until the day he dies. The narrator states that  even though it is hard to tolerate a father who is "waltzing with alcohol", he learns to accept him for the man that he is. Not only does he accept him, but friendship is shown between them throughout the poem. The title talks about waltzing, which could symbolize friendship between the narrator and his father. The waltz is a dance between between two people who show compassion for each other. By talking about the Waltz in the title, it shows their journey of friendship, companionship, and acceptance of each other.

The Drunkard- Irony

In the short story The Drunkard by Frank O'Conner, there is a great deal of irony. The irony occurs concerning the son's drinking. The mother thinks that the son is a guardian angel for drinking the alcohol.  The mother states, "My brave little man... You were his guardian angel" (O'Conner, 351). She thinks that the son drank the alcohol in order to keep it away from his alcoholic father. But as a reader, we know that the son only drank the alcohol because of his curiosity. He was not even considering saving his father from he alcohol. All that he cared about was himself. Another use of irony is used when the Mom applauds her child for underage drinking. One would think that a mother would be upset at her kid for underage drinking, but instead, she approved of it. She even goes on to talk about how he is angelic like for breaking the law and underage drinking.

Once Upon A Time- Irony

In the story Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer, irony is a literary device used. Throughout the course of the short story, irony is used the most out of the literary devices, in my opinion. The most dramatic irony that takes place involves the security of the house. The family originally made the intricate security system in order to keep their family safe. "You are right, said the wife, then the wall should be higher. And the wise old witch, the husband's mother, paid for the extra bricks as a Christmas present to her son and his wife" (Gordimer, 234). The irony comes into play at the end of the story when the son is killed. "The man and his wife burst wildly into the garden and for some reason the alarm set up wailing against the screams while the bleeding mass of the little boy was hacked out of the security coil..." (Gordimer, 236). The irony of the story is that the fence that was made to protect their family, mostly their son, but instead, ended up causes the sons death. Because of the barb wired parts of the fence, the son ended up being cut into pieces and he had to be torn out of the security coil.

Self-Sacrifice

In the story The Worn Path by Eudora Welty, a major theme is self-sacrifice. The grandma leaves perfect her life behind in the country to seek help for her grandson Phoenix. In order for Phoenix to get the treatment that he needs, she must make the journey into the city. The distance she travelled is displayed when she describes where she lives as it being "way back yonder, sir, behind the ridge. You can't even see it from here" (Welty, 227). The quote demonstrates how she is giving up her day and her home to make the long travel to get help for Phoenix. The idea of self-sacrifice is also present when she takes care of her grandson. She talks about how her grandson is her life. In order to have made him her life, she had to give up the life that she had before he drank the lye. The grandma is displayed as a very genuine kind person who is willing to give up anything to get the help for her grandson.

Interpreter of Maladies- symbolism

The use of symbolism is prevalent throughout the course of the story Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. One symbol that is used is the strawberry. "The blouse was decorated at chest level with a calico appliqué in the shape of a strawberry" (Lahiri, 149). The fact that she compares it to a strawberry symbolizes her irresistible interest in Mr. Kapasi. Just as the strawberry is delicious and irresistible, in her eyes, Mr. Kapasi is irresistible. Another symbol used in the story is the piece of paper that has Mr. Kapasi's address written on it. The piece of paper symbolizes her plan to stay in touch with Mr. Kapasi after she returns home from her vacation. As she holds onto this piece of scrap paper, she is holding on to the affection and feelings that she has toward Mr. Kapasi. It also symbolizes her desire to hold onto the relationships in her life. It could also symbolize something that she has to hold onto after she talks to her husband about her lack of feelings toward him.

Everyday Use- Theme

There are many themes throughout the course of the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker. One of the major themes throughout the course of the novel involved African-American culture. The theme talks about the good parts of the African-American culture, as well as the conflicts and struggles that come along with being an African-American. For example, Walker states, "like good looks and money, quickness passed her by" (Walker, 71). The text talks about the difficulties concerning the opportunities that African American have in society. Specifically, it talks about how it is difficult to proceed with life concerning money. Not only does it talk about them individually, it talks about how they have work well together. In the story, Walker gives a story about how the culture of working for African-Americans has enabled them to achieve greatness in life. It talks about how their culture takes the bad aspects, but turn them into something they can work with. For example, Walker inserts a story about a woman who embraces her working ability to provide for herself and those around her. It said that she could work outside all day breaking ice to get water for washing. The theme of the good and the bad of African-American culture is present through the course of the short story allowing the reader to learn how they live their lives.

Toads- external conflict

In "Toads" by Phillip Larkin, Larkin talks about external conflict. The first toad discussed in the poem talks about an external conflict. "Why should I let the toad work squat on my life?" (Larkin, 1-2). It is an external conflict because it talks about how he should not let the toad squat on his life. The "on his life" part implies that it is an external conflict because it is happening outside of him, versus inside of him. He is having trouble fighting this external conflict because he cannot find a way to use his brains to make the conflict go away. In lines 3 and 4, Larkin states "Can't I use my wit as a pitchfork and drive the brute off" (Larkin, 3-4). Not only is Larkin having issues dealing with the external conflict, he also is struggling from an internal conflict. The external conflict is harder for him to overcome because of the internal conflict that he is facing as well. The combination of the two will not allow him to achieve happiness and his desires in life which is the fame, the girl, and the money all at the same time.

Toads- internal conflict

In the poem "Toads" by Phillip Larkin, an internal conflict is discussed. We can infer that the second toad discussed in the novel is an internal conflict because of the way it is worded in the sentence. "For something sufficiently toad-like squats in me" (Larkin, 25-26). We can infer that it is an internal conflict  because its says that it "squats in me". We know from the text that whatever this internal conflict is that it is keeping him from getting what he truly desires. "And will never allow me to blarney my way to getting the fame and the girl and the money" (Larkin, 29-31). Now that we know that it is an internal conflict, we have to try and figure out what the internal conflict is. I believe that the internal conflict could be his desire to overcome his shyness. The text led me to believe this because it talks about how he cannot blarney. Because he is shy, we can believe that it is keeping him from being able to "brown nose" his way into the fame and the money that he truly desires.

Mr. Z's Irony

M. Carl Holman uses irony throughout the poem "Mr. Z". Throughout the course of the poem, Mr. Z tries to deny his heritage. In the first line of the poem, Holman mentions Mr. Z's heritage by stating, "his mother's skin was a sign of error" (Holman, 1).  Line 1 is the only line throughout the course of the poem that refers to his heritage. Throughout the rest of the poem, it talks about his Mr. Z spends his life acting as a non-African American person. In lines 9 through 13, it talks about Mr. Z's manners and his unbiased views of life. I think that he dedicated his life to having unbiased views because his entire life he has been judged by others. I also believe that acting as a non-African American is his way of denying his heritage. The main source of irony comes in at the end of the poem. In lines 25 and 26, Holman states "ringing crude changes on a clumsy phrase: 'One of the most distinguished members of his race'" (Holman, 25-26). It is ironic because he spent his entire life denying his heritage, but in the end, his race and his heritage ended up distinguishing him in the end.