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 The family originally made the intricate security system in order to keep their family safe.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.