The Dogs Could Teach Me uses a significant amount of description in the story. He pushes himself to describe the setting as much as possible so that the reader has only the most vivid imagery in their mind. For instance the first sentence of the story puts an image in your mind of the setting. “There was a point where an old logging trail went through a small, sharp-sided gully—a tiny canyon.” In addition to that the text says, “Later I saw the beauty of it, the falling lobes of blue ice that had grown as the water froze and refroze, layering on itself.” These two of many pieces of evidence shows you how much Gary Paulsen stresses using description to keep a clear and precise image of the setting in the reader's head. Gary Paulsen also uses description for the character's and their actions. Such as when …show more content…
For example the text says, “He pulled them up to me, concern in his eyes and making a soft whine, and I reached into his ruff and pulled his head down and hugged him and was never so happy to see anybody probably in my life.” The way Gary said the dog had concern in his eyes makes you think that it is another real person in the story trying to help his wounded friend. He also says, “She was licking not with the excitement that prey blood would cause, but with the gentle licking that she would use when cleaning a pup, a wound lick.” The author gives this dog a motherly type of character by explaining that the dog is caring for the trainer and nurturing the trainer by not licking his wound out of excitement, but in a way to aid him. The way Gary Paulsen uses description not only provides a vivid image of the setting in the reader's head, it also gives a description of the character's actions, and his description can give human like characteristics to things that aren’t humans like the dogs for example. This is how Gary Paulsen's description is
When the right words are fitted together in a sentence, they can sometimes describe a scene so vividly that an image comes to mind, an instance where the reader can visualize what is occurring. In Sarah’s Key, descriptions are used to describe the physical appearance of a character which deepens the audience’s understanding of that character. The following is the first description given of Sarah’s father: “A man appeared in the doorway, a thin man with crumpled clothes, an unshaven chin, and red, tired eyes. He walked through the courtyard, holding himself straight” (Rosnay 19). From this description, the reader can visualize the character, a worn man in the doorway, leaving his hideout cellar, moving through the courtyard without visible
Metaphors and Similes are often used in this story, so the reader has a better image of the setting, this is something, and I find Connell did incredibly well, for instance when he refers to the darkness of the night like moist black velvet, the sea was as flat as a plate-glass and it was like trying to see through a blanket.
By using descriptive detail, it catches the reader 's attention. The descriptive detail use in the story makes the audience imagine and believe in this world where flying carpets are true. This descriptive detail makes the audience enjoy the story. “ Below me I saw the shadow of the carpet rippling over the grass; drifting high over the hedge and out over the vacant lot… sunny tall grass… and all was sunny, all was peaceful and still” (262). This shows how Millhauser uses descriptive detail in order to engage the audience into the story. The way that Millhauser says the tall grass… drifting high over the hedge, this allows the audience to create a picture of the adventure that the boy is having with his flying carpet. By creating a picture in the audience 's mind, it makes them suspend disbelief. From my perspective, I imagine the boy riding the carpet over the grass and into the vacant lot. This made me suspend disbelief because I was imagining that I was in the boy’s world. It made me want to believe that flying carpets are real and fun. This descriptive detail made the audience suspend disbelief because the story goes into detail where is the boy having his adventure and what things is he passing while on his flying carpet. Millhauser uses the ability to suspend disbelief by using
Every writer uses a different set of methods, known as the narrative mode, to portray the plot to the audience for individual reasons. In the first section of “The English Patient”, Michael Ondaatje uses his narrative mode in order to more effectively convey his message in an appealing way. One way he does this is by presenting the reader with visual images and vivid description that trigger their imagination. His use of visual imagery, description, and pronouns to present the settings, and to describe people and their actions is part of his narrative mode. By eschewing the names of characters, and creating these images, he is calling attention to the small details in the text, which helps convey his message.
The speaker continues to take on the role of beggar as she imagines the Hound “sometimes – at your side to run”, but only “When you were willing” (11-12). Again, she is implying that the poem’s subject holds the power. The speaker does not want to irritate and exert her own sense of empowerment, so will only act when or if the subject is willing. The final lines bring the poem to a close by asking, “May it come – Tell Carlo – He’ll tell me!” (13-14). Carlo was the name of Emily Dickinson’s Newfoundland dog, which lived from 1850 to 1865 and was a gift from her father. The moniker Dickinson bestowed upon the dog was an allusion to St John River’s dog in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. (Lexicon). The speaker is suggesting that, perhaps, her dog might serve as an emissary between the she and the subject of the poem. This is an abrupt change in tone and may be a light-hearted acknowledgment of the juvenile outlook that the speaker has toward her beloved. Since she has yet to fully develop a stable sense of self, this contributes to the speaker’s underlying fear of
As the horrifying mood scares me while I read through, the violent actions of the dogs frightens me even more. In my understanding, dogs are normally cute, loyal and obedient animals. However, Kureishi overthrows my understanding in his depiction of the dogs in the story. Kureishi depicts the dogs as dangerous and furious monsters attacking the boy, “The dog had already knocked down her son and began not so much to bite him as to eat him, furiously.” This monstrous depiction does not fit with my image of dogs, which horrifies me. This also makes me wonder if this is reality, or just a nightmare. While questioning the dangerous behaviours of the dogs, I found a quality on them that still matches my image of dogs - obedience. I believe the only dialogue in the whole story “chase me”, represents an order to the dogs. Due to the dogs’ obedient nature, they follow the son’s order and start to chase him. Thus the dog is bewildered after the mom gives it a wild blow because it does not understand why it is being attacked, when it is only following orders. This also explains why only the son is being attacked. Since the son said
In the book, Sign of the Beaver, a young boy like Matt is left alone to take care of his family’s cabin for a little while. During this time, Matt meats the Indians, the only other people near his home. After spending some time with him, Matt befriends an Indian boy named Attean. One day while wondering alone in the forest, Matt found Attean’s dog caught by the hind leg in a nasty steel trap. The dog growled and snapped at Matt, but Matt felt pity on him anyway. Matt made the compassionate and correct decision when he endeavored to aid the dog in his escape. The dog needed his help, the feat helped their relationship, and afterwards, the tribe welcomed the dog’s savior.
Imagery is widely used in O'Connor's story, which makes the characters and surroundings seem lifelike. In the depiction of the grandmother the reader can visual see the woman sitting in the car waiting on the others to arrive. "Her collar and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had penned a purple spray of violets containing a sachet." These are a few phrases of description that O'Conner used to describe the old lady. In the description of the scenery, O'Connor uses metaphors to create a more vivid image in the minds of the readers. As in this example of a field: "…various crops that made row of green lacework on the ground." Or "The trees were full of silver-white sunlight and the meanest of them sparkled." The reader might feel that he or she is riding in the backseat of the car along with the grandmother, June Star, and John Wesley. Perhaps he or she is reading a comic book or staring out the window admiring the scenery. Whatever the action that is taken place the readers feel a place in the story either living vicariously though the characters or by being a witness.
She states, "I wish my dog was out tearing up the town". A couple sentences down, Chris tells her "You have control over this" and then says "“You can decide how long she suffers”, by him saying this he is talking about her putting down the dog. She thinks over what he said and she said to herself that it wouldn't be so terrible, so she is questioning it. One of the most obvious examples, is when she draws a picture of the Collie with "X's over its eyes, "I draw a picture of her on the blackboard using brown chalk. I make “X”s where her eyes should be". Overall, I believe the author was misleading in the story. I feel as if the story was leading up to the death of the dog, but instead the event never
In “De’an,” the writer implies a puppy that has been with us for so long that we disregard what wolves have taught us about puppies and how they might be controlled and sprang up wherever they are around the world with all individuals. In the meantime, this represents a brilliant idea. Therefore, we retrain our own particular heart by confining them or sending them to ““camp's edge;”” therefore, showcasing the way we want our heart to behave. In fact, even many therapists once agreed, “in dreams our dogs are our deepest selves.” The dog represents its owner and the qualities they possess. Your Dog, a Siberian, steadies the heels of voyagers by swinging south to Egypt to secure Pharaoh. The dog is loyal by steering intruders the opposite direction
In the first line again, when the car hit her, readers can hear the car as it brushed over the dog and the whimpering as she was walking back home. Another thing that one can hear is, “Good Dog! Good Dog!” (572.) The audience can vividly hear the narrator and his family saying “good dog” with joy and hear the dog barking with happiness. When the family is playing with the dog one can hear the dog’s short struggled breaths, but hear her happy whimpers, because she is loyal to her family. Also, when it says, “Monday morning, as the children were nosily fed” (Pg. 572.) someone can hear the busy morning, the clang of dishes, the hurried talk, and the rushing out the door. Finally, when it mentions the narrator’s wife crying one can hear the gasping for air and the sobs coming from the
The first and most utilized animal image Strindberg employs is the dog. Jean describes to Kristin how Miss Julie treated her ex-fiancé the night they broke up. "She made him leap over her riding crop, the way you teach a dog to jump." A dog is man's best friend because it is an extremely loyal animal; a living, breathing, belonging who is obedient to its owner. Having Jean compare what Miss Julie did to her ex-fiancé with what someone would do to a dog demonstrates Miss Julie's drive to be the dominant one or the master. Miss Julie herself, when telling Jean about her life, refers to this incident similarly, "Just so he'd be my slave." Of course, before she commits suicide, this is ironically contradicted when Miss Julie begs Jean "Order me, and I'll obey like a dog!" Miss Julie feels that her social status is far superior to that of Jean, and that their relationship could be compared to that of a master and his dog. Miss Julie says that Jean is "a dog who wears my collar." The dog imagery in the play is also used to demonstrate the difference in so...
Throughout history portraits of dogs were showing up. People were beginning to see how dogs affected everyday living by showing it in their artwork. I love dogs which is why I chose to do a paper on them. Dogs are loyal, friendly, and good companions when you need them. They are furry friends you can trudge through the snow with you when your friends are sick. They are hamburger snatchers that leave you the bun while they walk off with the meat. They can be your alarm system letting you know someone’s on the property that’s not supposed to be there. Dogs have instincts that sense when bad weather is coming, and they let you know about it. Artist found all this out and showed it in their portraits.
The novel Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz uses description effectively. The book concerns the 14 year old Alex Rider becoming a spy after the death of his uncle. He got sent into a mission to investigate the reason why the company Sayle Enterprises was giving computer for free. An example is when Alex hears a knock on the door, it was a butler named Mr.Grin, he told Alex to follow him and Mr.Grin begins to open a door. “There was a green glow as his fingerprints were read, and a moment later, the door slid soundlessly open. Everything was different on the other side of the door. From the art and elegance of the main house, Alex could have stepped in to the next century.”(102) The use of description makes it feel as if you were there, watching the characters, hearing the sounds that are happening. Another example is after Alex got caught and punched by Mr.Grin and Alex woke up “His head was thumping and the side of his face was swollen where Mr. Grin had hit him. His arms were twisted behind him and the tendons in his shoulder were on fire.”(178) Especially in a book with action and some violence, being descriptive really helps because you are able to see and feel what is happening in your mind. Hence, the description used in Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz is effective. The right use of description in a book can make it as if it was true, maybe too
Since animals, especially dogs, share similar emotions as people they to make great companions. Animals do show us how to love better, because their emotions are more pure than a human's. According to Mary Lou Randour, in "What Animals Can Teach Us About Spirituality", animals are spiritual companions to humans. She tells the story of a boy who, after murdering someone, receives a dog to care for as a form of therapy. The dog comforts him, and the teenager learns to love the animal over time. The boy's pet is "healing his soul" by teaching him how to love. Dogs give their masters unconditional love, never questioning the human's orders or disciplines. I thought the story of the dog appearing in the author's backyard as her dead grandfather was rather outlandish. All of Randour's examples of how animals influence our feelings were viable aside from the disappearing ghost dog.