The novel “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi tells us as readers narratives of different people that tie together through genealogy. This story also significantly focuses on the psychological side of a few characters such as Maame and, mainly in the end with Yaw. Throughout the story, something that really intrigued me was the Motif of fire: how it is portrayed during times of trauma, how it shows the significance of anxieties symbolically throughout the story, and how it also ties back to the family lineage of Effia in dreams. Firstly, the motif of fire is portrayed during times of trauma due to the fact that in the beginning of the story, it starts with a baby name Effia being “born of the fire” (ebook 2). Effia’s mother Maame sets a fire that …show more content…
As I stated in the beginning of the first chapter, Effia was “born of the fire” (ebook 2), and I feel that it signifies the destruction that Effia was soon to endure because of what her parents had done since they had taken her away from the Asante slave trade. In addition, fire affects Akua because, in her chapter, it portrays her as a “crazy women” because she would never sleep, she burned her two daughters to death, and she nearly burned her son to death but it left him with a scar for the rest of his life. Then, fire mainly affects the anxieties of her son because the scar on his face that he had gotten from the fire for the reason that he could not find a girlfriend or a wife for an extensive time of his life because most people were frightened by the scar on his face. Until he had met his now wife, who was first just his house woman who slowly got him to open up to her, and finally even got him to go see his mother because he resented her so much for his scar on his face. However, surprisingly, his daughter Marjorie is thought to be more fearful of fire than her father ever could be. And that was probably because she has a stronger bond with her grandmother Akua, despite the fact that Yaw never was close with his …show more content…
a few characters, mainly Akua and Marjorie have consistently had the dreams of the “fire woman” that manifests in their minds, making it the reason why they had such a strong bond with each other. In Akua’s chapter, she has many sleepless nights because she does not want to have the dreams of the fire woman. Then, Akua is driven crazy by sleep deprivation and burns her family's home while she is sleeping, also hurting herself doing so. But, with this manifestation of the fire woman, I think it links Akua back to Effia since she was born of the fire, and in one significant part of Akua’s chapter, it states, “Akua’s dreams were getting worse too. In them, the firewoman raged against the loss of her children. Sometimes she spoke to Akua, calling her, it seemed. She looked familiar, and Akua wanted to ask her questions” (ebook 170). It is almost as if her ancestors are trying to tell her what she did was awful but she knows that even though it seems like rage from the fire woman, she understands because it is coming from someone she may have known. And although Yaw had come to accept his scar as a part of him, I feel that he will never be able to escape the thoughts and memories that come with it, especially the comments that he still got when he and his family moved to
...rown puts it “Each of us is born with a box of matches inside us but we can't strike them all by ourselves; we need oxygen and a candle to help” (Esquivel 115), in Tita’s case the candle was an actual candle and the fire took the form of real fire, in order to bring the extended metaphor or fire and matches as a symbolic representation of the soul to a magical and passionate climax. Esquivel uses fire to symbolically represent passion and love, which in just like fire, is not without negative effects. Passion and love can be used as a tool of spite, as it was by the ghost of Mama Elena or it can be pure bliss. Either way, the exaggeration of the attributes and pivotal role of fire as the driving force of life illustrate a deeper truth about the dualistic nature of passion.
Bradbury first depicted fire as a hurtful force through Montag, a fireman, who burn books. With the converted mentality of his culture, “it was [Montag’s] pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (3). Montag’s culture sees burning as an enjoyment; however, the fire portrayed here demonstrates the destruction of knowledge and personality. While Montag’s profession brings him joy he does not understand that burning is the most permanent form of destruction. He is oblivious to his governments’ strong desire to eliminate the ideas and knowledge that books hold. In this society, where ignorance is bliss and their phobia of unhappiness controls all aspects of life, people believe that their destructive fire “is bright and…clean”, as it is used as a means to keep themselves oblivious and happy (60). In addition, Bradbury establishes the difference in the symbolisms of fire by naming part one of his novel “The Hearth and the Salamander”. The hearth is the fireplace of the home and is the most positive image of fire. This fire contributes warmth and restores relationships between people. The salamander, the symbol of the firemen, and who personify fire’s destruction is contrasted with the hearth, which represents restoration.
“She swore within her that if she heard Ezinma cry she would rush into the cave to defend against all of the gods in the world. She would die with her. Having sworn that oath. She sat down and waited. Her fear had vanished”(108). The Priestess, Chielo, takes Ezinma into the cave and Ekwefi becomes worried. Ekwefi has a deep bond with her single daughter, Ezinma. Her pain in losing nine other children leads her to cherish her only daughter even above life itself. She spoils her child, which builds a deep relationship and trust between them. Ekwefi's considers her daughter's safety more important that her own personal safety. Ekwefi's fear vanishes when she decides that she wouldn’t let anything get into her way to protect her daughter. “Ezinma is dying, came her voice, and all the tragedy and sorrows at her life were packed in those word”(76). Ekwefi shows how much she truly loves her daughter and now she is afraid of losing her. Ekwefi cares for her daughter to the point that she would do anything to protect her and love her. The relationship between Ekwefi and Ezinma shows a deep connection between daughter and
In The Aeneid, fire is a common symbol and it carries multiple meanings through the epic. Fire is usually seen as a destructive force that can ruin entire cities, as seen in Troy. However, in The Aeneid, one important meaning of fire is the connection between destructive emotions and fire. Symbolic fire can reside in the emotions of the characters and symbolize the fury and passion in their hearts. These emotion are clearly conveyed through Dido and Juno as they make impulsive decisions concerning Aeneas. The Aeneid begins with Juno’s “unforgettable rage” (I.4) towards the Trojans. Juno’s rage is a constant problem for Aeneas as he journeys to Italy. Juno’s rage is seen physically when she manipulates Trojan women to set their own fleet on
In Ray Bradbury’s story, there are two main characters, the house, the protagonist, and the fire, the antagonist. Although the house and the fire are never specifically mentioned as the main characters, it is heavily implied. The house is described as being cautious “Who goes there? What’s the password?” (Bradbury). Throughout the story, the reader can see that house his alone and in the absence of its dwellers it precariously performs its daily routines. The house is seen as the protagonist while the fire is seen as the antagonist. The fire is described as “licking, eating, under the kitchen door” (Bradbury). In the story, the fire is relentless; it continues to burn the house, exposing the very skeleton of the house all the while the house is screaming “Help, help! Fire! Run, run” (Bradbury). In the story, the fire eventually wins the battle, it destroys the house. Ray Bradbury uses this character development to give his audience a hero and a villain. The epic fight that the house and the fire engage in gives normally inanimate objects a character that pulls the reader into the
Fire represents intense emotions such as an erotic desire for love or rage that are beneficial only when harnessed properly.
The fire is significant because it is the one that gives them the hope that they will get rescued without it everyone would have lost hope that they will get out of there. Throughout
What the author wants the reader to take away from this book is that because of the great fire there were fatal political ramifications for Nero. The author builds suspense in the book by
...ice of words and focus on the idea of fire add to the story portrayed through the sestina, which allows for us (as the readers) to not forget how horrendous this time in history was. This poem in the end does demonstrate the need for emotional attachment when referring to the past in history, making it a theme to the piece.
Bachelard, Gaston. the Psychoanalysis of Fire. trans. Alan CM Ross,pref. Northrop Frye Boston: Beacon Press, 1964. (Orig pub. in French under the Title La Psychoanalyse du Feu 1938 by Librarie Gallimard)
In conclusion, Fire has 3 different meanings which lead you to new thinking and insight towards the world. Fire represents change which is shown through Montag’s symbolic change from using fire to burn knowledge into using fire to help him find knowledge; fire can represent knowledge as demonstrated through Faber, and fire can represent rebirth of knowledge as demonstrated through the phoenix. Overall fires representation is not one of destruction but one of knowledge, thinking, new insight, and acknowledgment.
The figure of fire in the story is used many times throughout the story. The emotion that fire gives in the text is anger. In the story, “Barns Burning” Abner, the father is powerless and out of control. Fire is the one thing in his life he can control. Abner is the boss. This seems like another way of saying that Abner does not hit out of anger, or strong, burning emotion. Rather, his hitting is as calculated as his fire burning and he does it for a reason, to make the person or animal he hits do what he wants. Ironically, fire and hitting, the things that give Abner control over his life, without those around him makes him powerless. The quote “And older still, he might have divined the true reason: that the element of fire spoke to some deep mainspring of his father 's being, as the element of steel or of powder spoke to other men, as the one weapon for the preservation of integrity, else breath were not worth the breathing, and hence to be regarded with respect and used with discretion (Faulkner 228)” explains
Baase, S. (2013) A Gift of Fire. 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
The discovery of fire was, and still is, essential to human development and life itself. Without it, humans could not survive the coldest winters and the darkest nights. Without passion human life is rendered pointless. Devotion provides us with the fuel to keep going through the bleakest times. There is no doubt why Virgil connected fire and passion together throughout “Aeneid.” He shows how they are connected by depicting fire in both a practical and metaphorical sense. Virgil’s use of fire imagery in the Aeneid portrays the passion invoked by the gods, women’s adoration, and the destructive power of vehemence.
The best example of this is how Helen Burns is a foil to Jane. Unlike Jane, Helen is detached from most earthly desires, constantly reminding Jane to endure, that God and her future in heaven are more important than revenge (55). While Jane is filled with blazing passion, Helen is peacefully submissive. When Helen is punished or unjustly mistreated, Jane would find “the fury of which [Helen] was incapable had been burning in [Jane’s] soul all day” (74). Helen’s cool nature directly foils Jane’s fiery one, making the use of the fire and ice motifs in regard to Jane very emphatic. Jane, unlike Helen, is not willing to turn the other cheek. Rather, Jane craves to be loved and dramatically claims she would willingly submit to harm to gain love (69), a desperate, passionate idea to say the least. Further, the fire motif is also used to emphasize the positive forces in Jane’s life, specifically Miss Temple, the beautiful and kind superintendent at Lowood, whose apartment contained a “brilliant fire” and who was capable of rekindling the “radiance” in the pale and sick Helen (73). Miss Temple, with her overwhelmingly kind nature, is evidently a positive force in young Jane’s