An Overlook of The Stead Fast Tin Soldier

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Most works of literature derive the basis of their meaning from a moment of time of the respective author that directly relates to situations that influence him as a person. Because Hans Christian Andersen encountered first-hand the struggles of an impoverished lifestyle in infancy, he expresses the problems associated with life in his short fairytale The Stead Fast Tin Soldier. In order to elicit to a posterity that would not understand otherwise the perseverance and struggles that accompany success, he uses the fairytale as a mechanism for persuasion. When composing a piece of literature for the purpose of elucidating an emotion, making analysis, or, as in the case of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, to persuade, an author uses many tools of his arsenal, known in its generic collective as rhetoric. In order to achieve what he desires in this piece of work, a story that encourages personal individuality, drive, and the pursuit of self-actualization, Andersen uses many measures of rhetoric such as juxtaposition, symbolism, irony, motifs, and emotional manipulation.

As many authors use other rhetorical devices to give a meaning to a work in many pieces of literature, a rhetor will use juxtaposition in order to enhance an idea or elicit a certain emotion which gives the main idea of the work support. When deciding on what would best fit his story, Andersen used juxtaposition in order to give an emotion of endearment for the two main characters, the tin soldier and the paper dancer. He also uses manipulative techniques to enhance his text, thereby avoiding the insipid droll of other playful writers of his time. An example of the use of juxtaposition makes itself known when Andersen describes the difference between the tin soldier...

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...strife for perfection, and manipulates us with our key weaknesses in mind, he persuades those without a voice, to go after their song, those who have no pursuit, to attain their goal, those who desire, to pursue their satisfaction, and also persuades the multitudes that have an inherit human impetus to succeed and fail equally throughout life. By combining these analyses with a fairytale for our children to enjoy, he derives, from his life and many others’ lives, the persuasion needed to launch their dreams. Although The Stead Fast Tin Soldier may be regarded as just a simple fairytale, its meaning inspires those who read it.

Works Cited

Iranpour, David, Andrew Heisler, and Agnieszka Pordraza. "The Steadfast Tin Soldier | Lit Trans 275." WiScholar. Wischolar, 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 29 Dec. 2011. .

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