Barriers To Communication Comparison, And 'Hills Like White Elephants'

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Communication between two people can cause barriers to understanding. In "My American Jon" and in "Hills Like White Elephants" communication was the cause of barriers in the relationships. Innocence plays a role in "A&P" and "Young Goodman Brown." Barriers to communication and innocence both greatly affected the outcomes of the stories. Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Updike, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Ernest Hemingway use rhetorical devices such as imagery, metaphors, and anaphora to describe the barriers and to explain the innocence of characters.
Communication played a significant role in "My American Jon." The problems that occurred in the relationship between John and Amaka were problems in communication. When problems appeared was when …show more content…

To start, the conversation between Jig and the man is not straight forward. For example, the man comments "They just let the air in and then it's all perfectly natural." When he comments this, he is talking about what will happen during the abortion. The role of communication is to show how abortion is a difficult topic to talk …show more content…

Because the two were not having a normal conversation, it is hard to understand what they are talking about at first. The entire time they are talking it sounds as if they were conversing about what to drink and the scenery. Although when taking a closer look at "Hills Like White Elephants," one would understand that they are talking about having an abortion.
The innocence of Jig is also a barrier. Jig's innocence shows when she does not know what Anis del Toro is. Anis del Toro was a drink advertisement that she saw. Jig is also innocent because she does not stand up for herself. It almost sounds as if she would rather keep the baby, but he talks her into the idea that an abortion is a good idea. He says that life will be better without the baby.
The lack of a simple conversation was intentional. The topic of abortion is a controversial topic that people have a hard time talking about. So, while talking about abortion it was easier to not come right out and say what they were meaning to say. For example, the man says, "I know we will. You don't have to be afraid. I've known lots of people that have done it." He never comes right out and uses the word abortion. They were able to have an argument without anyone around them knowing what they were

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