“What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” (Romeo & Juliet. II, ii, 1-2). Had the rose been named anything else, it would still be associated with the same things: sweet smell, usually red, and sometimes thorny. In some cases names are not important, just a group of letters, together forming a word that will forever be associated with the object it named. However, when naming a work of literature, the title can set the mood for the entire outlook on the work. Some authors choose to reveal the main theme or story in the title, while some decide to make the title more ambiguous and unveil how it relates only as one continues reading. In Carson McCullers’ book, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, the significance …show more content…
Singer had a friend at the beginning of the novel, someone he could confide in and spend time with, someone who ended up being taken away from him. Having this relationship taken away, Singer was lost. The other characters came to him to talk, but Singer never had a lot to say to them, and they never asked anything about him. This would lead one to wonder why Singer would even want them to come, as they were usually there for selfish reasons, however Singer knew “...it was better to be with any person than to be too long alone” (205). Singer was lonely and looking for a way to fill the void he was feeling. He always went back to Antonopoulos, who Singer believed was the only person with whom he could relate. This ended up being a problem for Singer because when Antonopoulos died, he had no one else and was so wrapped up in Antonopoulos’ death, he passed up an opportunity to become acquainted with new deaf-mutes. Singer could manage Antonopoulos being taken away when he could go and visit him, but now, he is gone forever and it is truly seen that Singer was looking to fill his loneliness in the wrong places. Without Antonopoulos, Singer felt as though “He had been left in an alien land. Alone. He had opened his eyes around him there was much he could not understand” (204). With his friend gone forever, Singer ended his own
Miller and Harris both use the technique of a symbolic title in their texts. Both titles give the reader an idea of what they will expect in the text. For example, The Crucible is a metaphor which represents separating the good from the bad. In The Crucible, Danforth says to Proctor, "We burn a hot fire here.” This implies that Proctor’s rebellion is represented by the title, The Crucible as it reveals the truth and “melts down all concealment.” This is similar to Chocolat, where the title is...
5. Roberts, Edgar V., and Henry E. Jacobs. "A Rose for Emily." Literature: an Introduction to Reading and Writing. 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/ Prentice Hall, 2008. 76-81. Print.
Next, consider the text trying to express her frustration with life: “She wants to live for once. But doesn’t quite know what that means. Wonders if she has ever done it. If she ever will.” (1130) You can sense her need and wanting to be independent of everything and everyone, to be truly a woman on her own free of any shackles of burden that this life has thrown upon her. Also, there is an impression that her family does not really care that she is leaving from her sisters to her disinterested father. “Roselily”, the name is quite perplexing considering a rose stands for passion, love, life; while the lily has associations with death, and purity. Still at the same time the name aptly applies to her because the reader knows she is ultimately doomed to wilt away in a loveless marriage in Chicago. Even though she is convincing herself that she loves things about him it is all just a ploy to trick herself into believing that this marriage could be the answer to all her problems. Now on to the men of Roselily’s past most of which are dead- beat dads that could not care about what happens to their children, or where they go.
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 12th ed. New York: Pearson, 2013. 549-51. Print.
Specific characters in which their names act as their genes are Bertha and Lily. Very few female characters’ names are not in the diminutive, and one is Bertha, a preeminent figure in the upper class. When Lily is about to reveal Bertha’s affair her “words died under the impenetrable insolence of Bertha’s smile…then without a word, she rose and went down to her cabin” (Wharton 221). Bertha’s superiority is evident in Wharton’s’ diction and Lily’s symbolic positioning. Because Lily’s words die under Bertha and she goes downstairs, or below Bertha, it signifies her subservience. Lily’s name is even in the diminutive, since it ends in “y”, which further represents her subordination. This enables Wharton to use Bertha’s name to foreshadow, or predestine, her eventual dominance over Lily. Like Bertha, Lily’s name denotes her fate, particularly her alienation. Her name represents nature, but, since a flower cannot survive in this metropolitan environment, it symbolizes why Lily cannot conform and will not prosper. A lily further allows Wharton to comment on Lily’s personality. If she were to succumb to the values of her class she would “…sacrifice [the] fineness of spirit that sets her apart” (Barnett). This fineness relates to Lily’s innate morality, such as a lily’s white coloring. Since she is characterized as virtuous, she will fail
and “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner the use of literary elements such as
In the story “A Rose for Emily” the elderly Emily Grierson is the subject of mystery throughout her town. She is described as a reclusive individual only having the company of her faithful butler for company. The House she lived in is depicted as a “big, squash, frame house that had once been white and decorated with cupolas and spires”( Kirszner, Mandell 220). The house symbolize the once elegance and grandeur of Miss Emily appearance that has now morphed into a “bloated body” with a “pallid hue” that resembles the big, squarish frame of her one time grand home (Klippel 175). In my opinion Faulkner's message was to show that despite the brilliance of Miss Emily's status and countenances her beauty eventually faded in the annual of time. The title of the story inflects and undertone of mystery to the story. Why would Falkner choose the word “Rose” in his title. “The “Rose” is interpreted as secrecy: the confidential relationship between the author and his character”(Melczarek 240). On a personal anecdote I see the rose as fading beauty. A rose is seen for its deep crimson petals which symbolizes the splendour and vitality of Miss Emily's youth; however, as rose pet...
...e of a female in this village. Other names are used to assist with setting the season, and to forewarn of Tessie Hutchinson’s fate. The brilliance in Jackson’s selectiveness in who is given a first name, and how it is used to bring attention to how this is a man’s society, adds to the other sexist innuendos. The names Jackson assigns her characters are just as important to the message in this story as the characters themselves.
Carlsen, G. Robert. Insights Themes in Literature. New York: Webster Division, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1967.
Faulkner, William. “A Rose for Emily.” Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2013. 99-105. Print.
Another weakness of Singer’s article is the aggressive language he uses throughout his piece of writing to influence the reader. For example, his use of forceful dialogue encourages people to give money in this following statement, Telling the reader what to do is not an effective way to convince an audience to make a contribution.
Horror and death help to create interesting characteristics, motifs, and traits while the rose is another element that adds romance and love to the story. The gothic elements in the story help develop sanity, reconstruction, isolation and a feminist standpoint including the townspeople derogative outlook upon Miss Emily.
The title is very significant to the story. Though the word “rose” does not appear in the context that it is present in in the title, nevertheless it still is important. For example, the first
‘A Red, Red Rose’ uses various similes and metaphors to describe love. Love is conveyed through a rose. The color “red” is also a symbol of passion and love. In lines 3 and 4 Burns is compelled again to write another metaphor about his love. This time he compares her to a melody from a song. This is, however, a temporary beauty since a melody eventually ends.
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Tell-Tale Heart." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 1999. 33-37.