In Jennifer Price’s 1999 essay, “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History”, she provides a brief history of the flamingo, both plastic and live, yet also analyses American culture and thought. She exhibits this through her word choice, tone, and examples. The essay begins with an active verb, “splashed”, and a striking adjective, “boldness”, revealing a sense of excitement. This begins the piece in a bold way. Her analysis, however, dies down when she states her two major claims. She argues that the pink flamingo was popular because it was a flamingo and because it was pink. The fact that this object became popular for these reasons reveals the ways in which Americans form their desires. The remainder of the opening paragraph establishes background about the flamingo. After that, Price continues to give indications of her views of US culture. She argues that Americans used flamingos to reveal wealth. She strengthens this argument with more active language(the flamingo “inscribed” the laws as “emphatically”). Price appeals to authority by quoting from two well-known authors of the time; however her other examples are …show more content…
Her sarcasm is shown in the purposeful fragment in line 15, “But no matter.” The Americans nearly wiped out this bird, but that was unimportant to them. This reflects what she thinks Americans value—things that defied morality were unimportant. Later in the essay, she asks a rhetorical question, “Why, after all, call the birds ‘pink flamingos’—as if they would be blue or green?”. She uses this device to further underscore the importance of the color pink. Price then illustrates the absurdity of making the plastic bird unnecessarily brighter than the real one, leading to her conclusion that it is “no wonder” that the bird stood out in a brighter form outside of its natural environment. Once again she is playing on the obviousness of what she is
And the new information about the number of beautiful birds used to furnish women’s hats caused further conservation movement. “It is high time for the whole civilized world to know that many of the most beautiful and remarkable birds of the world are now being exterminated to furnish millinery ornaments for womenswear. The mass of the new information that we have recently secured on this traffic from the feather trade headquarters is appalling. Subsequently, new policies and laws are created to give people equal access to wildlife.
Mary Oliver’s unique responses to the owls illustrate the complexity of nature by displaying its two sides. Mary Oliver at first enjoys owls and all they have to offer, yet she later emphasizes her fear of a similar animal. The visual imagery she uses in her descriptions
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
"I'd rather you shoot at tin cans in the backyard, but I know you'll go after birds. Shoot all the bluejays you want , if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." This is what Atticus Finch tells his children after they are given air-rifles for Christmas. Uniquely, the title of the classic novel by Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird, was taken from this passage. At first glance, one may wonder why Harper Lee decided to name her book after what seems to be a rather insignificant excerpt. After careful study, however, one begins to see that this is just another example of symbolism in the novel. Harper Lee uses symbolism rather extensively throughout this story, and much of it refers to the problems of racism in the South during the early twentieth century. Harper Lee's effective use of racial symbolism can be seen by studying various examples from the book. This includes the actions of the children, the racist whites, and the actions of Atticus Finch.
... the novel. Ranging from clothes, to birds, to the “pigeon house”, each symbol and setting provides the reader with insight into Edna’s personality, thoughts, and awakening.
In Julia Alvarez’s poem “On Not Shoplifting Louise Bogan’s The Blue Estuaries”, Alvarez skillfully employs poetic devices such as imagery and personification to help convey the speaker’s discoveries. Alvarez’s use of imagery paints a vivid picture of the setting for the reader, allowing for a better understanding of the context of the poem, and a clarification of what goes on within the college bookstore. The use of personification highlights the significance of the special book of poems and its persuasive effect on the main character.
"The Loss of the Creature" starts off with the definition of beautiful, which is a key point throughout his essay. Next, he moves in to his example of a family of tourists, and their experience (through his eyes) at the Grand Canyon. He describes his theory of the sightseer, and the discoverer; "Does a single sightseer, receive the value of P, or only a millionth part of value P" (pg 1) Value P, being the experience, and the beauty in which that person collected. Following the sightseers was a couple who stumbled upon an undisturbed Mexican Village. The couple thoroughly enjoyed their first experience, but could not wait to return with their friend the ethnologist. When they did return with him, they were so caught up in what his reaction would be; there was a total loss of sovereignty. Due to their differences of interest in the village, the couples return trip was a waste. The second part of the essay includes a Falkland Islander who comes across a dead dogfish lying on the beach. Furthermore, he explains how a student with a Shakespeare sonnet, has no chance of being absorbed by a student due to the surrounding's or package of the class room. The two students are receiving the wrong messages, on one hand we have the biology student with his "magic wand" of a scalpel, and on the other hand the English student with his sonnet in its "many-tissued package". Both students are unaware of the real experience they could undergo, and the teacher might as well give the dogfish to the English student and the sonnet to the biology student because they will be able to explore and learn more within the different setting, and without the surroundings and expectations (pg 6).
Parker, Margaret. The story of a story across cultures: the case of the doncella Teodor New York: Rochester, 1996.
The decadent and delicious peanut butter and chocolate covered cake that defines my childhood in Philadelphia remains now a faint memory now that I have entered the state of Georgia. While Tastykakes is a regional treat that can be found in every Pennsylvania grocery store and gas station, the Coca-Cola logo stands as a world wide symbol recognized in Egypt, France and almost in every country. Globalization and the exposure to other country’s goods can influence the culture of the native land. Martin Espada’s poem “Coca-Cola and Coco Frio” demonstrates the idea of two cultures coming together. Within this poem the author uses literary techniques such as diction, imagery and personification to create a story that encapsulates the ideas of a natural world versus a material world. Even the title of the poem shows the contrast of the two worlds, the “Coca-Cola” representing the material and “Coco Frio” representing the natural. This vivid contrast between the two leads the reader to think that materialism can often overpower the simplicity of nature. In this poem the author also makes a literary criticism on how an over-industrialized America takes away the natural beauty and heritage of one’s native land.
Since its first appearance in the 1886 collection A White Heron and Other Stories, the short story A White Heron has become the most favorite and often anthologized of Sarah Orne Jewett. Like most of this regionalist writer's works, A White Heron was inspired by the people and landscapes in rural New England, where, as a little girl, she often accompanied her doctor father on his visiting patients. The story is about a nine-year-old girl who falls in love with a bird hunter but does not tell him the white heron's place because her love of nature is much greater. In this story, the author presents a conflict between femininity and masculinity by juxtaposing Sylvia, who has a peaceful life in country, to a hunter from town, which implies her discontent with the modernization?s threat to the nature. Unlike female and male, which can describe animals, femininity and masculinity are personal and human.
Smith, Gene. "Lost Bird." American Heritage 47.2 (1996): 38. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Web. 6 Apr. 2015.
“A Poem for the Blue Heron,” a free verse poem written by Mary Oliver, focuses on and observes a blue heron making the decision to begin its southern migration. The speaker is awestricken by the pulchritude of the magnificent creature and admires the annual migration it must take to survive. The excerpt from “Cold Mountain”, a historical fiction novel by Charles Frazier, focuses on the discovery of a heron by a girl from across the river. The tone prevalent throughout this excerpt reveals the speaker is impressed by the prodigious stature and sophistication of the bird. The speaker feels the doughty bird deserves respect and sincere reverence. Although the authors develop these attitudes through their own writing styles, many similarities and differences in tone are evident upon analyzing the two literary works.
Wright was described as a beautiful women filled with such joy and life until she married John Wright. Mrs. Peter’s and Mrs. Hale feels sorry for her because her husband treated her so bad. Due to female bonding and sympathy, the two women, becoming detectives, finds the truth and hides it from the men. The play shows you that emotions can play a part in your judgement. Mrs. Peter’s and Mrs. Hale felt sorry that Mrs. Wright had one to keep her company no kids and she was always left alone at home. “yes good; he didn’t drink, and kept his word as well as most, I guess, and paid his debt. But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters just to pass the time of day with him. Like a raw wind that goes to the bone. I should of think she would have wanted a bird. But what you suppose went with it?” Later on in the play the women find out what happens to the bird. The bird was killed the same way Mrs. Wright husband which leads to the motive of why he was killed. Mrs. Wright was just like the bird beautiful but caged no freedom not being able to live a life of her own. Always stuck in the shadows of her husband being told what to do and
... the reader understand the meaning that is behind it, like so “the poem concludes by asking rhetorically whether its listeners now understand the truths produced by both birds and poetry” (SparkNotes Editors). Besides nature being compared from birds a deeper meaning is behind this symbol and this is “art produces soothing, truthful sounds” (SparkNotes Editors) just like the soothing sounds from a bird that anyone can enjoy.
...er readers. Dickinson’s use of literary devices and her creativity enables her to imaginatively describe the beauty and grace from a simple and familiar observation. It is through her use of tone, imagery, and sound that she exploits a keen sense of respect for at the very least the little bird, if not also nature itself. Dickinson recreates and expresses the magnificence and smoothness of the bird soaring across the sky. She uses tone to create the mood to emphasize the theme. She uses sound and imagery to not only tell the reader about the awesome flight of the bird, but to help the reader experience and connect to the little bird and nature in hope that they too will learn to respect nature.