First-Person Narrator ‘‘Sweet Potato Pie’’ is told by Buddy, the first-person narrator. The reader is privy to all of Buddy’s thoughts and feelings. On the other hand, the other characters can only be seen though Buddy’s perceptions of them. The events in the story, past and present, can only be seen this way as well….
Tag: Literary Devices
Sorry Right Number – Literary Devices
Script King highlights Bill’s inability to write by contrasting it with Hank’s productivity. Hank has taken Bill’s place in the family and in the basement office, replacing Bill’s personal effects with his own. Hank is still productive and vital, in contrast to Bill, who died while he was experiencing writer’s block.2 The fact that King…
The Son From America – Literary Devices
Nature Symbolism Berl and Berlcha live simply, guided by their religious faith. They also live close to nature and in harmony with it. Human and natural worlds interpenetrate, almost like paradise described in the book of Genesis in the Bible, before the fall of man. In the winter, the chickens and the goat live inside…
The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses – Literary Devices
Antihero Many stories from cultures the world over feature a hero, typically a large, handsome, physically strong man who defeats his enemies and gains wealth and glory through a combination of physical combat, virtue, and shrewdness. In ‘‘The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses,’’ on the other hand, the protagonist, Brille, might be better labeled an ‘‘antihero.’’…
One Ordinary Day With Peanuts – Literary Devices
Symbolism Symbolism is a literary device an author uses to express complex ideas concisely by substituting simple objects to represent the complex ideas. In ‘‘One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts,’’ the peanuts are an important symbol for generosity and goodness. Mr. Johnson fills his pockets with candy and peanuts before going out on the town, but…
No Witchcraft For Sale – Literary Devices
Third-Person Omniscient Narrator ‘‘No Witchcraft for Sale’’ is told by an unnamed narrator from the third-person omniscient point of view. A third-person narrator is one that refers to events and characters objectively (as, for example, ‘‘she’’ or ‘‘they’’) and does not participate directly in the story. The narrator is an unidentified and all-knowing being, one…
Marriage is a Private Affair – Literary Devices
Nature Symbolism When the conflict between father and son first erupts, it is December, and the weather is hot and dry, the sun ‘‘parching.’’ Many years later, just before Okeke realizes the error of his ways, the weather is very different. There are black clouds, and soon the rain begins. This is the first rain…
Love Must Not Be Forgotten – Literary Devices
First-Person Narrator and Present Tense A first-person narrative is one in which the person telling the story refers to himself or herself as . In ‘‘Love Must Not Be Forgotten,’’ the first-person narrator happens to be the main character in the story, Shanshan, although this is not always the case in stories narrated in the…
The Leap by Louise Erdrich – Narrator, Imagery, Magical Realism
First-Person Narrator Erdrich considers herself a storyteller, and so it is fitting that she tells her stories in first person, that is, using the word ‘‘I,’’ as if she is talking directly to the reader. First person is a more personal way of telling a story; it is the technique used when friends talk to…
The Heavenly Christmas Tree – Literary Devices
Realism Dostoevsky is known for the realism he employs to describe his characters. Realism is a literary term used to describe an author’s presentation of the details of man’s existence in a way that is true to life. Sometimes it is used in conjunction with the term psychological. Psychological realism, a technique Dostoevsky employs in…