... adventure and buried treasures, and that's what the setting portrays. Characterization also adds to the development of the theme. Poe describes how the characters act and look by the way they interact with each other, and he also gives a little detail about each character. The three main ... an uneducated man that doesn't even know his right from his left. He does all the strenuous, and dangerous work for Legrand, like climbing trees and digging holes. Jupiter probably believes in voodoo or something because he is afraid of the gold bug. He keeps calling it a goole-bug and says that it ...

• Word Count: 904
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... its own. "Everyday Use" is a story about three women, a family that lives in dingy three room house. It did not even have real windows, rather, it had holes in the walls resembling port holes on a ship. Maggie and Dee were the daughters of the narrator of the story. Maggie was burned in a fire that destroyed their first house. She is quiet and ... homecoming of a lost daughter. Through symbolism, Alice Walker teaches moral lessons about heritage and identity. This story asserts that family history should be a part of everyday life. Walker gave her characters realistic characteristics so...

• Word Count: 1121
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... quot;"This and a dress invented from an old sock when we cut holes here and here and here,"" from a protagonist's point of view. We can see Cisneros's intention was to provide the reader with the type of situation the characters are dealing with-being so poor that they can't have nice looking ... Barbie dolls, nice clothing to go with them, and a variety to play with. The way the characters have their Barbies act, we can also gather how living in poverty has affected the characters' behavior, their language, and their outlook on life in general. For example, "Your Barbie is roommates wit...

• Word Count: 789
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... quot;"This and a dress invented from an old sock when we cut holes here and here and here,"" from a protagonist's point of view. We can see Cisneros's intention was to provide the reader with the type of situation the characters are dealing with-being so poor that they can't have nice looking ... Barbie dolls, nice clothing to go with them, and a variety to play with. The way the characters have their Barbies act, we can also gather how living in poverty has affected the characters' behavior, their language, and their outlook on life in general. For example, "Your Barbie is roommates wit...

• Word Count: 721
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... her death. Language is another key element in MacLaverty's "Secrets" when looking at the themes in the story as it develops a deeper understanding of the characters. Throughout the story effective word choice is used to show both the personality of the aunt and the emotions of the boy, both as a child and ... weakening and still tidy and organised. The organised and methodical sides ell as the age of the aunt is also shown using symbolism. "divided into pigeon holes gathered in batches" Again this shows the neatness of the aunt. Symbolism is also used to show the aunt's relationship with...

• Word Count: 1441
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... talking about life and what "love" really means to them. Mel and Terri are one couple while Nick and Laura are the other couple. Throughout the story, the characters that talk the most are Mel and Terri, talking about past events in their lives: As the couples tell their story, they both disagree on what they truly think love ... says " I'd get up to his mouth-hole, you know, and he'd say no it wasn't the accident exactly but it was because he couldn't see her through his eye-holes. He said that was what was making him feel so bad." (362). From what Mel says about the man in the acciden...

• Word Count: 981
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Today's society has been overwhelmed with many family problems. This statement holds true in Wallace Stegner's short story "The Blue-Winged Teal." John and Henry, the two main characters, are father and son with a problem bigger than the both of them combined. With the death of the wife and mother, their relationship, if there was one, was lost with ... as, " . . . driftwood in a wide cold sea" (215) and " . . . the two weak illuminations diffusing in the shadowy poolroom, leaving the middle in almost absolute dark" (208). Their relationship was filled with holes and misunderstandings. Stegn...

• Word Count: 640
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... aware of the betrayal of the natives by the whites (fanshawec p.2). Lyman notices that the natives live in less than ideal conditions: he notices the roads are full of pot holes, as are the promises made by the government which is an example of paternalism (fanshawec p. 2). When Henry and Lyman first bought the car and drove to Alaska, they stopped at ... the changes that were occurring in him; therefore he took his own life. Symbolically, the author uses the culture of the Native Americans to explain the actions demonstrated by the characters in the story. The red convertible car was a...

• Word Count: 1471
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School