In Ford's essay "optimists," several elements seem to foreshadow the stories tragic events. Describe as many of these elements of foreshadowing as you can, and discuss how they foreshadow the tragedy.
Tragic Foreshadows.
Suspense. Mystery. Anticipation. All of these elements can be created by a writer by deploying rhetorical devices. In Ford's essay "optimists," Ford is able to evoke these feelings from the readers by foreshadowing throughout the entire story. "Optimists" reflects the life of Frank Brinson and his parents. Frank tells the story of how his life was changed forever in one night. Ford is able to interest and suspense the reader by foreshadowing the stories tragic ending.
"Optimists" tragic ending is distinctively foreshadowed from the start. The story begins with Frank narrating the night his whole life changed. He states that all of this happened "in 1959, the year my (his) parents were divorced, the year when my (his) father killed a man and went to prison for it, the year I (he) left home and school, told a lie about my (his) age to fool the army, and then did not come back. (Ford 301) At this point, the reader is informed of the main events of the story, but is left without any detail thus keeping him/her very interested. Ford foreshadows the tragic murder, and the chaos caused by it, by narrating it through Frank. .
Another event in which foreshadowing occurs takes place with Frank's mother, Dorothy. Frank states that his mother liked to go swimming at the indoor pool Y.W.C.A. because it made her feel "freer." Dorothy also made friends with Penny and Boyd Mitchell at the Y.W.C.A. Boyd worked for the Red Cross in the Y.W.C.A building, and penny was his wife. They would go over to Dorothy's house and play canasta on nights when Frank's father, Roy, "would come home late." (Ford 303) This causes the reader to be suspicious because they only played when Roy was at work. .
Then, when Roy came home early one night while his wife played cards with her "friends," one of the final foreshadowing events takes place.
Optimists set higher goals for themselves; furthermore, resulting to greater success in achieving goals. Positive thinking, moreover, makes the optimist's goals seem more attainable. ... The optimist is a delightful person looking on the bright side of life. ... Anyone can become an optimist. ... The optimists courageously achieve more and are healthier. ...
Optimists set higher goals for themselves; furthermore, resulting to greater success in achieving goals. Positive thinking, moreover, makes the optimist's goals seem more attainable. ... The optimist is a delightful person looking on the bright side of life. ... Anyone can become an optimist. ... The optimists courageously achieve more and are healthier. ...
People who are optimists do not believe in bad things. ... Optimists change bad and ugly things to good and wonderful. ... The disadvantage of the people, who are optimists, is that they sometimes do not recognize difficult problems because optimists live in a world where, they think, life is kind and without barriers. They may not be ready to solve their problems because optimists do not expect problems. ... Optimists are more vulnerable than pessimists are. ...
People who are optimists do not believe in bad things. ... Optimists change bad and ugly things to good and wonderful. ... The disadvantage of the people, who are optimists, is that they sometimes do not recognize difficult problems because optimists live in a world where, they think, life is kind and without barriers. They may not be ready to solve their problems because optimists do not expect problems. ... Optimists are more vulnerable than pessimists are. ...
Candide is Voltaire's answer to what he saw as an absurd belief proposed by the Optimists - an easy way to rationalize evil and suffering. ... In Candide, Voltaire uses Pangloss and his ramblings to represent an often humorous characterization of the "typical" optimist. ... Even when the entire group has accepted the pastoral lifestyle, finding contentment, Pangloss the Optimist attempts to prove how all their prior misfortunes were parts of the necessary chain of events for them to reach happiness. ...
Despite the views of many optimists, there are clearly losers as well as winners from the process of globalization.' ... Globalists generally fall into two categories; Pessimists (whose views will be explored later) and Optimists, who suggest, in terms of cultural globalization, that the world is moving towards a global village' and in terms of economic globalization, that the poor people of the world can only benefit from globalization, that what globalization brings to them, although it is not the full western lifestyle with all the trimmings and priviledges, that it is better tha...
Voltaire uses Pangloss, Candide's tutor, as the typical optimist, "He proved admirably that there cannot possibly be an effect without a cause and that in the best of all possible worlds the baron's castle was the best of all castles and his wife the best of all possible Baronesses." ... Pangloss is without a doubt a true optimist, never taking time to realize the mistakes in his logic. ... Voltaire is using the literary technique of exaggeration to show the irrationality of being a true optimist. ... Romantics were optimists. ... In addition, these writings completely lack an optimi...
Despite all the difficult circumstances she has encountered in her life, my mother has been an optimist. ... First, from an early age my mother was an optimist, who managed to stay positive despite her health problems. ... Being an optimist has given my mother many opportunities to change her negative experiences into positive experiences. ...
