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The white heron textual analysis
The white heron textual analysis
Analysis on the white heron
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In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree. " When reading the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the reader will steadily notice that, as the story goes on, Melinda's artistic abilities will improve. In this essay, I will explain how trees are used to portray Melinda's transformation, by using quotes from the text and support to back it up. In her first Art class, Melinda randomly chooses the "tree" as the object she will try to draw for the rest of her school year.
This passage captures the details and vivid colors that will be alluring to children and creates a wonderful imagery. Such as the "moths" and "sweet voiced threshers" this young girl is experiencing nature in its full glory. Furthermore, as children everything seems bigger and the description of the old Pinetree being a “landmark for the sea” shows and creates an image that glorifies this symbol of initiation.
Tracey Lindberg’s novel Birdie is narratively constructed in a contorting and poetic manner yet illustrates the seriousness of violence experience by Indigenous females. The novel is about a young Cree woman Bernice Meetoos (Birdie) recalling her devasting past and visionary journey to places she has lived and the search for home and family. Lindberg captures Bernice’s internal therapeutic journey to recover from childhood traumas of incest, sexual abuse, and social dysfunctions. She also presents Bernice’s self-determination to achieve a standard of good health and well-being. The narrative presents Bernice for the most part lying in bed and reflecting on her dark life in the form of dreams.
“You change your life by changing your heart.” said Max Lucado. This is exactly what Catherine did in Karen Cushman’s Catherine, Called Birdy. Her experiences led to the discovery of the need for change. The interactions and experiences she had with the Jews, her mother, and a villager led to Catherine becoming more gentle, caring, aware of her surroundings, and more of herself than she was before. One way that Catherine changed was after her encounter with the old Jewish Lady.
The historical fiction novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is centered around Francie Nolan, the protagonist. Francie Nolan is a strong spirited and intelligent young lady. Francie growing up in a poor atmosphere, learns to appreciate the little things in life and sees the best in places and people. To demonstrated, “"People always think that happiness is a faraway thing," thought Francie, "something complicated and hard to get. Yet, what little things can make it up; a place of shelter when it rains-a cup of strong hot coffee when you're blue; for a man, a cigarette for contentment; a book to read when you're alone-just to be with someone you love.
Flannery O’Connor’s The King of the Birds is a narrative explaining the narrator’s obsession with different kinds of fowl over time. The reader follows the narrator from her first experience with a chicken, which caught the attention of reporters due to its ability to walk both backward and forward, to her collection of peahens and peacocks. At the mere age of five, the narrator’s chicken was featured in the news and from that moment she began to build her family of fowl. The expansive collection began with chickens, but soon the narrator found a breed of bird that was even more intriguing; peacocks.
Adventure and desire are common qualities in humans and Sarah Orne Jewett’s excerpt from “A White Heron” is no different. The heroine, Sylvia, a “small and silly” girl, is determined to do whatever it takes to know what can be seen from the highest point near her home. Jewett uses literary elements such as diction, imagery, and narrative pace to dramatize this “gray-eyed child” on her remarkable adventure. Word choice and imagery are necessary elements to put the reader in the mind of Sylvia as she embarks on her treacherous climb to the top of the world. Jewett is picturesque when describing Sylvia’s journey to the tip of one unconquered pine tree.
This passage from “A white Heron”, by Sarah Orne Jewett, details a short yet epic journey of a young girl, and it is done in an entertaining way. Jewett immediately familiarizes us with our protagonist, Sylvia, in the first paragraph, and our antagonist: the tree. However, this is a bit more creative, as the tree stands not only as an opponent, but as a surmountable object that can strengthen and inspire Sylvia as she climbs it. This “old pine” is described as massive, to the point where it, “towered above them all and made a landmark for sea and shore miles and miles away.” (Line 8).
Do you know anyone who has Orinthophobia, the fear of birds? Or do you yourself fear the birds? “The Birds”, written by Daphne De Maurier, is a short story that uses various literary terms to make an exceptional piece of writing. The story uses the literary devises such as foreshadowing, imagery, and characterization to create an exhilarating tale. Maurier uses these three components to tell a thrilling story that keeps the reader on edge.
Dana Gioia’s poem, “Planting a Sequoia” is grievous yet beautiful, sombre story of a man planting a sequoia tree in the commemoration of his perished son. Sequoia trees have always been a symbol of wellness and safety due to their natural ability to withstand decay, the sturdy tree shows its significance to the speaker throughout the poem as a way to encapsulate and continue the short life of his infant. Gioia utilizes the elements of imagery and diction to portray an elegiac tone for the tragic death, yet also a sense of hope for the future of the tree. The poet also uses the theme of life through the unification of man and nature to show the speaker 's emotional state and eventual hopes for the newly planted tree. Lastly, the tree itself becomes a symbol for the deceased son as planting the Sequoia is a way to cope with the loss, showing the juxtaposition between life and death.
Sylvia almost falls for the money but realizes that preserving the beauty in nature is more important to her and decides to follow what she thinks is right by not telling the hunter where the white heron is. Essay #3.) Flowers In “Flowers” by Alice Walker, Myop is a young girl who has seen the world as a no harm place for all her life. She has lived with the innocent mindset of any young girl who has not seen much of the world yet.
Sarah Orne Jewett’s works show her deep understanding of life and the value of the small things. She writes narratives of small characters with personal struggles that help expand on what it is to be human. Jewett does not explain the human condition, but she expands our understanding of it by her ability to press meaning into any object. Her works are riddled with symbolism and her work “A White Heron” is no different. The main character Sylvia is given the choice of either to give up the white heron’s location for ten dollars to a collector who wishes to stuff it or keep the location a secret and spare the bird.
In the book Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones, the secret family of James Witherspoon, Gwen and Dana, believe that they have a certain power over the other family. They show that they believe they have power by saying, “We never doubted that we enjoyed at least one peculiar advantage when it came to what really mattered” (Jones 5). Throughout the book power is shown in three instances by Gwen and Dana knowing about Laverne and Chaurisse, Dana being more physically and mentally appealing, and James Witherspoon making Dana and Gwen keep their life a secret. James Witherspoon and Gwen both met whenever he was buying his only wife at the time an anniversary present, quite ironic. This eventually leads Gwen to agreeing to marry James, even when knowing
Alice Walker uses imagery and diction throughout her short story to tell the reader the meaning of “The Flowers”. The meaning of innocence lost and people growing up being changed by the harshness of reality. The author is able to use the imagery to show the difference between innocence and the loss of it. The setting is also used to show this as well.
“Schoolteacher’s nephew represents a dismissal by whites of the dehumanizing qualities of slavery”. When Sethe is raped, schoolteacher observed how her body is exploited. The scars on Sethe’s back are so many that they resemble the trunk of a tree with its branches. Sethe bear scars on her back because she was whipped due to her try of escape. Amy Denver, a white girl that helped Sethe when she was running away from Sweet Home, calls the tree a chokecherry tree.