Becoming Kirrali Lewis Sparknotes

Jane Harrison’s “Becoming Kirrali Lewis” explores the difficulty of identity, belonging, and one’s understanding of themselves through the eyes of an Aboriginal girl discovering life as an independent college student, and her search for her biological family. Throughout her novel, Jane Harrison employs numerous narrative and/or rhetorical devices that would be effective in a personal essay.

Firstly, the novel contains several examples of symbolism, adding depth and meaning to the story. One of the most prominent and powerful symbols in the novel is the gate. It represents both the opportunities and barriers Kirrali encounters. As an opportunity, the gate is seen in the opening scene of the book, “through a pair of ornate wrought-iron gates”

Gates can not only represent opportunities, but barriers, the barrier here being the oppression aboriginal people have endured for generations, a topic introduced and explained in the novel. Symbolism can often be used in a personal essay, as symbols are powerful tools which can represent important aspects of one’s identity or experience. Using this rhetorical device can also strongly impact the depth of an essay. Firstly, symbolism is often used to add layers of meaning to a text, as it can provide context and understanding of the experiences told by the author. Trees can be used as symbols of personal growth and resilience, accentuating one’s development throughout a novel. Symbolism can also be used to represent complex emotions and experiences the authors would find difficult to express only through words. Storms, for example, can deepen the idea of turmoil in one’s life. Along with that, symbolism creates powerful images, capturing the reader’s attention with memorable images all while highlighting the most important themes for the author to further help convey the message and main idea of the essay. For example, the continuous use of the gate as a symbol of

For example, at the start of the book, Kiralli immediately shares one of the most important stories relative to her journey of self-discovery: the time she realized she was aboriginal, and different from others around her. She explains how she finally noticed her skin color was “the color of vegemite” (5). When introducing friends and family already part of her life, Kiralli uses a flashback to explain how she met this person along with describing their relationship throughout the years, helping the reader understand the dynamic and importance of said relationship. Finally, Kiralli goes back to the time her mother spoke to her regarding her biological parents on the eve of her thirteenth birthday, “Mum tried to bring up the subject again but each time I put her off” (47), further showing how her journey to discovering her roots and biological family has played out so far. Cherie also uses many flashbacks, especially to share the most critical story of the novel: how she met Kirrali’s biological father, leading to her pregnancy and the abandonment of her child: “it was 1966, the summer that i turned eighteen” (139). She also reflects on her upbringing and her childhood to highlight/renforcer the contrast between her family’s beliefs and hers/how she is. In a personal