Literary Devices In An Obstacle

In the poem “An Obstacle” by Charlotte Gilman, the author uses different literary devices to provide insight into the passage and inform the reader of what events take place. This helps the reader understand how “Prejudice” is described and how the author decides to deal with it. For example, the author describes Prejudice as a man who stands in her way. This shows that the author thinks of prejudice as an obstacle that stands in the way of where she wants to. This is shown when she says, “And then I reasoned quietly with that colossal mule: my time was short – no other path – the mountain winds were cool. I argued like a solomon; he sat there like a fool” (Gilman 19-24). You can see by this that the author is trying to be reasonable and polite

– he didn’t even try” (Gilman 13-18). In addition, Charlotte tries to speak to him so she can pass but he won’t move. Charlotte becomes more agitated as the story progresses and begins to grow somewhat desperate. She is upset at the fact that “Prejudice” won’t move from his spot which causes Charlotte to beg and try to get him to move, as said in the text, “and then I begged him on my knees; I might be kneeling still” (Gilman 31-32). This is important because it helps the reader infer how much Charlotte wants to overcome prejudice and move from it. Charlotte also says, “as well invite the monument to vacate Bunker Hill” (Gilman 35-36). This is important because she uses a metaphor to compare “Prejudice” to a giant monument stating that he is like a monument because he won’t move for Charlotte to pass. Furthermore, Charlotte begins to understand that she has to do something besides convincing the “person” to move because he won’t move due to her best