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The Beet Queen By Louise Erdrich Summary

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“Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you” W. Clement Stone. In this portion of the story, The Beet Queen, by Louise Erdrich, it tells the story of two children arriving in a town searching for their own purpose. With the use of tone, imagery, and point of view we can depict the impact of the environment on the two children throughout the passage. Firstly, Erdrich used tone throughout the passage to emphasize the effect the environment has on the children. When the children first arrive, the negative description of the place sets the tone. The tone created is dull and boring. For instance, the narrator describes the town as colorless and plain. “A string of houses, weathered grey or peeling gray paint” (39-40). The addition …show more content…

Referring back to the quote at the beginning, this passage is an example of how an environment can shape who you are, for the better or worse. “Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you” W. Clement Stone. In this portion of the story, The Beet Queen, by Louise Erdrich, it tells the story of two children arriving in a town searching for their own purpose. With the use of tone, imagery, and point of view we can depict the impact of the environment on the two children throughout the passage. Firstly, Erdrich used tone throughout the passage to emphasize the effect the environment has on the children. When the children first arrive, the negative description of the place sets the tone. The tone created is dull and boring. For instance, the narrator describes the town as colorless and plain. “A string of houses, weathered grey or peeling gray paint” (39-40). The addition of cold weather also sets the tone since cold weather creates a gloomy atmosphere. “Although they’d been traveling all night and the chill had reached deep.” (32-33) The cold weather causes the children to be drained of their color and refer to their coats for

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In this excerpt from “The Beet Queen”, by Louise Erdrich, Mary and Karl Adare give the impression as diverse characters. The passage explores their retorts to their surroundings in the environment and of their perspectives around them during the time of depression. Erdrich uses literary devices such as tone, imagery combined with juxtaposition, selection of detail, and point of view to convey the impact from the environment. Erdrich expresses, “And then, either to protect himself or to seize the blooms, Karl reached out and tore a branch from the tree.”

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The “gleam in the sun, a soft, white note in the dun-colored landscape, and the pure blue line of the lake horizon” paints a vivid image of the calm and tranquil scene Larson has created (129). Attention to color is mentioned throughout the novel to reiterate the liveliness of the city. The “soft yellows, pinks, and purples” and “brilliant blues” all span throughout the fair, adding to the beauty and lightness of the event (267). Conversely, previously the scene was pictured as peaceful and calm, but is later in the same sentence described as having a “rugged and barren foreground” (129). The contrast seen by the audience serves as a reminder that even though things may seem tranquil and at ease, there is still an undiscovered crime taking place at the same times.

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In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses Clarisse’s connection to nature and Mildred's and her friends connection to technology to teach the reader the importance of being connected to nature and how technology is destructive and encourages emotional disengagement. Ray Bradbury uses the character Clarisse and her connection to nature to show that nature is very calming and can lead to happiness. Late one night when Montag was coming home from work, he turned the corner and almost ran into Clarisse. Montag and Clarisse began to talk to each other and then,” They walked in the warm-cool blowing night on the silvered pavement and there was the faintest breath of fresh apricots and strawberries in the air” (Bradbury 10).

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The family shows signs of being part of either a low or poor class based off the conditions of the household they are living in and the bareness of their apartment. For instance, the dining room is extremely small and the kitchen seems old and worn out. Correspondingly, the family members seem to lack personality due to to the simple clothing they are wearing. However, the bright colors found interior of the home create a contrast between the dreary environment of the household. This helps convey the message that although the family may not be as economically stable and live a dull life, they still happily interact among one another and come together every evening to have a meal together.

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The image is mesmerizing: The small, sleepy town of Starkfield, shrouded in a blanket of gently falling snow, is lit up by the rosy reds and the bright yellows of the morning sun. The snow glows and sparkles in the light as the sun rises higher and higher in the sky. However, the protagonist, Ethan Frome, often doesn't recognize the beautiful scenery and instead, sees the dreariness of the town, mirroring his equally bleak life with his wife, Zeena. As Ethan falls in love with Mattie, his house maid, he becomes more aware of the radiant world around him. In Ethan Frome, author Edith Wharton often uses colors to depict Mattie's growing influence on Ethan.

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The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich follow the lives of Mary and Karl Adare. In 1932, they move to Argus, North Dakota. Erdrich uses literary devices such as tone, imagery, detail, and point of view to illustrate the impact the environment has on the two children. Imagery and selection detail both provide significant key details regarding Karl and Mary’s experience during their journey to North Dakota. Edrich says, “their lips were violet and their feet were so numb that when they jumped out the box car, they stumbled and scraped their palms and knees” (Edrich 100).

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The author was very descriptive in the writing. The reader can sit and visualize what the author is saying and trying to get you to see. He (the author) also says “cedar posts and collapsed homes” also gives you the feel of abandonment. The feeling of abandonment is depressing because its almost as if the people gave up on the land. The land was not suitable to live in due to the extreme winds and dust.

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Additionally , the house that the narrator mentions is illustrated as “ mansion of gloom “ which might be a sign that the aura of the house has something dreadful in it. However , the Narrator reveals something important about his first impression for the house by saying “ I looked upon the scene before me , upon the mere house, upon the bleak walls , upon the vacant eye-like windows ( 3 ).To illustrate , the words such as “ air of heaven , silent tarn , mystic vapor “ used as a reinforcement for making the ambience of the house as gloomy. In fact , in the light of these facts , it could be said that the house has an darkness appearance which might be an indication of its mysterious atmosphere.

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The houses are tiny and inconspicuously painted in the bottom right corner of the painting and blend in quite well with the forest and mountains. The architecture of the village is quaint and simple and no light illuminates the village, giving the impression that everyone there is probably asleep. In general,

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On of the greatest examples of imagery that Alice Walker uses is the one that compares light and darkness. At the beguining of the story the author mentions delicate and calm setting of a farm. In creating this imagery the reader is able to understand that all the positive and upbeat words are associated with the farm setting. Myop’s light-hearted innocence is also shown when “watching the tiny white bubbles disrupt the thin black scale”. The effective description  provides credibility to the environment, and makes the later events all the more shocking,

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