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Literature Theory Reflection

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Recommended: Study of poetry analysis

Hayden Long
Professor Firstman
ENGL 20 TuTh 10am
3/12/18
Literature Theory Reflection Throughout the spring 2018 semester, it’s been rather strange considering the situation Dr. Walton’s class is now presented with. While the class has read through a plethora of short stories, poems, and novels, there has been very little in the line of “teaching” within the classroom. The class essentially would read the assigned story of the day and perform a summary/analysis in the class in a discussion format. Most of these ideas were basic literary devices such as metaphor, theme, tone, setting, etc. However, the mix of assigned readings were interesting enough to create a learning environment in which literally analysis was key. From the start, …show more content…

Within the textbook, symbolism is described as, “Anything that stands for something else.” (Abcarian, Klotz, Cohen, 13) A quick example of this is the Bald Eagle, as it is physically a bird but it represents freedom to Americans. Symbols are used extensively throughout novels as they enhance themes, ideas, characters, settings, and even the plot itself. They can take many forms, as in relation to colors green may represent positivity whereas read represents negativity. Within poem, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” it utilizes symbols in order to communicate the idea of boundaries. The trees are seen as an obstacle, both physically and metaphorically through their usage within the poem. Yet, while it sounds like a negative point, the man within the poem actually expresses his love for it. The man is drawn away from the village and his home in exchange for the lovely darkness of the forest, thus identifying the boundary between nature and civilization. In the story “Two Kinds”, symbolism can once again be identified through the depiction of the piano. The piano is seen by the daughter as an achievement the mother wants, despite it being a physical piano. When the mother eventually decides to give the daughter the piano, she refuses as she is afraid of the memories it carries and the mother’s presence within the piano. However, once the mother dies she can then truly appreciate what it was accepting it into her life, thus accepting her mother back into her

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