The Six Crimson Cranes Sparknotes

Six Crimson Cranes In Formal English Course
What is the point of reading in a formal English course when each turn of the page is a dread? The current English curriculum consists of studying primarily Shakespearean novels or other western books, which are all old eurocentric texts that no one uses in modern society. Despite being a classic, teenagers are not enthusiastically discussing Twelfth Night. Although the literary language should be studied, withdrawing the joy in reading takes the joy from learning. In Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, high literary merit is present while also ensuring that the enjoyment of reading is not absent. Lim incorporates rich literary elements such as a theme and the use of dramatic irony, making Six Crimson

Taking inspiration from the original story, the author created a fictional world that is situated in an East-Asian inspired fantasy realm. In the novel, Lim employs the literary device of dramatic irony. The author utilized 2 types of dramatic irony: knowing the plot of the original fairy tale to act as a hook to gain the interest of readers, and knowing shiori’s true status as a tool to support the development of the theme. First of all, the dramatic irony of knowing the original plot is used to cause readers to anticipate how the story would play out, especially being familiar with an already known plot where the evil stepmother curses the siblings. The background knowledge of the original story allows for a more dramatic plot twist where the stepmother was not the actual antagonist, since in the original fairy tale the stepmother remained evil. Through this use of dramatic irony, the novel evokes strong emotions of readers which compels them to further read the book. Secondly, the dramatic irony of knowing Shiori’s true status of being a princess puts emphasis on the theme during the interactions between other characters. This is prominent in an example where Shiori as a princess often “cajol[ed] the palace chef for his red bean paste recipe” (Lim 3) versus when she turned into a servant and “the cooks shouted orders [at me]” (Lim 193). When readers take Shiori’s actual social ranking into consideration during the interactions, they would question whether or not it was appropriate to treat a person of high class. It accentuates the belief of society that those of different social standing are supposedly meant to be treated a certain way. The use of dramatic irony brought focus to the theme while also hooking readers to read the book. Six Crimson Cranes makes a captivating read while using literary devices to enhance the book,