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Shirley jackson literary techniques
The possiblity of evil
The possibility of evil analysis essay
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Miss strangeworth tried stopping the evil going on in “her town” by giving criticism to things/ people that she didn’t approve of and or didn’t like that she didn’t feel was perfect. Miss
She acts in a caring manner to everyone’s face, but when she is alone, she becomes a heartless woman, determined to reveal what she knows. Miss Strangeworth is the one causing the distress in her community, yet she acts oblivious as to what is bothering everyone. She shows her extreme deceitfulness by attempting to ease Helen Crane’s concern about her child by saying “Nonsense… some of them develop… more quickly than others” (Jackson, 1941, p. 167). This is deceitful because she is aware that there is something different about the child and instead of voicing that, she consoles the mother, only to subsequently shatter her in an anonymous letter. Additionally, Miss Strangeworth cleverly utilizes the most common paper and envelops all townspeople use for her letters.
Is Ms. Strangeworth a victim OR villain In the short story “The Possibility of Evil” written by Shirley Jackson, the protagonist Ms. Strangeworth is a villain because she isn’t what everyone’s aspect of her is, she is very deceptive, and the letters she sends are the very cause of the evil she’s trying to stop. Ms. Strangeworth is a seventy-one-year-old lady who lives in a little town, which she thinks is her own. She always feels the need to know everything, about everyone. Even though, no one knows who she really is.
This quote also gives you an idea of how Miss Strangeworth enjoyed gossip or talking about someone behind their back. Miss Strangeworth was writing letters to “The town where she lived had to be kept clean and sweet” it's ironic how she could say this when in reality she was doing all the evil of the town. The way Miss
In the land of the free and the home of the brave, it is important for us to remember how we achieved independence. The Treaty of Paris ended the war between America and Great Britain and recognized America 's independence and sovereignty. It was signed on September 3, 1783. The Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of King George III from Great Britain and the United States in the city for which it was named, Paris, France. The Treaty of Paris was a significant compromise because it brought a formal conclusion to the American Revolution, recognized America 's Independence from the British monarchy, and outlined new borders for United States territory.
Symbols are often characters, animals, objects, and or actions. In The Grapes of Wrath, a symbol that I first came across when reading was the turtle that was trying to continue its journey in the rough terrain. It was run over by a truck, that threw it on to the other side of the road and it still got up and continued its way. The turtle directly symbolizes the Joad’s. Like the turtle, the Joad’s are thrown off track by the harsh environment, but continue on their journey through the hardship.
The numerous symbols throughout help the reader to get a deeper understanding of the characters and further develop the story. The symbols
In the short story “The Possibility of Evil,” Shirley Jackson uses several symbols to tell her story about Miss Strangeworth. One symbol she uses is her name, Miss Strangeworth’s name foreshadows a hint that readers do not think about when they first start reading the story. For example in the story Miss Strangeworth starts acting strange as stated in her name and the readers then realize the author probably did that on purpose. Another symbol Shirley Jackson uses is the letters because Miss Strangeworth needed to keep her little town sweet and she wrote letters to the people in the town. Miss Strangeworth thought she was doing the right thing by watching them because she felt it was her duty to watch the people.
Although the rapid dog in "To Kill a Mockingbird" only appears in one chapter and is killed rather quickly, it acts as a symbol for the reoccurring theme of the evilness in racism throughout the book, illustrates the courage that is gained from overcoming difficult situations, and being an experience that allows for the development of maturity. In a setting that is dominated by racism, such as in Maycomb, a majority of the population also have aspects of evilness due to the damaging effects of their racist behavior, which is represented by the rabid dog. During the Tom Robinson trial, Scout thought to herself how watching Judge Taylor was “like watching Atticus walk into the street, raise a rifle to his shoulder and pull the trigger, but watching
Evil is often administered consciously, however, sometimes one’s naïveté could lead to the destruction of others. Zimbardo states the following: “Evil is the exercise of power… To intentionally harm people… and to commit crimes against humanity.” In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, some would claim that Tom is considered evil too. Although Tom seems to be “evil” towards the end of the novel since he purposefully prolonged the Jim’s liberation, he is simply a naive child whose imaginations take the best of him.
“The Possibility of Evil” written by Shirley Jackson and published in 1965 is a story filled with deception and trickery. Presenting the reader with sweet Miss Strangeworth, an older lady who is dedicated to helping her town. As the story continues readers quickly see that Miss Strangeworth is multifaceted but still has good intentions. This can be proven through what Miss Strangeworth does, what the narrator states about her, and how the other characters interact with her. Miss Strangeworth’s thoughts and actions showcase her multifaceted personality and good intentions.
Finally, it was with the use of symbolism that showed the power of understanding someone else’s situation. An example can be the blue suede shoes that roger wanted to buy using the money he would have stolen. These shoes represent his poverty and loneliness: “I wanted a pair of blue suede shoes,” said the boy. (2). Roger is shown to be very frail and scared; I feel those shoes can be a representation of his want of something more in life and a new bond that was formed between him and Mrs. Jones.
“Good Witch Bad Witch”: Unforgiving Ways In the short story “ Good Witch Bad Witch” by Gregory Sanders he illustrates how Rex narrates his fond childhood memories and his inability to forgive his favorite aunt racist comments. Later in the story he sees himself parallel to Grandmother Gertrude the woman who was dislike and would have been dishonored by her entire family. This text illustrates that a Physical and Historical setting is a reflection of the family members true character.
Miss Strangeworth sometimes “[finds] herself thinking that the town belonged to her” (Jackson,1941,
She uses symbolism to express how Miss Strangeworth compares the people like her roses but treats them differently in a cruel way. For example, on page 1,“Miss Strangeworth never gave away any of her roses, although the tourists often asked her. The roses belonged on Pleasant Street, and it bothered Miss Strangeworth to think of people wanting to carry them away, to take them into strange towns and down strange streets.” In other words The roses are the symbol that represents the story.