Literature
QUESTION ONE: Love in LA
The setting of this story is located at the Freeway in Los Angeles. The protagonist is Jake, an irresponsible, lazy and self-absorbed person. The other character is Mariana, an innocent and naïve woman. Jake caused a careless accident by hitting Mariana’s car. Jake being a dishonest person, he cheated Mariana by giving her fake insurance and phone numbers. The freeway in the story symbolized freedom of Jake to daydream leading to an accident (Perrine, 2002). The themes of this story are deception, lies and fantasy. The irony is indicated by the fact it is difficult to find true love in Los Angeles because it is full of fake and dishonest people.
The setting of this short story is the southern parts of America. The protagonist is the Grandmother who considered herself morally upright than the rest of the members of her family. The other character is Misfit who killed the grandmother at the end of the story. The themes include the elusive definition of the good man and grace. The tone is nostalgic where the characters faced problems in finding a good man in the current world. The Grandmother’s hat symbolized her misguided perception of morality.
Battle royal:
The setting of the story is America. The main theme is racial discrimination between the blacks and whites in America. The theme of inequity is well elaborated in the short story. Symbolism was used in this story in the ballroom in order to show the place where the battle occurred.
The birth mark:
The protagonist is Aylmer who represented the intelligent scientist. Georgiana is another character who was very beautiful and a wife to Aylmer. The main themes include striving for perfection and aspects of science in relation to nature. The birthmark symbolized mortality in this story.
My favorite story was Love in LA because the characters traits could easily come out. The symbolism was also used in a very good manner in order to show freedom in the story. The irony of the title of the story also helped in in showing how fake the people in LA were making it difficult to find love at this place. The themes of deception and lies are clearly elaborated.
QUESTION TWO:
My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke:
The setting of the poem is the kitchen of a family at home. This poem has ABAB rhyme. Most of the lines in the poem has slant rhymes. The speaker of this poem is a young boy complaining for sleeping earlier than his parents.
The themes in this poem includes the family and what takes place in the family. The theme of power is also shown by how the child is given instructions from the parents. The theme of admiration is clear shown by how the speaker of the poem admired and looked up to his father.
Symbolism was used to show violence as shown by the activities and jumping between the son and the father. Dancing also symbolized love, fear and power in the poem.
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”
This poem shows the theme of beauty and appreciation in love. This is shown by the description of an attractive woman.
Imagery was used in this poem in order to show the beauty of the woman in comparison to the glowing summer so as to bring out the clear image of the beautiful woman. Imagery is also seen by the personification of the sun in this poem. Both repetition and hyperbole are used in the poem in order to emphasize on the theme of love.
My favorite poem is shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? , because it involves the use of stylistic devices like imagery and repetition to emphasize on the theme of love. The theme of love is also very well elaborated in this poem. The flow of the poem is also smoother compared to the other one.
QUESTION THREE: TRIFLES:
The play is written in a melancholic mood due to the case of murder in the kitchen.
Foreshadow is used in the drama to show the theme of gender conflict at the domestic level.
Juxtaposition was also used in order to show the difference between the lives of the characters in the play (Glaspell, 2004).
The theme of murder is well elaborated in this play. The dialogue also helped to bring out the theme of domestic conflicts between the characters. The use of juxtaposition and the melancholic mood helped me to understand the stage directions and live performance.
Question four:
In the context of morals and values, the Love in LA short story shows the aspects of dishonesty where Jake cheated Mariana about the details of his phone and insurance registration numbers. Laziness and irresponsibility are also criticized in the story.
The poem “My papa’s waltz” shows the aspects of family ethics as well as the love between the son and the father. The moral guidance of the boy is also shown in the poem. The play, Trifles discouraged the aspects and acts of murder in the society.
In the context of all the works I read, my favorite work of literature was “My Papa’s Waltz” because it involved the use of stylistic devices to bring out the themes of family issues. The poem will enable me at the personal level to understand the aspects of the family especially when dealing with children.
QUESTION SIX:
Literature plays a crucial role in understanding the characters of people as well as exposition of the themes relating to economic, social and political aspects of the society. Literature is, therefore, used to discourage immoral issues while the aspects relating to positive values and virtues are encouraged through literature. It may also be used to transform the political systems of a country by enlightening the concerned people.
References
Glaspell, S., In Winchell, D. H., & Glaspell, S. (2004). Trifles. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth.
"My Papa's Waltz": "My Papa's Waltz" Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://mypapaswaltz.blogspot.com/2007/11/my-papas-waltz-analysis.html
Perrine, L., Arp, T. R., & Johnson, G. (2002). Perrine's story and structure. Fort Worth: Harcourt College.
SparkNotes: A Good Man Is Hard to Find. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/a-good-man-is-hard-to-find/
