Figures of speech allow speakers to say things more
vividly and forcefully than if they were to simply say something directly. Besides
having the freshness to their ideas that using figures of speech affords them,
speakers can really say more with figurative language than they can with the mere
literal. That is, figures of speech afford speakers the means of adding extra
dimensions to their words.
In Alice Walker's "Everyday
Use," the mother who acts as narrator embellishes many of her words with such figures of
speech that reveal her astute observations on life. Here are some examples to get you
started in your search:
- In the introductory
paragraph, she describes the yard with a simile (a comparison using like
or as): - Further, there
is a description of her dream, which is a figurative way of expressing her hope that her
daughter Dee will demonstrate love and appreciation someday for the sacrifices that she
has made for her. - In the tenth paragraph, the mother
describes the fire that has disfigured her daughter Maggie, employing sound imagery and
metaphor [an unstated comparison]:
Sometimes I can still hear the
flames and feel Maggie's arm sticking to me, her hair smoking and
her dress falling off her in little black papery
flakes.
- In
her description of Dee's youth when she read to Maggie and her, the mother states uses a
couple more metaphors:
She of makewashed us in a river of
make-believe, burned us with a lot of
knowledge we didn't necessarily need to know. Pressed us to
her with the serious way she read, to shove us
away at just the moment, like dimwits, we
seemed about to understand. (the bold words are metaphoric, except the last
simile)
In this paragraph,
the mother vividly describes the attitude of young Dee as she reads, as well as
connoting how her act of reading was a show of superiority, not
love.
In addition to these examples of figurative language,
Walker's story contains the vibrant symbol of the quilts, which represent the connection
of family and history. And, the theme is itself about symbolism as Maggie has been
"burned" by life, her life, as well as her dress falling in "papery flakes." The
mother's "man-working hands" symbolize her having to play the roles of both father and
mother.
Then, there is, of course, the irony of Dee's wish
to appreciate her heritage by taking her grandmother's quilts. But, she looks to the
African heritage of her race rather than her true origin of family and the people who
raised her, an origin Maggie truly understands; thus, her mother gives the quilts to
her.
(Please see the link on style below for more
explanation of symbolism)
No comments:
Post a Comment