How to hulk through Chicago in a hedgerow afro, an ox-grunt kicking dust behind the teeth; those eighteen glammering gold chains around the throat of pity
This line uses heavy imagery to help readers visualize Mr. T. It paints an image of him in the reader’s mind. It also seems to criticize him and how he is portrayed. It gives more insight into how he is viewed by others, and seems to criticize that.
What were we, the skinny B-boys, to learn from you?
This line seems to question his character. It reads as a critic of who he is and how he is portrayed.
And liable to crush a fool’s face like newsprint; headlines of Hollywood blood and wincing.
This simile seems to be used to depict how he is portrayed in Hollywood. Others view him as a scary, intimidating man who is expected to act violently.
A man made of scrap muscle & the steam engine’s imagination, white feathers flapping in each lobe for the skull’s migration
The author uses imagery and personification to help the reader visualize the character. It also gives insight into important characteristics or traits the character might have.
she would open her eyes and think of the place that was hers for an hour-where she was nothing, pure nothing, in the middle of the day….
She longs for the small moments that she is able to have for herself. This line shows how exhausted she truly is, and how much she wishes for peace and solitude.
Why, building a palace.
This line feels like it connects back to her wish to be by herself and have space from everything in her life. The palace possibly representing a place where she can escape to when she wants to be alone for a while.
Sometimes there were things to watch- the pinched armor of a vanished cricket, a floating maple leaf. Other days she starred until she was assured when she closed her eyes she’d see only her own vivid blood.
The contrast between these lines really stood out to me. It feels as though somedays she’s able to escape from the stress in her life and finally feel at peace for a moment. Other days, however, the stress becomes too prominent to escape from.
She wanted a little room for thinking: but she saw diapers steaming on the line, a doll slumped behind the door.
The poem begins by depicting a tired mother who wants a moment to herself. The author uses imagery here to paint a picture in the reader’s mind of the mother’s surroundings to show how overwhelmed and tired she feels.
persimmons. This is precision.
The author introduces an important element to the poem early on. The reader is able to tell that persimmons are a vital aspect of the poem.
In sixth grade Mrs. Walker slapped the back of my head and made me stand in the corner for not knowing the difference between persimmon and precision.
This is an example of enjambment. The author begins the poem with this as a way to capture the reader’s attention.
she is beautiful as the moon.
The author uses a simile to describe Donna’s beauty. Similes help readers paint images in their minds of what an author is describing. It references something the reader is likely familiar with to describe something specific that the author is trying to convey.
Fight was what I did when I was frightened, Fright was what I felt when I was fighting.
The author relates the meaning of words he struggles with to personal stories from his life. He is able to use this personal connection to remember these words and their meanings.
While Mr. Das adjusted his telephoto lens, Mrs. Das reached into herstraw bag and pulled out a bottle of colorless nail polish, which she pro-ceeded to stroke on the tip of her index finge
This line stood out to me as it’s a very prominent example of the distance the characters felt. Mrs. Das painting her nails rather than taking in the views around her shows this distance as she’s keeping to herself instead of interacting with others.
but his butterscotch complexion and his unlined brow,
The author uses fantastic imagery to paint a clear image of each character and setting in the reader’s mind. The reader is able to capture each scene and character easily through this.
She did not hold the little girl’s hand as they walked to the rest room
This line stood out to me as it reveals both character traits and insight into the family’s dynamic.
At the same time, as her fiction shows, she iscritical of the superficial adoption of elements of either culture, andshe readily admits that she feels neither Indian nor American
This line introduces a theme shown throughout the story. It shows how the author’s own life influences her writing while simultaneously providing insight into the plot and themes of the story.
Dave Jensen, who practiced fieldhygiene, carried a toothbrush, dental floss, and several hotel-sized bars of soap he'd stolen on R&R in Sydney, Australia
This line really stood out to me. It’s such a short, simple line that reveals so much about the character. Even while on active duty, he tries to maintain a clean appearance. It highlights a main priority of the character.
More than anything, he wanted Martha to love himas he loved her
These men continue to carry with them the burdens of their lives back home. It seems to be a theme of the story as it’s mentioned several times throughout it. The fears and worries they held while back home followed them to where they are now, and are still present in their minds.
he things they carried were largely determined bynecessity
Among the necessary items for survival, they each carried items of importance to them as individuals. Each person brought with them something that they viewed as a necessity, typically something that reminded them of home. Not only does this detail build upon each character in the story, but it also serves as a reminder of who each person was.
He became real to me again.
This line in particular stood out to me because it’s something that gets referenced frequently throughout the story. The character explains how they kept an image of Sonny in their mind to push away the reality of the situation, and how this brought them back to that reality. It broke the narrative that they had created in their head to keep them from seeing what they truly knew the entire time.
A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting
An author’s use of imagery helps the reader in understanding what a character is experiencing. The author uses a block of ice to describe both the dread and helplessness the character was feeling. It paints an image in the reader’s mind to fully get these emotions across to them. The ice melting can show how the initial emotions the character felt changed and built over time.
and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared
This line sets up the central idea of this short story. It helps the reader gain an understanding of the internal struggle the character is experiencing while trying to maintain a composed appearance to those around them.