In excerpt of Highway’s Kiss of the Fur Queen he uses various literary devices to stress the idea that winning the race is as essential to Abraham Okimasis as breathing. By using characterization of the location and vivid imagery, Highway conveys a tone of dramatic suspense during the last leg of Abraham Okimasis’ race.
To introduce the reader into the last leg of the race Highway decrives the harsh conditions that were taking place. Highway describes the air as” so crisp, so dry [as] Abraham Okimasis drove his sled and team of eight grey huskies through the orange-rose-tinted dusk”. The air that Highway describes is dry and cold having the ability to take ones breath away which contracts with the beauty evident in the orange - rose tinted …show more content…
Just as Okimasis the other mushers endured “one hundred and fifty miles of low-treed tundra, ice-covered lakes, all blanketed with at least two feet of snow—fifty miles per day—a hundred and fifty miles of freezing temperatures and freezing winds”. This imagery intensifies the experience of the race for the reader to imagine the huskies and drivers to be so close to the finish line after a long treacherous journey. The tone of the excerpt shifts to being dark and powerful. Perhaps the most dramatic moment is when the reader discovers that Abraham Okimasis is “not going to win the race”. This statement at the end of the second paragraph contain only simple language. Highway chose to do this to exemplify the raw disappointment that Abraham Okimasis feels. Highway describes a race that requires endurance, stamina, and willpower; although these characteristics are evident in Abraham Okimasis, they are not enough. Abraham Okimasis can “see other mushers, three, maybe four” who have a better chance to win the race. Highway presents a situation that all readers can relate to, a time of struggle so close to the finish line, but falling short. The other mushers represent those who could do better, although Okimasis desired to win, his prize slipped through his
To introduce the reader into the last leg of the race Highway decrives the harsh conditions that were taking place. Highway describes the air as” so crisp, so dry [as] Abraham Okimasis drove his sled and team of eight grey huskies through the orange-rose-tinted dusk”. The air that Highway describes is dry and cold having the ability to take ones breath away which contracts with the beauty evident in the orange - rose tinted …show more content…
Just as Okimasis the other mushers endured “one hundred and fifty miles of low-treed tundra, ice-covered lakes, all blanketed with at least two feet of snow—fifty miles per day—a hundred and fifty miles of freezing temperatures and freezing winds”. This imagery intensifies the experience of the race for the reader to imagine the huskies and drivers to be so close to the finish line after a long treacherous journey. The tone of the excerpt shifts to being dark and powerful. Perhaps the most dramatic moment is when the reader discovers that Abraham Okimasis is “not going to win the race”. This statement at the end of the second paragraph contain only simple language. Highway chose to do this to exemplify the raw disappointment that Abraham Okimasis feels. Highway describes a race that requires endurance, stamina, and willpower; although these characteristics are evident in Abraham Okimasis, they are not enough. Abraham Okimasis can “see other mushers, three, maybe four” who have a better chance to win the race. Highway presents a situation that all readers can relate to, a time of struggle so close to the finish line, but falling short. The other mushers represent those who could do better, although Okimasis desired to win, his prize slipped through his