Literary Elements In Sarah's Key

A blank page. All writing begins with a white sheet of unnamed possibilities. And yet with skills, knowledge and ideas, a blank page can morph into something magical. Shakespeare didn’t simply stumble upon Romeo and Juliet. Instead, he had to use his heart, mind, and pen to produce his masterpieces. Throughout freshman English class, we have been developing the skills to fill that daunting blank page with meaningful words. Moreover, students have been exposed to esteemed authors and asked to synthesize their thoughts in individual writing assignments. Consequently, I have learned a variety of important and life-changing skills that have sculpted my English knowledge throughout my time as an English 9/10 student.
However, while Shakespeare …show more content…
In Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay, literary elements such as symbolism enhance the value of her writing. As a young Jewish girl surviving World War II, Sarah fights through constant internal and external conflicts. Before being taken by Nazi’s, Sarah uses a key to lock her brother Michel in a cupboard, hoping to save him from terrors of war. However, as a consequence, he dies there. The key used to lock Michel in the cupboard, which starts as a symbol of hope, becomes a symbol of loss, pain, despair, and guilt. In one of Sarah’s diary entries, she describes how the pain of her brother’s death causes her to become lost and unable to find a way to live with the consequences of her choice. She looks at the key and writes, “Michel. In my dreams, you come and get me. You take me by the hand and you lead me away. This life is too much for me to bear. I look at the key and I long for you and for the past. For the innocent, easy days before the war. I know now my scars will never heal...” (Pg. 261) Through the use of symbolism, Rosnay makes Michel’s death much more meaningful for the reader and for Sarah. While her brother’s death is a memory of the past, the key and it’s symbolism serve as a reminder to the reader that Michel’s death is much more meaningful to the life of Sarah and the plot line than the demise of a child. The symbolic …show more content…
Throughout her journey traversing the political climate and consequences of her African heritage in the early 19th century United States, Cora witnesses challenges which dehumanize her fundamental existence. As reader, I felt an immediate connection to Cora. It was emotionally demoralizing to experience her endeavors in a way that made them feel as though they were personal. Consequently, from my engagement in Cora’s story, I was able to learn that my level of engagement within a novel has the ability to enhance the quality of my corresponding writing assignment. Our objective for this assignment was to demonstrate how literature can enhance one’s understanding of history. Due to my level of engagement with the story my writing began to flow and hold emotional value that my previous pieces did not. When describing how Whitehead’s use of imagery enhanced my understanding of history, I write, “Whitehead’s use of grotesque imagery creates a gory scene that is more poignant than reading about lynchings in a textbook….While it is gruesome to hear of a man being roasted alive, or a trail of mutilated hanging bodies, in doing so Whitehead amplifies the reader’s understanding of the violent behavior by some individuals of the time period.” After reading I believed that I had represented Cora’s struggles, so that she could receive the recognition for her