The Human Beings Inclination to Attain Freedom Nelson Mandela once stated, “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires” (BrainyQuote). Moreover, freedom is a basic desire which everyone seeks to attain. Essentially, it is a part of our human nature to strive for, go after, and achieve, a life of freedom. In the novel The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart, a handful of characters experience an unfortunate life without the freedom which they endlessly seek for. They experience a life with no freedom, which leads to the burning craving to sense what being free is like. Consequently, in the poem “Sympathy”
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In The Stone Carvers, repetition is used to display the characters’ obsession with freedom. Allward’s obsession with demonstrating the freedom obtained by all the soldiers who fought in WWII is seen through the repetitive search for the perfect stone: “He visited quarries in France, Spain, Italy, England; he sent investigated the possibilities of Canadian quarries, American quarries; he sent his emissaries off to the distant corners of the world, rejecting their suggestions….” (Urquhart 270). The endless search for the perfect stone reveals how significant freedom is for Allward. He longs for the freedom, which has been won by the deaths of several soldiers, to be epitomized through an impeccable monument. Allward recognizes how focal freedom is, and that is the reason he is so obsessed with creating a perfect representation of this freedom through the monument. Furthermore, Tilman is the opposite of Allward, as he feels the effect of this obsession through his personal experiences. The repetition of leaving and running away, Tilman creates an obsession with freedom within himself, “ermore, Tilman is the opposite We’ve got to keep moving said Phoebe… You stay still someone’ll put a cage on you sure as anything… Guess you know that don’t you Chain Child?’ …. “Yes,” said Tilman. “Yes, I guess I do.” (Urquhart 185). Tilman understands the significance of not having freedom. Thus, …show more content…
Throughout “Sympathy”, a river is symbolic of freedom. “And the river flows like a stream of glass” (“Sympathy” 4). Rivers are free flowing, as they flow in one direction and it cannot be restricted. This symbol shows that the character desperately wants to be free. Slaves are restricted, having no will of their own because their oppressor forces them into what to do. Moreover. the bird represents a slave, as it is shut in its cage. Hence, in this case, a free flowing river is precisely what the slaves wish they could have. Analyzing this symbol more in depth, the bars represent entrapment: “When he beats his bars and he would be free” (“Sympathy” 17). As the cage takes away the birds freedom, but also, the slaves. This is because the slaves long to be free, but these bars are terminating their desires; they can see their freedom just outside the bars yet they cannot reach it. Thus, they are left with the simple inclination to be free and to attain this freedom. Furthermore, in both The Stone Carvers and “Sympathy”, symbols convey the feelings characters experience when they are restricted of their freedom. It allows the reader to sympathize and attempt to step in the character 's’ shoes, which is an astounding experience for the reader. A river symbolizes the ability to leave whenever a character desires. However, the two materials use
In The Stone Carvers, repetition is used to display the characters’ obsession with freedom. Allward’s obsession with demonstrating the freedom obtained by all the soldiers who fought in WWII is seen through the repetitive search for the perfect stone: “He visited quarries in France, Spain, Italy, England; he sent investigated the possibilities of Canadian quarries, American quarries; he sent his emissaries off to the distant corners of the world, rejecting their suggestions….” (Urquhart 270). The endless search for the perfect stone reveals how significant freedom is for Allward. He longs for the freedom, which has been won by the deaths of several soldiers, to be epitomized through an impeccable monument. Allward recognizes how focal freedom is, and that is the reason he is so obsessed with creating a perfect representation of this freedom through the monument. Furthermore, Tilman is the opposite of Allward, as he feels the effect of this obsession through his personal experiences. The repetition of leaving and running away, Tilman creates an obsession with freedom within himself, “ermore, Tilman is the opposite We’ve got to keep moving said Phoebe… You stay still someone’ll put a cage on you sure as anything… Guess you know that don’t you Chain Child?’ …. “Yes,” said Tilman. “Yes, I guess I do.” (Urquhart 185). Tilman understands the significance of not having freedom. Thus, …show more content…
Throughout “Sympathy”, a river is symbolic of freedom. “And the river flows like a stream of glass” (“Sympathy” 4). Rivers are free flowing, as they flow in one direction and it cannot be restricted. This symbol shows that the character desperately wants to be free. Slaves are restricted, having no will of their own because their oppressor forces them into what to do. Moreover. the bird represents a slave, as it is shut in its cage. Hence, in this case, a free flowing river is precisely what the slaves wish they could have. Analyzing this symbol more in depth, the bars represent entrapment: “When he beats his bars and he would be free” (“Sympathy” 17). As the cage takes away the birds freedom, but also, the slaves. This is because the slaves long to be free, but these bars are terminating their desires; they can see their freedom just outside the bars yet they cannot reach it. Thus, they are left with the simple inclination to be free and to attain this freedom. Furthermore, in both The Stone Carvers and “Sympathy”, symbols convey the feelings characters experience when they are restricted of their freedom. It allows the reader to sympathize and attempt to step in the character 's’ shoes, which is an astounding experience for the reader. A river symbolizes the ability to leave whenever a character desires. However, the two materials use