A White Heron

something that the man she ‘loves’ wants, and at the climax of her quest she finds something much more valuable. She sees the sea, the morning sun, and the countryside—symbolically, the whole world—all at once. Unconsciously she realizes that the white heron represents the essence of this mysterious new world, and she cannot betray it for a mere ten dollars” (Griffith 2). Sylvia’s innocence serves to provide a clear example of how love does not always provide true satisfaction. Jewett was aware…

1. Introduction A path it is, leading towards the small, lonely farm house in "A White Heron" by Sarah Orne Jewett and towards the bungalow of the Burnell family in "At the Bay" by Katherine Mansfield. A path that leads the reader through the homes, the geographies, the characters, and their development in the stories. This essay will only refer to chapters III, V, VI, XI in Mansfield's "At the Bay". Jewett as well as Mansfield contrast in their stories the description of the nature with the…

Sarah Orne Jewett's short story, "A White Heron," Sylvia the protagonist in the story is faced with a difficult decision that threatens her innocence. The young girl battles to retain her innocence even though it could mean giving up material and emotional benefits she secretly longs for. Throughout the story we notice the dynamics of Sylvia and slowly but surely see her evolve into a person who is stronger than she first appears. After her quest to find the white heron you will notice how the…

In Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron,” Jewett utilizes two main characters to present the change from a nature involved society to an urbanized society. Sylvia greatly represents the nature involved society through her various behaviors. These behaviors include Sylvia’s closeness and familiarity with animals and the land as described by her grandmother when she explains that “there ain’t a foot o’ ground [Sylvia] don’t know her way over, and the wild creaturs counts her one o’ themselves”…

Toward the end of “A White Heron”, Sylvia decides that she must turn away from the social world “for a bird’s sake” (p 203). While Sylvia’s struggle may seem ridiculous for some, her choice does display remarkable courage and signify a modest attitude that the author would like to promote. In 1886, the American writer Sarah Orne Jewett published the story which has remained to be one of her most critically acclaimed works. Jewett had an enthusiasm for the New England country life, which was…

In Sarah Jewett’s A White Heron, Sylvia looks upon the world from the treetops and says, “truly it was a vast and awesome world” (Jewett 34). Our environment is indeed a great force that impacts our lives everyday. Our world would not be the same without the wildlife and land that provides us with endless benefits and life. Although our environment has proven its place on earth, we as humans are overtaking the land and using it in unethical ways. As the environment calls for our help, humans…

adventure. But as an adult looking back, we don’t stop here, we continue to ponder and think about the importance of this event, the safety, and the ability to be able to accomplish it at such a young age. This passage from Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron,” takes us back down to memory lane and uses Sylvia’s climb to the top of the monumental pine tree to see the ocean as a metaphorical image to us, as adults, being able to achieve our wildest dreams for the future. This passage perfectly…

society where none intrudes,/ by the deep sea, and music in its roar;/ I love not Man the less, but Nature more"(BrainyQuotes) in one of his romantic poems. His artistic expression of happiness is exactly the emotion Sarah Orne Jewett shows in "The White Heron", about a courageous young girl choosing to love nature by turning down a man's love in an era where women were not particularly independent. Readers learn through the work that love is not always traditional, similar to the author's…

During the larger part of my childhood, my parents were what was known as “birders” -- amateur yet dedicated ornithologists who, rather than looking at birds, looked for them. They had met in college, both pursuing a degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Management at Frostburg State University. Neither of them ended up in careers related to their major -- my father became a molecular biologist and my mother a school psychologist -- but they did retain their love for the natural world and, more…

intensely enlivened by the varied sound and smooth instrumentation of Gil Scott-Heron's and Brian Jackson's community work in the 1970s. All About Jazz referred to Jackson as "one of the early planners" of the sound and his initial work with Scott-Heron as "a moving and melodic Rosetta stone for the neo-soul…