Southern Literary Messenger

“The Flowers” by Alice Walker and “Désirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin are both about race. Alice Walker exposed the world’s evil, racism, through the transition of Myop’s innocence to the acknowledgement of cruelty and made a statement that when we discover more about the world, the more injustices we are going to acknowledge; Kate Chopin revealed the class-based and racial prejudice that pervaded the attitudes of Southerners and the message of the story is that race and prejudice should not…

Literary Canon The literary Canon should not be abolished, but simply modified and modernized to suit the changes that have occurred in the world. The Canon was usually associated with the literary work of white Europeans, but after the 1980s changes occurred as the work of African Americans and women became more stage centered sparking a debate about the canon. The core of the canon comes from the literary works of the 19th century and that core should remain constant as the foundation, but it…

Along with these historical moments being adjusted to better fit a narrative, Carey’s incorporation of magical realism compels the narrative to drift further from being a fact-based to more of a folkloric piece. These elements include the banshee, rat catcher, and a magnificent horseman who appears as a “wraith-like boy” (Clancy 175). The newspaper articles from The Jerilderie Gazette and The Morning Chronicle are also used to show the subjectivity experienced by Ned Kelly. In an interview with…

Mixed Emotions The Story of an Hour is a short story written by Kate Chopin that illustrates the unusual, negative, and secretive side of a marriage that is unknown to the rest of the characters in the narrative. Chopin uses many different kinds of literary devices in this short story in order to portray the confinement, freedom, and hope that death brings about for Mrs. Louise Mallard, the main character. The story focuses on the way Mrs. Mallard handles and copes with the breaking news of her…

few prominent theorists and works are Charles Bressler, author of Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, Toril Moi and her essay “Feminist Literary Criticism,” and Elaine Showalter’s “Toward a Feminist Poetics.” The common motive behind the feminist literary criticism is to identify and restore female representation as well as debunk the typical patriarchal, or a governed by men control that is seen in the literary world. “In this patriarchal world, man more frequently than…

When employed properly, the different literary devices help readers to appreciate, interpret and analyze a literary work. Both literary devices Imagery and tone were both used in clutches multiple times throughout the entire poem. Imagery was shown when the poem stated, “There’s a little boy standing by the fence with a flag in his hand”…

other characters into revealing their true natures: be it the bible’s salesman’s true intentions or revealing her mother’s condescending nature towards “salt of the earth.” As for a symbol, however, remember that O’Connor was frequently criticized by literary critics for her bawdiness and usage of regionalism for her works; effectively, Hulga was a parodic symbol of how O’Connor viewed those critics. This assumption bases itself on how most critics viewed regionalism as a relic of realist-era…

O. Henry 's three stories, “A Retrieved Reformation,” “The Gift of the Magi,” and “The Last Leaf” demonstrates the talent of this writer. In all three of these stories, unique literary techniques are used to create plot twists and unexpected turns. A common literary technique used in O. Henry 's three stories is irony, which is used to create a humorous and surprising effect. In addition, O. Henry uses foreshadowing in all three stories in order to build suspense as the reader anticipates the…

This scene illustrates to us just how safe he feels at home and that he requires exceptional bravado, wiliness and courage to overcome his greatest fears. Silvey has used the literary devices symbolism, diction, metaphor and awed tone. The quote that shows Charlies character development is pg. 2 “"Something invisible tugs at my legs. This is the first time I 've ever dared to sneak away from home". This quote is the first part…

Literature is not the easiest thing to comprehend. At most, it may be one of the most complicated readings to understand. Authors create their own piece of art, referred to as literature, which creates a hidden message. Will we ever know that message? We, the readers, will most likely never know what the true meaning is in a piece of literature written by whom is not ourselves. We can only make assumptions about the message the author displays. There is no definite answer. Readers often analyze…