Comparing The Leap 'And Ambush By

Tim O' Brien

Are you ready to analyze three stories? Yes? Awesome! No? Too bad, because here we go! The three stories in question are The Leap by Louise Erdrich, The Contents of a Dead Man's Pockets by Jack Finney, and Ambush by Tim O'Brien. The authors of these stories use aspects of their stories to shape the plot, show the theme, and to change the views and opinions of the characters in the stories. The first literary element used in the stories to form the plot, was the setting. In the story Ambush, the narrator is crouching in bushesthe bushes alongside a dirt path that is shrouded in fog and mist. The narrator remarks when telling this story that, "The mosquitoes were fierce. I remember slapping at them, wondering if I should wake up Kiowa and...show more content...

The boat that the characters are in, is small and causes a lot of tension between the characters. "Like the other passengers, Murad looks on, stunned. They expected to be taken all the way to the shore, where they could easily disperse and then hide. The idea of having to swim the rest of the way is intolerable, especially for those who are not natives of Tangier and accustomed to its waters... Someone makes an abrupt movement to reason with Rahal, to force him to go all the way to shore, but the Zodiac loses balance and then it's too late." This tension causes the boat to eventually flip, which changes the outcome of the story and plot. In these three stories, the authors use the setting of the story to shape and alter the plot in multiple ways. The writers also used the conflicts of the stories to further the plot and to change the character's opinions and views. The conflict of Ambush, the narrator throwing a grenade at an unknown man, resulted in the narrator changing the way he acted in the future. "Even now I haven't finished sorting it out. Sometimes I forgive myself, other times I don't. In the ordinary hours of life I try not to dwell on it, but now and then, when I'm reading a newspaper or just sitting alone in a room, I'll look up and see the young man coming out of the morning fog." The conflict of the story continues to impact the narrator's life, even many years after it happened. In Contents of a Dead Man's

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Arguably one of the most iconic written stories written by Joyce, Araby is a romantic short story illustrating an unnamed young boy who fell in love with his peer, Mangan's, sister. Joyce effectively reinforced the theme of epiphany and characters of this story through his use of elements of fiction, stylistic choices, and rhetorical devices. To begin, Araby is discussed through elements of fiction which causes the reader to focus on the narrator's thoughts and feelings. Discussing this story in first person was a good choice because it created better intimacy between the reader and the story. For example, when the reader learnt that the boy grew romantic feelings for Mangan's sister, this aided in conveying the boys homelife, perspective,...show more content...

Although sentences were long, the transitions were quite smooth. For example, "Air, musty from having been enclosed, hung in all rooms and the waste room behind the kitchen was littered wild old useless papers." This example of syntax provided the reader with a clear visual which was significant to understanding society in the early 1900s. As for diction, adjectives were predominantly utilized by the author to provide a sense of visual for darkness; blind, cold, and gloomy. Weather was demonstrated with imagery. In the end of story when the bazaar was empty and dark, the boy was alone. It showed the reader how lonely he was. Light appeared when Mangan's sister would appear. This lead to a greater tone because the boy's desire for this girl kept the story positive. Finally, Joyce successfully utilized literary devices to contribute to the theme. Joyce was able to use simile to show the boy's relation with Mangan's sister, "my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires." Personification was also used to give human characteristics to a non–human. "Our shouts echoed in the silent streets." Since a street cannot make noise nor be silent, "silent streets" is the personification. These important literary devices that were frequently used to invoke emotions and thoughts provided a deeper interpretation for the reader to

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