Blog #5- Angelina Darcy - Period 1 - 2/11/2020

Freshmen 2020 Angelina D’Arcy   Blogger #6 Date: February 11, 2020 Period 1 Aim: How does a writer create effects through the connotations of words and images? Do Now: Consider the last sentence of the story... “And I too have planted marigolds.” ...and make inferences about whether the narrator is speaking literally, figuratively, or both. I think the author is speaking both literally and figuratively. It is figurative because it represents making the best of a bad situation. It shows how she adds light to the dark reality of the harsh world they are forced to live in. However it’s very possible she legitimately planted the marigolds, a reminder of Mrs. Lottie. Please answer the following questions with your group. 1) How does the narrator’s diction help contrast John Burke's typical behavior with how he acts when annoyed by the children? The connotation of John Burke’s words are negative and portray him as a cruel and angry person. The narrator states that he does not like children and he is described as the “son of a witch.” 2) In Paragraph 22, why are the marigolds so important to Miss Lottie, and why do the children hate them? a) What stands out about the imagery in paragraphs 22 and 27? In paragraph 22, it is explained that the marigolds are “warm and passionate”, a strip of beauty in the ugly world. The children hate the marigolds because they didn’t understand it, they were too perfect and “interfered with the perfect ugliness of the place.” The imagery in paragraphs 22 and 27 describes Mrs. Lottie’s house and the contrast within it. 3) Describe the internal conflict occurring for the narrator, Lizabeth.  Find textual evidence to support your statement.  She experiences internal conflict between adulthood and childhood. She is somewhat of a leader in the group, stuck between youth and womanhood. The text states, “I recall that devastating moment when I was suddenly more woman than child, years ago in Miss Lottie’s yard.” 4) Lizabeth overhears her parents’ conversation. How does it make her feel? What is the consequence of her hearing this conversation? Lizabeth refuses to listen to her father cry. She thought of her father as a strong man, and seeing him in his weakest point broke her down. She then goes to Mrs. Lottie’s house to destroy her marigolds. 5)What can you infer from the text as to Lizabeth’s reasons for her final act of destruction? Lizabeth’s final acts of destruction are caused by seeing her father crying. For her, everything suddenly became “out of tune” and she could barely control her thoughts. She immediately runs to Mrs. Lottie’s marigolds  and destroys them. Brainstorm here! Try to describe the narrator’s voice.  -Think of ways to explain how the writer’s diction and imagery create this voice.  -You might also mention other literary elements, such as juxtaposition, that contribute to the narrator’s voice or point of view. The narrator's voice was very pessimistic. There were a variety of negative connotations in her writing. The text states, “all that I seem to remember is dust—the brown, crumbly dust of late summer—arid, sterile dust that gets into the eyes and makes them water, gets into the throat and between the toes of bare brown feet.” She only looks at the dark and cruel reality of the world, unlike Mrs. Lottie, who tries to make the best of their bad situation. Lizabeth’s point of view adds a sad and depressing note to the story.  Reflection:  Today in class we learned about voice, which conveys a message and emotion specific to the author. Specifically, we discussed in our groups the voice in “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier and answered various questions on the effect of diction, imagery, and syntax on the text. These literary devices create contrast, character development, conflict, and much more that help further the theme and plot of the text. Moreover, these seemingly insignificant details play a large role in the author's voice, unique to each writer. We also spoke briefly on connotation, and how it can change the context of the entire passage. We learned this as it is important to fully understand a text presented to us. Using the analysis we did today, we can use this for other texts to fully understand what the passage is trying to convey to the readers. ReplyForward