Barn Burning - 712 Words

Appearances can be deceiving in Edwin A. Robinson’s poem â€Å"Richard Cory† In my opinion the author is showing his readers that, people are always searching for something greater than what they have. There’s always something they’re unsatisfied with or don’t like about their life or themselves. People often look at others and want what they have. They secretly want to swap places with them. They also think others have it better than they do. Appearances are most often deceiving. People form their perception of others based on material possessions and things that’s visible to the eyes. This poem â€Å"Richard Cory† is based on people’s perceptions of him and how wrong they were. The poem uses many litrary devices to explain what the†¦show more content†¦It’s where all the excitement is. The quote, â€Å"He was a Gentleman from sole to crown,† (line 3). uses words like gentleman to show how small town people talk. There’s a hints of small town diction throughout the poem. The la nguage of small town people are more basic and an older form of speech. Small town people are very cordial. Another example of this poem taking place in a small town, is in this quote, †And Richard Cory, one calm summer night.† (line 15). The word, â€Å"calm,† represents quiet like in a small community. A â€Å"summer night,† is a peaceful night without noisey sirens like in larger cities. These words, â€Å"on calm summer night,†also makes you think of sitting outside and looking up at a sky full of stars. Repetition is being used here in many different ways. The speaker uses rhetoric to give specific details about Richard Cory, â€Å"And he was rich—yes, richer than a king—.â€Å" (line 9). Richard Cory had the perfect life. He had wealth beyond measures so he was certainly happy. He had no worries. Another quote, †To make us wish that we were in his place,† (line 12). denotes that the town’s people believed that he had everything. He had all the things they wanted but didn’t have. He had so much that it was his fault that they wished to be in his place. Anaphora repetition is also used by the speaker. The word, â€Å"And,† is repetitively used at the beginning of each of these lines; 5,6,9,10,14,and 15. An exampleShow MoreRelatedEssay Barn Burning1481 Words   |  6 PagesIn â€Å"Barn Burning,† the author, William Faulkner, composes a wonderful story about a poor boy who lives in anxiety, despair, and fear. He introduc es us to Colonel Satoris Snopes, or Sarty, a boy who is mature beyond his years. Due to the harsh circumstances of life, Sarty must choose between justice and his family. At a tender age of ten, Sarty starts to believe his integrity will help him make the right choices. His loyalty to family doesn’t allow for him to understand why he warns the De SpainRead MoreBarn Burning Essay1889 Words   |  8 PagesIn William Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning† Colonel Sartoris Snopes must decide either to stand with his father and compromise his integrity, or embrace honesty and morality and condemn his family. This is a difficult decision to make, especially for a ten year old boy that has nothing outside of what his father provides. Sarty’s decision to ultimately betray his father is dependent on his observation of Abner’s character and the conflict he feels concerning Abner. â€Å"Barn Burning† opens with a trial inRead More Barn Burning Essay571 Words   |  3 PagesBarn Burning â€Å"Barn Burning† by William Faulkner was written in the ebb of the 1930’s in a decade of social, economic, and cultural decline. This story offers insight into the past years for students to learn of the nation and the South. This story shows the racial segregation that took place in these times between the white landowners and white tenant farmers, the blacks and the whites, and the poor white trash class and the blacks. The Snopes’s family was in the social class ofRead More Barn Burning Essay773 Words   |  4 PagesBarn Burning Barn Burning is a sad story because it very clearly shows the classical struggle between the privileged and the underprivileged classes. Time after time emotions of despair surface from both the protagonist and the antagonist involved in the story. This story outlines two distinct protagonists and two distinct antagonists. The first two are Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty) and his father Abner Snopes (Ab). Sarty is the protagonist surrounded by his fatherRead More Barn Burning Essay1110 Words   |  5 Pages Barn Burning amp;quot;You’re getting to be a man. You got to learn. You got to learn to stick to your own blood or you ain’t going to have any blood to stick to you.amp;quot; This quote from William Faulkner’s amp;quot;Barn Burningamp;quot; does reveal a central issue in the story, as Jane Hiles suggests in her interpretation. The story is about blood ties, but more specifically, how these ties affect Sarty (the central character of the story). The story examines the internal conflict and dilemmaRead MoreEssay On Barn Burning879 Words   |  4 PagesWhy are children so loyal to their parents, even if their parents do not meet the moral standards of the child? Throughout the text of â€Å"Barn Burning†, Sarty seems to have repetitive feelings of grief and despair, yet he hesitates to out his father for his crimes. He hates his father’s crimes and his father’s way of life. Yet, Sarty is hesitant to out his father for his crimes. Mainly beca use he hopes his father will change, he fears his father will harm him physically or emotionally, and he placesRead MoreBarn Burning By William Faulkner935 Words   |  4 Pages William Faulkner’s â€Å"Barn Burning,† is about a southern white family that resides in a rural county in Mississippi. The low-income family members are the mother Lennie Snopes, the older brother, two sisters, and an aunt. The story’s main characters are, Colonel Sartoris Snopes, a 10- year-old boy, the father Abner Snopes, the property owner Abner’s boss Major de Spain, and his wife, Mrs. Lula de Spain. Abner Snopes characterized as the antagonist, and Faulkner describes him as an evil, vengeful manRead MoreBarn Burning By William Faulkner1373 Words   |  6 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s short story â€Å"Barn Burning† is an epic exhibition of the author’s style. In the story, Faulkner shows us the story of Colonel Sartoris Snopes regarding his want for good and his loyalty to his family. Throughout the story, Sarty is put in a position of having to struggle between his integrity and his want to defend his father and family. In â€Å"B arn Burning,† a struggle is displayed by Sarty Snopes between his want to do right and his want to honor his father. The reader gets theRead MoreBarn Burning By William Faulkner1357 Words   |  6 PagesHenry Award winning short story, â€Å"Barn Burning† was written in 1938 and published by Harper’s in 1939 (â€Å"William,† par. 12). In many ways the story is a product of â€Å"both a turbulent time in America’s history and Faulkner’s personal history† (Parker 101). America was emerging from the Great Depression just in time to see World War II looming on the horizon while Faulkner was struggling with â€Å"finances, a drinking problem, and a new mistress† (Parker 102). In â€Å"Barn Burning† Faulkner makes extensive useRead MoreBarn Burning by William Faulkner682 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Faulkner’s Barn Burning, Abner Snopes is a main character and father of Colonel Sartoris Snopes (Sarty), who is also a main character. Abner is a very poor looking man, unclean and unshaven. He always seems to wear the same thing, a dirty wh ite button up shirt with a dirty black hat and coat. Snopes is a very terrifying figure, often controlling his family with physical and psychological violence as well as making them contribute to his favorite pastime, burning barns. The Snopes family