The Use Of Literary Techniques In Flight By Doris Lessing And Superman And Paula Brown's New Snowsuit By Sylvia Plath
Different techniques can be used to tell the message of the story. This could be imagery, symbolism, personification, alliteration and more. Each author would want to send a separate message through their story and the audience can interpret they way they want. The stories “Flight” and “Superman and Paula Brown's New Snowsuit” conveys the central message of the short story to the audience using a variety of techniques. In the story “Flight”, Doris Lessing wanted to send the message of letting go. The story is about a grandfather that doesn’t allow his granddaughter, Alice, to marry postmaster's son, Steven. She used symbolism communicate the message.
The birds in the story represented Alice. The grandfather put his favourite bird in a cage so that he take control over it. He was too scared to leave it out because he doesn’t want to bird to fly away and never go back to him, which leaves him alone. He wanted to do the same thing to his granddaughter but he realizes that it’s not possible. Therefore, towards the end of the story, he releases the bird in to the sky, which symbolizes that he is willing to let go of Alice. Furthermore, Lessing used italics to emphasize the message even more. “Now you can go. ” This quote was said by the grandfather. This was also the moment when he lets go of the bird and lets it fly away, which represents that he is willing to let go the the bird and Alice. The fact that the word “now” is in italics makes the direct speech more effective. At the start, the grandfather thinks that will be left uncherished and alone with his daughter if he lets go of Alice. At the end, when the quote was said, his mindset changed. It shows that, at that moment, the grandfather is finally ready to accept that Alice is growing up and understands that people will have to leave at some point. he has agreed for Alice to marry Steven.
The story “Superman and Paula Brown's New Snowsuit” is addressing a message which is that life is not always fair. This story is about a girl who once dreamt about Superman, but later on was defeated by the fact no one would believe that she didn’t ruin Paula Brown’s snowsuit when she didn’t do anything. At the end, the narrator lost trust in people. Suddenly, she has grown up. Sylvia Plath also used symbols to tell the audience its message. The clothes that Paula Brown and Superman wear are important symbols. They symbolise different things. The snowsuit, which is what Paula wore, represented self indulge and greed; whereas Superman’s suit represented justice and righteous, which is how the narrator saw Uncle Frank at the start. Moreover, Plath used a smile at the end of the story to convey the message. “Feeling the black shadow creeping up the underside of the world like a flood tide. ” The word “shows” represents the nightmares of the world and the cruelty of human nature. She was feeling lonely and upset for the fact that no one trusts her words about her not ruining Paula Brown’s snowsuit.
At that moment, especially when Uncle Frank didn’t believe her, she realized that the world has betrayed her. The narrator becomes aware that Superman is nothing but a dream; her vivid imagination caused her to lose faith in Superman. This emphasises the fact that the narrator has made realisations that the world is brutal and unjust and has grown up. In conclusion, Doris Lessing and Sylvia Plath used techniques to send different messages. “Flight” was about letting go; “Superman and Paula Brown's New Snowsuit” was about how life is not fair all the time. Both of the authors, Doris Lessing and Sylvia Plath, used some techniques which are the same and some which are different. Lessing used symbolism and italics; Plath also used symbolism, the difference is that she used a simile.
