Identities

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: Identities

Point of View: Third Person.

Protagonist: The man

What type of character is the Protagonist? An ordinary, predictable man. He is a dynamic and round character.

Antagonist: The cop

Describe the setting: Starts in a suburban neighborhood, sometime in the early afternoon, where everything is neat, tidy,safe and predictable. Later in the evening, the location is in a more run-down neighborhood where things are untidy, unpredictable and dilapidated. The mood goes from a comfortable and ordinary to dingy and unsafe.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Himself

Describe the main conflict: The conflict was that kept driving into a deserted area when he could have turned around. He put himself in unecessary danger. He took a recless, haphazard path and wasn't paying attention to where he was going and he hadn't considered letting his family know where he was going. He was pushing his limits even when it was getting late and he didn't turn back or even give a second thought to the warning signs, too distracted by what was ahead of him, to notice what was in the present.

Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax of the story was when the man got out of his car, and was so focused on what he thought was going to happen that he didn't notice the cop car pulling up to him and the cop inside with a pistol in his hand. It continues on to the point where he is told to "freeze" but instead of putting his hands up, reaches into his pocket for identity. This is when there's suspense for what is going to happen next.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? The protagonist (the man) is a regular, everyday, family man. However, he becomes reckless and unaware of the present. He pushs himself to go further into a bad situation even when he is uncomfortable. He goes out of his comfort zone into something unpredictable.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme.:The theme was judging people and stereotyping them based only on their looks/surroundings. It has to do with the title 'identities' because someone's identity can't be based solely on their looks. The man is seen as someone who he truly isn't.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The conflict of the man not paying attention to the present helped to illustrate the theme of stereotyping because he was so occupied by analyzing people and the environment that he was is that he didn't try to focus on the present or have any concern for his own safety. He feels a need to do something but doesnt. For example it says "He is overtaken by sudden guilt. He has left no message for his wife" yet he doesn't turn around but waits for the next store or phone booth, instead.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? When he gets out of his car and plans for being assulted it helps to illustrate stereotyping because he prepared himself for getting assulted, just because he assumed thigs about people around him that weren't true but didn't know what was actually happening in the present. He wasnt in control of the situation because he didn't notice what was right beside him. His stereotyping led him to believe that the cop was on his side, but the cop was also doing the same thing to him.

Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):

Simile: He compares children to fish when it says "...the grubby children who dart back and fourth, like startled fish". He also compares darkness to soot when it says " Darkness has quietly been settling like soot." He compares a sidewalk to a stage when it says " The store window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage." He compares paper to snow when he thinks "Paper clogs the fence like drifted snow."

Metaphor: He says the men "... stand and lean in tired, watchful knots" But, people can't actually be in a knot, "...nose out and follow him" The cop doesn't actually seek him out, but sees him pass by and follows him. "...make their heads seem flat, their foreheads non-existant" Foreheads can't actually be non-existant,

Personification: He feels that "a certain untidiness creeps in" where untidiness can't literally creep in but humans can, "Eagles, tigers, wolves and sepents ride their backs." Where, these are just patterns on the backs of jackets, but humans can ride, "Time has run away with him" However, time can't actually run away, but humans can run away,

Symbol: "...clean-shaven" and "matching pants and jacket made in paris" and "...driving a grey Mercedes Benz" could be a status symbol for oragnized/predictable, prepared and wealth. "a fragment of glass" can mean vandalism, "a chocolate bar wrapper...cracked sidewalks with ridges of stiff grass" would represent neglect, "a plastic horse" represents abandonment, "...seedy looking grocery stores" would represent an area of danger "...follow the car with unblinking eyes" means the men are staring at him and taken aback because he doesn't fit in. "Eagles, tigers, wolves and serpents ride their backs." would be symbolic of different types of gangs, this can create an unsafe neighborhood. "...might strike the grubby children who dart back and fourth like startled fish" represents neglected children who have no consideration for safety or rules. "...the police car, concealed in the shadows..." shows that they have people going around to keep the peace and they do, somewhat, care for their safety.

Foreshadowing (give both elements): Subtle Foreshadowing- "Now as he passes grey stone gates, the yards are all proscribed by stiff picket fences, quickly, a certain untidiness creeps in." This hints that the environment around him is changing and that he's going from a safe, orderly place to an unsafe, disorganized area. Direct Foreshadowing- "So intent is he upon the future that he dangerously ignores the present and does not notice the police car, concealed in the shadows of a side street, nose out and follow him" This tells me that the man is going to be in some kind of danger because he is so distracted by the future that he isn't concentrating on what is happening in the present. It tells me the situation that he is in.

Irony: "The officer...who is suspicious because of the car and, because he has been trained to see an unshaven man in blue jeans as a potention theif" Irony is used here because the man has the exact same description that the cop was given to spot potential theives.

Imagery: "Now, as he passes grey stone gates, the yards are all prosrcibed by stiff picket fences and, quickly, a certain untidiness creeps in: a fragment of glass, a chocolate bar wrapper, a plastic horse, cracked sidewalks with ridges of stiff grass." This paints a picture of an unkempt environment that seems not properly cared for. "...through the neat suburban streets and cul-de-sacs, losing and finding his way endlessly. Becoming lost is made all the easier because the houses appear identical, repeat themselves with hardly a variation. There grows within him, however, a boredom with the sameness – no ragged edges, no overgrown vacant lots." this makes me think of a clean, almost perfect area. Where everything is orderly.

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.: The class theme "humanity" and the story are related because humanity is when you realize everything that you truly have and who you really are. In the story the man truly realizes who he is when he remembers that he has a responsibility to his family and forgot to let them know where he would be. He realized what he had at home, waiting for him and once he saw what was on the other side of town, he truly appreciated what he had. Humanity is also curiousity, and the man was curious about other people and how they lived, compared to himself. He drove himself as far as he could to satisfy his curiousity. Stereotyping is another a trait of humanity, the man and the cop in the story judged people based on their appearance and surroundings. The story included many components of humanity, but assuming things about people, based on their looks, was the strongest.

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