Hinckley 1

Rhetorical Analysis
For
AP Language
and Composition

Paige Hinckley
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Index:
- They Came, They Saw, They Fell: A Rhetorical Analysis of Jojo Rabbit: Pg 3-7

- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Dialectical Journals: Pg 8-13

- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Allegory Sheet Pg 14-27

- Journal Entries: Pg 28-32

- An intricate analysis of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: Pg 33-36

- Generational Trauma: A Rhetorical Analysis of Maus: Pg 37-43

- A Coping Mechanism: The Things They Carried: Pg 44-50

- Privitive Habitude: The Angry Winter: Pg 51-56

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Written: 4/24/2023

They Came, They Saw, They Fell: A Rhetorical Analysis of Jojo Rabbit

In the film Jojo Rabbit directed by Taika Waititi, a profound Jewish director, Waititi

depicts the life of a young Nazi boy named Jojo, who is about 10 years old, and the misfortunes

that his life entailed due to Nazi rule during WWII. After WWI Germany was forced to pay

massive war reparations that Germany was unable to pay for. This led to the rise of a man named

Adolf Hitler who took advantage of a struggling Germany for his secret agenda, a “perfect,”

unrealistic Aryan race. WWII started on September 1, 1939, when Hitler ordered an invasion of

Poland which then led to Great Britain and France declaring war on Germany. What many didn’t

know until the war was over was the horrors that Jews and Gypsies and Homosexuals, just to

name a few, had faced. Many individuals within these persecuted groups were tortured,

murdered, worked, gassed, many wished to be dead instead of living in the hell that was

concentration camps. However, many people in Germany had no idea of the horrors they were

carrying out and were trained from a young age through the “Hitler Youth,” an organization

trained to ship kids off to war and fill their young influential minds with propaganda. This is the

type of organization Jojo was involved in, which trapped him in a bubble of Nazism, preventing

him from seeing the world as it truly is. Taika Waititi uses situational irony, Horatian satire,

horror movie imagery, and understatements to emphasize the idea that Nazism is a disastrous

illusion of hope and joy, instead, Nazism led to the death of many who believed in the illusion of

hope and joy and the murder of many innocent people who are just like everyone else, normal.

First and foremost, during Jojo Rabbit Horatian satire was used profusely

throughout Jojo Rabbit in order to lightly emphasize the stupidity of the Nazis and how clueless

they were to the world and had the illusion of then being the superior race when they were quite
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the opposite. Towards the end of the movie, Nazi Germany is finally at war with the Americans,

who were trying to free Germany from the hail of Hitler, but in the midst of it all Fräulein Rahm,

who was played by Rebel Wilson, sent children, many below the age of 12, off to war and gave

the guns, grenades, and Nazi jackets. Jojo was one of these children. In the movie, Rebel Wilson

stated that the movie would protect Jojo from the Americans and would prevent him from getting

shot while in reality, it was far from the truth. This is an example of Horatian satire because

Fräulein Rahm courses the boys into war and uses kind words which then unintentionally

highlights the stupidity of the Nazis. This satire allows the reader to feel at ease when Fräulein

Rahm is talking to Jojo which can then be portrayed as how the Nazi children felt going off to

war when they had no idea of what death and danger they were to face. Additionally, when

Fräulein Rahm told Jojo to take the jacket and that it would protect him from danger it did quite

the opposite and almost cost Jojo his life which again emphasizes the foolishness of Nazis and

the illusion of hope that the Nazis had when going into war. Another example of satire was the

relationship between Captain K and Finkle was very intimate and was implied to be homosexual.

This is ironic because Both Captain K and Finkle were strictly Nazis and killed Jews as well as

other scrutinized groups such as homosexuals while they, themselves, were homosexuals. This

encapsulates the idea that Nazis were truly under the illusion that everyone who wasn’t a

“perfect” person living in a society where everyone is the “same” is therefore not “fit” to live on

this Earth, which is a complete lie. Additionally, the detail of both Captain K and Finkle being

higher-ups within the Nazi army shows the hypocrisy that is ingrained within Nazism and that

not everyone agreed with the illusion of Nazism but had to pretend and lie in order to survive.

Overall, Satire was used within Jojo Rabbit to emphasize the harsh illusion of Nazism as well as

how harmful and destroying Nazism is in one's life that it can lead to death and fear.
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Moreover, understatements were used profusely throughout in order to emphasize the

stupidity of the Nazis during WWII and understate the problems that actually occurred to paint

Hitler, who was Jojo’s imaginary “friend,” as a foolish individual. First of all, at the beginning of

the film Jojo is told to kill a rabbit by snapping its head in half but he cannot do it, Jojo is only

ten after all, but when he didn’t do it he ran away and then Hitler appeared and told him to be the

rabbit and run fast. This is a form of an understatement because in this scene the aspect of life is

being devalued for both the rabbit and Jojo. This is because a rabbit is still a living being and for

someone to just murder the rabbit without eating it is a complete mockery of the Nazi's

ignorance and how they see human life. Then Jojo is also dehumanized during this scene because

Hitler told him to become a rabbit which is an understated way of dehumanizing Jojo’s value of

his life to that of a rabbit that can be easily thrown away and forgotten. Additionally, this scene is

ironic because it dehumanized Jojo, who was a Nazi, while at the same time comparing his value

to that of a rabbit which is what many persecuted people faced during Nazi Germany’s horrific

reign. Another example of an understatement was when Jojo first joined the Hitler Youth and

met Captain K for the first time. During Captain K’s introductory speech, he stated, “‘A little

about me, who am I and why am I talking to a bunch of Titty Grabbers instead of leading my

men in battle toward glorious death? I’ve asked myself every day since Operation: Screw Up.’”

Captain K understates so many different things within his introductory speech. He understated

the aspect of death and called it “glorious” even though death is a harsh and painful thing,

especially during war times. Then Captain K understated his mission that went extremely wrong

and called it “Operation: Screw Up” which was not just a “Screw Up” it was a disaster, Captain

K did lose his eye and his position as a higher-up within Hitler’s army after all. These

understatements highlight the stupidity of the Nazis yet again. It also gives readers insight into
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the propaganda that Nazis had faced and instead of a “disastrous mistake that cost thousands of

lives” as a headline many would just see “screw up.” Additionally, hyperbole was used when

Captain K was saying that the Nazi youth were “titty grabbers.” This word exaggerates the Hitler

youth as being babies which is true, many were only 11 years old. However, this phrase

connotes the Nazi youth being far too young to go into war, let alone kill anything, which also

allows watchers to sympathize with the young children that were forced into Nazism and allowed

us to see Nazism as a suppressive belief in the false Aryan race and clouded the vision of young,

innocent, children. All in all, a mixture of understatements and hyperboles emphasized the aspect

of Nazi stupidity and the suppressive and dangerous nature of Nazism.

Additionally, Imagery was used in order to show how the Nazis viewed Jewish people

during WWII in addition to emphasizing the difference between Jojo and Hitler which then

represents the difference in views and life within Nazism. First of all, At the beginning of the

movie Elsa, a Jewish girl that is being hidden by Rosie, Jojo’s mother, finally met with Jojo and

when they met Jojo ran down the stairs and tried to hide from Elsa. However, when Else reached

the stairs horror music started to play and Else carefully wrapped her fingers around the railing

which created suspense. Then Elsa appeared and she had matted hair which gave off a wild look.

This event is a form of imagery that creates a feeling of suspense for the audience and can then

inflict a feeling of fear. Overall, the imagery paints Elsa as a feral animal and demon which then

demonstrates the illusion of Nazism and how it falsely paints innocent people as demons and

dehumanizes them. Additionally, when the horror music plays it sets a suspenseful tone for this

event. Another example is towards the end of the movie when Jojo is all alone with just Elsa

because his mother was hanged for being a rebel. During one scene Jojo is seen to be sitting

across from Hitler. Hitler is eating an exotic unicorn head while little Jojo only has a small piece
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of bread to eat. This imagery emphasizes the differences between Nazism and the illusion of

hope that it created for all of Nazism’s followers. Which was a false hope of victory and

happiness. This scene represents a parallel between the poor and rich Nazis. This scene is also

situational irony because Hitler, Jojo’s “friend,” is seen living his life perfectly while Jojo is

struggling without any help. Overall, the imagery was used in order to emphasize the illusion of

hope that Nazism had which was freedom and happiness and hope.

All in all, Taika Waititi uses situational irony, Horatian satire, horror movie imagery, and

understatements to emphasize the idea that Nazism is a disastrous illusion of hope and joy,

instead, Nazism led to the death of many who believed in the illusion of hope and joy and the

murder of many innocent people who are just like everyone else, normal. From Captain K’s

operation screw-up to Jojo’s dinner with Hitler toward the end of the movie, Nazism has been

seen as a prominent, disastrous, illusion that had haunted people throughout WWII.
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Written: 3/31/2023

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Dialectical Journals

Chapters I-VII

Passage and Page Number in MLA Format; Analysis of Passage

Including the Main Ideas the Passage Relates To:

FREEDOM VERSUS CIVILIZATION This piece of evidence as a whole represents the

“I got so downhearted and scared I did wish I had some suppression of a religious civilization and how it can

company. Pretty soon a spider went crawling up my make one feel trapped by sin and miss fortune. The

shoulder, and I flipped it off and it lit in the candle; and dreary diction of “downhearted” and “scared” connotes

before I could budge it was all shriveled up. I didn't Huck Finn being horrified by anything deemed to be

need anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sign sinful by the church such as spiders which prevents Huck

and would fetch me some bad luck, so I was scared and from truly being free from religious oppression. Then the

most shook the clothes off of me…I tied up a little lock detail of religious superstitions; including Huck tying a

of my hair with a thread to keep witches away. But I little lock of his hair to keep the witches away and the

hadn't no confidence. You do that when you've lost a idea of hanging a horseshoe above the door encapsulate

horseshoe that you've found, instead of nailing it up Huck’s lack of confidence and how damaging a religious

over the door, but I hadn't ever heard anybody say it civilization has been to his ability to be free because

was any way to keep off bad luck when you'd killed a when he pays attention to the commonly practice

spider”(Twain 5). superstitions Huck willingly prevents himself from living

a life of freedom. The visual imagery of the spider

burning in the fire of the candle alludes to Christianity

and the belief of heaven and hell. When the spider falls
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into the flames it represents something harmless being

thrown into the fiery pits of hell, alluding to the biblical

verse in Revelation 20:20. Lastly, Twain uses Syntax to

make the readers feel Huck’s anxiety and fear of religion

by starting most sentences with actions such as “I flicked

it off” and “I tied up” which makes Huck’s actions feel

continuous and never ending. Overall, Twain portrays this

scene where Huck was afraid of religious superstitions to

encapsulate the theme of freedom versus civilization.

Chapters XIII-XIX

Passage and Page Number in MLA Format; Analysis of Passage

Including the Main Ideas the Passage Relates To:

FREEDOM VERSUS CIVILIZATION Twain uses the understatement, “never” when describing

“I never felt easy till the raft was two miles below there how Huck feels because it builds upon Huck’s character

and out in the middle of the Mississippi. Then we hung as anxious, adding depth into his character. Then the

up our signal lanterns, and judged that we were free and sunny and warm diction of “lantern” emphasizes the

safe once more. I hadn't had a bite to eat since environment within the raft as warm and vibrant unlike

yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and the gloomy, feuding outside world. Moreover, the diction

buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens--there ain't of “lantern” represents knowledge and breaking away

nothing in the world so good when it's cooked from the divided world in search for freedom away from

right--and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a civilization. When Huck is listing the foods on the raft he
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good time. I was powerfully glad to get away from the uses Syntax in the form of a polysyndeton. This creates a

feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We warm environment on the raft for the reader as well as

said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other familiarity between the readers and Huck and Jim

places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft because Huck listed the certain foods that are enjoyed by

doesn't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable many during childhood. Twain uses the allusion of

on a raft ”(Twain 113 ). Hatfield-McCoy Feud in 1888 which was a violent and

bloody feud between two families that are represented by

the Grangerfords and Sheperdons. This allusion creates a

reason as to why Huck would want to get away from a

harsh civilization in order to be free. Lastly, irony is used

to contrast civilization and freedom. It is ironic that Huck

refers to life on land as cramped and suffocating,

representing civilization, while life on the raft is wide

and spacious, representing freedom.

Chapters XX-XXVI

Passage and Page Number in MLA Format; Analysis of Passage

Including the Main Ideas the Passage Relates To:
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SOCIAL SATIRE The satirical detail of the duke and the king is an

“ I crawled into the wigwam, but the king and the duke allusion to royalty and monarchy in the past that had

had their legs sprawled around so there wasn't any show been corrupt and unstable. The natural diction of water

for me; so I laid outside--I didn't mind the rain, because usually represents freedom, however, the water now

it was warm, and the waves weren't running so high represents something harmful that could kill both Jim

now…but he was mistaken about that, for pretty soon all and Huck , alluding that the fight for freedom will be a

of a sudden along comes a regular ripper and washed me difficult, long, and challenging one. This is also an

overboard. It killed Jim a-laughing. He was the easiest allusion to the French Revolution under King James

nigger to laugh that ever was, anyway ”(Twain 126 ). XVI who abandoned his country and spent all of the

government's money for his lavish lifestyle while his

people were dying of starvation and were not afraid to

fight. Huck uses a hyperbole to describe Jim being

washed overboard and laughing to emphasize and over

exaggerate Jim’s behavior and his willingness to be

free from civilization.

Chapters XXVII-XXXI

Passage and Page Number in MLA Format; Analysis of Passage

Including the Main Ideas the Passage Relates To:
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JIM’S GROWTH Jim is finally becoming his own person instead of being

“Jim lit out, and was a-coming for me with both arms a slave. The light imagery of “Jim lit out” paints Jim in

spread, he was so full of joy; but when I glimpsed him a heavenly light making Jim seem like a savior and

in the lightning my heart shot up in my mouth and I glimpse of hope against a racist and suppressive

went overboard backwards; for I forgot he was old civilization. Then the quick switch in tone from bright

King Lear and a drowned A-rab all in one, and it most and vibrant tone to a gloomy depressive tone in order

scared the livers and lights out of me. But Jim fished to help the readers understand that under the beautiful

me out, and was going to hug me and bless me, and so light Jim is painted under he still has a dark past that he

on, he was so glad I was back and we were shut off the has persevered through. Twain uses an assonance when

king and the duke”(Twain 197). stating “livers and lights” to draw the readers eye into

this particular area in order emphasize Huck’s emotions

and feelings towards Jim, also representing Huck’s

growth to accept Jim. The detail of King Lear and a

drowned A-rad being Jim represents his growth from

being a person who is not able to have a voice and is

silenced to a person such as King Lear who was the

king in Britain. Alluding to Jims growth as an

individual.

Chapters XXXII-END

Passage and Page Number in MLA Format; Analysis of Passage

Including the Main Ideas the Passage Relates To:
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HUCK’S CHARACTER AND MORAL GROWTH Finally, the king was punished for his crimes;

“Everybody went to the show looking very innocent; however, this triggered growth within Huck and

and laid low and kept dark till the poor old king was in caused Huck to believe that violence and cruel

the middle of his cavorting on the stage; then somebody treatment is wrong, meaning that Huck is morally

gave a signal, and the house rose up and went for them. mature. Personification is used when discussing the

So we poked along back home, and I wasn't feeling so house rising up. This was used in order to emphasize

brash as I was before, but kind of ornery, and humble, the amount of attack that the king was about to go

and to blame, somehow--though I hadn't done anything. under and how much uproar he had caused. The

But that's always the way; it doesn't make no difference detail of Huck using a dog to compare to the king's

whether you do right or wrong, a person's conscience situation dehumanizes the king which is ironic

ain't got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had because kings are usually a sign of power. The

a yaller dog that didn't know no more than a person's contrasting diction of “ornery,” “humble,” and “to

conscience does I would poison him.”(Twain 222-223). blame” encapsulates Huck’s acknowledgement of his

growth and his ability to break free from a violent

society. Lastly, the old king being attacked by others

is an allusion to King James being overthrown over

his citizens which is satirical because it shows the

ignorance of people within a position of higher

power.

Thesis: Through being advantageous one can break through the endless cycle of being
suppressed by family members who decide to keep one in a box with no light into the cruel and
disastrous outside world allowing one to be free.
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Written: 3/19/2023

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Allegory Sheet

Political Allegories

Nurse Ratched:

Why:

In a political sense, Nurse Ratched represents a totalitarian dictator that enforces institutional

control that enforces a lack of freedom and makes everything like a suppressive “utopia”

Quote:

“‘Good evening, boys. Behave yourselves.’ And turns the music up louder than ever. The

machinery in the walls whistles, sighs, drops into a lower gear. Then, till night, we eat and

shower and go back to sit in the day room. Old Blastic, the oldest Vegetables are holding his

stomach and moaning. George (the black boys call him Ruba-dub) is washing his hands in the

drinking fountain. The Acutes sit and play cards and work at getting a picture on our TV set by

carrying the set every place the cord will reach, in search of a good beam” (pg 72).

Analysis:

During this quote Ratchet commands the people within the asylum to “behave.” The diction of

behavior connotes being good and not acting disobedient. Then when Ratchet turns the music

louder she is preventing people in the asylum from thinking properly. The movement of the

machinery is far too distracting as well and creates a sensory overload for the asylum prisoners.

Additionally, the organization of the daily life of the ward prisoners represents how powerful

nurse Ratchet is, whatever she says becomes law. Then the detail of the acutes looking for a

beam from the TV set but cannot find it emphasizes the control of nurse Ratched because she

controls all of the machinery using the command board and controls what the ward sees. Overall,
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Nurse Ratched represents a totalitarian dictatorship because she commands the people within the

ward and uses her power to control what others see, hear, and think which relates to propaganda.

McMurphy:

Why:

McMurphy is a symbol of disobedience. He represents the force that tried to break through a

controlling government as well as institutional control. In addition to this, McMurphy is the

driving force that can help others break free from institutional control and lead the way for

rebellion and change.

Quote:

“She tried to get her wand back into shape, but it was difficult with McMurphy’s presence still

tromping up and down the halls and laughing out loud in the meetings and singing in the latrines.

She couldn’t rule with her old power any more, not by writing things on pieces of paper. She was

losing her patients one after the other”(Kesey 269).

Analysis:

This Quote is an example of McMurphy’s impact within the ward because this took place when

McMurphy had died. The diction of “tromping” shows McMurphy’s impact on the other

prisoners. McMurphy allowed the prisoners to become disobedient and go against totalitarian

rule that was exercised by nurse ratched. Then the detail of Ratchet not being able to write things

on paper and make everything go back to suppressing which represent the failures of

propaganda. The patients represented her followers slowly going away and realizing the horrors

of living within the psych ward. This situation connotes McMurphy being a disobedient figure,
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such as Gandhi, that sacrifices himself in order for others to become disobedient and eventually

overthrow the government.

Chief:

Why:

Chief is similar to McMurphy because he is another example of disobedience within society.

However, the chief represents a society that is not yet ready to take the risk in order to inflict

reform.

Quote:

“I've been silent for so long now it’s gonna roar out of me like floodwaters and you think the guy

telling this is ranting and raving my God; you think this is too horrible to have really happened,

this is too awful to be the truth! But, please. It’s still hard for me to think clearly. But it’s the truth

even if it didn’t happen” (Kesey 13).

Analysis:

This quote is a symbol of Chiefs gated emotions in the beginning of this novel. It emphasizes

how Chief wants change to happen however, it doesn’t because he is scared of nurse ratchet and

has just decided to live without having change. Additionally, the detail of Chief not being able to

clear his mind emphasizes how he wants his thoughts to go away. Due to the organization Chief

shows that he was originally just one of the inmates that learned to deal and live within the ward

without change however he eventually became a person who wanted change. This connotes the

Chief being a follower of disobedience and shows a fighting spirit for change within society.

Inmates:
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Why:

The Inmates represent the large majority of people. They are usually rule followers and deal with

the everyday implications of living under Nurse Ratchet’s reign. The Inmates connotate society.

Quote:

“Nobody complains about all the fog. I know why, now: as bad as it is, you can slip back in it

and feel safe. That’s what McMurphy can’t understand, us wanting to be safe. He keeps trying to

drag us out of the fog, out in the open where we’d be easy to get at”(pg 114)

Analysis:

This quote emphasizes the inmates comfortability within the fog and conforming to suppressing

rules. It also makes the reader relate to the inmate because almost everyone likes to stay

comfortable and stay away from danger. Then the addition of McMurphy relates to the allegory

of the cave which shows people moving out of the dark and learning about the world around

them. This addition encapsulates society in general when being controlled because many prefer

to stay in the dark and not over expose themselves to the unknown because it can be scary and

dangerous. Overall, the inmate represents general society and the need to go out of your comfort

zone.

Symbols:

Why:

Electro-shock therapy represents a fear factor within a totalitarian government. It also represents

a corrupted police force that will bring down any individual or group that tries to defy the rules

in order to implicate change.

Quote:
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“Ellis came in an Acute and got fouled up bad when they overloaded him in that filthy

brain-murdering room…Now he’s nailed against the wall in the same condition they lifted him

off the table for the last time, in the same shape, arms out, palms cupped, with the same horror on

his face. He’s nailed like that on the wall, like a stuffed trophy. They pull the nails when it’s time

to eat or time to drive him into bed when they want him to move so I can mop the puddle where

he stands”(Kesey 20).

Analysis:

Electro-shock therapy is a dangerous thing that can permanently damage a person. The example

of Ellis is sad and shows how a corrupt government permanently destroys and disables one's life.

The biblical example of how Ellis’ hands were chopped and nailed to a wall represents constant

pain and anguish as well as helplessness. This sense of helplessness continues to emphasize how

people feel when oppressed by the government because they are not able to do anything to

change the situation they are in due to the justice system and unfair laws. Also, the imagery of

Ellis standing in their own puddle of pee inflicts the emotion of disgust and evokes the sense of

smell making the reader uncomfortable. All in all, Electro-Shock therapy is a symbol of

government oppression.

Imagery:

Why:

When McMurphy strolls down the halls of the ward and laughs he represents civil disobedience

because he is not causing any harm. However, this causes confusion for Ratchet because she can

no longer control McMurphy.

Quote:
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“While McMurphy laughs. Rocking farther and farther backward against the cabin top, spreading

his laugh out across the water—laughing at the girl, at the guys, at George, at me sucking my

bleeding thumb, at the captain back at the pier and the bicycle rider and the service-station guys

and the five thousand houses and the Big Nurse and all of it”(Kesey 212).

Analysis:

Kesey uses a direct anaphora, “it” to emphasize his insanity. It shows that McMurphy is using

laughter as a substitute for his pain because of oppression and laughter is his only way to express

his internal feelings. In addition to this the imagery of McMurphy’s laugh spreading across the

water connotes freedom and how the ability to laugh represents being free. With that being said

McMurphy’s laughter can then become infectious and can cause other inmates to then become

disobedient towards the big nurse. Overall, Kesey uses this nature imagery to emphasize how

McMurphy’s thoughts can potentially be portrayed to others which can connect to a political

sense because it lights McMurphy as a leader.

Detail:

Why:

The Detail of McMurphy grabbing people out of the fog symbolizes him breaking people away

from an oppressive government and spreading the idea of disobedience which is similar to how

Gandhi transferred many people to join a fight for disobedience against British rule.

Quote:

“The first hand that comes up, I can tell, is McMurphy’s, because of the bandage where that
 Hinckley 20

the control panel cut into him when he tried to lift it. And then off down the slope I see them,

other hands coming up out of the fog. It’s like ... that big red hand of McMurphy’s is reaching

into the fog and dropping down and dragging the men up by their hands, dragging them blinking

into the open” (Kesey 124).

Analysis:

The detail of McMurphy’s hand grabbing people out of the fog relates to the allegory of the cave

where people are grabbed and forced out of the cave. In addition, to this the detail of “blinking”

brings up the image of someone finally seeing for the first time and trying to make sense of what

they are seeing. In this case the inmates are finally able to see how oppressive the ward is and

how Nurse Ratched controls everything.

Diction:

Why:

With this novel there is a plethora of Dehumanizing diction that makes the inmate feel like they

just have to behave and follow the rules which connotes to a large portion of people living within

a totalitarian society that it is too dangerous and risky to go against the rules, suppression.

Quote:

“Yes, but you said them very quietly and took them all back later. You are a rabbit too, don’t try

to avoid the truth. That’s why I hold no grudge against you for the questions you asked me

during the meeting today. You were only playing your role. If you had been on the carpet, or you

Billy, or you Fredrickson, I would have attacked you just as cruelly as you attacked me. We

mustn’t be ashamed of our behavior; it’s the way we little animals were meant to behave” (Kesey

62).
 Hinckley 21

Analysis:

During this quote the inmates are being referred to as weak animals that are usually prey. For

example, the reference of a dehumanizing dictionary, “rabbits,” was used to describe the inmates

in comparison to the strong Nurse Ratched. Additionally, the detail of not being ashamed of a

prey behavior shows how blind many inmates have become to the wards way of life and how

many of the inmates have given up. The inmates are also described as “little animals' ' which is

also dehumanizing diction because it is putting a large gap between the Big Nurse and the rest of

the inmates. Overall, the dehumanizing diction emphasizes big nurses' effect on others and is an

allegory to how other minority groups have been dehumanized throughout history such as

minority groups during the holocaust.

Religious Allegories

Nurse Ratched:

Why:

When nurse Ratched holds group therapy sessions she is acting as if she is a Catholic minister

because everyone of her patient are confessing their “sins” to her in order

Quote:

“‘One moment, Mr. McMurphy, let me pose a question to the group: do any of you feel that Mr.

McMurphy is perhaps imposing his personal desires on some of you too much? I’ve been

thinking you might be happier if he were moved to a different ward.”Nobody says anything for a

minute. Then someone says, ‘Let him vote, why dontcha? Why ya want to ship him to Disturbed

just for bringing up a vote? What’s so wrong with changing time?’ ‘Why, Mr. Scanlon, as I
 Hinckley 22

recall, you refused to eat for three days until we allowed you to turn the set on at six instead of

six-thirty’’(Kesey 123).

Analysis:

The tone of Nurse Ratched is very condescending. At this point she is trying to frame McMurphy

in a bad light and has decided to have a group therapy meeting in order to influence others that

McMurphy is a bad influence. However, when someone disagrees she calls them out with a bad

trait and makes them feel guilty and sinful. This connotes confession in the catholic religion

where people confess their sins in order to be cleansed. Overall, Ratched is acting like a pastor

who is in a confession room filled with guilt and made up sins.

McMurphy:

Why:

McMurphy is the ultimate sacrifice within this novel and goes through pain in suffering in order

to drag fellow inmates away from the fog and free them from oppression. Overall, McMurphy is

an allegory of Jesus Christ, the savior within Christian religion.

Quote:

“You are strapped to a table, shaped, ironically, like a cross, with a crown of electric sparks in

place of thorns. You are touched on each side of the head with wires. Zap! Five cents’ worth of

electricity through the brain and you are jointly administered therapy and a punishment for your

hostile go-to-hell behavior, on top of being put out of everyone’s way for six hours to three days,

depending on the individual” (Kesey 64-65).

Analysis:
 Hinckley 23

The biblical diction of the crucifixion of Jesus to represent Electro-shock therapy is ironic

because soon after McMurphy was put on the cross-like table and murdered because he was

disobedient. Then the detail of the crown of thorns also acts as a connector between McMurphy

and Jesus making them seem like the same. In addition to this the time detail also connotes Jesus

because Jesus stayed out on the cross for a while until someone felt bad after seeing him and

decided to kill Jesus. Overall, the electo-shock therapy and biblical diction makes McMurphy

seem like he is the ultimate sacrifice in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Chief:

Why:

Chief represents a normal person within society that has learned to change overtime from

becoming deaf which is seen as a sin to finally listening in being cleansed by McMuephy who

alludes to Jesus.

Quote:

“They don’t bother not talking out loud about their hate secrets when I’m nearby because they

think I’m deaf and dumb. Everybody thinks so. I’m cagey enough to fool them that much. If my

being half Indian ever helped me in any way in this dirty life, it helped me being cagey, helped

me all these years”(Kesey 10).

Analysis:

The aspect of holding secrets and lying is a major sin within christianity. The diction of “ cagy”

connotes being trapped and in one place. Overall, Chief represents a person who was once a

sinner but then became cleansed.

 Hinckley 24

Inmates:

Why:

Many of the inmates refer to Jesus’ converted followers and when they go on a fishing trip

McMurphy brings twelve people with him which alludes to the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

Quote:

“When people at a stop light would stare at us and our green uniforms we’d do just like he did,

sit up straight and strong and tough looking and put a big grin on our face and stare straight back

at them till their motors died and their windows sun streaked and they were left sitting when the

light changed, upset bad by what a tough bunch of monkeys was just now not three feet from

them, and help nowhere in sight. As McMurphy led the twelve of us toward the ocean”(Kesey

203).

Analysis:

The twelve apostles of Jesus are extremely important within the bible. The detail of McMurphy

being proud even faced with stares and being discriminated against by the general public for the

clothing they have which labels them as insane. This connotes how Jesus and his followers

would put their heads up and be proud of their religion. Then when McMurphy led his fellow

inmates in the ward towards the ocean it connotes the event in which Jesus' twelve disciples

proved that he is the son of God.

Symbols:

Why:

Water is a heavy symbol within this novel and connotes baptizing, which releases people from

their sins within Christianity. Water also represents freedom.

 Hinckley 25

Quote:

“I put my back toward the screen, then spun and let the momentum carry the panel through the

Screen and window with a ripping crash. The glass splashed out on the moon, like a bright cold

water baptizing the sleeping earth.” (Kesey 272).

Analysis:

The water acts as a factor that baptizes the world and cleans it from sin. However, sin within the

ward is a different type of sin and is created by oppression and by trickery enacted by nurse

Ratched. Therefore when the command board smashed into the glass it allowed for the inmates

to be baptized and free of the oppressive Nurse Ratched. Then the diction of “sleeping”

represents the blindness of the inmates and how many of them decided to stay in the fog.

Imagery:

Why:

The imagery of the control panel being ripped from the wall represents the suppressive society

coming to an end and religious freedom away from control which can also lead to sin and trap

people in the ward from being relieved of their sins.

Quote:

“I shaved my legs under me and felt the grind of weight at my feet. I heaved again and heard the

wires and connections tearing out of the floor. I lurched it up to my knees and was able to get an

arm around it and my other hand under it. The chrome was cold against my neck and the side of

my head. I put my back toward the screen, then spun and let the momentum carry the panel

through the Screen and window with a ripping crash”(Kesey 271-272)

Analysis:
 Hinckley 26

This imagery represents the weight of the world. It gives the reader a sense of weight and pain

and suffering. This diction of “heaved” and “lurched” represented how heavy the command

board was. In addition to this the weight connotes the weight of the world and how difficult it

was to lift up the command board which carried the sins of the inmates. Overall, this symbolizes

that Chief was an apostle of Jesus that carried out the final act of relieving the inmates of their

sins and baptizing them so they can start anew.

Detail:

Why:

When McMurphy and Nurse Ratchet begin to have an argument Nurse Ratchet refers to

McMurphy as “not a God” which alludes to biblical times where many preachers of the roman

religion at the time did not believe that Jesus was the son of God.

Quote:

“First Charles Cheswick and now William Bibbit! I hope you’re finally satisfied. Playing with

human lives—gambling with human lives—as if you thought yourself to be a God!”

Analysis:

Ratchet's tone within this quote is extremely pointed at McMurphy. This is because ratchet uses

the example of McMurphy gambling and playing with lives which alludes to McMurphy being a

gambler. In addition, the aspect of Ratchet calling out McMurphy as acting as God which

symbolizes her dislike of McMurphy and his ways of disobedience. This alludes to Nurse

Ratchet being a roman minister who did not believe that Jesus was the son of God and would

save people from their sins.

 Hinckley 27

Diction:

Why:

The diction of “I wash my hands” shows an aspect of religious insanity because of sin and the

fear of not being pure and freed from sin which is an aspect of religion that can prevent people

from living life to the fullest and instead, makes them live in fear.

Quote:

“A tall bony old guy, dangling from a wire screwed in between his shoulder blades, met

McMurphy and me at the door when the aides brought us in. He looked us over with yellow,

scaled eyes and shook his head. ‘I wash my hands of the whole deal,’ he told one of the colored

aides, and the wire dug him off down the hall”(Kesey 232).

Analysis:

The diction of “I wash my hands” seems very obsessive and shows the fear within the ward

inmates. The detail of the wire screwed in between the man's shoulders represent his unescapable

sin which is why the man has become obsessed with being cleansed of sin. Then the other detail

of the old guy telling the guards he is clean led to the man being more insecure because he was

rejected just because of his uncontrollable sin that wasn’t his to begin with.

Written: 2/5/2023

Journal Entries

Journal Entry Option 3: Chapters 5-6

The Prominent Scarlet Letter and Pearl

 Hinckley 28

During the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a talented woman

by the name of Hester Prynn, wore the letter “A,” a bold, and prominent symbol that protruded

onto her chest due to infidelity. This prominent letter has had a plethora of effects on the life of

Hester Prynn. The letter has demolished her social life, created an unwavering sense of guilt, and

subjected Hester and her daughter, Pearl, to Alienation. Pearl is used to show the lasting effects

of sin. Overall, Nathaniel Hawthorne used the symbol of the scarlet letter to emphasize the idea

that sin is dangerous and one single sin can lead to the alienation and guilt of the person who has

sinned as well as the ones who are innocent and do not yet know of sin. In chapter 5, the author

describes Hester’s life as objectified and lonesome. Hawthorne wrote, “-At her, the child of

honorable parents,-at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman,-at her, who has

once been innocent,-as the figure, the body, the reality of sin”(Hawthorne 56). Hawthorne uses

an anaphora in order to emphasize the alienation of Hester. The phrase, “at her” is very

directional toward Hester, it is not a secretive phrase, it is direct which allows the reader to

sympathize with Hester and understand how alone she felt. Additionally, the author refers to

Hester as a bad example to children. This acts as a significant comparison because Hester has a

child of her own, however, Pearl does not look at her with eyes of discern, instead, she only

looks at her with the looks naturally shared between a caring mother and an innocent child. With

that being said, this passage encompasses the feeling of guilt, alienation, and social rejection that

Hester felt on a daily basis. In Chapter 6 the author depicts Pearl as an intelligent and

illuminating character that was not phased by the protruding scarlet letter; she was more

infatuated with its beauty. Hawthorne wrote, “she grasped at it, smiling, not doubtfully, but with

a decided gleam…Hester Prynne clutched the fatal token”(Hawthorne 67). Pearl is shown as a
 Hinckley 29

character with great maturity even though she is young. The author used the detail of Pearl

smiling even in the presence of a “fatal token” because Hawthorne wants to portray the

innocence of a child who does not yet know of sin nor its lasting effects. Then, when Hester

clutches the scarlet letter it is portrayed as a “fatal token.” The diction of “fatal token” connotes

the feeling of death, which encapsulates the emotion that the letter will cause her social death,

her alienation, all of her misfortunes. Overall, the scarlet letter has caused Hester and Pearl great

rejection even though Pearl has no idea of the effects yet due to her innocence.

Journal Entry Option 6: Chapters 13-15

The Interpretations of the Scarlet Letter and Puritan Society

The Scarlet letter can be interpreted in a plethora of ways in The Scarlet Letter by

Nathaniel Hawthorne. The scarlet letter is usually associated with sin. However, in the life of

Hester the letter does not only represent sin, it represents the undying guilt that sticks to her like

chains as well as Hester’s power and her ability in life. Overall, the representation of the scarlet

letter paints the Puritan Society as Uncivilized. First and foremost, one day Pearl asks her

mother, Hester, the meaning of the scarlet letter out of curiosity, Pearl has seen the letter all her

life with no explanation after all. Hester said, “‘Hold thy tongue, naughty child!’.... ‘Do not tease

me; else I shall shut thee into the dark closet!’”(Hawthorne 124). Hester’s tone of this piece was

shaken and guilty. This is because Pearl had just asked her about the letter which is a guilt that

she carries and after being asked the question about the protruding letter she couldn’t answer. In

addition, the detail of the closet is ironic because Pearl was already in the dark about her

mother’s sin and the extent to which society had treated her mother. Overall, this quote reveals

that Hester sees herself as a person who should just follow her role in society as a bad example to
 Hinckley 30

others on what not to do and that Puritan society is cruel due to the fact that Hester does not want

to introduce her daughter into the sinful meaning of the scarlet letter just yet. On the other hand,

the scarlet letter does not always have a foul meaning in the case of many who know Hester they

believe that the scarlet A does not mean adulty instead of this meaning it was transformed into

the word “able” meaning a woman’s strength, something that many women were not able to

discover yet in the 17th century. Hawthorne wrote, “They said that it meant able Able; so strong

was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength”(Hawthorne 110). Hester contains the power to do

and the power to sympathize with others which makes her able. However, due to Puritan society,

many were not allowed to think this way or express these emotions. The author uses the diction

of “Able” to give new meaning to the word “adultery” which is usually a harsh term. However,

this doesn’t express Hester’s feelings toward her own scarlet letter. The word able is due to the

power to do and to sympathize with others. This quote symbolizes the meekness of Puritan

society and how this society cannot stray away from old uncivilized puritan ideas which are

represented by a black flower. Overall, Hester views herself as having a certain role which is to

be an example to not follow and to be a person that helps others even if they do not help her. This

exposes the idea that Hester believes Puritan society is harsh and uncivilized.

Journal Entry 7: Chapters 16-19

The Love They Share and the Society that Tears Them Apart

Love is something that is shared between people. However, in many cases that love can

be disrupted and eventually destroyed. This is the case between Hester, a talented outcast, and

Arthur Dimmesdale, an ordained minister. Both of them shared a passionate love for each other.

However, the Puritan society that they lived in and devoted their lives to was the separating
 Hinckley 31

factor. First and foremost, one day Hester and Arthur reunited in the forest which was lit by only

a small speck of sunlight. Once they reunited they discussed their feelings and finally sat upon a

mossy trunk of a fallen tree. The author wrote, “They sat down again, side by side, and hand

clasped in hand…while one solemn old tree groaned dolefully to another”(Hawthorne 133).

Hawthorne layered this piece in a way that made Hester and Arthur feel like one. This

encapsulates how strong their love is for each other and how passionate their feelings were. In

addition, the diction of clasped is powerful and has a connotation of not letting go. Which

symbolizes that even if they are apart physically their souls will always be connected and

interlocked with each other. Then the image of a tree frowning over Hester and Arthur’s

relationship appears later in the paragraph. The personification of the trees and the

communication between them constitutes that even nature was against the relationship between

Hester and Arthur. Also, the detail of “old” symbolizes that the beliefs of Puritan Society are

outdated. Additionally, Hawthorne creates a comparison between Hester’s life and Arthur’s life.

Page 136, depicts Hester as a free woman with a passport, the scarlet letter, in which she has

already trodden a path of shame and despair. Meanwhile, Arthur is a minister and was trapped

under the chains of regulations, principles, and prejudices. The organization of this piece allows

the reader to see the contrast between a world that involves freedom and the other which contains

heavy chains. This furthers the idea that due to the differences in lifestyle and societal class,

Hester and Arthur are not destined to be together. However, this only furthers the passionate

relationship between the two because despite having the world against them, they continue to

love each other. Overall, Hester and Arthur have a passionate and loving relationship, but

society, nature, and religion are against them preventing them from acting on their love.

Written: 1/15/2023
An intricate analysis of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
What it says:
“The whole of society is
within their grip, the whole
labor of the world lies at
their mercy-and like fierce
wolves they rend and
destroy, like ravening
vultures they devour and
tear!... They own not merely
the labor of society, they
have bought the
governments; and
everywhere they used their
raped and stolen to entrench
themselves in their
privileges, to dig wider and
deeper the channels through
which the river of profits
flows to them!”
(Sinclair 284)
What it does:
Sinclair’s passage
emphasizes the downsides
of capitalism. It represents
how people of higher
power have become
corrupted over time and
the only things that matter
to them are money.
Additionally, Sinclair is
ingeniously relating the
rich to wolves and
vultures. This symbolizes
a relation between the two
because the poor, working
class is seen as cattle in
many cases. Overall, this
was during Jurgis's speech
to people and is an
attempt to convince the
working class to start
standing up for
themselves and for the
futures they were so
promised.
Hinckley 32
How the text does it:
Tone: During Jurgis’ speech his tone was powerful and
passionate. This is due to his illusive imagery working together
with the exclamation points at the end of each sentence. The
passionate and powerful tone that Jurgis encompasses allows
the reader to feel Jurgis’ emotions; it allows the reader to feel
rage against the rich during the 1900s.
Diction: “Whole” emphasizes that everyone is in the grip of
the wealthy, not just the poor, everyone, it is almost impossible
to escape. “Wolves” expresses the way of the rich and how
they attack others without reason. The comparison between the
wealthy and animals slightly dehumanizes the wealthy as they
had done to the poor. “Ravening” connotes hunger and
represents that they are not hungry for food like the millions
who work under them but they are only hungry for the money,
encapsulating the selfishness of the wealthy.“Devour”
connotates strength and how easy it is for the wealthy to
destroy everything within their path.”Raped” is powerful
diction that emphasizes how the livelihoods of the workers
were taken away from them and they had no say in the matter,
it was stolen from them. “River of profits” represents how
quickly and how easily money flows to the rich. Also, the use
of this naturalistic diction emphasizes how easy the money is
to obtain to the point where it becomes natural.
Imagery: Sinclair uses a plethora of animalistic imagery. For
starters, he compares the wealthy with “ferocious wolves” and
“ravening vultures.” This imagery creates a sense of danger
and how foul the wealthy can be which plays a role in
Sinclair's arguments because he is trying to tell the horrors of
capitalism. In addition, vultures are scavengers so this relates
to the many who had died during working and the wealthy
would cover it up just like a vulture. Also, the imagery of the
wealthy digging channels for their profits represents that the
workers are the ones doing the work however they wouldn’t
earn anything for that, all the money would go to the rich. This
contains significance because the workers could then feel
enraged by the wealthy and form unions in order to fight for
better conditions.

Thesis:
Capitalism is not always a bad thing, however, in many cases
people become corrupt and at times the only thing that
becomes important to them is profiting off of the cheap labor
of others, allowing them to undermine the well-being of the
workers.
What it says: What it does:
“All day long the blazing Using intricate imagery
Sinclair depicts the working
midsummer sun beat down upon
conditions of the poor in
that square mile of abominations;
the packing industry as
upon tens of thousands of cattle crowded and constricting.
crowded into pens whose wooden Sinclair also spreads
awareness about the
floors stank and steamed
American dream and that it
contagion; upon bare, blistering, isn’t as pristine as it seems.
cinder-strewn railroad tracks, and Sinclair’s intricate woven
and powerful imagery is an
huge blocks of dingy meat
attempt to reach the rich
factories, whose labyrinthine and put them in the shoes
passages defied a breath of fresh of the workers who work
non stop even during an
air to penetrate them; and there
injury, in hopes that they
were not merely rivers of hot will increase wages and
blood, and car loads of moist allow for cleaner and better
flesh, and rendering-vats and soap working conditions. Not
only does Sinclair do this
caldrons, glue-factories and
but he is warning the
fertilizer tanks, that smelt like people buying the meat
products to not buy them
craters of hell.”
because they are unsanitary,
(Sinclair 258)
forcing companies to
change their ways.
Hinckley 33
How the text does it:
Diction: “blazing” connotes to fire and heat,
encapsulating the feeling of a sweltering summer.
“Abominations” represents the cattle and the unsanitary
working conditions of packers. This is also symbolic of
mutants; it also degrades the cattle, which are living
beings, into mere trash and disgusting creatures.
“Crowded” makes the reader feel uneasy due to the
close proximity between cattle. “Steamed” represents
how hot it was within the packer community.
“Contagion” symbolizes the widespread disease due to
unsanitary conditions. This implies that in the near
future, there would need to be changed. “Labyrinthine”
connotes being trapped, confused, lost. This implies that
there was no way to escape for the packers, even if they
wanted to, they couldn’t, their families relied on them.
“Moist flesh” demonstrates how disease stricken the
packer community was because when meat becomes
moist and warm it rots, leaving a horrendous smell, and
disease with it. “Hell” is a religious term that is the
worst place to end up in the afterlife, in hell people burn
in an endless pit of fire, and in the packing industry, the
flesh was rotting just like hell, which emphasizes how
horrible and disgusting the smell was.
Syntax: Sinclair uses a polysyndeton when talking
about the meat of the cattle and the conditions of the
packing community. The polysyndeton adds a sense of
time. It also creates a feeling of the causes of the
grotesque smell piling up upon each other one after
another. This is important because the reader is able to
experience the smell through Sinclair's words.
Imagery: Sinclair uses imagery that affects the reader's
sight and smell. The imagery of rotting meat and trash

What it says:
“The people had come in
hoards, and old Dunham had
squeezed them tighter and
tighter, speeding them up and as glorious however it is the
grinding them to pieces, and
sending new ones. The poles,
who had come by the tens of
thousands, had been driven to
the wall by Lithuanians were
giving way to the Slovaks. Who how readily people will be
there was poorer and more
miserable than the Slovaks,
Grandmother Mackenzie had
no idea, but the packers would Sinclair's argument against the
find them, never fear.”
(Sinclair 69-70)
What it does:
Sinclair is addressing the faults
of the American dream. He
states that people constantly
advertise the American dream
opposite and everyone
searching for that fallacy is
stuck and poor. In addition,
Sinclair adds a tint of sarcasm
at the end of this piece to
symbolize his disappointment
within the packing industry and
thrown out of their jobs.
Sinclair's listing of the cultures
that have come and gone also
represents time and strengthens
harsh working conditions and
poor treatment.
Hinckley 34
littering the packing imagery in sweltering heat inflicts
smell and can make the reader feel disgusted. Also,
warm flesh will stink and it can symbolize disease in the
packing industry that can cause workers to become sick
and die.
Thesis:
Capitalism is not always a bad thing, however, in many
cases people become corrupt and at times the only thing
that becomes important to them is profiting off of the
cheap labor of others, allowing them to undermine the
well-being of the workers.
How the text does it:
Diction: “hoards” relates to infestations and can often
be referred to as beehives. Therefore, “hoards”
emphasizes how crowded America was with
immigrants, there were also so many people that if one
died no one would realize it. “Grinding” creates a
bone-crunching sound. Also grinding something, such
as bones can make it disappear. In this case, Dunham
got rid of old workers like nothing had ever happened
and replaced them with new ones. “Miserable”
spotlights the never-ending cycle of immigrants being
replaced.
Organization: Sinclair masterfully organized this to
show how people could always replace each other. He
does this by listing the different types of immigrants
that have come and gone throughout the years and how
easily they were replaced. This also emphasizes the
fallacies of the American dream by saying that they
always had a replacement for someone. This also
foreshadows the neverending influx of workers.
Tone: At the very end of this quote, Sinclair wrote,
“never fear” in a sarcastic yet annoyed tone. Sinclair
does this to spotlight how poor people were and it
should scare people that there are always people worse
off than themselves. The phrase's meaning is that
people should fear.
Thesis:
The American dream is not always what it seems, no
 Hinckley 35

matter how glorious someone makes it out to be, at

times people were thrown out of jobs because they had
become “useless” or not worthy of a daily, underpaid,
salary, due to injury and the endless line of jobless,
poor, immigrants increased.
 Hinckley 36

Written: 12/02/2022
Generational Trauma: A Rhetorical Analysis of Maus

From 1980 to 1991, Art Spiegelman, an American cartoonist and illustrator, created the

graphic novel, Maus, in which Spiegelman transcribes the story of his Father, Vladek, a

Holocaust survivor, through a series of vivid and striking images. Not only does Spiegelman talk

about the past, he talks about the present and how much his parents have affected his everyday

life due to trauma during the Holocaust. The Holocaust occurred during World War II in 1939.

During the Holocaust people of all different backgrounds, Jews, Gypsies, Socialists,

Homosexuals, anyone that wasn’t deemed perfect, were persecuted, worked to death, murdered.

The traumatic Holocaust took the lives of around 11,835,000 people, only a few lucky ones were

able to survive physically. However, the real key to survival is the survival of the mental state,

Spiegelman’s mother, Anja, could not cope with the past and eventually took her own life.

Through Spiegelman’s intricate imagery, heavy diction, and deliberate details, he encapsulates

the theme of generational trauma by showing that the heavy, traumatic, past of others carries a

plethora of psychological scars which can eventually be passed down to future generations

leading to an overwhelming, sweltering guilt and loneliness for the ones who had never

experienced it.

Art Spiegelman writes about his own personal experiences. On page 105 Spiegelman

goes away from the real conversations that had happened between him and his Father. Instead he

recalls a small comic strip that he had written in the past. Allowing him to show his internal

feelings, including the generational trauma that has been haunting him since he was young. First

and foremost, Spiegelman uses strong, graphic diction to emphasize the trauma he faces and the

thoughts that flood his mind due to his mother’s suicide. An important piece of diction is the

word “alone.” Spiegelman mentioned that he was alone with his thoughts, meaning that he had
 Hinckley 37

no support from his father or anyone else while mourning his mother’s death. He felt alone.

Vladek is usually the one talking about his wife Anja and wailing about her demise while

Spiegelman is usually quiet and focuses on calming his distressed Father. However, the reader is

finally able to see that Art Spiegelman was also suffering. He felt alone and believed it was his

fault, strengthening the idea that due to Anja’s inability to cope with the psychological scars of

the Holocaust, Spiegelman was left all alone with the trauma of his mother's suicide and the guilt

of Anja’s death weighing over his head. Another example of diction is the word “murderer.”

Spiegelman refers to his mother as a “murderer” when he draws himself as a prisoner in a jail

cell. Usually, if a person commits a crime they are thrown in prison. In this case, Spigelman

believes that due to his Mother’s actions he is thrown into an inescapable prison of guilt and

trauma. Not only is diction an important part of page 105 but imagery plays a major role in

Maus. On the second panel, there is a series of 4 images. The images include; Anja laying naked

in a bathtub, representing menopausal depression. A series of dead bodies during the Holocaust,

blaming Hitler. An image of Spiegelman and his mother reading a book. Finally, there was a

Jewish person, most likely Spiegelman’s mother, committing suicide. All of these images are

graphic and have a heavy feeling to them because of the layering and the deep, saturated, black

surrounding them, which is different from Spiegelman's normal, lighter, style of drawing.

Overall, these images represent the thoughts that Spiegelman had during his period of being

alone in his thoughts during Anja’s death. He carries the trauma of not having a mother. Lastly,

Spiegelman uses details to show his disconnection from his mother. Spiegelman wrote, “I turned

away, resentful of the way she tightened the umbilical cord”(Spiegelman 105). This detail

encapsulates the idea of a mother-son relationship disappearing. This quote was a way for

Spiegelman to say that his mother abandoned him and cut off all connection when she committed
 Hinckley 38

suicide, causing him to resent her. This represents his unwavering trauma and guilt because

Spiegelman turned away from his mother when she came to visit him for one last time. Overall,

Art Spiegelman was greatly traumatized due to his mother committing suicide.

Furthermore, Art Spiegelman uses the panels on page 161 to show his frustrations with

his father after learning that he had burned all of Anja’s notes about her life. The destruction of

the notebooks inflicted heartbreak on Spiegelman since they were the last things he could have in

memory of her but instead she is gone for good with only sad memories left behind and no

answers. Spiegelman uses emphasized diction to show his frustrations with Vladek. For example,

a word that appears quite often in Maus is “murderer.” Previously, Spiegelman called his mother

a murderer after she committed suicide which created overwhelming guilt making Spielgelman

feel like a prisoner. Now, he called Vladek a murderer since Vladek burn Anja’s notes knowing

that Anja wanted Spiegelman to have them. Therefore, the diction of “murderer” means to

destroy connections and memories. The notebooks were all Spiegelman had left of his mother

after all, leaving him all alone to wallow in despair. Another example of diction is “depressed.”

Vladek said this after Spiegelman yelled at him for burning Anja’s notes. However, Vladek never

apologized for burning the books, instead, he told Spiegelman to not yell at him and that it is not

right, he decided to criticize him for his tone instead of consoling him. The word “depressed”

shows Vladek’s selfishness. This is important because it shows trauma from Vladek being passed

down to Spiegelman. The word “depressed” makes Spiegelman feel guilty for yelling at his

father. Additionally, imagery plays an important role in portraying Spiegelman’s emotions and

argument. In the 4th panel, the image of Spiegelman standing over Vladek angrily accentuates

Art Spiegelman’s anger even more. Especially, since he has his fist in the air which looks like he

is about to hit him. Spiegelman chose to write it this way because without it the readers wouldn’t
 Hinckley 39

see how hurt he was and the heartbreak and pain shown in his body language. Spiegelman lost

his composure. Additionally, the last panel on page 161 is heartbreaking. It shows Spiegelman

walking alone on a lonely road saying “murderer.” It is truly heartbreaking.This moment

symbolizes how impactful the psychological scars that Vladek carries are. They destroy

relationships. Harvest guilt for the next generation. Make a person feel like a stranger within

their own family. Lastly, the details of this piece show Spiegelman masking his trauma and

hiding everything under a fake facade. For example, in the second to last panel Spiegelman is

saying goodbye to his father. Vladek stated, “You should visit here more often. Don’t be such a

stranger”(Spiegelman 161). The detail of calling Spiegelman a stranger is an important insight

into Spiegelman's life because it shows that Vladek doesn’t think that Art is a close relative,

instead he is in agreement with Art. Additionally, in the images of these panels all Art does is

smile gleefully while Vladek waves Goodbye. Then when Art leaves he completely changes and

turns depressed. During this the saturation of colors around him increases, encapsulating the idea

that Art puts up a facade in front of his father even though he is suffering internally from his

father's past traumas. All in all, Vladek has inflicted generational trauma onto Art by destroying

the one thing that kept Art connected to his deceased mother.

Art Spiegelman creates multiple comparisons between the past and the present on page

249. This is used to portray generational trauma. First and foremost, when Vladek wants to

return open boxes of food because they still have food in them, Spiegelman refuses to go with

him and is embarrassed by Vladeck. Vladeck states, “What’s to be so ashamed?”(Spiegelman

249). The diction in this phrase is “ashamed.” In this case, Spiegelman is embarrassed by his

father’s bad habit of saving every last crumb of food that appeared due to the Holocaust.

Encapsulating the idea that generational trauma from Vladek affects Spiegelman by making him
 Hinckley 40

feel uncomfortable to the point where he will not even get out of the car due to embarrassment.

This event could also affect Spiegelman's reputation making others recognize Vladek's actions

and so people might think that Spiegelman would act the same, tarnishing his reputation and

secluding him from the rest of society leading to loneliness. Additionally, when Spiegelman was

in the car he was talking to someone else about Vladeck burning the pages in Anja's notebook,

the key diction is “pages.” Not only do the pages represent something that Anja just wrote, but

they also represent memories, clarity, remembrance. However, the pages were burned by Vladek

so Spiegelman cannot have clarity on her death nor the memories that he so desperately needs.

The pages also hold great significance because Spiegelman wants to know both sides of the

story; he knows Vladek's story, but his mother’s story is left unanswered. Allowing Spiegelman's

guilt of surviving to increase because through the stories he has the ability to relive the memories

of his parents. The most impactful aspect of these panels is the descriptive imagery. The first

panel on page 249 Shows three people, shoved into one car, on their way to return groceries

because Vladek doesn’t like to waste food due to the previous history of the Holocaust.

However, this image is parallel to the first panel on page 248. During this panel, Jews are

banging on the train car trying to escape the torturous environment. The images are parallel

because Vladek had his hand raised in a first in both of the illustrations. This parallel connects

the past and the present. This holds significance because it shows that the trauma not only affects

the one who originally experienced it but the next generation, involving Art. Representing how

generational trauma is passed on from generation to generation. Furthermore, on the last panel,

Vladek is chasing after a cashier because they wouldn’t allow Vladek to return open groceries. In

the panel, Art Spiegelman has three lines under his left eye. This symbolizes embarrassment

because Art’s eyes look more droopy than before and his eyebrows are dropping. This can also
 Hinckley 41

symbolize Art pitying Vladek for holding onto his psychological scars which creates guilt for Art

because he is not completely sure of what happened during the Holocaust and cannot help

Vladek fix his ways and become aware the war is over, there is no need to ration. Lastly, during

Art's conversation in the car, while waiting for Vladek, the topic of Anja’s notebooks appears.

The person in the car stated, “I’ll bet you that Anja’s books were written on both sides of the

page…If there were any blank pages Vladek would never have burned them”(Spiegelman 249).

This is an important detail that gives an in-depth view of exactly why Vladek burned the pages.

He burned them because he didn’t want to remember the memories of Anja. He wanted to forget.

Forget the Holocaust. Forget about her death. But he still couldn't; he was trapped so he

eventually portrayed that trauma to Art, making him feel guilty for not being there during the

Holocaust. These panels show that Vladek still reminisces about the past and cannot rid his mind

of memories of the Holocaust, leaving him to affect his son, Art, unintentionally.

All in all, Art Spiegelman uses intricate imagery, heavy diction, and deliberate details in

Maus to encapsulate the theme of generation trauma showing that the heavy, traumatic, past of

others carries a plethora of psychological scars which can eventually be passed down to future

generations leading to overwhelming, sweltering guilt and loneliness for the ones who had never

experienced it. Spiegelman uses diction to represent how guilty he felt for not being able to

experience the Holocaust himself as well as how the traumatic scars from Art’s father, Vladek,

have passed down onto him causing a series of tormenting emotions like sadness and loneliness.

The imagery during Maus creates a parallelism between two separate events and amplifies the

image of guilt that Art feels due to his father. In addition, the small details provide a gateway for

the reader to see art's true emotions, not just the ones that are obviously from the outside, it

allows readers to see through the facade that everything is okay when it isn’t. Art is tired, guilty,
 Hinckley 42

alone. Throughout the entirety of the graphic novel, Maus, Art is attempting to get rid of some of

his guilt by finding out the stories of his family and trying to relive those memories himself.

However, the generation trauma is extremely heavy, making it an almost impossible feat.

Overall, generational trauma had led to feelings of loneliness and guilt inherited from his parent's

psychological scars. Generation trauma affects the life of Spiegelman and many more. It creates

guilt. Harvests loneliness. Making one wonder why they weren't there to experience the

hardship.
 Hinckley 43

Written: 11/14/2022
A Coping Mechanism: The Things They Carried

In 1990, Tim O’Brien, a Vietnam War Veteran, wrote “The Things They Carried” in

which he tells both real and fictional stories of the beings lost through imaginary characters. The

Vietnam war started in 1955, and was extremely gruesome, leading to the death of over 2 million

people. However, even the ones who survived were impaired mentally and physically. Some

committed suicide while others drowned in depression and guilt. Additionally, the Vietnam war

was deemed unnecessary and cruel to the many living within the United States so when soldiers

arrived home they were greeted instead of being greeted with honor, they were greeted with a

plethora of hate and the title of “murderer”, forcing them to keep their pain and suffering within

the doors of the mind. Throughout this novel, O’Brien attempts to cope with the struggles of war

and the concrete guilt that is weighing him downThrough O’Brien’s use of imagery, Syntax, and

detail encapsulates the idea that his purpose of “The Things They Carried” is to cope with the

concrete weight of war, presenting itself as detrimental to all, through remembrance of the beings

lost.

Tim O’Brien uses the rhetorical strategy of imagery to emphasize the images of war and

make the readers feel the weight of guilt and shame that all soldiers faced during the Vietnam

War. For starters, O’Brien discussed the death of Curt Lemon. Whole Lemon was tossing around

a smoke grenade with Rat Kiley the detonator of the grenade activated and Lemon lost his life.

O’Brien wrote, “His face was suddenly brown and shining. A handsome kid, really. Sharp gray

eyes, lean and narrow waisted, and when he died it was almost beautiful, the way the sunlight

came around him and lifted him up. (O’Brien 70)” O’Brien uses bright and airy imagery,

emphasizing the word “beautiful,” even though this event is quite traumatic. This light imagery

is an example of O’Brien’s coping. Through writing, O’Brien is able to shift his dark,
 Hinckley 44

melancholy, memory into a light story. Additionally, O’Brien uses the recurring theme of religion

while describing Lemon’s death. The imagery of sunlight surrounding Lemon and the aspect of

being lifted up is just like God welcoming someone into heaven. O’Brien uses this to bring peace

upon himself by believing that Lemon is at peace and in a better place, away from the dangerous

war. Secondly, Tim O’Brien takes a trip to Vietnam, most importantly, he visits the shit field

where Kiowa died. The smell, and the river, were the most prominent details that he remembers,

he then decides to submerge himself within the murky, shallow water. O’Brien stated, “There

was again a sense of recognition. The water rose to midchest, a deep greenish brown, almost hot.

Small water bugs skipped along the surface. Right here, I thought. Leaning forward, I reached in

with the moccasins and wedged them into the soft bottom. (O’Brien 186)” O’Brien triggers the

use of touch, sight, smell. Allowing the reader to experience a faction of what O’Brien felt

during the ambush in the shit field. In addition, this event was a big moment in O’Brien’s attempt

to cope with Kiowa's death. O’Brien hopes that by submerging himself under the muddy water,

his sins will be forgiven, just like a baptism, which is an event submerged within Christianity

said to forgive someone for the sins they have committed. Lastly, on a “mellow” day in Vietnam,

a soldier died and needed to be carried off to his resting space which was a dry field. O’Brien

writes, “It wasn’t the blood I hated; it was the deadness. We put his personal effects in a plastic

bag and tied the bag to his arm. We stripped off the canteens and ammo, all the heavy stuff, and

carried him out to a dry paddy. (O’Brien 231)” The imagery presented is the image of all of the

weight being stripped from the dead. The only thing the dead would carry with them is their

personal belongings, the things they cherished. This event is very symbolic of the weight of guilt

and shame. O’Brien suggests that the only way to get rid of weight is through death, it is

impossible otherwise. However, the weight is still there and gets heavier when carrying the dead.
 Hinckley 45

The soldiers are required to wear their backpacks full of supplies and gear so carrying the dead

adds extra weight upon the soldier's back, increasing the weight of guilt. O’Brien uses this to

cope by emphasizing the idea that weight dissipates during death and that the dead are at peace

and through the loved one's remembrance and the personal items tied to the dead soldier's arm

the soldier will not be forgotten. Overall, imagery was a way to cope with the death of many.

Tim O’Brien uses a wide variety of syntax to show readers O’Brien’s questioning thought

process encapsulating the idea of him attempting to cope through “The Things They Carried.”

First and foremost, when talking about how to write a true war story O’Brien discusses

generalizations. He believes generalizations are impossible because everything about the war is

contradictory and grotesque. O’Brien wrote, “Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true.

At its core, perhaps, war is just another name for death, and yet any soldier will tell you, if he

tells the truth, that proximity to death brings the corresponding proximity to life. (O’Brien 81)”

The syntactic strategy that O’Brien uses is a juxtaposition as well as short, quick, sentences. The

juxtaposition is the contradiction between the phrases everything and nothing. This represents

the instability of memories and the contradiction between viewpoints because memories can

transform as time changes and viewpoints on wars will always be different, every war has a

winning and losing side. This relates to coping because it shows O’Brien revealing his emotions

and confusion about war. As mentioned before, whenever O’Brien is able to reveal his past he is

able to cope. Also, the short sentences add a barrier between the two contradictions suggesting

that it can be hard to distinguish the two, often causing confusion. War stories allow O’Brien to

write and collect his thoughts, allowing for the barrier of confusion to be broken. Another

example is when O’Brien tells the story of the man he killed he mentions the same characteristics

of how that man was killed three times. Tim O’Brien writes, “He was a slim, dead, almost dainty
 Hinckley 46

young man of about twenty. He lay with one leg bent beneath him, his jaw in his throat, his face

neither expressive nor inexpressive. One eye shut. The other was a star shaped hole. (O’Brien

130)” O’Brien uses an asyndeton to suggest that the list is never-ending in terms of what

characteristics O’Brien remembers about the dead man. Additionally, an anaphora was used

when stating that the dead man still owned the parts of his body they were “his.” The anaphora

emphasizes the idea of O’Briens guilt. When someone has ownership of something it is theirs

unless sold, in this case, O’Brien is suggesting that he stole that man's life that wasn’t his to take.

Through syntax and the repetition of how the man was killed, O’Brien is remembering the event

in order to cope with the incident. The emphasis on words just makes it easier to remember.

Finally, after O’Brien received Norman Bowker’s letter he found that writing letters has saved

him from becoming paralyzed by the memories haunting him. O’Brien, the author, wrote, “By

telling stories, you objectify your own experience. You separate it from yourself. You pin down

certain truths. You make up others. You start sometimes with an incident that truly

happened,...you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not occur but that nonetheless

help to clarify and explain. (O’Brien 158)” The beginning phrase “you” of every sentence is an

anaphora. O’Brien uses “you” to talk directly to the reader as a single being. This makes this

story more impactful, O’Brien is teaching the reader a lesson that he has learned throughout his

life. The lesson is how to cope and not become paralyzed by painful memories. O’Brien now

knows how to cope and that is through his writings. The writing helped him clarify and explain

his memories even if some events were completely made up. Overall, O’Brien hopes to

accomplish a coping mechanism through “The Things They Carried” and not become paralyzed

by the past.
 Hinckley 47

O’Brien’s use of details play a major role in “The Things They Carried.” The details

allow the reader to see O'Brien's coping through the novel and the guilt and shame that he faces.

First of all, O’Brien is haunted by his past and the death it carries. When he killed a man he

became haunted by the past wherever he went. O’Brien, a veteran of the Vietnam War, wrote,

“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. (O’Brien 134)” This small detail is significant because this is an example of

O’Brien becoming haunted by the past even during the most simplistic of activities. Additionally,

the fog is symbolic of past memories so when the young man walks out of the fog it's symbolic

of memories resurfacing in O’Brien’s memories. This encapsulates O’Briens need to cope with

the death and war that crossed him during Vietnam. However, O’Brien himself hasn’t completely

figured it out. Furthermore, when discussing feelings during Vietnam O’Brien’s daughter,

Kathleen, tells him that it is an obsession and that instead of writing about the war he should start

writing about happiness. O’Brien thought to himself, “But the thing about remembering is that

you don’t forget…As a writer, all you can do is pick a street and go for the ride, putting things

down as they come to you. That’s the real obsession. All those stories. (O’Brien 34-35)” The

small detail of “obsession” gives insight into how O’Brien acts within his daily life, through the

input of O’Brien’s daughter Kathleen readers are able to see two different points of view.

However, the idea of obsession helps O’Brien cope with the guilt and weight of war, the stories

are an escape from reality. Additionally, the relations between writing and randomly driving

encapsulates the idea of freedom, writing is a controllable aspect of O’Brien’s life, unlike the war

into which he was forced into. Overall, without O’Brien’s obsession to write he wouldn’t be able
 Hinckley 48

to cope and would be held down by the weight of guilt, his writing is a healthy obsession.

Moreover, O’Brien talks about the lake he used to drive while in high school when he and his

friends used to talk about the theories of God. O’Brien writes, “Now, in the late afternoon, it lay

calm and smooth, a good audience for silence, a seven-mile circumference that could be traveled

by slow car in twenty-five minutes…And the lake had drowned his friend, Max Arnold, keeping

him out of the war entirely. (O’Brien 138)” The details of these quotes are highly religious. The

seven-mile circumference around the lake represents the seventh day which is the day of rest.

Then O’Brien states that people who try to go swimming in the lake either drown or get injured.

In the case of Max Arnold, he drowned, and this kept him out of the war. Representing the

symbolic meaning behind seven and that the lake would allow people to rest and stay out of the

cruel war, it's as if the lake was a living being trying to save people from a tiresome war. This

encapsulates the idea of coping because O’Brien is coping through God and is finally finding

peace, resting after a long, gruesome, war. Overall, even though the details were small, they had

a large effect on O’Brien’s coping mechanisms.

All in all, Tim O’Brien uses imagery, syntax, and details in “The Things They Carried” to

show his purpose in writing this novel which is to cope with the concrete weight of war,

presenting itself as detrimental to all, through remembrance of the beings lost. O’Brien uses

imagery to shape his gruesome memories into something light and glorified, as well as make the

reader experience the emotion and senses of the soldier during Vietnam. The syntax allows the

reader to go through a questioning thought process and feel connected to O'Brien's writings,

emphasizing O’Brien’s way of coping using this novel. In addition, the details provide insight

into O’Brien’s life before and after the war, in addition to how he has changed allowing for the

need for a coping mechanism which is writing. Throughout the entirety of this novel, O’Brien is
 Hinckley 49

coping with the tragedies of war, the weight is not paralyzing. O’Brien is able to move through

daily life even if there are minor drawbacks to the haunted memories carried by the fog. Overall,

the main reason for writing this book was to cope by discussing stories that he couldn’t usually

have outside of his book. This book is his therapy, it never talks, only listens.
 Hinckley 50

Written: 10/17/2022
Privitive Habitude: The Angry Winter

In 1969, Loren Eisley, an illustrious anthropologist, and sociologist wrote: “The Angry

Winter” in which he recounts an incident between himself and his dog, Wolf. Eisley uses this

event to reflect on humanity and the nature of animals. One night Wolf had taken a leg bone of a

bison from Eilsey’s study and gnawed on it. Eisley, tempted to take the bone from Wolf, who

was flashing his teeth at the time, resisted the antediluvian shadows. However, when Eisley

brought an object of familiarity to Wolf, a leash. Wolf immediately dropped the bone. Allowing

Eisley to obtain the bone, and releasing the once bellicose shadows lingering in Wolf’s mind.

Through this event, Eisley realized how similar both humans and animals are. We both have a

strong primitive instinct dwelling inside of us, waiting for the right time to jump out of the

shadows and engulf all the morality we once had, making us puppets in the hands of a menacing,

irrational, starved beast. Eisley meticulously constitutes this passage, using diction, imagery, and

syntax to show that even with a strong, warm, tender bond, all living things can become

conquered by the shadows of their uncontrollable primitive habitude, dismembering the warmth

of the tender bond they once shared.

Loren Eisley takes liberties with his use of syntax to represent the feeling of primitive

habitude that harvests an uncontrollable desire. While, Eisley and his beloved companion, Wolf,

tugged over the large bison bone. Eisley looked into Wolf's eyes and saw an unwavering desire

for the object, a desire that couldn’t be controlled. Eisley wrote, “‘I will not give it up. I cannot.

The shadows will not permit me. Do not put out your hand.’” Eisley intricately weaves a

minacious feeling for the reader, which is the unwavering desire that Wolf harnesses. But it is

impossible to break free, for Wolf is just an animal, controlled by primitive habitude, in the

hands of an ancient puppeteer shadow. The syntax in this piece is used to portray Wolf's plea for
 Hinckley 51

Eiseley to not grab the bone. The short, quick, sentences represent the urgency in Wolf’s eyes

and the uncontrollable need for the bone. The syntax also adds greater meaning to these words

because it ingrains the phrases “I will not”, “I cannot”, and “will not permit me” into the reader's

mind. These are essential phrases that the author, Loren Eisley, is using in order to show how

uncontrollable Wolf’s primitive instincts are. Another example of Eisley’s excellent use of syntax

is Wolf’s plea for Eisley to not take the bone, or else Eilsley could be injured, due to Wolf’s

uncontrollable urgency to lay hold of the glorious bison bone. When the author looked into

Wolf’s eyes Eisley imagined Wolf saying, “‘I am what I am-and cannot be otherwise because of

the shadows. You are a man, and my very god. I love you, but do not reach out your hand. It is

midnight. We are in another time, in the snow’” Yet again we see Wolf’s uncontrollable desire

for the bone. He loves his owner but is not able to control himself due to the ancient shadows

that are fostering his inner primitive habitude. Wolf even saw Eisley as a God, someone who is

the ruler of all and the person who can control both the past and the future. No one would even

dare to go against a God unless they had lost their mind. The syntax is important because it

shows that Wolf has no uncertainty, he knows his actions will become more unruly, and Wolf

cannot control that. We also see the repetition of “Do not put out your hand.” This is always in a

sentence by itself. It's as if Wolf is desperate for Eiseley to not take the bone. He can't control it,

but his ancient shadows shout out at him, and control the entirety of his being, destroying all of

the morality he once had. Within this quote, the small phrases: “It is midnight” and “We are in

another time, in the snow” mirror the beginning of the passage where both Wolf and Eisley start

in a warm room at nightfall, but once it turns to midnight, everything changes. The words, “We

are in another time” show that they are not the same as they used to be; they have changed. The

phrase, “It’s midnight.” shows the change into a new day, a different light. At midnight shadows
 Hinckley 52

appear, but in the daytime shadows may eventually dissipate, and the once-dark sky will become

bright, once again. The syntax singles out the word “midnight” instead of mixing it in one

complete sentence. This allows the reader to find a connection between the beginning of this text

and the paragraph where this line takes place. Without this, it would be difficult to find Eisley’s

message, which is that even with a strong bond the shadows of uncontrollable, primitive habitude

will eventually take us over and dismember our morality as well as our strongest bonds, with the

ones we love. Overall, syntax has played a major role in portraying the author's idea of primitive

habitude.

Diction was also a key component within Lorenn Eisley’s writings. The most

fundamental word Eisley uses is “Shadows,” this diction is everywhere, from beginning to end.

“Shadow” first appeared when Wolf was becoming something other than himself. He became

vicious and disorderly; the shadows were controlling Wolf. But the shadows would soon leave

the body of Wolf and everything would return to its original state. The figurative diction

“shadow” is a metaphor for primitive habitude, our instincts as living, breathing, beings. This

diction is important because shadows always follow us, wherever we go but are not always seen.

Which represents living beings alike. We all have a hidden ancient calling, even if it's not seen

there. Eisley himself even said, “Even to me the shadows had whispered to me, the scholar in his

study.” Showing that the shadow was there even if it wasn’t as prominent as Wolf’s shadows.

Not only did the shadows suddenly appear they suddenly left, implementing how uncertain, and

uncontrollable primitive habitude is, dismembering an unexpecting bond between two beings.

Eisley had mentioned that the shadows were carried by something; that thing was the wind. The

fanciful diction, “wind,” is the carrier of ancient, primal, shadows that would eventually

demolish Wolf’s control and morality. At the beginning of this passage, Eisley uses the
 Hinckley 53

personification, “prowling” to describe the wind, creeping through the darkness. The wind also

shook the windows, demanding its way into the warm room. This establishes the wind as a

mysterious being trying to force its way into the warmth of the living room. “Wind” and,

“shadows'' are interconnected, the wind represents the bringer of foregone instinct, while the

shadows represent the primitive instincts themselves. And then, in the end, Eisley wrote, “but the

wind, and the shadows it had brought, had vanished.” Eisley ultimately tells the readers the

meaning of the wind. When we think of strong wind it is uncontrollable and frigid. The wind’s

attempt to break into the warm living room shows the dismembering of a warm bond. In many

cases, the wind is impossible to control, and this can lead to an uncontrollable habitude. Thirdly,

the word “warm” is interconnected with the words ``shadows” and “wind.” The word “warm”

represents the inner mind, untainted by the shadows of primitive habitude. The reason being is

that in the beginning, the wind was trying to break through the window and get to the warmth.

Also, Eisley tells Wolf, “‘Come back to the fire, or you will be lost.’” Insinuating that the

warmth is a guide and the light at the end of the tunnel. As discussed before, the wind is the

carrier of shadows and so the warmth is the warmth behind the eyes of the mind, “the window.”

Eisley uses the diction of “warm” to give the reader insight into Eilsey’s and Wolf’s warm bond,

and for a subtle moment, untainted by shadows. The shadows also leave as soon as the wind

leaves which means it would be warmer and that was when Eisley and Wolf had finally retained

their morality and were released of an old friend, the primitive, ancient, shadows of the past.

Overall the illustrative diction of “wind” and, “shadows' ' represent the upbringing of primitive

habitude. And then the warmth is the savior of it all, the light at the end of a tunnel, the morality,

and the controllable aspect within the wind and shadows lingering about.
 Hinckley 54

Eisley’s use of imagery is superb when portraying the primitive habitude all living beings

possess. The images he creates allow us, the readers, to create a scene in our head which would

then contribute to the aspect of a relationship being dismembered due to primal instincts in the

form of shadows. In paragraph 3, Eisley reaches out his hand to Wolf but Wolf is suddenly

aggressive towards Eisley, the author wrote, “There was nothing in that bone to taste, but ancient

shapes were moving in his mind and determining his utterance. Only fools gave up bones. He

was warning me.” An essential piece of imagery we should discuss is, “ancient shapes were

moving in his mind determining his utterance.” This creates an image of a wheel turning in a

Wolf’s head. The brain is so complex and is the source of all functions, so with that, the ancient

wheels represent primitive habitude. The utterance also insinuates that this feeling is

uncontrollable. Since the brain is an unpredictable source of knowledge and life that determines

our every move and when something is out of the ordinary at a given time, such as the ancient

shapes, we can change completely and lose ourselves to primal instinct that didn’t present itself

before. In paragraph 5, Eisley uses more malicious imagery when describing Wolf, Eisley writes,

“His teeth showed and his mouth wrinkled to strike. The rumbling rose to a direct snarl. His flat

head swayed low and wickedly as a reptile’s above the floor. I was the most loved object in his

universe, but the past was fully alive in him now.” The author creates the image of Wolf being

defensive by the flashing of his teeth. Wolf was also depicted as swaying his head low like a

reptile’s head, meaning Wolf was very cautious of his surroundings knowing he would be able to

control his primitive instincts. Personification is also used when talking about the past, this

creates an image of the vibrancy of the past and how the past was “fully alive in him” creating

the image of shadows dancing inside of Wolf’s head, jumping up and down, turning the wheels

of ancient habitude that was thought to be lost. Finally, at the very end of this passage, Eisley
 Hinckley 55

ends the story by writing, “There was no visible track, and certainly no sound from the living.

The snow continued to fall steadily, but the wind, and the shadows it had brought, had vanished.”

This fosters an image of the aftermath of a storm; the snow is covering the ground, but it is no

longer windy or cold it's just a conforming snowfall. In addition, the “no visible track” signifies

that the shadows have left and have become unnoticeable once again, showing how

unpredictable and uncontrollable the appearance of shadows is and how in a single instant that

bond can be broken. The image of snow falling and wind swimming through the air allows

readers to release what comes after the storm and that is peace. Overall Eisley uses imagery to

represent rudimentary instinct and how uncontrollable it is.

In conclusion, Eisley uses his strong diction, imagery, and syntax to show that even with

a warm bond all living things can eventually become conquered by uncontrollable, primitive,

shadow, which can then dismember the warmth of a close bond that was once shared between

two beings. Eilsey uses diction such as “wind” and “shadow” to show primitive habitude and

how uncontrollable that is. Eisley uses syntax that makes the words have more of an impact and

allows the reader to find the true meaning behind the “Angry Winter” which is that all living

things can eventually be taken over by primitive habitude. In addition, the imagery was used to

create an image of the desperation Wolf was experiencing and the important role of weather and

how it represents the prominence and unpredictability of primitive habitude stemming from our

ancient roots. Overall, we are all living beings and can become overcome by our antediluvian

instincts within an instant and then disappear as fast as it had appeared, leaving no tracks in the

snow, vanishing without any physical trace, only the trace of memory.