Identities

Short Stories - Literary Devises Title: __Identities__

Point of View: Omnicient. The story is written using a 3rd person narrative.

Protagonist: A married man with kids, who decides to go on a nostalgic journey through a rough neighborhood, though he himself is quite rich.

What type of character is the Protagonist? The protagonist is a rather absent-minded man, who is resourceful, (indicated by how he remembers a talk show, in which it is told what to do when in a rough neighborhood). He is also rather wealthy. Round and Dynamic, as is most common with protagonists.

Antagonist: The antagonist is an inexperienced police officer who believes that the protagonist is an armed thief. Also, The environment provides an extremely undesirable contrast, that causes his death.

Describe the setting: A dangerous, undesirable suburb that is crawling with petty crooks, and screaming children, and covered in graffiti. Windows are smashed and houses are boarded up, indicating that this is the wrong end of town.

Type of Conflict: Man vs. Environment/Man

Describe the main conflict: Between him and an impulsive police officer, who believes him to be a burglar armed with a gun. The reason the police officer believes him to be a thief is because of the contrast between him and the rough environment.

Describe the Climax of the Story: A police officer with a pistol orders the protagonist to place his hands over his head, because he suspects the protagonist to be a thief. The protagonist mistakenly relaxes, and reaches for his wallet. He is than shot.

How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? At the beginning of the story the protagonist appears as a wealthy, average man going on a nostalgic car trip. However as the story proceeds the protagonist becomes more wary and more prone to mistakes.

Describe the relationship between the title and the theme: At the beginning of the story, the protagonist is searching for his identity, his childhood that was lost over the years. His search brings him to a dangerous neighborhood, in which he is shot, while trying to confirm his identity.

How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? A search for identity can end up badly, as a nostalgic trip turns into an untimely death.

How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? If you attempt to prove something that isn’t asked, such as your identity, your life could slip away through your cold lifeless fingers.

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

Simile: //Paper clogs the fence like drifted snow//

Metaphor: The promise of a Saturday //liquid with sunshine.//

Personification: //Eagles, tigers, wolves, and serpents ride their backs//

<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Symbol: Blue jeans are seen as a symbol of poverty, in contrast with the protagonist’s wealthy possessions.

<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Foreshadowing (give both elements): So intent on the future, he dangerously ignores the present. //His lax in concentration causes him to be killed//

Irony: An innocent man is shot by the very people hired to protect him.

Imagery: //The store window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage.//

Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story: The story begins with a typically human trait-nostalgia. As the story continues, fear, and mistrust begin to creep through to protagonist’s mind. An impulsive policeman finishes the story with a horrific death. All of those emotions, apart from fear, are emotions that only humans can feel, hence a link with humanity. The tragic irony, that a search for identity, and mistaken identity causes his death, is another notable point.

<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Completion 5/5 <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Effort 4.5/5 <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">Content 4.5/5 <span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Paragraph 4.5/5

<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif;">total 18.5/20