The phrase "cities are divided into the distinct patches of an elaborate quilt" suggests that urban environments are composed of diverse cultural and ethnic communities, each contributing its unique identity to the larger fabric of society. This metaphor emphasizes the complexity and vibrancy of multiculturalism, contrasting with the notion of a melting pot where differences are blended into a uniform whole.
Anna In-Between by Elizabeth Nunez
America, the melting pot, and everywhere cities are divided into the distinct patches of an elaborate quilt. From the center the colors fan out, black turning to shades of brown, café au lait, then white as the colors reach the suburbs. What is it? What is it that makes the island of her birth so different, so truly cosmopolitan? For if geography were all, if that were all it took to explain her island, to explain Ranjit Ramdoolal, Paul Bishop, Neil Lee Pak, and the many bloods that run through her parents’ veins, then Manhattan, itself a tiny island, connected by bridges to the rest of America and to the world by an ocean, should be a true melting pot.
In 1–2 sentences, analyze the use of the phrase "cities are divided into the distinct patches of an elaborate quilt" in this text.
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"Sinking and Swaddled" by Beth Gilstrap
She swore she felt the earth drop—like a hitch in an elevator—several miles from her mother’s house. She thought of all those bedlinens agitated, curled, heaped on top of her mother, sunk along with everything else, beams, roof tiles, the acrylic nails her mom wore, the senselessness of waste. Her father had sunk, too. Years ago, in a prefab home out on the lake. One day the lake rose a mite and the ground dove a mite and from what her mother said, her father was better off down there, probably still passed out on his leather couch. Ona had been swaddled and maneuvered into the bow of a rowboat and, as legend tells, slept through the whole affair. Perhaps it was this swaddling she longed for more than anything with all this terrible sinking going on. Ona walked for days, determined to find safety on higher ground. If she read her instruments correctly, she was adjacent to a national forest. The public would not stand for the sinking of a national forest so when she found a slate bungalow, she settled there. Though two walls were missing, she concluded it was due to wind and rain and the birch tree that had swindled its way up and through the middle of the sweet, abandoned home. It wasn’t sinking. The kitchen still held a butcher-block table with a family of plates. Ona piled them one on top of the other and pulled them to her chest, sick with grief, sick with longing at the sight of the dust-free circles left behind. After rinsing each dish in the creek, she dried them with her shirtsleeve and put them back in place. At dusk, fingertips numb, Ona tore sheets of bark from the tree, building herself a papery cradle on the uneven floorboards where she could sleep for years.
In one or two sentences, describe how the author uses sensory language to create mood in this passage.
She swore she felt the earth drop—like a hitch in an elevator—several miles from her mother’s house. She thought of all those bedlinens agitated, curled, heaped on top of her mother, sunk along with everything else, beams, roof tiles, the acrylic nails her mom wore, the senselessness of waste. Her father had sunk, too. Years ago, in a prefab home out on the lake. One day the lake rose a mite and the ground dove a mite and from what her mother said, her father was better off down there, probably still passed out on his leather couch. Ona had been swaddled and maneuvered into the bow of a rowboat and, as legend tells, slept through the whole affair. Perhaps it was this swaddling she longed for more than anything with all this terrible sinking going on. Ona walked for days, determined to find safety on higher ground. If she read her instruments correctly, she was adjacent to a national forest. The public would not stand for the sinking of a national forest so when she found a slate bungalow, she settled there. Though two walls were missing, she concluded it was due to wind and rain and the birch tree that had swindled its way up and through the middle of the sweet, abandoned home. It wasn’t sinking. The kitchen still held a butcher-block table with a family of plates. Ona piled them one on top of the other and pulled them to her chest, sick with grief, sick with longing at the sight of the dust-free circles left behind. After rinsing each dish in the creek, she dried them with her shirtsleeve and put them back in place. At dusk, fingertips numb, Ona tore sheets of bark from the tree, building herself a papery cradle on the uneven floorboards where she could sleep for years.
In one or two sentences, describe how the author uses sensory language to create mood in this passage.
The author employs vivid sensory language, such as the tactile images of "curling" bed linens, the "dust-free circles" of the dishes, and the "numb" fingertips, to evoke a somber and melancholic mood that reflects Ona's deep sense of loss and longing for safety and comfort. These details immerse the reader in Ona's emotional landscape, emphasizing the weight of her grief and the fragility of her surroundings amidst the chaos of her reality.
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The author uses sensory language through visual imagery like "heaped on top of her mother" and descriptions of the "slate bungalow" with "two walls missing," creating a vivid picture of destruction and abandonment that enhances the mood of despair and longing. The tactile sensations of the swaddling, the feel of the "papery cradle" on uneven floorboards, and the act of rinsing dishes in the creek further immerse the reader in Ona's experience of searching for solace amid the ruins of her life.
The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell “Off there to the right—somewhere—is a large island,” said Whitney. “It’s rather a mystery——” “What island is it?” Rainsford asked. “The old charts call it ‘Ship-Trap Island,’“ Whitney replied. “A suggestive name, isn’t it? Sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don’t know why. Some superstition——”
“Can’t see it,” remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht. “You’ve good eyes,” said Whitney, with a laugh, “and I’ve seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can’t see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night.” “Nor four yards,” admitted Rainsford. “Ugh! It’s like moist black velvet.”
“It will be light enough in Rio,” promised Whitney. “We should make it in a few days.
Use the passage to answer the question. In 1–2 paragraphs, analyze how the author uses figurative language to reveal elements of the story’s cultural setting.
“Can’t see it,” remarked Rainsford, trying to peer through the dank tropical night that was palpable as it pressed its thick warm blackness in upon the yacht. “You’ve good eyes,” said Whitney, with a laugh, “and I’ve seen you pick off a moose moving in the brown fall bush at four hundred yards, but even you can’t see four miles or so through a moonless Caribbean night.” “Nor four yards,” admitted Rainsford. “Ugh! It’s like moist black velvet.”
“It will be light enough in Rio,” promised Whitney. “We should make it in a few days.
Use the passage to answer the question. In 1–2 paragraphs, analyze how the author uses figurative language to reveal elements of the story’s cultural setting.
In this passage from "The Most Dangerous Game," Richard Connell employs figurative language to evoke the mystery and foreboding atmosphere surrounding Ship-Trap Island, reflecting the cultural anxieties that surround the unknown in maritime lore. The description of the night as "dank" and "palpable" enhances the oppressive feeling associated with the tropical setting, illustrating how the physical environment can influence characters' emotions and actions. Whitney's reference to the island as having a "suggestive name" and a "curious dread" reveals a cultural belief steeped in superstition and fear, indicating that the sailors’ apprehension is tied to a collective consciousness that gives power to the unknown and the unseen dangers that may lurk in remote places.
Additionally, Rainsford's comparison of the darkness to "moist black velvet" employs a simile that further emphasizes the sensory experience of the night and underlines the thematic contrast between civilization and the primal instinct for survival. This imagery reflects the tension between the characters’ backgrounds as hunters—representatives of civilization—and the oppressive natural world they are about to encounter. The juxtaposition of Rainsford's confidence in his hunting abilities with his acknowledgment of being unable to see in the dark serves as a foreshadowing device, hinting at the challenges he will face on Ship-Trap Island and underscoring the cultural narratives surrounding the dangers of the wild. Overall, the use of figurative language establishes a rich cultural backdrop that heightens the sense of intrigue and imminent peril that defines the story.
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