Saturday, April 5, 2014

Week 5 Option B



How exactly is the idea of the hazards (risks) of isolation (separation) treated in both works?
You must IDENTIFY the grammatical, literary, and syntactical terms (from this sheet in the middle column) WITHIN your paragraph.   Do not simply summarize and quote. Remember that this paragraph is about the writing, not an assessment of Lily’s growth throughout the book.



An excerpt from The Secret Life of Bees
By: Sue Monk Kidd (2002)



When his shoes clomped into the room, she sighed, the breath leaving her as if her lungs had suddenly deflated.  This is the last thing I remember with perfect crispness—her breath floating down to me like a tiny parachute, collapsing without a trace among the piles of shoes.

I don’t remember what they said, only the fury of their words, how the air turned raw and full of welts.  Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other.  I inched backward, deeper into the closet, feeling my fingers in my mouth, the taste of shoes, of feet.

Dragged out, I didn’t know at first whose hands pulled me, then found myself in my mother’s arms, breathing her smell.  She smoothed my hair, said, “Don’t worry,” but even as she said it, I was peeled away by T.Ray.  He carried me to the door and set me down in the hallway.  “Go to your room,” he said.








“Sympathy”
Paul Laurence Dunbar (1899)
My Thoughts:
Structure, sentences, grammar, figurative language, paragraphing, etc.



I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
   When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
And the river flows like a stream of glass;
   When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
And the faint perfume from its chalice steals—
I know what the caged bird feels!

I know why the caged bird beats its wing
   Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
For he must fly back to his perch and cling
When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
   And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
And they pulse again with a keener sting—
I know why he beats his wing!

I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
   When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
   But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
I know why the caged bird sings!


20 comments:

  1. In the excerpt for the Secret Life of Bees it was in a paragraph form. Figurative language is also used in the excerpt. A simile in the excerpt was "The river flows like a stream of glass." This could be comparing how glass is reflective and how a river shines in the sun. In the middle paragraph it contains long sentences and it has a feeling of loneliness. In the excerpt the closet that Lily was backing into was making her feel isolated from everyone and everything. The excerpt was also very descriptive like when it stated "I inched backwards, deeper into the closet, feeling my fingers in my mouth, the taste of shoes, of feet." The word choice of the excerpt was very aggressive because the author used words like "flinging". Overall the excerpt really captures the magnitude of the situation that Lily is in. In the poem Sympathy it represents many things. The bird is in its cage, therefore it feels isolated from the world. The poem also contains no periods and there are dashes and semicolons. The title is sympathy and it makes the reader feel that for the bird. Eclectic words are used in the poem like "alas" because of the time period. The caged bird can also represent all the people going through troubles and cant escape from their "cage". In the poem it creates an image of fear when it states "bloody bird". Both pieces of writing show how the idea of isolation is used.

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  2. Option B:
    In both pieces the risks of separation were displayed through figurative language, title, and perspective. In the excerpt from The Secret Life of Bees, Lily was having a flashback about the day her mother died. She said, “I was peeled away by T.Ray. He carried me to the door and set me down in the hallway.” T.Ray peeled Lily away from her mother like an orange. This irony showed that T.Ray removing Lily from the room created less of a risk of her hearing anything that happening in the course of their argument. Also it showed that by him separating Lily from Deborah it only made Deborah more agitated towards T.Ray. The author Paul Laurence Dunbar named the poem Sympathy for many reasons, one being that the title is simply the emotion that he is feeling toward the bird seeing the pain that it must go through. Lily had a first person perspective of the pain that she went through. Paul Dunbar had not felt the pain himself, rather he expressed the pain he saw through his poem.
    seveneleven16

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  3. What is isolation? What are hazards? Both of these ideas are demonstrated in two passages, one called “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, and the other is a short passage from the book Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Sympathy is a poem that tells about a bird that is locked in a cage. The tones of both these passages are serious. Since, they are talking about such a strong topic both pieces have strong word choices. As shown in both pieces there is figurative language. In “Sympathy” it says, “the river flows like a stream of glass.” And in the Secret Life of Bees it says, “as if her lungs as suddenly deflated.” In “Sympathy” it is more formal with shorter stanzas; this catches the reader’s attention. In the Secret Life of Bees it is more informal like a conversation and it is more in paragraph form. In “Sympathy” the author using parallelism by repeating, “the cages bird…” This shows that the world is kind of revolving around the bird since he is isolated from everyone else. Also, the author did a good job creating the image of the lonely bird in the reader’s head. In Secret Life of Bees when T-ray telling Lily “get to your room.” He is separating her from the hazards that may happen next. The short, yelling dialogue helps see the image the situation and helps you feel more of what Lily may be feeling. Both passages revealed true isolation and hazards in our world today.

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  4. In the first passage, the author uses symbolism by using the closet to represent isolation. The symbolism makes it easier to understand the isolation because you can picture someone being pushed further into a closet while they become more isolated. The writer says that Lily “inched backward, deeper into the closet.” By using this symbolism, you can get a better understanding of how Lily was feeling and you can match a physical action to an emotional feeling. The author also uses vivid words in order to understand isolation. Paragraph three says “Dragged out, I didn’t know at first whose hands pulled me…” By using the word “dragged” rather than “moved”, you can better understand the harshness of the action. Using this vivid language makes you better understand the strong feeling of being isolated. The author of the second passage uses symbolism by using “the caged bird” to describe how African Americans were treated. The cage that contains the bird represents the social boundaries at the time, to show that these people were “trapped” and unable to have much freedom. By using this symbolism, it gives you a better idea of the lack of freedom that the African Americans felt in their “cage.”

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  5. 4musketeers18

    Both the excerpt from The Secret Life of Bees, and the poem, “Sympathy”, depict themes about the hazards of isolation. The poem has a sad and serious tone as the author describes a “caged bird” which symbolizes the minority. The phrase “caged bird” is used in order emphasize the oppression that was acted upon minorities. The setting of the poem, the late 1890s, helps to explain the perspective of the scenario. The late 1890s was a time period in which the minorities were treated with prejudice and were caged in by the restrictions from the majority, which allows the reader to infer that this poem was written by a minority. Paul Dunbar employs figurative language throughout his piece. For example, Dunbar writes,” And the river flows like a stream of glass”. The syntax of this poem features repetition of phrases such as: “I know” and “When”. Paul Dunbar writes,” I know why the caged bird beats its wing. Till its blood is red on the cruel bars”. The caged bird’s blood is used to symbolize that although being isolated can mean being protected, isolation also brings its own hazards of physical and emotional pain. The excerpt employs figurative language as well. For example, Sue Monk Kidd writes, “… the breath leaving her as if her lungs had suddenly deflated.” The syntax of the excerpt features long descriptive sentences that complement the imagery Kidd uses to manifest a strong and powerful tone. Kidd conveys the hazards of isolation by writing, “Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other.” Kidd articulates that being isolated with one other person can cause conflictions. Although both of these pieces of literature regard isolation, they differ because different subjects are used in both pieces.
    4musketeers18

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  6. Authors Sue Monk Kidd, and Paul Laurence Dunbar address the theme of the hazards of isolation in many ways. In the excerpt from Sue Monk Kidd, it states, “Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other.” By using this piece of figurative language, Sue Monk Kidd reveals that since Lily had to deal with the conflicts going on between her parents at the time all by herself, the scene of them fighting was forever jammed in the back of her mind, and she envisions it as birds flinging themselves against each other in a closed room. This can be an issue because she doesn’t have anyone to converse with on this subject to take her mind of it. Also, Sue Monk Kidd’s use of Lily’s tone shows that Lily is unsure about many of the minor details that occurred which can be a problem because it could alter her emotions towards one person or the other. On the other hand, this issue is shown in “Sympathy” as well. “And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars And they pulse again with a keener sting—.” This quote from “Sympathy” is just one of the many sentences like it that use syntax to portray the issue of isolation. In every sentence that is about the problems that this particular bird encountered on its own, they are always cut off without finishing them with a period. Other than using syntax to further prove this concept, Paul Dunbar uses repetition of the phrase, “I know why.” By doing this, Mr. Dunbar further accentuates that he can relate to this bird in its pains of isolation. In conclusion, Mr. Dunbar and Mrs. Kidd both use their own specific writing styles and dictions to further drive home the concept of the hazards of isolation.

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  7. The idea of hazards of isolation is treated in both works, “The Secret life of Bees,” and “Sympathy.”One similarity between the two pieces is their use of symbolism to add to the writing. For example, the “The Secret life of Bees” states, “When his (T.Ray) shoes clomped into the room, she sighed, the breath leaving her as if her lungs had suddenly deflated.” In this quote, T.Ray’s shoes are symbolic of his personality. Just like in a horror movie, the antagonist’s face is never seen, the same happens here. T. Ray’s presence is known to be negative just from that one phrase. “Sympathy” is very symbolic as well. “The caged bird” can represent anything that is being isolated. “Sympathy” also uses dashes and repetition to emphasize how “The caged bird feels.” “I know how…” is preceded by a dash. This repetition shows that the author understands how the person in isolation is feeling. The syntax and construction of the two pieces vary greatly. “The Secret life of Bees” is written in developed paragraphs with medium length sentences while “Sympathy” is written in short stanzas with long, compound sentences. Both pieces use figurative language to enhance the writing, such as similes and metaphors. While the message is conveyed in very different ways the idea of the hazards of isolation is treated in both works.

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  8. How exactly is the idea of the hazards (risks) of isolation (separation) treated in both works?
    The idea of the hazards of isolation is treated in both works. Lily is trapped in the closet, like the bird is trapped in the cage. In the excerpt it says, “Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room.” Lily and the bird are separated form where they want to be. Lily wants to be with her mother and the bird wants to be outside of the cage living life. The Syntax in the BEES passage builds up tension with the run on sentence. The syntax makes the reader feel like something is going to happen. The run-on sentences show frantic, loss, and confusion. In the middle paragraph in BEES there is a long sentence structure and syntax. It makes you feel lonely, “I don’t remember what they said, only the fury of their words, how the air turned raw and full of welts… flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other. I inched backward, deeper into the closet…” The title “Sympathy” relates to the birds and how others feel for this bird being locked up. It also relates to the telling and shows the speaker relationship to the experience. The speaker’s tones in both seem serious and scared. The definition of sympathy is feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune (dictionary.com). “I know” usage creates parallelism in “Sympathy”, it builds the believability of the speaker. In “Sympathy” this is the parallelism shown, “I know what the caged bird feels… I know what the caged bird feels…I know why the caged bird…” “The pain still throbs like old, old scars,” is descriptive language found in the poem, how it used leads to someone thinking of the word depression. In both pieces the hazard of isolation is saw through some of the descriptive words used. The separation from where you’d like to be is in the pieces. In the excerpt, Lily didn’t want to be away from her mother and in the poem the wants to be outside the cage. The ideas of the hazard of isolation treated in both works are treated in both pieces.

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  9. In the excerpt from The Secret Life of Bees There are lots of conflicts with isolation and Hazards. Lilly is pulled away because of T-Ray and how he suspects hazards in his way. So he pulls her away to isolate her from the problem. He does this in caution to his daughter so she does not get hurt in any way. It is a paragraph form and takes place at Lilly’s house. The author makes it look like T-Ray is a horrific father but in the end he tries to protect her but he can’t express in anyway. The tone of the passage is loud and arguing. In the last paragraph there is dialogue of Lilly and her mom and dad screaming.
    The caged bird wants to get out and fly but the cage around it keeps it from getting away. The bird is isolated from nature. The cage protects it from any hazards outside. The cage related to T-Ray in a way by being mean but wants to protect at the same time. The title Sympathy relates to the text by being nice and being a protector. It takes place in a cage with a bird inside of it. The author gives you this image of a bird trying hard to get out but cant. The tone is an eager tone where you want to achieve something but you’re being held back. The slashes are used a decent amount of times as well the author states “I know what the cage bird feels.

    option B
    7-eleven #1

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  10. The theme of hazards from isolation is told very differently in both pieces, but they both still show how isolation can be hazardous. In the excerpt of the Secret Life of Bees, the mood is very depressing and slow. “When his shoes clomped into the room, she sighed, the breath leaving her as if her lungs had suddenly deflated.” This sentence show how long sentences can lead to a depressing mood. They use the word deflated to also stress the slowness of the piece, and how depression can be a hazard. Lily also says,” Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other.” This symbolizes that being isolated can also drain all your patience and cause you to go crazy. They created a picture in my mind, of birds being trapped, to help stress the theme. They did this by using long sentences and being descriptive. On the other hand, the second piece has extremely short sentences and is very repetitive. This shows how simple this theme can be and the writer really imbeds the fact that he knows everything. He says “I know why..” about six times to make the fact concrete in your head. When the writer is describing what the bird feels, he is very descriptive. “I know why the caged bird beats its wings till its blood is red on the cruel bars;” shows that the writer is portraying the theme very violently. Although both these pieces have very different writing styles, they both show the theme of hazards from isolation.

    SK8-9

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  11. In the "Sympathy" piece Paul Laurence Dunbar is relating to the bird and how it feels. The bird has been in his cage and is feeling all different emotions. If the bird is isolated for a long time it won’t find out what the world is like and what other emotions it can feel. This relates to the "Secret Life of Bees" excerpt because T-Ray isolates Lily from her mother and him. This can be hazardous because Lily can be missing on what really happened and not on a bunch of facts from August, May, and June. Also, Lily could have seen and known if Deborah really loved her so she wouldn't have had to run off, maybe things would be so different with Lily if T-Ray didn't isolate her from the situation. Lily could have seen the real T-Ray maybe.

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  12. The idea of the hazards of isolation is shown in both "Sympathy" and the excerpt from "The Secret Life of Bees". "When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,- When he beats his bars and he would be free;" In 'Sympathy' the caged brid represents slaves and how they are trying to escape. It was extremely difficult for them to escape so it was as if they were trapped in a cage. " 'Don't worry.' but even as she sad it, I was peeled away from T.Ray. He carried me to the door and set me down in the hallway. 'Go to your room.' " When T.Ray sent Lily to her room, I think he was trying to hide her from the fact that he was going to do something bad to Deborah. He wasn't trying to protect her, he was trying to protect himself from anyone finding out. He didn't want Lil to now so he sent her to her room.

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  13. The theme of the hazards of isolation is depicted in both the excerpt of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and in Sympathy by Paul Laurence Dunbar. In the poem Sympathy, the author uses parallelism when he says, “I know” at the beginning of some of his stanzas. He also uses figurative language to describe nature. It is about a caged bird and how it tries over and over again to escape its cage. “Till its blood is red on the cruel bars…” This quote from Sympathy explains that since the bird is isolated it is risking its life to escape. This bird could also symbolize Lily. In The Secret Life of Bees excerpt, Lily explains how T-Ray separated or isolated Lily from her mother. “…But even as she said it, I was peeled away by T-Ray. He carried me to the door and set me down in the hallway. ‘Go to your room,’ he said.” This shows how Lily’s father was trying to separate her from her mother. This isolation is a hazard to Lily’s safety because this makes her want to adventure out to where her mother has been even more. Lily wanders all the way to South Carolina while she could have been kidnapped or injured along the way. In a way, the caged bird represents Lily. They both are willing to sacrifice their lives and their safety just to escape the cage. In Lily’s case, the cage could be T-Ray because he is the one who isolated her in the first place.

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  14. Isolation is the process or fact of being separated. Isolation has many hazards and risks that are identified clearly in “The Secret Life of Bees” and “Sympathy”. In “The Secret Life of Bees”, when T-Ray enters the room, it says, “His shoes clomped into the room…” By saying this, the author creates a scared feeling for the audience. It’s like how you don’t see the monster, but you know it’s there and coming for you—just like isolation. In “Sympathy”, the author makes the readers feel sad or sympathy towards the person who is like the isolated caged bird. The poem uses harsh words to do this like “blood” and “cruel”. Both prompts use repetition throughout the writing. In the poem, the phrase “I know what [how, why] the caged bird…” is repeated multiple times throughout the poem. The caged bird is a metaphor for one who is isolated. In the excerpt, the word “closet” is repeated a lot and is also used as a metaphor for a safe haven where Lily could protect herself from the outside world. This shows the theme of hazards of isolation because it represents how one could be harmed by trying to get out of isolation. In “Sympathy”, the poet uses dashes and writes fragments instead of full sentences to make the poem more dramatic and to get the basic point across without adding unnecessary words. In the excerpt, T-Ray has been isolated from Lily and Deborah for a while and the affects show because he seems really mad in this passage. Also, the hallway in the passage represents being isolated from her parents and once she leaves the hallway and enters the room again, she harms her mother by shooting her with a gun. Something similar happens in the poem. When the caged bird tries to get out, it gets harmed by the cruel bars.

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  15. The idea of the hazards of isolation is treated in both works. The excerpt from “The Secret Life of Bees” is written from the perspective of Lily, a young and innocent girl who is hiding fearfully in a closet as her parents argue. The paragraphing/stanzas show the different stages in the event, first T. Ray and Deborah meeting, then the arguing and finally Lily being dragged out. The separation of darkness and clothes, created by Lily’s cowering in the closet, is the reasoning behind Lily only describing the words, not the facial expressions or anything else. Instead she uses imagery to create a picture of the argument. She writes in paragraph 2, “Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other.” The word ‘closed” emphasized how distant the narrator felt from her parents at the time while the quote, as a whole, showed the intensity of the argument. In paragraph 3, the juxtaposition in dialogue of Lily’s mother saying, “ ‘Don’t worry’ ” and her father saying, “ ‘Go to your room’ “ really showed the contrasting personalities of the two people who were involved in the heated disagreement. The tone of sadness and seriousness is fitting because it demonstrates that at Lily’s young age, she still realizes the significance of this occasion. In paragraph 1, when Lily mentioned her mother’s breath floating down to her after spotting T. Ray, it symbolized Deborah’s sinking hope of sneaking away without conflict. The second selection, a poem called “Sympathy”, has a more hopeful nature than that of the “Secret Life of Bees” excerpt. This is shown in the final two lines, “But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—I know why the caged bird sings!” Although the pome ends on an upward note, it is tinged with other bad feelings, too. The bird, separated from the world by a cage is described, in the middle section, as “it’s blood red on the cruel bars”. This emphasizes how desperate the bird is to be free from the isolation that the bars cause by restraining it. The title, “Sympathy”, is the main tone expressed by the writer. In the poem, he often writes the words “I know why…” Repetition of this phrase punctuated by exclamation points accentuate that the writer understands the strong feelings of the caged bird. Perhaps, the writer had endured a similar ache for freedom as a slave since it was written before the civil rights era. In conclusion, The risks of separation found in “The Secret life of Bees” excerpt and “Sympathy” poem are physical and emotional detachment, desperation, sadness, loss of hope and a yearning for freedom.

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  16. In 'Sympathy', the poet makes it seem as if he also shares the caged bird’s desire for freedom from isolation behind the cruel bars. This poem focuses on the relationships of freedom, isolation, and cruelty, of an individual to an unfair society (the bird to its cage.) There is a lot more formal language that is unfamiliar to, particularly “chalice,” “fain,” and “keener.” The usage of I know creates parallelism and there are multiple dashes and semicolons, along with the lack of periods. The poem has a rhyming a pattern within each stanza, where the first line makes a connection between the speaker and the caged bird, such as “grass” and “glass” “steals” and “feels” “flings” and “sings”. In the middle paragraph from the excerpt taken from ‘The Secret Life of Bees’, there is a long sentence structure and syntax that makes the whole mood of the excerpt feel lonely. T. Ray isolates Lily from her mother and knowing what happened. The tone that the author uses seems scared and serious. There is a theme of separation and loneliness between both the poem and excerpt. Lily didn’t want to be separated from her mother and the bird was separated from living its life. Both were unable to save themselves from risks because the writers made it so that they had no control.

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  17. Isolation makes it seem like your world got significantly smaller. Isolation is depicted by two pieces of writing. In the poem, “Sympathy,” Paul Dunbar makes it seem that isolation is like slavery according to the time period, injuries, and scars. The title makes it seem that Paul is shared the same feeling of a caged bird. Moreover, the repetition of “I know what the caged bird…” demonstrates the feeling of isolation and the action that isolation might lead, whether metaphorically or physically. Also, Paul writes, “But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core. But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings— I know why the caged bird sings!” This metaphor reveals that isolation is painful and more like a punishment that many wish to be relieved from. In the excerpt from “The Secret Life of Bees,” Sue Monk Kidd shows isolation in many uses. For instance, she not only highlights the conflict and the emotion of the passage, but also isolation when the parents say, “Go to your room,” and “Don’t worry.” This shows that isolation is something that can be used to console oneself and characterized as a punishment. Moreover, Sue writes, “How the air turned raw and full of welts. Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls.” These metaphors reveal that isolation of two people can lead to violence. The cause of them becoming violent can be inferred as the pressure and abhorrer of being isolated. Also, the mood is shown when the author writes, “This is the last thing I remember with perfect crispness—her breath.” This shows her confusion. Also, the last thing the writer remembers is when she was last with someone. This shows that she remembers being with someone perfectly instead of her isolation. In these two pieces, isolation is viewed slightly differently, although the extreme similarity. In both pieces they show isolation is viewed like a punishment, but they have hope in getting out of it. However, Paul shows isolation as something reoccurring when he says “old scars” and harsher than it seems in the other piece.

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  18. The theme of isolation is represented in both works. The structure from the excerpt of the Secret Life of Bees supports the theme of isolation by using figurative language. One quote that supports this is “When his shoes clomped into the room, she sighed, the breath leaving her as if her lungs had suddenly deflated. This is the last thing I remember with perfect crispness—her breath floating down to me like a tiny parachute, collapsing without a trace among the piles of shoes.” Likewise, in the poem Sympathy the structure also uses figurative language as well as lyrical elements to support the theme of isolation. For example,

    “I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
    When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,—
    When he beats his bars and he would be free;
    It is not a carol of joy or glee,
    But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
    But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings—
    I know why the caged bird sings!”

    Here, the author is comparing how slaves can’t be free and are like caged birds. He also is expressing his inner feelings about how trapped he is and humanity is.

    In the Secret Life of Bees excerpt, the title doesn’t tell us anything about the theme of isolation. The title, Sympathy, tells us a lot about the poem. The author wants us to feel how trapped the slaves are and how they are without hope. He wants the reader have sympathy for slaves and hear their plea for freedom. An example of this is when he says,
    “a plea that upward to heaven it flings.
    I know why the caged bird sings.”

    The setting in the Life of Bees is the 1960’s but regardless this could have happened in any time. Regardless, Lily experiences the risks of isolation when her she says, “Dragged out, I didn’t know at first whose hands pulled me, then found myself in my mother’s arms, breathing her smell. She smoothed my hair, said, “Don’t worry,” but even as she said it, I was peeled away by T.Ray. He carried me to the door and set me down in the hallway. “Go to your room,” he said.
    The setting, in Sympathy shows a black person who feels caged like a bird and can’t get free. A quote to support this claim is when he says, “When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore.”


    In the Life of Bees excerpt the paragraphs help to separate her feelings. A quote that supports this claim is.

    “Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other. I inched backward, deeper into the closet, feeling my fingers in my mouth, the taste of shoes, of feet.” Like the Life of Bees excerpt the stanzas help show the author’s emotions and help the reader understand his pain.

    The point of view is first person in both pieces. This helps the reader realizes Lily’s emotions, fears, and pain. Similarly, in Sympathy, the reader realizes the author’s feelings, worries, and
    agony.
    The word choice makes the theme of isolation realistic. A quote that shows this in the Life of Bees is “I don’t remember what they said, only the fury of their words, how the air turned raw and full of welts. Later it would remind me of birds trapped inside a closed room, flinging themselves against the windows and the walls, against each other.” The reader feels the air turning colder and experiences the fear and helplessness she feels at that moment. The word choice in Sympathy, like in The Life of Bees excerpt has relevance to the theme of isolation by using metaphors, vivid language, similes, and words that describe pain and suffering. Examples of word choice are, “Till its blood is red on the cruel bar and “When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass.” The word choice allows the reader to feel not only the isolation but the hope that something better may eventually come.




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  19. In this excerpt from the secret life of bees, isolation seems like an inevitable theme. Lily is forced to back up into the closet until she could go no further, the closet that she backed up into almost seemed like her safe haven where she was isolated from the chaos around her that was cause from her mother and fathers fight. It shows that sometimes being alone and in isolation is not only a bad thing, it could also offer the comfort of safety. You can see in the way that lily writes that everything was moving so fast it caused her to get confused. The closet she backed up in to was safe. She didn't know where to go, In other cases, like in the poem "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence, isolation is almost a form of torture instead of a safe haven. The way he writes shows how exited the bird he portrays is to get out of the cage. The bird is alone and secluded from the outside world and every time is tries to get out of its cage, it ends up just beating itself against the cage wall. This shows that isolation could drive you crazy, and make you try to escape from the cage of emotions in any way that you can. Both of these readings can tell you the different aspects of isolation. Thats the scary part, isolation could either save you or destroy you.

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  20. With isolation come many hazards. The risks of isolation are clearly addressed in the two pieces. First, both pieces are written in different ways. The excerpt from the book is written as part of a narrative, while the poem does not have a storyline. An example of the narrative element of the excerpt is when the author, Sue Monk Kidd, writes, “Dragged out, I didn’t know at first whose hands pulled me…” This quote tells the reader that the excerpt is written as a story. Next, the pieces both use figurative language to show their points. The poem writes, “And the river flows like a stream of glass…” This is just one of the many examples of figurative language found throughout both of the texts. However, the pieces are written slightly differently. The poem is written through the perspective of one who has already been isolated, while the excerpt is showing the transition into isolation. The excerpt states, “I don’t remember what they said, only the fury of their words, how the air turned raw and full of welts.” This quote allows one to understand how a peaceful situation turned into one that would eventually lead to isolation. The pieces share similarities yet have their differences, which can be evidently seen.

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