Chris Essay 10
12/9/09
Mr. Salsich
English

Metaphors, A Way to Describe:
An Essay on the Analysis of Metaphors In To Kill a Mockingbird, and My Life

(TS) Metaphors can be more descriptive and powerful than a long list of adjectives. (CM) One way to describe a person is to list all of the adjectives that relate to them, but isn’t it easier, and more powerful to use a metaphor? (CM) Using the appropriate metaphor, you can, with a simple group of words, capture a person’s appearance and character. (CS-Thesis) No matter who you are, all people have a metaphor to describe them, from a cocky little man, to a boy from Connecticut.

(TS) In Chapter Seventeen of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout refers to Mr. Ewell as a “red little rooster” several times as he testifies in court. (SD) I can see why Scout refers to him as one. Just like a rooster, Mr. Ewell is boastful and confident. (CM) Roosters walk tall and proud with their chests bulging out. For example, on page 236, while they are in the courtroom, Scout said, “…He seemed to grow ruddy again; his chest swelled, and once more he was a little red rooster.” (CM) Also, roosters are small creatures, yet they walk with the confidence of something at least four times their size, and Mr. Ewell is the same way: he walks and talks with the confidence of a powerful man. (SD) Another reason this metaphor is true, and Mr. Ewell really is like a rooster, is his intelligence, or rather, lack of it. (CM) Have you ever seen a smart rooster? No. They walk around with the confidence that they know everything, yet they are the complete opposite, and Mr. Ewell is just like this. (CM) For example, on page 238 Mr. Gilmer asks Mr. Ewell, “About your writing with your left hand, are you ambidextrous, Mr. Ewell?” Mr. Ewell responds, “I most positively am not, I can use one hand just as good as the other.” This clearly shows the little red rooster’s lack of intelligence because any educated person would know that someone who can use each hand as well as the other, is ambidextrous. (CS) This little red rooster, who “thought Atticus (was) an easy match,” was stunned when he was reduced to a pale, weak and tiny man by a simple question from this so called “easy match.” (Compound- Complex Sentence)

(TS) One way to describe a person is to use hundreds of adjectives, but sometimes, it is just as powerful to describe the person using a simple metaphor. The metaphor that best describes me is: I am a drifting cloud. (SD) Unlike the red little rooster in To Kill a Mockingbird, this metaphor is not a physical description, but it still describes me very well because just like a drifting cloud, I silently watch the world. (CM) I take a back row seat, watching the world go by. (CM) I am not alone,  as I watch the world silently, because my friends, like a mass of other clouds, join me. (SD) Sometimes, I get angry, and I get tired of simply watching; so I take control. (CM) I grow larger, and I block out the world’s precious sunlight, which covers the vast expanses of earth with a gloomy gray, and then I let out my anger, like a cloud lets out its’ rain. (Compound- Complex Sentence) (CM) When I am angry or sad, I feel like everything around me is gloomier, and I believe I have caused this, just like a cloud. (SD) A cloud is something we should all try to be; it is the perfect mix of personalities. (CM) One personality a cloud has, is it is a driver: If you are constantly in control of things, constantly leading, you may miss some things, so it is a good thing to take a back seat every once in a while. For instance, while riding in the car with my mom I will often point something out outside the car and ask my mom, “Did you see that?” She will almost always remark, “No, I’m concentrating on driving.” (CM) If we are always in control, always “driving” our cloud, we are so focused on what we are doing that we often miss out on some things, and this is why we should sometimes hand the wheel to someone else, jump in the back seat, and watch and listen as we travel about our lives. (CS) If you always take control of your cloud, you may get where you want to go, but you will miss many splendid things along the way. On the other hand, if you always take the back seat, letting your cloud drift freely, you may observe many great things, but you will never get exactly where you want to go. You must attain the perfect mix of these qualities if you want to succeed in life, if you want to be the best cloud that you can be.

(TS) Metaphors are very powerful in life, as well as in writing. (CM) In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee could have easily taken up an entire page describing what Mr. Ewell was like, but I think a metaphor was a much better way of doing it. (CM) When Scout referred to Mr. Ewell as a “little red rooster” a vivid image was conjured up in my mind of a little red man that is confident and boastful. (CS) Every person in the world has a metaphor to describe him or herselfs, whether they’re calm and gentle, or angry and violent. So, this drifting cloud wants to know, what’s your metaphor?

Chris Essay 9

12/3/09
English
Mr. Salsich

Irony:

In To Kill a Mockingbird, and the World Around Us

(TS) Irony is one of the best tools to use in writing. (CM) Irony, carefully inserted into writing, can be very effective. You may be reading along, when suddenly, you come across irony and you are pleasantly surprised; you suddenly become more interested, and want to keep reading on. (Thesis) This is true in To Kill a Mockingbird as well as my own life. I may just be moving along, when suddenly I come across irony and it brightens my day.

(TS) There are many examples of irony in To Kill a Mockingbird. (SD)One piece of irony found in the book was on page 202 when the mob comes to hurt Tom Robinson; they ask if he’s there. Atticus replies, “He is, and he’s asleep. Don’t wake him up.” After Atticus told them not to wake Tom, they began to whisper. (Dep. Adv. Clause). (CM) This is ironic because if their intention was to harm Tom Robinson, one would think they would keep talking loudly, but instead they obey Atticus. (CM) This is very comical irony, and it shows that maybe the mob of farmers weren’t the smartest people. (SD) Another piece of irony found in To Kill a Mockingbird are the mixed children; the children who have one parent that is black and one that is white. (CM) This is ironic because even if they look white, they are not accepted by whites because they have, “black blood,” and the opposite if they look black. (CM) Even if they look like a certain race, they are associated with the other race and not accepted into society. This is ironic. (SD) One other thing that was ironic was when Scout stopped the mob outside the jailhouse. (CM) This is ironic because Atticus, a big adult, could do nothing to stop the mob, yet a little girl stopped them, and sent them home. (CM) This is also ironic because Atticus would have tried to stop them with force, but Scout stopped them in their tracks, simply with words .(CS) Irony can be a very powerful tool in writing. You may be calmly reading through a book, when suddenly you notice some irony, and it may surprise you, and keep you interested.

(TS) Although irony is abundant in To Kill a Mockingbird, there is also a lot of irony found in life. (SD) One example of irony that I have seen was in an article in a news paper about a fire boat burning and sinking. (CM) One reason why this is ironic is because a fire boat is supposed to put fires out, but instead this one caught on fire and sank. (CM) Also, a fire boat is meant to save people, buildings, or other boats, but in this instance it needed to be saved. (SD) Another piece of irony that I have noticed in my life is that, when watching some movies, you may know things before the character does. (CM) This is ironic because you are just watching, the character is the one “living” the story; yet you know things that are going to happen before the he or she knows. (CM) You may know what will happen to the character in the end, while he or she has no idea what is going to happen. (SD) One very big irony I have come across, and I’m sure everyone else has, is the Titanic. (CM) This is ironic because the Titanic was said to be “unsinkable”, yet it sank in 1912. (Dep. Adv. Clause) (CM) Ironically, such a massive and robust metal ship sank because of a simple block of ice. (CS) Life may present you with many ironic instances, some are subtle, but others are very blatant.

(TS) When you come across irony, it can be a lot of fun. (CM) I may be reading along, or slowly going about my day when suddenly I come across irony. (CM) As I come across this irony, I stop reading or stop what I am doing, and as I think about the irony a smile comes to my face. (CM) This brightens my spirits and urges me to continue reading. That is why irony is so important, and I’m glad Harper Lee used many great examples of it in her book. (CS) Next time you read or go about your day, keep a look out for irony, and if you find it, stop what you’re doing and think about it for a few seconds, and If you’re lucky, a smile may form across your face.