English 30-1
What techniques has the author used to effectively deliver his or her message?
Literary devices are used by authors to help convey different emotions or senses to readers. Imagery, hyperbole, metaphors, and similes are examples of techniques used to guide readers to a deeper understanding of the author's writing. In the short story, A New Perspective by Janice E. Fein, the author has used a variety of literary devices to help effectively deliver her message, such as her artistic decision to write most of her essay in the form of flashbacks. Through the variety of literary techniques used, the author emphasizes different aspects of the text in less-than-obvious ways that help convey her message while keeping the story entertaining for the reader.
One of the most clearly shown literary techniques in Fein's essay is flashbacks. The first, third, fourth, and fifth paragraphs are her writing in detail about her memories growing up. For example, memories of her best friend Connie. The writer uses flashbacks to reflect on how unfair she thought her childhood was, from fending for herself when it came to meals, to not getting a ride home in the winter like all of the other kids. The use of this literary device really emphasizes Fein's feelings of embarrassment towards her home situation growing up and helps the reader understand these emotions Fein is trying to convey. This technique helps the reader sympathize with the author's struggle, as most people can reflect on their childhood in similar ways to how Fein is portraying it in this text. A child growing up in a completely different situation from the usual may also feel embarrassed about the way they live, further illustrating how powerful this literary device can be. This device, in the writer's case, helps in particular with explaining to the reader why she felt cheated in life. The flashbacks are important to the text, as, without them, the reader has trouble understanding where Fein's resentment of her childhood has come from.
Within the first paragraph, Fein titles her childhood memories of Chea...
