Symbolism In Salt Of The Earth

In “Forged by Fire” by Sharon M. Draper, Gerald, the main character in the story, grows into a brave man. In the beginning, Gerald starts a fire in his mom’s apartment. Gerald gets scared from the flames, sounds, and heat that he goes behind the couch to hide from the fire. After the fire, Gerald lives with his aunt. On Geralds’s 9th birthday, Gerald’s mom came to the house with a sister for Gerald, but he doesn’t want to see neither of the two.

Ron Rash’s novel One Foot in Eden tells a story of murder in a small South Carolina town. However, this novel is more of “why-dunnit” as opposed to the much more common “who-dunnit”. Rash utilizes the viewpoints of multiple characters to tell the story; this feature aids the reader in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the novel. The setting and imagery of this novel also help shape the character’s minds and, therefore, their actions and reactions as well. One Foot in Eden is the epitome of the Southern Gothic novel: it portrays Southern culture and its shortcomings, and the effect that characters have one another.

Truth and Bright water by Thomas King is a coming of age Novel. The setting of this story takes place among the Blackfoot indigenous people living in the United States/ Canadian border in two townS separated by the Shield river. Truth is located in Montana, United States and Bright water is found in an Ottawa Indian reserve. Symbolism is when certain images or objects are used to represent specific people or concepts. Symbolism can also be used to pass messages to the reader in a way that provokes their imagination and their thinking.

To counter the ahistorical views of these scholars Romano cites historical evidence of Mexican immigrant workers striking and making an effort to change their working conditions. For example, he mentions the strikes of the sugar beet workers in California, the railway workers in Los Angeles, and the sheepherders in Texas. All of these instances disprove the idea that Mexicans are

People are even afraid to come near their neighborhood, they fear that they will be attacked. The residents of Mango Street are talked about as criminals, just because of their race and their poverty. As a result of being Hispanic, Esperanza and those around her are viewed by other, higher classes, as a minority. Hispanics at that time made less money and were seen as lessers compared to people in the higher class. Higher class people believed they were superior to her.

Similarly, in the movie El Norte one of the Chicano waiters who works in the restaurant with Enrique undergoes discrimination from the other Latino works due to what they consider his over-assimilation into U.S. culture (El

Labor union organizer and civil rights leader, Cesar Chavez, published an article in the magazine of a religious organization to argue that it is more valuable to take the time to achieve justice rather than using violence, also known as nonviolent resistance. Chavez develops his argument through allusions, and imagery while creating a strong emotional appeal towards his audience. He adopts a defiant tone in order to gain awareness among his readers. Chavez first opens his argument by reflecting back on Dr. Martin Luther Kings Jr.’s life in order to commemorate his death and to also open his stance on nonviolence through Dr.King. He states, “Dr.King’s entire life was an example of power that nonviolence brings to bear in the real world.”

Cesar Chavez influences poor labor workers that nonviolence is the best way to make a change. The rhetorical devices Chavez uses within the article catch the workers attention and helps make them feel as if they can make a change, and of all the devices, his militant diction influences the reader most. The sixth paragraph of his article uses military diction by stating, “But if we are committed to nonviolence only as a strategy or tactic, then if it fails our only alternative is to turn to violence.” This means that if they think of nonviolence as a type of strategy instead of making it a mindset then they will become violent.

In the altar’s center is “a plaster image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, quarter-life size, its brown Indian face staring down on the woman” (Paredes 23). The implication of the stare is of criticism as the Virgin, symbolic of an ideal Mexican womanhood, looks down on Marcela, whose Anglo features starkly contrast with the Virgin’s, and whose actions are in opposition to the values that she represents. This carefully constructed scene is meaningful. Marcela’s lifeless body lies between the bed and the altar, and opposite to the altar is Marcela’s shrine dedicated to Hollywood movie stars. These are the visual images of the opposing forces that characterize the Mexican-American struggle for resistance against American cultural hegemony.

Kate Chopin created a very complex character named Edna Pontellier in her novel The Awakening. Mrs. Pontellier is peculiar because her thoughts are consistently drury and she is insatiable. Chopin uses many different strategies to develop Mrs. Pontellier’s character such as imagery but the most prominent strategy is symbolism. Symbols featured in the story include birds, two lovers, a widow, and water. Whenever water appears in a story or novel it can often represent baptism, rebirth, and/or death.

How often do you find yourself noticing negative things about people you meet? When they say something that may bother you does that automatically make you think differently of them? In the story “Silver water” a family not only overlooks the actions that bother them, but they persist to find the good in one of the family members. The author, Amy Bloom tells a story of how a persistent family helps Rose on her rollercoaster journey of a life. The title “Silver Water” emphasises that even in water there is something inside that makes it sparkle.

1. From Jason Johansen 's Notes on Chicano Cinema, scholars of Chicana/o cinema used to identify the criteria of Chicana/o cinema as "films BY Chicanos, films FOR Chicanos, and films ABOUT Chicanos" (Johansen 303). The Salt of the Earth film (1954) attempts to expand this definition because it achieves more than being for and about Chicanos, it can also be for other minorities fighting injustices and inequalities similar to Chicanos. The film is still for Chicanos because it illustrates an actual account of Mexican American mining workers in Zinc Town of New Mexico during World War II, where the union workers won due to their unity, inspiring others to stand with each other in the Chicano movement. The movie also challenges the criteria because it is a film directed by a non-Chicano, Herbert Biberman, but that inadequacy was compensated since most of the actors were local Mexican-American union associates who had experience and direct involvement in the historical fight for their rights.

Grapes of Wrath clearly illustrate the class struggle between workers and the upper class. Steinbeck displays the discrimination between the migrant people and landowners. Migrant workers are handled worse than animals, family’s or “Okies” are starving as food is wasted by the wealthy and the landowners maintain control through violence. “What do you want us to do? We can't take less share of the crop – we're half starved now.

Countless social issues within America today can be traced back to the food industry. Although

The “Oyster” originally written by Anton Chekhov in 1884 essentially emphasizes massive inequalities, brutal discriminations, and severe prejudices through the disparity between the aristocracy and the proletariat in which as well juxtaposes between civilization and survival. The symbolism of oyster exemplifies innocence, virginity, and youth’s attributes which shown through protagonist’s, an anonymous boy, illiterate action toward the aristocratic society. The setting has already created a stereotypical thought for the readers indicating pathetic life in street versus suave life in city. Undoubtedly, there is a variation of social hierarchies therefore various people are nurtured in different conceptualizations particularly on both perspectives