Literature

Discuss how the setting, symbols, and figurative language used in “Volar” and “A Wall of Fire Rising” contribute to how the characters are shaped by their environment and how scenes from the stories contribute to character development. Please do not summarize the stories. Provide a literary analysis of the settings, symbols, and figurative language used in both stories. Your writing should have a controlling idea (thesis) and a clear intro, body, and closing.

ANSWER

Setting, Symbols and Figurative Language and A Wall of Fire Rising

The setting, symbols, and figurative language are used in both volar and a wall of fire rising to contribute to character development and how the characters are shaped by their environment. Different symbols are used in different scenes in a wall of fire to develop the characters, symbolism is used to depict the struggles of Guy’s family and the hope they hold for a better future. This s shown by the dim light in their house, which is used to symbolize the poverty in which they live, the struggle of the young boy to read in the dim lights is a symbol of hope for a better future. The light of an old kerosene lamp, which that all others flickered as though it was burning its very last wick (Danticat 149). The dreams of the young 12-year-old girl in Volar represent her hope that one day she will come out of her poverty-stricken home and fly to a better place. Both stories use symbols and figurative language to develop the characters.

The fire burning inside big Guy symbolizes his frustration and the poverty that surrounds him. The dimming light in their family house symbolizes the loss of hope and the hope that lies with the little Guy that things will be better and they will lead a better life one day. The symbolism in volar lies in the title. Volar in Spanish means to fly, which is what this girl wants. She wants to fly from the confinement of her home and get to experience the world. Once on the roof, my parents safely asleep in their beds, I would get on tip-toe, arms outstretched in the position for flight, and jump out my fifty-story-high window into the black lake of the sky (Cofer 1). Both stories use setting to develop the characters. The family in a wall of fire rising is confined to slavery and poverty, and in volar, the 12-year-old girl is confined to her home. The characters in both stories are smothered by their environment, and they hope to break free. The setting helps create a clearer picture of the characters.

Symbolism, setting, and figurative language are appropriately used in the story to show the characters’ struggles. It also helps create imagery of the characters in the story. For example, the setting in a wall of fire rising is that of a young family that hopes to break free, and that of Volar is of a young girl who hopes to break free.

Works Cited

Cofer, Judith Ortiz. Volar

Danticat, Edwidge. “A Wall of Fire Rising.”.” Krik? Krak (1996): 51-80.