Cole Smith 5.09B
Major Works Data Sheet
In this column, choose five quotations from the text, one focusing on each of the following literary elements:
In this column, analyze the significance of your quotations. Allow the following questions to guide your responses: Why is this important? What does this reveal? Why does the author say it this way? What is the tone/mood of this passage?
Theme-
“Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly;
Man got to sit and wonder 'why, why, why?'
Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land;
Man got to tell himself he understand.”
This quote puts forward the main theme of the book of man’s fruitless search for answers in life and how any answer they come up with is false and just some coping mechanism for them.
Characterization
“I'm not a drug salesman. I'm a writer."
"What makes you think a writer isn't a drug salesman?”
This quote shows the main characters belief that he can sway the minds of the people using his writing. This characteristic also helps show theme of the search for answers influencing men.
Setting
“Live by the foma that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.
This quote really helps put the reader in the tropical setting of the Republic.
Symbolism
No wonder kids grow up crazy. A cat's cradle is nothing but a bunch of X's between somebody's hands, and little kids look and look and look at all those X’s. No damn cat, and no damn cradle.
This introduces the important symbol for the book, the Cat’s Cradle. This also enforces the theme of the pointlessness in the search for answers.
Imagery
“In the beginning, God created the earth, and he looked upon it in his cosmic loneliness.
And God said, "Let Us make living creatures out of mud, so the mud can see what We have done." And God created every living creature that now moveth, and one was man. Mud as man alone could speak. God leaned close to mud as man sat, looked around, and spoke. "What is...