A Father's Worry

The literary devices of metaphors in the poem “A Story” by Li-Young Li contribute immensely to the central tension or main idea that the son has to move on from his father and not be tied down. An example of a metaphor in the poem is on line 18 where it states, “Am I a god that I should never disappoint?” This relates to the central tension or the main idea because since the father is worried about the son leaving, he asks him if he has to be a god because he should never disappoint his son. Another example of a metaphor is on lines six and seven where it states, “In a room full of book in a world of stories…” These lines are talking about how it is sad as to how a father can’t come up with one new story to tell his son when the world is so big. It also shows why the son needs to move on because his father cannot come up with a good enough story for his son to hear. Literary devices can play hugely on the main idea or the central tension in any piece of writing.

Lost for Words

In the poem, A Story, by Li-Young Lee, there is a central tension between a dad and his son. The speaker uses metaphor and symbolism to create the central tension.The son requests a new story from his dad and when the dad is unable to muster a story, the tension arises that if the dad is unable to come up with the story, he will lose the admiration and love from his son. This scares the dad in a way that he is afraid of being deserted in the future by his son. As the dad sits with his boy on his lap, “In a room full of books in a world of stories, he can recall not one, and soon, he thinks, the boy will give up on his father.” This metaphorical expression emphasizes the panic of the father, afraid that his son will grow tired of him, as there are numerous stories he could tell, but he can’t recite one. As the father looks into the future, he sees, “... the boy is packing his shirts... Are you a god, the man screams, that I sit mute before you? Am I a god that I should never disappoint?” The father in his vision of what's to come, he sees his son, packing his bags to leave. He does not understand, he uses the symbolism and representation of a god to express his reaction; after all, only a god would cause one to sit dumbfounded before him. Only a god, would have no other obligation but to not disappoint. To the father, telling his son a new story is everything, and the lack of one creates the central tension of the poem.

The Father's Empty Story

The Central Tension in the story "A Story" is that the boy really wants his dad to read him another story because the father has told him very good stories when he was little and the boy wants another one but the father cannot think of one so it makes the child very sad. The author of this poem uses a metaphor to describe how the boy is very sad by saying in the story how the five-year-old is waiting patiently on the father's lap and yet the father cannot think of any new story. This is a metaphor because the father can't think of a story and is trying to think of one. There are two seperate lines that these parts are in and so they are compared with each other. The author also uses irony in this poem by saying a line how the kid loves the alligator story and the child wants to hear the angel story again. This is an example of irony because alligators and angels are very different and the author us comparing two opposite ideas.

Beyond Words

3(B).
          "A Story" by Li-Young Li uses Foreshadowing and a metaphor to show tension with the father and himself also showing us an insight on the importance kids are in some parents life. The main idea in this poem is that the father can't think of a story to tell his son but the father can't think of a story and is afraid his son will be disappointed in him. The metaphor in the beginning "Sad is a man who is asked for a story and can't come up with one." (stanza one) This is a lead into the tension between the father and himself. The tension is basically given then goes on in depth using foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is used to show what the father is afraid of if he can't tell his son a story he will lose the relationship with his son. "Already the man lives far ahead, he sees the day this boy will go. Don't go! hear the Alligator story!...but the boy is packing up his shirts." The Foreshadowing shows tension with the the father and himself. This makes me wonder if other parents strive for a successful relationship with their children, to maintain hopefulness in the child's eyes.

Resenting Time

Two literary devices that help Li-Young Lee, the author of "A Story", develope the central tension between the father and time are Imagery and Foreshadowing.

Imagery, or the visually descriptive figurative language, is not only used consistantly throughout this poem, but it's presence is used by the author to help devlope the tension between the father and time by helping the reader literally see and imagine the relationship between the two. "His five year old son waits in his lap./ Not the same story, Baba. A new one./ The man rubs his chin, scratches his ear./ In a room full of books in a world/ of stories, he can recall/ not one, and soon, he thinks, the boy/ will give up on his father." The author also uses forshadowing to describe how the father feels the son growing up and leaving. The father resents time because it is eventually going to take away his son from him. "Already the man lives far ahead, he sees/ the day this boy will go. Don't go!" The two literary devices that help the author develope the central tension between father and time are Imagery and Foreshadowing.

 

 

 

Looking Ahead

In the poem, "A Story," by Li-Young Lee, the author uses foreshadowing and irony to develop the central tension of the rough relationship between a father and his son. In the story, the father "lives far ahead, he sees the day this boy will go. Don't go! Hear the alligator story...the spider story...Let me tell it!" The father is looking into the future with regret of the times that he did not read to his son, and is now begging for his son to come back. Lee uses irony by saying, "In a room full of books, in a world full of stories, he can recall not one..." This is ironic because the father can never think of a single story to tell his son, but there is a room full of stories that the father could just read to his son. Overall, through the use of foreshadowing and irony the author is able to depict the bad relationship between the father and the son, which is the central tension of the poem.

Under the Surface

In the poem “Four Skinny Trees” the author uses an extended metaphor to develop the theme in the story by using the trees as a symbol for Esperanza.  The theme that is expressed by the extended metaphor is the ugliest, poor, and raggedy things have beauty and magnitude underneath the surface. An extended metaphor is a symbol of something that is throughout the entire piece of literature. The extended metaphor in “Four Skinny Trees” is the trees represent her. She uses the metaphor by describing the trees as useless and unappealing but underneath the ground they are strong and ferocious. No one sees their strength except Esperanza, she is like those trees. She alike a weak, poor girl on the outside and that’s how everyone views her, but on the inside she has passion and true potential. The extended metaphor suggests that things may not always seem as they appear and few truly know what is under the surface. -Tiana

The Four Hopeful Trees

In “Four Skinny Trees” Esperanza, the speaker uses an extended metaphor to compare herself and her hardships to the trees hardships. This extended metaphor creates a theme throughout the story to be hopeful and know that other people or things are going through hardships as well. Esperanza says “They are the only ones who understand me. I am the only one who understands them.” This explains the theme by showing that the trees and Esperanza understand each other and rely on each other for strength.“Their strength is secret. They send ferocious roots into the ground. They grow up and they grow down..." Here Esperanza explains the trees extreme strength and determination. "When I am too sad and skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks ,then it is I look at trees." This shows that Esperanza is hopeful and looks forward to the best in the future.

A Story that Explains a Story Called, "A Story."

   The central tension of the short story, A Story, by Li-Young Lee is the father's inability to tell his son a wonderfully creative story; this tension is expressed through many literary devices. Setting is used when the author talks about the son being in his father's lap. This sets the place in the reader's mind and associates this setting with happiness and innocence by portraying a young boy sitting in his father's lap. Imagery is used in general when talking about how the son addresses his father as "Baba" and this shows how young the child must be. This image is most likely used to show the reader that the child is merely asking for a fun story, and is patiently waiting for his father's response. Metaphor is used at the end of the story when comparing their silence to the sum of an equation that adds the father's love and the son's eagerness together. All of these literary devices help to develop the central tension that is highlighted by the author. At one point in the story, the father considers an explanation that his son is god and he is sitting mute before him. This hyperbole, or exaggeration, is a great example of a literary device that also develops the conflict. The father wishes to speak to his son, yet he cannot think of a good story. His silence is an expression of his inability to conjure up a story for his son. The setting and imagery pose a view that the father is desperate to appease his son, yet his own lack of knowledge is drawing him back. These literary devices help to develop the central tension of this story. 

-The Sad Conflicts In "A Story"-

A) "A Story" is a short poem that develops alot of emotions between the speaker and the reader, but also develops a tension of the main characters in this story. The poet of the poem "A Story" helps develop his poem through the central tension of the main character who has issues coping with himself resulting in an internal conflict, but he also helps develop the central conflict through different types of literary devices such as binary opposition and foreshadowing.
       The main character in this story faces a conflict not only coping with his son, but also with himself. The issue is that he is too "boring" and he has a fear that his son is going to leave him some day due to this issue. An example that supports this is," In a room full of books in a world of stories, he can recall not one, and soon, he thinks the boy will give up on his father." Other than some of the given examples, conflict is emphasized in this story by binary opposition. An example of binary opposition in the story is," Not the same story, Baba. A new one." This example shows the differences of his son having a reason to leave him, and his son being unable to leave him. The last thing in this poem that helped the speaker develop the main characters conflict was his use of foreshadowing. It his foreshadowed that the boy would leave his father due to the lack of stories the father had. This lead to the emotional break down of the main character with lead to the realization of the internal conflict; coping with his lac of stories.

Central Tension of "A Story" by Li-Young Li

A) In the poem/short story, "A Story", by Li-Young Li, a central tension begins to form around the father and son. Portrayed by metaphor and foreshadowing, a central tension  rises through the  disappointment the father thinks he is giving his son by not knowing a story to tell him. In this poem, an extended metaphor arises about the story his father can't deliver to his son. This "story" is really the idea that his father can't provide the right ways to bring up his son as a man and his father knows this. In this poem an extended metaphor grows from the idea of the story and how it could also symbolize the teachings a man needs to give his son for him to become a man. The father looks ahead and sees that, "...the boy is packing his shirts". Through this you directly see the tension forming within the man himself that he is not good enough for his son. Also,  an element of foreshadowing conspires in the second stanza with, "... he thinks, the boy will give up on his father". This idea of the boy not believing in his father and getting given up on, wrecks the man on the inside. The central tension of the father not being good enough for his son is backed up in, "A Story", by metaphor, foreshadowing and even symbolism.

Tension and Literary Devices in "A Story"

What is the central tension in Li-Young Li's poem, "A Story", and what are at least two literary devices or strategies that help develop this tension? Be as specific as you can, and use textual evidence to support your points.

In "A Story", the father's internal and central tension is depicted through foreshadowing and metaphor, so that the reader can not only understand the poem, but connect with it on a personal level. The poem's central tension is an internal conflict in the father's mind as he debates and looks into the future to understand his son and the impact of a story. When the father cannot think of a story, he "lives far ahead, he sees the day this boy will go. Don't go! Hear the alligator story...the spider story...Let me tell it!" The conflict is developed through the father's fore

Unable to Tell Stories

In "A Story", Li- Young Lee creates a central tension using the method of foreshadowing to show the father is fearful that his son will be ignorant of him when he grows up. The speaker compares the fathers inability to provide childhood experiences with a negative future relationship between the father and the son. She also uses a metaphor to show the father's deep disappointment: "Are you a god, the man screams, that I sit mute before you? Am I a god, that I should never disappoint?". By applying these techniques, she encourages that the father is scared for his future, where he imagines that he is uselessly begging his son to not leave him. The two techniques help create an emotional understanding of the central tension in the story.

Four Skinny Trees, One Skinny Girl

           In "Four Skinny Trees", the speaker uses an extended metaphor comparing herself to flimsy trees to prove the theme that everyone has someone or something to help them. The speaker, known as Esparanza, states, "Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine." She used a simile in that statement, which is just a variation of a metaphor. She is clearly comparing herself to the trees, and this continus through the poem, helping her. Later in the play, Esperanza says, "When I am too sad and too skinny to keep keeping, when I am a tiny thing against so many bricks, then it is I look at the trees." The trees are the only things that can help her, but there is something that can help her. She's comparing herself to the trees, so she is saying that she can understand and help herself. This develops the theme that everyone has someone or something for them, even if it is themselves, represented by four skinny trees.

"A Story" by Li-Young Li uses Forshadowing and a metaphor to show tension with the father and him self also showing us an insight on the imporantce kids are in some parents life. The main idea in this poem is that the father can't think of a story to tell his son but the father can't think of a story and is afraid his son will be disapointed in him. The metaphor in the begaining "Sad is a man who is asked for a story and can't come up with one." (stanza one) This is a lead into the tension between the father and him self. The tension is basily given then goes on in depth using foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is used to show what the father is afraid of if he can't tell his son a story. "Already the man lives far ahead, he sees the day this boy will go. Don't go! heaer the Aligator story!...but the boy is packing up his shirts."

Similarities Over Differences

Similarities Over Differences-

In "Four Skinny Trees" the speaker uses an extended metaphor to compare herself and the trees; which works by showing the similarities between them, and it develops the theme through the connotation of the word "tree." The extended metaphor is how she describes the trees and compares the qualities to her own. For example she says, "Four skinny trees with skinny necks and pointy elbows like mine." this demonstrates one of the many metaphors between the speaker and the trees. The way this extended metaphor works is that is uses the similarities instead of the differences to make the reader believe that the speaker and the trees are similar. The theme is developed through the word "tree" by its connotation and the emotional way the author makes the people feel about them. The theme is there are more similarities than differences. "They  grow up and they grow down and grab the earth between their hairy toes." This quote demonstrates how even thought a human does not grow up and grow down, it shows how the trees are semi-human because of how she describes the roots as their toes. This is why even within the differences the author uses similarities to appeal to the reader