(Fear shouldn’t stop you from doing what you know you’re set out to accomplish) In “One Writer’s Beginnings” by Eudora Welty, she recalls early experiences that inculcated her deep passion for reading. The author invites her fearful audience to recapture the determination to become a reader (“willing”) (she knows they have,) which allows them to have a positive outlook on the rest of their lives. (symbolized by “A generation later”) The author establishes a determination overtone with “willing” and “immediately” and a fearful undertone with “commanding” and “witch.
These tones occur together throughout this excerpt, increasing the intensity of the authors experiences. Welty focuses much on herself to elaborate on the value of books in her opinion as an aspiring fiction writer. She describes reading as “blissful,” only intensifying what the value of reading is to her. (Although fear is generally something that can overcome your life, Welty is set out to craft her fictional experiences, which is what she wants her timid audience to accomplish as well.
Diction choices include “silence” and “afraid” which include connotations of empty libraries and old, bitter women. The diction choices of this autobiography lead to the undertone of fear which generally sets out to be determination. An image in this passage is “dragon eye” which represents staring, evil, or death. Usually, when reading an image pertaining the words “dragon eye” you portray a sharp, dagger-like stare as if your cell phone had just gone off in Mrs. Calloway’s library.
This image relates back to the way Welty felt when she stepped foot into the library with Mrs. Calloway staring directly at her. (Which relates back to the bitter, old women. ) “If she could see through your skirt, she’d send you right back home” is a detail conveying the insolent and hostile (assertive) personality of Mrs. Calloway. At the end of paragraph two begins (starts) Eudora Welty’s determination to overcome Mrs. Calloway’s (fear) fearful dragon eye, as she wanted to succeed as an avid reader.
The use of multiple semicolons and extended hyphens increases the intensity of her families experience with the importance of reading. ) Semicolons are used often throughout the text, symbolizing that, in fact, Eudora Welty has gained knowledge considering that they are literary pieces of punctuation, not commonly used as a child. Also, semicolons and extended hyphens intensify the the figurative language prior to this punctuation. Fear is an absolute factor in many children’s lives. )
Eudora Welty overcame her fear of Mrs. Calloway and “books coming to an end” by making determination key in her life(, and that’s what she wants her audience to know. ) No matter how intense the struggle is to overcome Mrs. Calloway’s “dragon eye”, “streaming face”, and “strong eyes”, (the outcome is much more satisfying in the long-run. ) Eudora Welty believes that these obstacles are imperative for success in the future.
