Questions, Questions.

"Or does it explode?"
("Dream Deferred" - Langston Hughes)

This poem only consists of rhetorical questions.  When I was first reading it, all I could think of was an annoying first grader who asks a millions questions.  However, these questions actually have a purpose.  These questions create images of things that slowly decay over time.  For example, a raisin that is left in the sun eventually will dry up.  Each image is connected to the question of how a dream is deferred.  The author is really asking:  How does a dream end in a person's life?  The slow-tempo images are juxtaposed with the question stated above.  This quote also contains an example of a metonymy.  The action of exploding is used to represent a bomb without directly mentioning the bomb.  This is effective because in the previous stanzas, imagery and similes are used to back up the reasoning.  The image of a bomb is powerful in and of itself to explain how a dream can die quickly and effect many people.  Rhetorical questions allow the reader to see the thought process of the speaker.  The last question is sudden and the opposite of the rest of the poem.  This really emphasizes that the speaker feels as if dreams can be taken from a person suddenly.

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more."

"And though we just kept on walking, we all felt it;  it was like we'd walked from the sun right into the chilly shade."  Never Let Me Go (p. 35)

Is it just me, or does Madame seem like Cruella Devil?  I'm not really sure what it is about her, but she seems to me like a rich lady out for power and money.  I guess I will find out soon enough.

In this chapter we are introduced to a new character Kathy calls "Madame."  This is not really her name, but no one else really knows what to call her.  She seems to have authority and power over the guardians and students at Hailsham; however, Ruth proves that Madame is actually scared of the people at Hailsham.

In the above excerpt, Ishiguro uses a simile to illustrate how the students felt when walking so close to Madame.  The simile not only explains the emotions of the students, but also the aura of a symbol of authority.  Madame is a representation of the unknown world outside of Hailsham to the students.  Obviously, they have not really traveled beyond the walls of the well-known.  But ironically, I'm going to assume that Madame hasn't either.  Both parties feel uncomfortable in the situation of walking past one another.  The simile serves a tool to add imagery and depth to the novel.

This simile is also a juxtaposition.  The word "sun" reminds me of words such as warm and bright.  These words are the opposite of the words "shade" and "chilly."  I think this is the point where the students begin to realize their perfect world may not be as perfect as they thought...