Literary Devices Found in Two Kinds
Ashton Williams 8/27/12
setting
The setting of the story is in San Franciso. The story takes place in the 1950s.
characters
the main characters are the daughter (Ni-Kan) who is always stressed to be a prodigy by her controlling mother.
Plot
The exposition is when the daughter is explaining her life in first person and when and the mother is watching tv and getting ideas about her daughter being a prodigy. The rising action is when the daughter desides that she wont put effort into her mothers tests and into trying to be a prodigy. This is when they start arguing more. The climax is when the daughter says that she wishes she was dead like the mothers other children. This is when the mother stops trying. The resolution is when she fixes up the piano. In the story the piano symbolized her relationship with her mother.
Internal Conflict
The internal conflict is when the daughter is saying she just wants to be normal but still wants to be a prodigy deep down.
External conflict
the external conflict is when the mother and daughter are arguing and fighting all the time.
Theme
The theme is that you should appreciate what you have as well as not push for something you cant get.
Symbolism
The piano played a part of the symbolism in this story. When the piano was open the mother and daughter had their usual relationship. When it was closed so were they. When I say this I mean that they were no longer talking like they would and the didn't really want to be around eachother.
In the scene where she is looking in the mirror at first she sees a stupid ugly normal girl but the she starts to see the prodigy in her. This relates to the story because in the story she does sort of want to be a prodigy.
what went wrong between the mother and daughter is that the daughter mentioned her dead children in China.
She has put her daughters mind that she can be anything she wants.