The Effects of Setting

Author Willa Cather embedded literary devices, such as metaphors, similes, and personification, within her writing. 

"As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the colour of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running."

"The grave, with its tall red grass that was never mowed, was like a little island."

"Winter comes down savagely over a little town on the prairie.  The wind that sweeps in from the open country strips away all the leafy screens that hide one yard from another in summer, and the houses seem to draw closer together.  The roofs, that looked so far away across the green treetops, now stare you in the face, and they are so much uglier than when their angles were softened by vines and shrubs.


Chunk #1:  Comment the effect of the setting on the characters within the novel.


Chunk #2: discuss the effect a setting on you, including imagery (lots of adjectives) and a simile or a metaphor as you describe the land.

My front porch symbolizes an oasis to me, especially during the Christmas season when the soft Christmas lights help create an atmosphere of quietness and solitude.  Gently, in the background, the leaves rustle and whisper to each other their appreciation, too, of this seasonal seclusion, seeming to understand that the holiday should truly be about getting back to the real reason for the season. These tall trees stand as sentinels, much like the toy soldiers we have placed along the entrance to our driveway, guarding, protecting, providing a sense of security.  I truly appreciate having my oasis, an oasis from the busy hustle and bustle, an oasis from this materialistic season.