Identities

__**Short Stories - Literary Devises**__ = = __**Title:** Identities﻿__
 * Point of View:**Third person/ominicent (limited), but the author does not reveal all information about the character.


 * Protagonist:** The "unshaven man," who is driving his car and eventually comes upon the store.


 * What type of character is the Protagonist?** He is round and dynamic as he has a multi-layered personality and changes in the story.


 * Antagonist:** Society


 * Describe the setting:** He starts in a neighborhood in the upper part of town and then drives though a middle class sub-urban neighborhood until he eventually reaches an urban lower class part of town where he arrives at a store in which he hopes has a phone. In the beginning it is morning and eventually progresses to twilight just as the street lights turn on. The mood of the story makes it seem like the man is lost and it changes with the man's emotions. As the man gets further from is clean naiborhood and gets closer to his final destinations the story gets more and more suspenseful.


 * Type of Conflict:** Man vs Society


 * Describe the main conflict:** The man falls victim to the police officer's prejudice when his a misjudgement of character results in the "unshaven man" loosing his life. The man immediately associates the police officer as a symbol of safety and reaches to prove his true identity, when really, a mistake in identity was the reason for his death. Society teaches us to make assumptions about a person and who they are supposed to be by promoting stereotypes. Books, TV shows, and movies further established these ideas in our head. We often don't consciously know we are being prejudicial but we often stereotype people based on what they wear, what they look like, and how they act. The main conflict is our society's prejudices and how they effect us.


 * Describe the Climax of the Story:** The climax of the story is near the end when he pulls into the parking lot and notices the "shifty" looking people, which further indicates he is in a bad neighborhood, along with the description of the buildings and yards. When the author starts describing the police man as being nervous and relatively inexperienced the story grows more intense, and as the man reaches for his wallet after the police officer tells him to freeze the story enters it's full climax.


 * How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?** He does not change over the course of the story by very much, but he does remember what his old and more faithful neighbourhood used to be like which made him realize how much he missed the trust and respect they had for each other by leaving things for sale unattended and having complete faith that they would not steal the produce.


 * Describe the relationship between the title and the theme:** The relationship between the title and the theme is how the word "Identities" comes into play. It is slightly ironic, as the reason why the man died, was because he was was reaching for his identification. I believe the title is a reflection of this irony.

//**﻿**// //**Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):**// "Paper clogs the fence like drifted snow"
 * How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?:** The main conflict helps to illustrate the theme because the man thinks the police officer means safety and the police officer thinks the man is unsafe and a potential suspect. The theme here would be what the underlying meaning of the mistaken identity was. The mistaken identity was a symbol of what societiy's bias on certain iduviduals. The main conflict illustrates this perfectly by showing one way that a simple mistake in identity could be devastating.
 * How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?:** The climax helps to illustrate the theme by creating a shock effect. The police officer mistakes the man for someone who is of a suspicious nature and could be dangerous.
 * How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?:** The climax helps to illustrate the theme by creating a shock effect. The police officer mistakes the man for someone who is of a suspicious nature and could be dangerous.
 * Simile:** "Children who dark back and fourth like startled fish."
 * Simile:** "Children who dark back and fourth like startled fish."


 * Metaphor:** "A Saturday liquid with sunshine"


 * Personification:** "Eagles, tigers, wolves and Serpents ride their backs."

The man is "unshaven" symbolizing he was "rough and ragged" which is the reason why the officer mistook his identity. The man's wallet symbolizes his identity.
 * Symbol:**

"In the last voluntary movement of his life" It shows that we now know that is was the "**last** voluntary movement" which means he was not alive after reaching for his wallet.
 * Foreshadowing (give both elements):**

"So intent is he on the future that he dangerously ignores the present." This foreshadows that the he is getting into a dangerous situation.

His wallet would be how he would prove to the police officer he actually owns the car and is who he says he is but it ultimately leads to his demise. The fact he is in a bad neighborhood but the person who ends up killing him is a police officer
 * Irony:**

" The store window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage" "Darkness has been quietly settling in like soot."
 * Imagery:**

This story illustrates how humanity is ironic and the people who are supposed to keep us safe might be the ones who end up hurting us. In the story the man was victim to a mistake in identity because of his appearance. This mistake would not have been made if, he too, did not stereotype the "bad" neighborhood and what the police officer represented. It is made clear that the man was very prejudiced towards this neighborhood by his act of preparing for being mugged. Identities represents how humanity sometimes judges people based solely on their appearance and disregards other possibilities.
 * Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.**

Completion 5/5 Effort 5/5 Content 4/5  Paragraph 4.5/5

total 18.5/20/20