Running head: DISAPPOINTMENT IN “REUNION” AND “ELEVEN”
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Disappointment in “Reunion” and “Eleven”
Student’s name
Institution
DISAPPOINTMENT IN “REUNION” AND “ELEVEN”
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Disappointment in “Reunion” and “Eleven”
The stories chosen are “Reunion” by John Cheever and “Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros.
The story of “Reunion” assesses the issue of a boy aiming to inherit from his father. The heritage
is not in terms of material things but it is the inheritance of characters and personality. Cheever
illustrates guilt and disillusionment when exploring the nontraditional relationship between a
father and a son. The authors of the two stories capture the meaning of being a kid and the
embarrassments that accompany childhood and how that feeling never quite. Disappointment
occurs when our expectations are shuttered by the ones we love. In “Reunion” and “Eleven”, the
authors have used several literary techniques and covered the theme of disappointment.
In “Eleven,” diction, imagery, and syntax are used. The diction in this story is informal
since the author talks in a voice of a small girl who is eleven years. For instance, the word like
“stupid” portrays that Rachel doesn’t consider anything important or bright. Another case is
when the author uses the “old” which portrays that something has matured but if it in the use of
formal language, words like age or ancient would have been included. Additionally, Sandra
utilizes imagery; “through one sleeve of the sweater that smells like cottage cheese.” This is the
inclusion of a sense among the five senses since readers can picture something that smells awful
portraying the displeasure. In another case, the sentence “all of the sudden I’m crying in front of
everyone” assists us to visualize a little girl who is crying in front of the class and the
embarrassment she experienced (Cisneros, 2002). Furthermore, the author uses syntax like “I am
eleven today”. The short sentence uses the tone which is disappointing as the author is disturbed
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- Summer '18
- kinyua
- Short story, Disappointment, Rachel, Humiliation, Charlie
