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A) Bishop > First Death in Nova Scotia > Flashcards

Flashcards in First Death in Nova Scotia Deck (13)
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1
Q

Repetition. Memory. Quite a sad image. Pathetic fallacy

A

In the cold, cold parlor

my mother laid out Arthur

2
Q

Quite cold, harsh words depicting the stuffed bird. Sibilance & repetition. Not complicated, childish language.

A

on the table
stood a stuffed loon
shot and stuffed by Uncle
Arthur

3
Q

Referring to the loon. Illustrates innocence of children and how they don’t quite understand death. Personification of the dead bird.

A

he hadn’t spoken a word

4
Q

Alliteration and contrast of colour. Cold imagery of this dead loon. Harsh sounding words depicting the harsh reality of death. The red of its death seem to taint the white of its breast. Metaphor for death of Arthur

A

His breast was deep and white,
cold and caressable;
his eye were red glass

5
Q

Mother beckoning Bishop over to say a final goodbye to her cousin. Sad, simplistic terms used that a child can understand

A

“Come and say good-bye

to your little cousin Arthur”

6
Q

A bell shaped white flower. Perhaps a metaphor for Bishop’s childhood innocence

A

one lily of the valley

7
Q

A poignant scene with childlike imagery. Description of Arthur’s coffin. A metaphor describing it as a cake.

A

Arthur’s coffin was

a little frosted cake

8
Q

Personification of the dead loon again. It seems quite menacing as it peers at the coffin. Almost as if welcoming Arthur to death alongside it. Cold imagery surrounding it

A

the red-eyed loon eyed it

from his white, frozen lake.

9
Q

Simile. Bishop describing Arthur’s body. Still using childish imagery with an air of innocence and coldness for the situation. He no longer looked living

A

He was all white, like a doll

that hadn’t been painted yet.

10
Q

The cold grip of death had taken hold of Arthur, depicted by the tale of Jack Frost.

A

Jack Frost had started to paint him

11
Q

Although Bishop can’t quite comprehend what death is or why it possibly happened, she does understand it to an extent. She understands that it is a state of permanence and that Arthur will not be coming back. Punctuation accentuates the permanence

A

Jack Frost had dropped the brush

and left him white, forever

12
Q

The royal couples that were hanging on the wall seem to be welcoming Arthur. They could possibly be dead royals, or it could possibly be a metaphor for Arthur’s picture also being placed on the wall

A

They invited Arthur to be

the smallest page at court

13
Q

A sinister ending as Bishop cannot totally understand the loss. Innocence is quite moving as you get an understanding of a child’s ideas of death. Feel sympathy for young Bishop

A

But how could Arthur go,
clutching his tiny lily,
with his eyes shut up so tight
and the roads deep in snow?