Josh McWain
Hendricks
IB English 11
October 2, 2013
Passage Analysis
In the text, the quote "Wrapped in a horse blanket... It was dark and light at the same time." (41) was written and i began to think of the word choice the author used when describing this event in the novel. Why a horse blanket? What kind of blanket exactly? Like was it a blanket made for horses, or is it a childs blanket with horses on it? Either way it also made me question of why a horse? So I further researched the symbol of a horse to come to a conclusion of how the author wants us to portray the character Anton. "The horse is a symbol for velocity, vitality and beauty and it represent power like that of the wind, storm, fire and waves." (animal-symbols.com), when looking at it with the knowledge of this symbol. I start to think of Anton as a horse himself and how he has shown strength.
In the novel, towards the beginning he seems to be he protector of the family. He is wearing his fathers clothes, and is very tall and bold. Anton shows courage and strength by trying to protect his family by hiding the mysterious body that was laid in front of their house because he knew what would happen if the higher authorities (nazis) were to see it. So throughout the novel I will continue to look for ways in how Anton is this symbol of a horse. As i will also try to look for other symbols such as animals and such to help show the characterization and theme of the book.
(srry i had to rush it running out of time!)
Interesting meditation on the symbol of the horse. Another idea- horses are not human.
ReplyDeleteI'd simply delete the last sentence altogether.