The Short Story and Essay Writing Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Short Story and Writing - Essay Example Also I would try to look at the narrative point of view and the attitude of the writer towards the subject matter. But mainly, I would focus on the efficacy of the opening paragraph and gauge if it was effective enough in capturing my attention by comparing the two short stories. Araby (27-33) is a short story written by James Joyce that is narrated in the first person point of view. The story discussed the subject matter of discovering sexual desires from the perspective of a boy at the brink of adulthood. Although the topic of the story is not something that I have discovered on the latter part, the opening paragraph did contain in a nutshell the attitude of the writer towards the subject matter—â€Å"North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Joyce 27) As a boy, the narrator was blinded by his youth towards his perception on sexuality and love. And upon finally arriving at Araby late at night, was symbolic because he saw ‘adulthood’ for its true colours. It was not what he imagined it to be—of shops with their wares and bustling people but instead, â€Å"nearly all the stalls were closed and the greater part of the hall was in darkness.† In the end, the boy realized his folly: â€Å"Gazing up into the darkness I saw myself as a creature driven and derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger† (Joyce 32-33) Though there have been a truck-load use of metaphor and symbolism used throughout the story, the opening paragraph, on my opinion was not effective enough in capturing my attention. For me, it lacks interest. There was nothing familiar in North Richmond Street that could spark my interest that though it was an exact location that could symbolize any typical English suburban street during the early 18th century, it was insignificant, detached; greatly because it was very time/ era