Literature :: essays research papers

In Oxford Concise Dictionary Literary Terms by Chris Baldick, picture show is defined as the representation of persons in narrative and dramatic works which include direct and indirect methods in inviting the readers to infer qualities from characters actions, speech, or appearance. However, modals in books context serve as an eye opener to the personality and traits of the characters in short stories. It encapables the readers to learn of the characters abilities, capabilities, prohibitions, obligations and so forth. The appearance of modals in literary texts serves its own proper(postnominal) purposes in accordance to the authors wish. In David Leavitts Territory which describes the relationship between a mother (Mrs. Campbell) and her son (Neil) who is a homosexual, gives me an interest to search and find out more about the characters. Through the use of modals found in the extract, it enables me to go in depth and examine the characterization in the story.Firstly, in paragra ph 2, line 1 of the extract, the modal must is used by David Leavitt to show one of Neils traits indirectly The last item puzzles him Pedro. Pedro must be the gardener. Here, as Neil read through his mothers daily tip found on the kitchen table, he came across the name Pedro which he was unfamiliar with. Eventually, he expressed an assumption which he believed was true. However, instead of using could to indicate possibility, the writer chose to use the modal must to reveal Neils inner self which was miss in confidence and even probably having a strong need of self assurance despite the fact that the modal is meant to express certainty. Thus, the readers are able to know more of Neils character as the modal is used to create a reverse effect on the readers as an irony. Secondly, in this extract, Neil the title-holder is presented by the writer as a son who was torn between his own desire to follow his heart or to live up to the participation and his mothers expectations of him. He tried to vision himself as the son that his mother expects of him through the use of modal could He could make a list of his own selves the child, the adolescent, the promiscuous faggot son, and finally the good son, settled, relatively successful. (Paragraph 2, line 3)By using the modal could, it gives the readers a feeling that he is capable of doing what he was expect to and it only depends on whether he is willing or not.