First Death in Nova Scotia Flashcards
repetition in opening line adds to chilly/eerie atmosphere
cold, cold parlour
she looks at the stuffed bird
stood a stuffed loon shot and stuffed by Uncle
she doesn’t fully understand death yet
he hadn’t said a word
cold, chilly atmosphere reinforced by description of table
He kept his own counsel on his white, frozen lake, the marble-topped table
curious, wants to touch bird
His breast was deep and white, cold and caressable
she describes the stuffed birds eyes, gives sinister/sense of danger. Also shows curiosity
his eyes were red glass, much to be desired
dialogue, even this is mention of her mother is associated w/ loss
‘Come,’ said my mother, ‘Come and say good-bye to your little cousin Arthur’
reinforces tragedy of situation
little cousin Arthur
innocence - the way she describes Arthur’s coffin
Arthur’s coffin was a little frosted cake
she imagines the bird as a predator looking for something to eat, eyes the ‘cake’/coffin
the red-eyed loon eyed it
She describes Arthur, showing he is fragile and reinforces sense of tragedy
He was all white, like a doll
Childish - She imagines hes been painted by Jack Frost like nature would be
Jack Frost had started to paint him
she’s starting to understand concept of permanency of death with repetition of this word
Forever
Arthur’s red hair was the only colour on him
a few red strokes
she’s looking at the royal couples in the pictures, more pleasant to look at than cousins
red and ermine
