The Sacrifice; an Analysis of Language in Alice Walkers...

â€Å"The Sacrifice†: An Analysis of Language in Alice Walker’s Roselily PAPER # 6 LANGUAGE Kati Martinez 03/03/2013 In Alice Walker’s Roselily, our main character (Roselily) is a mother of three residing in Mississippi. She questions her actions to marry a man of a different religion, but knows that the marriage will give her a (limited) sense of freedom, and will give her children an opportunity to lead better lives. The story’s central idea reveals that sometimes the love and concern for others can lead to the sacrifice of one’s own happiness. One of many literary devices that Walker uses is imagery. The use of similes and metaphors occur frequently to reveal the character of Roselily to readers. â€Å"Like cotton to be weighed†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"She wishes she had asked him to explain more of what he meant. But she was impatient†¦to be done with sewing. With doing everything for three children, alone†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1125, 3), and â€Å"Respect, a chance to build. Her children at last from underneath the detrimental wheel. A chance to be on to p† (1124, 2) both reveal the motives behind getting married to this man, despite the religious conflict. She is torn between the pros and cons of this new life. It’s although she is trying to convince herself, but the negative thoughts just keep surfacing. Yet another literary device used by Walker is symbolism. There are three major symbols in this story, and each are contextual. The first major symbol is Chicago. â€Å"In Chicago, a word she hears when thinking of smoke†¦she sees hovering over the heads of the clean neighbors in her front yard black specks falling, clinging, from the sky. But in Chicago.† (1124, 2), and â€Å"Respect, a chance to build†¦a chance to be on top. What a relief, she thinks.† (1124, 2) are opposing views of Chicago. For Roselily, Chicago represents a new start to a new life; an opportunity. It also represents a change, from the beautiful country of Mississippi to the urbanized city of Chicago, where it rains black sp ecks. Another symbol is her new spouses’ religion. Although it isn’t said what his religion is, the reader can assume it’s