Sunday, August 29, 2010

In the first part of the story "Games at Twilight," explore how Desai memorably portrays the actions and feelings of children at play in this...

The question refers to a "first part" of this story. I am not sure exactly where that first part ends, so I am going to limit my answer to the text that I consider to be from the first part of the story. For me, the first part of the story ends once the children decide to play hide-and-seek.


The author memorably portrays the actions and feelings of the children through some great adjectives and metaphors. Throughout the beginning section, Desai's descriptions of the children all indicate that their energy level is near an exploding point. The word "burst" is used twice early on in the story. The kids aren't simply calm and ready to go outside and play. They are nearly exploding with desire to get out there. That explosive energy is captured with a wonderful simile in paragraph four.



. . . she actually let down the bolt of the front door so that they burst out like seeds from a crackling, overripe pod into the veranda . . . 



When a seed pod bursts, it is a release of energy. It can even propel seeds a large distance. The word "release" is focused on by Desai too.



The children, too, felt released. They too began tumbling, shoving, pushing against each other, frantic to start. Start what? Start their business. The business of the children’s day which is — play.



All of the children's pent-up energy is finally given release, and it bursts forth from the house. I believe that image of children is quite memorable.

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