IndexExamples of essay prompts for the "Cherry Bomb"Example essay prompts in "Cherry Bomb"IntroductionMemories in "Cherry Bomb"ConclusionWorks CitedExamples of prompts for the "Cherry Bomb" essayExploration of Memory as a Theme: Discuss how the theme of memory is explored in Maxine Clair's "Cherry Bomb", considering its significance in the narrative and the lives of the characters. Memory and Identity: Analyze how memories shape the identities of the characters in the story and how they influence their decisions and perceptions of themselves and others. Impact of traumatic memories: Discuss the impact of traumatic memories on the characters' lives and relationships and examine how they carry these memories with them throughout the story : Explore how Maxine Clair uses narrative structure to convey the characters' memories and the changing nature of their memories: Analyze the symbolism of the cherry bomb in the story and how it represents the explosive nature of memories and their lasting effects. . "Cherry Bomba" Sample EssayIntroduction"Some memories dim and fade into thin air, but others are implanted in a person's brain until they die."Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn the excerpt from "Cherry Bomb" by Maxine Clair, Clair describes the adult narrator's unhappy memories of her fifth-grade summer as extraordinary, sentimental, and influenced her as an adult through her use of descriptive, detailed imagery , a diction that helps reveal the author's true feelings and the memoir-like structure the author maintains throughout the entire passage. The narrator describes in vivid detail, the setting of his childhood to outline the characteristics of his memories of this period. Clair specifically demonstrates the use of descriptive imagery when she illustrates how to find her “box of private things” through the depiction of old jackets, walking towards the cool texture of the plaster on the wall, and finding the aroma of the cigar box. Memories in “Cherry Bomb” From lines 34-41, the author says that “If I divided the heavy coats among the worn sheepskin that once belonged to my father's mother, which, my father said, was his Heart when she died, and the putrid colored jacket my father wore when he was shipped to that spot in the Pacific Ocean where, he said, the women wore one piece of cloth and in the summer looked as beautiful as wine, you would find yourself right in the middle of our a closet as dark as a cave." Explain exactly the two coats you need to separate in the closet in order to follow the next steps to find this secret box of his. He continues this step-by-step teaching on how to go into his private box by explaining that: "If you closed your eyes, held your hands above your head, put one foot in front of the other, walked to your toes, your fingers touching the smooth surface, and fresh from the sloping plaster to the point where you had to stick your feet in and walk crouched, you would fall to your knees and feel the floor” To conclude these instructions, he says that, “then you would hit the strong smelling cigar box where you could have found his "box of private things." Considering that he was illustrating the way to his box in great detail, it is obvious that the box was so sentimental to the author that its hiding place will forever imprint him. memory. For her, a simple cigar box symbolizes her childhood. The contents of the box and her childhood are mostly hidden from the reader's knowledgehe barely writes in detail the importance of both the box and his childhood. Instead, make blunt and brief statements. Examples of these are in lines 49 when he says, "My box of private things" and in lines 61-62. “After Eddy's accident, he gave me a cherry bomb. The last one." The descriptions of the weather and heat in lines 7-10 help give readers an idea of ​​the heat the narrator was experiencing as a child. The Hairy Man and the casual depictions of his childhood illustrate the childish tone which the narrator seems to take. shut down several times throughout the passage. The diction illustrates how extraordinary the memories are to the narrator and allows her to show her true feelings about her childhood God, the Bible, and Heat Waves The author references God and the Bible several times in the passage to describe the importance of God in many Midwestern homes. An example of this is shown when Eddy, his cousin, pitches a cherry bomb and she says, “Before I reach the top of the porch it exploded, and a piece of tin shot God is whipping you straight for Eddy's eye.” She specifically uses the phrase “God is you whipping” to indicate the importance of how God reacts to a person doing something he shouldn't do or, in other words, Karma. The narrator appears to be under the influence of those around her at this age when she refers to “facts daddy said,” “my dad said,” “what my mom said,” and “I wasn't sure what it meant, but he simply had the right ring." The narrator is influenced by her surroundings as a child, making her seem as if she can't form her own opinions. To add to the revealing, yet strange diction, the narrator uses many hyphens to connect sayings or phrases, such as “God-is-whipping-you,” “that-old-thing,” and “Dad-said-so,” which reveals that , as a child, the narrator absorbed what everyone said and kept it in abbreviated sayings for her to remember as a child. The structure of the passage begins as generalized then becomes very detailed working its way back to being generalized. This shows that he is reflecting on his childhood. The first paragraph is a general overview of the narrator's childhood setting. The description of the heat wave, the locusts, the vegetation, and her neighborhood and her statement "Back then life was measured in summers" become the descriptive details of her summer as a fifth grader. The second paragraph briefly mentions the Cherry Bomb, which builds anticipation considering the title is "Cherry Bomb" and the author introduces the concept behind the title. The third paragraph is the detailed description of how to reach “My private things box”. The fourth paragraph tells the story of the narrator's cousin, Eddy's accident where the cherry bomb hit his eye. The fifth paragraph ties the piece together and explains the cherry bomb's sentimental value: "It was the first thing anyone ever gave me." Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get Custom EssayConclusionThe memories behind the cherry bomb are considered bittersweet because they are more or less unhappy times, but there is a silver lining in this memory where his family is together to bear this tragedy. The sentimental tone of the last line illustrates the irony of the Cherry Bomb's achievement as a "memory of the good times." The author characterizes the narrator's memories through descriptive imagery, revealing diction, and a memoir-like structure. Through these literary devices the unpleasant memories of his childhood are characterized as, 9(1),, 13(1), 103-128.