Alistair MacLeod's "The Boat"

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Part A
Alistair MacLeod's "The Boat"
The passage is taken from Alistair Macleod's short story "The Boat." The narrator tells the story about his experience piloting a fishing boat with his father during winter. The narrator says he was at the tiller while his father stood at the stern. The author would sometimes wake up at four o’clock believing that his father was waiting for him in the room below: “There are times when I am half out of bed and fumbling for socks and mumbling for words before I realize that I am foolishly alone, that no one waits at the base of the stairs and no boat rides restlessly in the waters by the pier” (MacLeod, pg. 247). The author’s earliest memories are with his father taking him on a boat ride: “I rode the half-mile from our house to the wharf on his shoulders and I remember h sound of his rubber boots galumphing along the gravel beach, the tune of the indecent little song he used to sing and the odor of the salt” (MacLeod, pg. 248). The engine also produced high sounds, and they had no choice but to raise their voices while talking. Also, he compares himself to his uncle and stands at the place where the uncle used to stand while on the boat (MacLeod). However, on the last run of their season, which happened on the 21st of November, the narrator turned back to look at his father and realized he was no longer there. That moment dawns on him that his father would never return.
This passage of the story has significance in that it highlights to the readers the nature of fishing and the risks that fishermen and other stakeholders face daily. Imagery such as the "waves of the grey Atlantic" being very high and the sea water and weather being freezing creates an image of danger and foreboding (MacLeod). Additionally, the passage indicates that there were no signposts in the sea, and the visibility was overly poor such that the fishermen could barely see in front of them (MacLeod). This depicts how dangerous the waters can be for fishermen trying to achieve their fishing goals. Thus, the realization the narrator that his father may never return indicates the unpredictability of the sea and the innumerable dangers that fishermen face in their everyday lives (MacLeod).
Also, the passage highlights the tradition and the importance of the passage of skill and knowledge through generations. For instance, the narrator compares himself to his uncle by standing in his place (MacLeod). This shows that he was representing his uncle's traits and continuing with the family fishing tradition. It is indicated that the uncle and father cannot swim. However, regardless of this, they still pass on the fishing tradition to the next generation, to to which the narrator belongs (MacLeod). This helped maintain the tradition and ensure that they gained the relevant skills and knowledge.
Moreover, language is an aspect that has been used in the passage to emphasize danger. The narrator continually uses the words "very High" waves to signify the extent of the danger they were engulfed in while fishing (MacLeod). Thus, while reading the passage, tension is created as it is unpredictable what the fishermen may experience while on their expedition. Also, the word "useless" is used to discredit the act of turning the boat back to the face of the storm (MacLeod). It is viewed as a futility and would not help the fishermen in achieving their goal of overcoming the furious sea. "Irony," which has also been used to describe the inability of the fishermen to swim, is also indicative of the dangers that they were exposed to but had no option but to instill the knowledge and skills in their children for the future generations. Therefore, the author aims to create a vivid picture of the treacherous escapades that fishermen have to face while on their fishing trips in the seas (MacLeod). Language is an essential aspect of writing which is often utilized by authors in literature to explain various events. The way they use the language elements could have different meanings, thus enabling the readers to understand the situations better in the long run. The story's author has achieved this by blending different metaphors and exaggerated words in the context.
In summary, the passage explains to the readers how fishermen face various risks in the line of their duties every day. Ideally, the fishermen are obligated to share their knowledge and experiences with future generations to uphold family traditions (MacLeod). Every reader must try to connect with the narrator and the author by understanding the language elements utilized throughout. Overall, the passage explains the extreme conditions the fishermen must undergo to achieve specific goals and objectives within the fierce sea waters.
PART B
In Carrianne Leung's "Grass" and Kim Fu's "The Doll," the deaths of individuals in the community create a sense of communal trauma, which the children respond to differently. Grass explores what happened after the death of two community members, while "The Doll" explores the suicide of Mr. Muller after finding that his entire family died of carbon monoxide poisoning. In the two texts, the children respond differently to the situations: for instance, in the story “Grass” the children are afraid their parents might commit suicide and spend their summer holiday spying their guardians for strange behaviors while in the story “The Doll”, the deaths of the Mullen family are the source of wonder and dread, especially the doll they find in the Muller’s home (Leung, 8-9; Fu, 48-49). The responses depict their complexities in communal values and participation in situations such as death. As depicted in both stories, "The Doll" and the "Grass," death significantly impact the people within the community. The experiences are described as causing communal trauma for all community members. Thus, it fundamentally affects the children in the community in different ways.
In the "Grass" story, the two suicide victims live in the author’s suburban community. The community lived and shared similar values and was closely knit. Therefore, her death caused shock waves across the community thus, causing collective trauma. For instance, children who lived comfortably and in harmony within the community found it difficult to come to t...