Week 2 Discussion Response

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Discussion Question 1

The story “The Flowers” by Alice Walker is a powerful and evocative story that explores the themes of race, innocence, and the human condition through the characterization of its protagonist, Myop. The story uses vivid imagery and a third-person point of view. The author develops Myop as a young, innocent girl who is slowly exposed to the world's harsh realities.

Myop is first introduced as a carefree and curious child fascinated by the natural world's beauty. She is described as a girl who enjoys exploring and wondering "lightly from hen house to pigpen to smokehouse" (Walker 38). She is also described as brave, "unafraid to free herself" (Walker 39). Myop is fascinated by nature's beauty; specifically the flowers and animals she encounters on her journey to the woods.

As the story progresses, Myop's innocence is gradually shattered as she comes across the body of a man who has been lynched. This traumatic experience leaves her in shock. The imagery used to describe the man's body is disturbing, and it is clear that Myop is horrified by what she sees; the author describes the scene of the noose as "frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled" (Walker 39). Myop gets overwhelmed with fear and confusion and lays down her flowers.

Additionally, this event is a turning point in Myop's development as a character. She is no longer the innocent child who wanders through the fields and forests but a person who has been exposed to the harsh realities of the world. The world is not the beautiful place she knew; human nature has a dark side. Myop's realization is conveyed through her being filled with a lot of fear after finding the body of a dead man and laying down her flowers.

To conclude, the story is a powerful and evocative exploration of the human experience, and Myop is the lead character. The story describes Myop's character as she wanders through the fields and forests. She is later filled with fear and confusion as she confronts the brutal reality of the world after finding the body of a lynched man in the woods.

Work Cited

Walker, Alice. "The Flowers.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature, edited by Michael Meyer and D Quentin Miller, 12th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s 2020, pp. 38-39