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3. I believe the railing symbolizes comfort and normality to Ally. Ally uses the railing to help her get up the stairs and when she gets to the top and reaches the heart she must let go. Sometimes when we want to complete a goal we must detach ourselves from normalcy and comfort indoor to complete the goal. Letting goal of the railing let Ally get to the bathroom.

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2. I believe grass represents a protector and guide to Ally. When Ally is on the grass she is safe and it leads her to where she wants to go. "You are sitting in the garden for the first time this year, sitting on a cushion on the grass by Mother. The feel of the grass is good; when press it down and lift your hand the blades spring up again at once as strong as ever; they will not be kept lying down" (Godden N.A.). The blades also are a symbol of resilience and are like Ally. Ally is resilient thought the whole short story. First she does not get upset when the woman treats her like a baby and then she goes upstairs by herself. Finally Ally proves the woman wrong and gets to the bathroom safe and sound.

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There isn't really a narrator in this story because it is written in the second person. A narrarator is a third person of view. They tell a story without describing any character's thoughts, opinions, or feelings. But instead give it an objective and unbiased point of view.

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The point of view of this story was in second person.
"That visitor there would be surprised if you picked the flowers, one by one, and took them to her and told her what they were" (Godden).  The author writes "you" which means that it is about a specific person and is in second person. It usually means the author is trying to address something to the "you" perspective.

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The exposition is taken place at Ally's two story home in England during spring time. The story starts off with Ally and her mom in the garden.
The rising action is when Alice says she need to go upstairs to use the bathroom.
The climax is when Ally lets go of the railing and walks up on her own.
The falling action is when the mother asks if Ally is all right.
The resolution is when Ally responds with confidence that she is fine and closes the door to the bathroom.

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Sensory language is language that helps connect to the five senses to help create a description or image.There is lots of sensory language used in this short story. Since Ally is blind the story primarily focuses on touch, hearing, scent and taste. In the story the author writes about flexible grass, the smell of cinder and the shape, size and smell of flowers. "At the end of the path are two orange bushes with bitter-smelling leaves; they are bad little bushes, with twigs that catch on your coat; you don't like them and you think you will hurry past. There are two bushes in two tubs, and there are four steps; you can remember that, twice two are four. One-two-three-four, and your foot is on the last step, but you catch at the air, catch at the door with a sharp pain ringing in your shin, catch your breath and catch the door and save yourself" (Godden N.A.). The author uses lots of sensory detail and describes Ally's surroundings using touch and smell. Ally knows she is on the right track when she smells the bitter-smelling bushes at the end of the path. The author uses lots of directions in order for us to understand where Ally is going and how she gets there.

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Alice, who is known as Ally.
Direct: Ally is frightened to fail.
"Move your feet along the grass, don't lift them, because the path is there and it has a little brick edge hidden in the grass. You fell over it last summer; suddenly you were down on the grass and you have a fright about falling" (Godden N.A.). Ally is scared of falling and of failing to act like a regular girl. Ally does not want to fall and fail infant of others; she is very careful, yet courageous to walk alone.
Indirect: Ally is blind, she is brave and confident.
"Mother is looking at your face-you cannot look yourself, yet you can always feel Mother's look; now she is doubtful, but she is proud, and after a moment she says, “Very well dear.” You understand what she does not say, 'Be careful! Be careful'” (Godden). The author never tells the reader directly that Ally is blind, but leaves us hints in order to infer. Ally can not see herself which leads me to believe that she is blind.
'"Alone?'breathes the visitor, and prickles seem to rise up all over you. You have said you will do it alone, and you will. You turn your back on the visitor" (Godden). Ally wants to prove the visitor wrong and walk up the stairs by herself. Ally does not walk up the stairs on her hands and knees because she doesn't want to be a "baby", so she walks up straight even though it is harder. This shows that Ally is confident she can do it and is brave enough to do it with no supervision.

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The theme of this short story is confidence in yourself will help bring you success in life.  "Suddenly you can't move away from the stairs. Mother. Mother, but you bite your lips. You must not call out. Through the window you hear voices, voices from the path. Drops of water burst out on your neck and under your hair, and you leave the rail and step out on to the carpet and walk very boldly towards the verbena and warm toweling and the hot-metal-from-the-bath-taps smell" (Godden). Ally did not call out for her mother but instead believed in herself and accomplished walking up the stairs by herself. Ally never gave up, so with every step her goal was more within her reach.

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Literary devices used are sensory detail, oxymoron and symbolism. There is lots of sensory detail in this story. Ally describes the scent of the cinders, the shapes of the flowers and the smell. Since Ally is blind she depends on her four other senses a lot more than sight. Which helps the description of other items and makes them more detailed. "This is the hyacinth bed; hyacinths are easy, strong in scent and shaped like little pagodas - "Remember, I told you about pagodas"-and these are crocuses and these are aconites - but Mother is not close and you remember that Schiff may be out on the path" (Godden N.A.).  An oxymoron I came across was when Ally was thinking about Shniff. "Schiff! You stop. Schiff is so small that you might easily step on him, but Schiff is large enough for you to fall over" (Godden N.A.). She thinks Sniff is small and hard to see which will make him easy to step on, but Shniff is large enough for her to fall over. Ally contradicts herself on whether he is small or big. Some symbolism in this story is the wooden heart underneath the railing at the top of the stairs. The mom put it there that way Ally knew her mother was proud of her. The wooden heart symbolizes the mom's love for Ally.

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The tone or diction of the story is written in an English dialect. For example, when the author writes "loo" instead of toilet or a "scraper" instead of hoe. This use of diction gave us a different perspective and makes the reader think about what else is different in an English house hold. Also the tone of the book was insightful and encouraging. It tells of Ally's many obstacles to get through before getting to the house. Which include finding the path and staying on the grass, and also the odd smelling bushes she had to get through and not get caught on the branches. The obstacles help the reader to invasion her surroundings and imagine how Ally felt. The tone was encouraging because with every obstacle Ally was able to get around it or overcome it.

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Images I believe represent the story are:
1. I believe cinders represent part of the story because they were a guide for Ally along the way to the path through the garden. The scent helps her, guides her, warns her and keeps her on track. "On the other side of the trees is a smell of cinders where, last winter, ashes were thrown down on the snow. The smell warns you. Move your feet along the grass, don't lift them, because the path is there and it has a little brick edge hidden in the grass"(Godden). The cinder's smell keep Ally where she needs to be.

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The main conflict in this short story is person versus self. Ally, who is blind, must walk up the stairs by herself to the bathroom. "Someone, somebody, has left the scraper on the step. It has been pulled right out. You stand there shaking, boiling with anger, the pain hurting in your leg, but there is no sound from the garden; the visitor has not seen" (Godden N.A.). Although Ally was not faced with difficult circumstances she was able to overcome all obstacles and believe in herself. Even after hurting herself she remained on task and never gave up. The conflict was person vs. self because Ally had to use what she knew and use confidence in order to achieve her goal.