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In Jane Urquhart's The Night Stages, imagery is used to give the reader a glimpse into Kenneth's state of mind.

"For months now there had been noise, the 60 workmen’s power tools and, in the odd moments when those were silent, the roar of the planes arriving and departing at the old, soon-to-be abandoned terminal."

This quote illustrates a fact about Kenneth's working area; There is a lot of noise. This noise, along with the droves of people that Kenneth sees daily is crucial in influencing his creative process and his art as his conscience thoughts regarding how people view his piece and if they would be "struck by it" motivate him to make it the best that it can be.

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Claim: The excerpt from Jane Urquhart's novel, The Night Stages, utilizes the literary element of imagery to convey the hard work an admiration he has for his mural. Through the excerpt while Kenneth was painting the mural he reviews the details of how he was taught to paint in his mind and analyzing each brush stroke. Kenneth "smiled as the apple became spherical under his brush" to show his attention to detail while painting. His dedication to his work and thinking about each brush stoke is what causes him to hope that his art is not ignored due to their ignorance. His zeal for art highlights his pleasure through his artwork.

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In the novel The Night Stages, Jane Urquhart uses metaphors to emphasize Kenneth's care and devotion towards his work despite other people's disregard and neglect of it. Urquhart illustrates that Kenneth had seen "rivers" of passengers "pouring down the steps." Urquhart's use of the metaphor of comparing passengers to a river reveals the large number of people who ignore Kenneth's art in the terminal and do not find anything extraordinary about it. However, Urquhart mentions "still, what a pleasure he had taken in the making of it." This contrast of Kenneth's view, despite the "rivers" of ordinary perspectives from others, highlights Kenneth's opposition to what others think and his strong nature to remain unique.

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In Urquhart's The Night Stages, the author conveys Kenneth's passionate joy that he feels when working on his mural through irony. One of the thoughts that passed through Kenneth's mind was "He was not unaware that public art could be—and often was—ignored. Still, what pleasure he had taken in the making of it." Prior to this, he had many other wandering thoughts that imagined the life of characters inside the painting and what the various travelers passing by would see in his art. But despite all this daydreaming, Kenneth acknowledges that his art could simply be ignored. The contrast between the importance of this art to himself compared to that of others highlights the amount of passion that Kenneth has for it, and how much "pleasure he had taken in the making of it."

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Urquhart uses similes to allow the reader to experience the mural from his perspective and understand his fears.

"This was the last exposure and it would make the mural look incredibly small, like a two-inch-long piece of ribbon with an unreadable pattern on it."

Urquhart talks about how this large mural he has poured his soul into looks so tiny and unimportant in this picture. Which foreshadows later, as he is concerned people will just pass it by without caring, just as they would simply ignore a small two inch ribbon "with an unreadable pattern". Urquhart uses this simile to illustrate how he may view his mural is different to how it could be interpreted by others, as even by a camera it appears different.

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In the novel, The Night Stages, by

Urquhart, the author establishes a sense of irony between the narrator's desire to pursue his own artistic endeavors despite the critic's advice. This irony is further developed by the narrator's contemplation over how his work would be viewed, and yet the narrator was still happy as he received "pleasure...in the making of it." This irony highlights the true artistic desire of the narrator, as he did not seek fame or glory, he simply desired to express his artwork in the manner he wanted and was authentic to himself and his artwork.

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Urquhart uses allusion to illustrate the influences and motivations yet uniqueness behind the contents and style of his mural. Kenneth writes how his past experiences with Harding's teachings and the "The girl in Germany, the couple in Italy, floated by, a sense of them here and there in the mural. These narratives fought for space in his mind." Kenneth feels the pressure and presence of his past experiences and training from teachers on his art. However, this blend of influences is what creates the unique style and look of the mural, one that is "divorced from narrative". He utilizes his past experiences and uses them to create something that is uniquely his.

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In the excerpt from Jane Urquhart’s novel The Night Stages, the author alludes to experiences with people in the past that influence his work as a way to show a source of inspiration for his mural. In the passage, the author refers to “The girl in Germany, the couple in Italy,” and how they “floated by, a sense of them here and there in the mural,”. By saying they floated by and that there is a sense of them in the mural here and there, it implies that the artist has included parts of their personalities in the art in some way. The fact that they floated by also means that these aspects of their lives and stories are present in the mural.

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Through The Night Stages, Jane Urquhart depicts a character, Kenny, and his thought process whilst painting. Through is perspective, Urquhart demonstrates the disciplined mindset of Kenny through the personification of his own thoughts within his mind. Urquhart explains how Kenny's own experiences often influenced his paintings, but he kept the influence small and at by; "These narratives fought for space in his mind. But the mural itself, he knew, was divorced from narrative." In a career demanding creativity and self expression, bias can unknowingly be integrated within a piece of art. The personification of his internal thoughts fighting reveals the extent of this inner conflict. Then further personification is used when his thoughts are described to be "divorced" from the painting. Such a statement is indicative of his self control in not letting his narrative morph onto the canvas.

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Urquhart is able to help the reader understand what is going on inside the painters head while he is creating the mural using imagery. Talking about how "Kenneth mixed the yolk with the warm shades of ground pigment, he remembered the critic telling him to keep things on the picture plane flat, two-dimensional, and he smiled as the apple became spherical under his brush." Through vivid imagery of the yolks "warm shades" and the apples "spherical" appearance, Urquhart is able to show Kenneth's personal connection with his art. The yolks remind him of the reason for this piece, an attempt to overcome his critics. The spherical apples showcase his defiance and perseverance regardless of what his critics say. It is through the imagery that we are able to understand Kenneth's defiance of the critics, and understand the underlying theme of not letting someone else get under your skin, and to continue doing what you believe is right.

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In Jane Urquhart's novel, The Night Stages, she uses contrasting allusions to portray the wandering mind and differing emotions of Kenneth as he finishes a three-month-long mural in the airport. Urquhart utilizes allusions to demonstrate how the mural helps him push the boundaries of his art, while also prompting him to question the impact of his work.

"Humpty-Dumpty, he thought, this wall, and the wall of cultural fashion that could keep you out, for a while, until the great fall."

The allusion to Humpty-Dumpty reminds him of a critic he worked with in the past, and how he didn't like the technique Kenneth was using. He is reminded of this man every time he cracks an egg, as a form of defiance and a way to let his own opinion shine through. He then goes on to say that the wall always falls, going on to show a perspective where he questions whether the public will well receive his work or if it will just fade into oblivion in no time.

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C: Urquhart's use of personification when referencing the completed mural is representative of how the central character, Kenneth, feels about his art and how it will interact with society when he lets go of it and leaves it up to the interpretation of others.

E: "...when the mural had begun to live its own independent life in the presence of an audience"

A: By claiming that the mural will begin to "live its own independent life" Urquhart suggests that Kenneth belives that his art will go on to connect with a wider audience and that when they encounter it his art will take on new meanings in the same way a person takes on new meanings and understandings of themselves as they grow older and encounter more in life.

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In the passage, Urquhart uses an allusion to express Kenneth's nerves before his art becomes public, highlighting an artist's mental space before publicly displaying art.

While Kenneth is thinking about the critical reception of his work, he ponders the popular fable "Humpty Dumpty" and how he has the potential to be like Dumpty. In the fable, Dumpty fell off the wall, cracking his shell, never able to fully recover. Kenneth feels that if his work is not critically accepted, he thought he will fall off the wall and not be able to climb back. Falling off in this context is poor reception to his work and not coming back is being blacklisted from the industry. Also, for Kenneth, cracking would be all the negative emotions he feels after the poor reception, as Urquhart mentioned that Kenneth put 3 months and many hours into the project. Through the use of Humpty Dumpty, Urquhart develops a deeper understanding of Kenneth's feelings before publicly displaying his art project.

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Throughout the passage, Urquhart utilizes connotation to help the readers understand how the opinion of others affects him as an artist. He says "he had seen the passengers...pouring down the steps that were pushed up to the airliners, then flowing darkly across the tarmac." The use of "flowing darkly" evokes a chilly feeling that matches Urquhart's sentiment surrounding viewership of his mural. There is no intentional disdain showed to the painting by travelers, but rather they show their judgement to the artist by silently "flowing" by it with indifference.

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Urquhart uses allusion to convey how Kenneth, by painting his mural with a certain technique, is escaping the hold of norms and trends of society.

"Each time he broke the shell, he thought of the critic’s head, the smooth baldness of the top of it. Humpty-Dumpty, he thought, this wall, and the wall of cultural fashion that could keep you out, for a while, until the great fall. By now he knew that fashion always fell, it failed and fell. He was happy to be free of it."

Kenneth alludes to the popular nursey rhyme Humpty-Dumpty, comparing it to an art critic who disliked his egg-yolk-paint technique. In doing so Kenneth conveys how the critic will "fall," that his ideas won't stay around for long, that soon he won't be relevant to common culture, but with his special art medium, Kenneth will be able to withstand that fall. Kenneth has already freed himself from the shackles of being on trend and in the public conciousness, and he's now freeing himself from his own insecurities and thoughts over how others view his art.

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Urquhart uses allusion to express Kenneth's conflicted feeling about his art, he feels proud of his mural though he also knows that art doesn't always last or stay important. Kenneth thinks about the "the critic's head, the smooth baldness at the top of it. Humpty Dumpy." Also, the "wall of cultural fashion that could keep you out... until the great fall." The mention of Humpty Dumpty is an allusion to the famous rhyme where the egg falls and can't be fixed. Kenneth is comparing his mural to that, he knows that even great art can be forgotten or broken by time and changing trends. This highlights how he understands that while his work may not last forever, he still feels proud of creating it.

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Claim: Jane Urquhart uses a metaphor in Kenneth's reflection to reveal his inner conflict between artistic success and cultural acceptance as he works on finishing his mural.

Quote: "...each time he broke the shell, he thought of the critic’s head, the smooth baldness of the top of it. Humpty-30 Dumpty, he thought, this wall, and the wall of cultural fashion that could keep you out, for a while, until the great fall."

Analysis: In this quote, Kenneth imagines "the critics head" while cracking eggs, comparing this to "Humpty Dumpty". He also references the "wall of cultural fashion". This metaphor connects the action of painting and breaking eggs to create the pigment to his frustration with elitist artist institutions. The critics "smooth baldness" evokes ridicule and vulnerability and the reference to "the great fall" suggests that the cultural barrier/wall that was keeping Kenneth excluded is collapsing. Through this language, Urquhart is able to convey Kenneth's complex feelings and inner struggles between defiance, bitterness, and hope as he confronts cultural focuses considered within art legitimacy while working on his mural.

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In The Night Stages, Jane Urquhart uses personification to reflect Kenneth’s emotional connection to his work and his concerns about its reception, emphasizing the intimate and vulnerable aspects of the artistic process. “He imagined the mural whispering to itself in the dark, alone on the wall through the hours of the night.”

By personifying the mural as something capable of whispering to itself, Urquhart conveys Kenneth’s view of the mural not as an object, but as a living thing. This reflects Kenneth’s deep attachment to the work and suggests that, like an artist, the mural holds its own story and voice.

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In the excerpt from Jane Urquhart's The Night Stages, Urquhart parallels the juggling of the apples handled by the child Kenneth paints with the eggs used by Kenneth to paint in order to express the power both of the subjects harness from their respective inanimate objects/foods. Immediately following the explanation that the child "gained power through his manipulation" of the apples, Urquhart notes Kenneth's egg, and how he "passed it from hand to hand" before using it to paint. This presents a striking similarity between Kenneth and the child in how they both use physical handling of objects to their advantage.

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Through vivid imagery of the mural, Urquhart captures the living meaning and personality behind the mural in the mind of the artist.

" they would be kept in the air 15 indefinitely. While Kenneth mixed the yolk with the warm shades of ground pigment, he remembered the critic telling him to keep things on the picture plane flat, two-dimensional, and he smiled as the apple became spherical under his brush" (Urquhart).

Through vivid imagery of the yolks "warm shades" and the apples "spherical" appearance, Urquhart highlights Kenneth's deep emotional connection with the piece. The warm yolks remind him of the critics he is to overcome, and the spherical apple embodies his defiance and artistic nature. It is through his art that Kenneth expresses himself, and provides a medium to embody the significance of his work and underlying meaning.

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In The Night Stages, Urquhart highlights the painter's prioritization of his opinion over others by using metaphor to express his disdain for the critic. He imagines that "each time he broke the shell, he thought of the critic’s head, the smooth baldness of the top of it." The painter stresses how many eggshells he's broken earlier in the passage, and for him to imagine the critic every time would be notable. By comparing the eggshell to the critic, he notes how disposable the two are and how their impact doesn't reflect the painting. Just like the eggshell, the critic is nothing more than a part of the process that isn't critical in what the painting reflects.

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Urquhart uses imagery to allow the reader to understand what is going on inside the painter's head while he is creating his mural, by emphasizing the distractions he dealt with, such as the "drill shrieking somewhere in the building". By understanding the surroundings of the painter, we get a better sense of what he is dealing with; by understanding this, we can get a better idea of what he is thinking, and can try to put ourselves in his shoes.

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Urquhart utilizes irony when writing "by now he knew that fashion always fell, it failed and fell," to highlight the nature of societal rules and the futility of trying to follow them. The use of the word "fell" emphasizes the inevitability of decline, which suggests that while one may first be captivated by fashion, it leads to disappointment. This irony reinforces the idea of freedom from societal expectations, since the character finds peace in rejecting the allure of fashion.