Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Barreca/Nighttime Fires. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page explication of "Nighttime Fires" by Regina Barreca, the writer argues that the poet creates a haunting tale of her father's disillusionment with a society that has failed him. Barreca turns the behavior of her father, that is, waking up Barreca and her siblings so they could witness the night time destruction of a home to fire, into an elaborate metaphor that enlightens the reader as to her father's state of mind. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khbarnf.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Barreca and her siblings so they could witness the night time destruction of a home to fire, into an elaborate metaphor that enlightens the reader as to her fathers state
of mind. In so doing, Barreca shows the destructive effect that economic instability has had on her fathers psyche. The first stanza sets the stage for the poems drama,
the pivotal drama of a nighttime fire. Barreca indicates in the first line that she was only five when her father started this ritual, which was "after my father/lost his
job" (lines 2-3). Using well-selected images, the poet, first of all, conveys the frustration of her father, who is "awake past midnight," reading old newspapers and doing crossword puzzles "until
he split the pencil/between his teeth" (lines 6-8). This is the emotional context in which the father wakes his family when he hears the "wolf whine of the siren," as
the fire engine makes toward a night time fire. `Firefighters are perceived as some of societys finest heroes. Therefore, the metaphor of a "wolf whine" seems initially out
of context, as does the childrens longing for "burnt wood" and their desire to smell the flames (lines 11-12). While fires and their destruction are seen as a tragedy, to
the children, "It was festival, carnival" (line 15). These contradictory images to how house fires are generally perceived are made clear in the second stanza. Barreca describes the jovial nature
of her father as he watches the house burn. Her father "who never held us/would take my hand" (lines 19-20). This stanza makes clear that what the children enjoy is
not the drama of watching the fire, per se, but rather the attitude of their father, who is suddenly jovial and loving, rather than frustrated, angry and morose. Barreca
...