Language

The language of a literary text can reveal more details about the author’s intentions. In “Me and Mr. Harry” by Batya Swift Yasgur, the story is written in basic English and, as the events are narrated by a child, the language is fairly simple and easy to understand. Ther…

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Imagery

Imagery is mostly present when the narrator talks about Mr. Harry and the comfort she felt in his house. In the following quotation, visual imagery presents Mr. Harry’s house and the activities that fascinate the narrator:

He always had the yummiest cookies and we’d have a great time eating and watching the birds at his feeder. Or that time we shoveled his walk, and we made that giant snowman with a carrot nose and a funny hat, and then he made me hot chocolate. (ll. 3…

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Similes

Several similes are also employed in the text. When the narrator talks about Mrs. Morris, she also refers to her voice, which is “thick and powdery and sweet like the makeup she smears on her face” (ll. 4-5). This simile implies the narrator’s dislike for the woman and for her artificial looks. She also says that the woman’s mouth is “like…

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Symbols

One of the most important symbols present in the story is the bird. The narrator talks about the birds in Mr. Harry’s feeder and feels like a bird in a nest when she is questioned by Mrs. Morris. Here, the bird is a symbol of fragility and weakness. Just like the birds are drawn to Mr. Harry’s feeder with food, so is the narrator drawn to him with food, games, and kind words.

The armchair is also a very important symbol in the story, as it is presented as a replacement of Mr. Harry. The only place where the narrator feels safe and protected is with Mr. Harry, and therefore the armchair she sits in symbolizes the man but also her need to be protected:

‘You can tell me everyt…