Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
Written in the context of the mysteries of life
Narrator and Point of View
First-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Fascinating, intriguing, sanguine, informative
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character in the text is Annie Dillard.
Major Conflict
The conflict is the miracle that children born with various deformities live a normal life without complaining as ordinary people do. People born with various deformities did not choose to be born that way, but they appreciate the gift of life because they do not complain.
Climax
The climax comes when Dillard goes to Israel and gets the pleasure of interacting with rabbis who aid her in understanding how evil contributes to human suffering.
Foreshadowing
The change of beaches is foreshadowed by the reshaping of the clouds into different shapes.
Understatement
Satisfaction in human life is understated. The author illustrates that human ability is not limited to one's condition but acceptance.
Allusions
The story alludes to the mysteries of life and the human experience.
Imagery
The images of the beaches and clouds depict sight imagery to readers.
Paradox
The main paradox is that the wise people are the ones who suffer the most. According to the author, the wise are subjected to harsh tempt emotions and are often plagued with mental suffering.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Zeitgeist is a metonymy for the present days.
Personification
Clouds are personified as humans when they make a fascinating appearance.
