“I am Death, and I have come to take you with me.” Thinking fast, Aunty Misery said, “All right, but before I go, I would like to pluck some pears from my beloved tree to remember how much pleasure it brought to me in this life. But I am a very old woman and cannot climb to the tallest branches where the best fruit is. Will you be so kind as to do it for me?” With a heavy sigh like wind through a tomb, Senor Death climbed the pear tree. Immediately he became stuck to it as if with glue. And no matter how much he cursed and threatened, Aunty Misery would not allow the tree to release Death. —“Aunty Misery,” Judith Ortiz Cofer
Which two things are personified in the folktale?
trees
misery
children
pears
death.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
In Judith Ortiz Cofer’s folktale excerpt, the two things that are personified are Death and Misery.
Death is personified as a character who speaks and interacts with Aunty Misery. This portrayal transforms Death from an abstract concept into a tangible figure with human-like qualities, capable of emotions such as annoyance and frustration when he becomes stuck in the pear tree. His dialogue and actions suggest he possesses a will and purpose, common traits of personified characters. This anthropomorphism serves to illustrate the inevitable nature of death while also adding a layer of humor and relatability to the story, allowing readers to engage with the idea of mortality in a less intimidating way.
Misery, referred to as Aunty Misery, is also personified. She embodies the concept of suffering and hardship, given the title “Aunty,” which suggests familiarity and a presence in the lives of people. Her cleverness in outsmarting Death demonstrates that she possesses agency, a quality often attributed to living beings. By requesting Death’s help to pluck pears from her tree, she asserts her control over the situation, cleverly manipulating Death’s desire to fulfill his duty. This interaction emphasizes the idea that even in the face of death and suffering, individuals can exert influence and find joy, as Aunty Misery desires to remember the pleasure her tree has provided her in life.
Overall, through the personification of Death and Misery, Cofer crafts a narrative that explores the relationship between life and death, joy and suffering, while infusing humor into the serious themes of mortality and hardship. This enables readers to reflect on the complexities of these concepts in a more approachable manner.