<span>Lincoln uses parallelism in this excerpt to acknowledge the limitations of the memorial ceremony. In this excerpt, it is parallelism because he instilled the words side by side such as dedicate and consecrate, living and dead, add or detract to clearly emphasize that what the men did will forever remain as time will pass by.</span>
Making prediction is an important reading comprehension strategy and you need to identify the literary theme in order to do so. The theme is the reason why the author has written the piece; the message the author wants to convey through the story. If you know the theme, you can make prediction about how the story will progress.
In the Happy Prince, the theme is that appearance does not always represent one's true feeling; for example The big metal statue of the Happy Prince “feels” the compassion and sacrifices himself for the oppressed.
The line from The Metamorphosis shows us that although Gregor has changed into an insect, he still has human thoughts and emotions. He can still think and feel like a human and appreciate the finer things in life, such as music, which would presumably be lost to him if he were solely an animal, especially an insect. So the line shows that although he has physically changed, mentally and emotionally he’s still a human.
Gregor’s role as a son and brother also undergoes a transformation along with his physical transformation. Prior to his transformation, his entire family is dependent on him and his job. However, after his transformation, he becomes dependent on other members of his family for his sustenance and survival. For example, in the initial days after his transformation, Grete feeds him, and he comes to depend on her for nourishment.
Gregor struggles with a number of identity issues in his new form. Although he has been transformed into an insect, he still has human feelings and sensations. However, being an insect, he cannot find a suitable outlet to express his feelings and emotions. The few instances in which he tries to reach out to other people or experience pleasure, as when he wants to hear Grete play the violin, he’s vehemently dismissed because of his repulsive form.
