Patterns In "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses"

There are several patterns within "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses" that enhance the story as it progresses. There are two patterns, in particular, that I have been able to identify within this story. The fist pattern consists of the smooth transitioning from a stressful situation to a peaceful, almost paradise like situation. The second consists of transitioning from events and emotions that come from Brille and Hannetjie. By using these two patterns, the author is able to make "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses" an enjoyable read by devolving the story's mood and plot.

The smooth transition from  stressful situations to calm, peaceful situations creates the mood of the entire story. The story begins with the introduction of a dictator like character, Hannetjie, who ruled over the prisoners of Span One. Hannetjie beat one of the most feeble prisoners, the prisoner who wore glasses, because of stolen cabbage. This transitions to the feeble prisoner, Brille, telling his Span that he will "... Try to make up for it..." (Head 687). Brille's claim begins the transition to a more peaceful mood within the story. Mr. Paresto from buiska.com claims that, "Characters affect almost every story, but they are more significant in <u>The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses</u> because they cause the story to change direction" (Paresto). This shows that it is because of the character's spoken words and actions that causes the story to become less stressful. In the end , Brille changes Hannetjie into a man who works alongside the prisoners in a happy, undemanding way. This successfully makes the final shift in the story from a stressful mood to one that is peaceful. 

The plot of the story is also developed through a series of patterns. The back and forth from Brille to Hannetjie explains the events that happen in the story. It creates everything from the rising action to the resolution of the story itself. According to Simpson of blogspot.com, the matter of first introducing Brille makes him "...the attraction of a group of ten political prisoners..." (Simpson). The author then introduces Hannetjie, who becomes the antagonist of the story for a long duration of time. It is noted that soon after the warder, Hannetjie, punishes Brille and Span One for Brille's mistakes, the story switches back to Brille who "...was very apologetic" (Head 687). Soon after his apologies, Brille promises to make it up to the group. This moves the plot of the story along in a subtle manner. After giving a story of Brille's background, the story transitions to Hannetjie catching an "...old man of twelve children stealing grapes from the farm shed" (Head 688). Soon after, Brille catches Hannetjie stealing tobacco and claims that he is nothing more than a child which brings upon the climax of the story. According to Mr. Paresto, "The point-of-view also keeps readers wondering why Hannetjie does some of the things he does and in the end, you understand it all" (Paresto). The story continues to switch between Brille and Hannetjie until the story reaches its resolution. When Hannetjie begins working with Span One, life is made easier on everyone. This shows that the pattern of the author switching the focus of the story from Brille to Hannetjie is what creates the entire plot of the story in an effective yet subtle way, and gives the audience a good understanding of the story in the end.

The author does use patterns throughout "The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses" to effectively create mood and plot. The author transitions the focus of the story between two individual characters throughout the story to create the plot of the short story. She also makes the smooth transition from a stressful to calm situation in order to set the mood of the story for the audience. By using these transitions, patterns are made and the overall meaning and mood of the story is created. The author uses these patterns to enhance the overall feeling of the short story and to make it more enjoyable for the audience to read.