A White Heron

by Sarah Orne Jewett

A White Heron: Dialect 1 key example

Part I
Explanation and Analysis—Mrs. Tilley:

In order to make the characters of “A White Heron” feel believable, Jewett does her best to capture their dialects. This is especially true of Sylvia’s grandmother Mrs. Tilley, as seen in the following passage (when she is explaining Sylvia’s love of animals to the hunter):

Squer’ls she’ll tame to come an’ feed right out o’ her hands, and all sorts o’ birds. Last winter she got the jaybirds to bangeing here, and I believe she’d ’a’ scanted herself of her own meals to have plenty to throw out amongst ’em, if I hadn’t kep’ watch. Anything but crows, I tell her, I’m willin’ to help support — though Dan he had a tamed one o’ them that did seem to have reason same as folks.