Genre
Short story
Setting and Context
Written in the context of the unfortunate events involving the protagonist
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
The tone is accusatory, and the mood is ominous.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonist is Chiu Maguang.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between Mr. Chiu and the police officer, who refuses to apologize for intentionally throwing tea at his feet.
Climax
The climax comes when Mr. Chiu walks out of prison unharmed.
Foreshadowing
The unfair arrest of Mr. Chiu foreshadows the police brutalities extended to innocent citizens.
Understatement
Injustice is understated. For instance, Mr. Chiu is arrested for doing no crime but forced to confess to the wrongs he never committed.
Allusions
The story alludes to police excesses against innocent citizens.
Imagery
The description of Mr. Chiu’s police cell and spacious backyard creates visual images in readers’ minds, thus, depicting sight imagery.
Paradox
The main paradox is that Mr. Chiu is arrested for doing nothing wrong.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
The police cell is incarnated as cruel.
