What should you first consider when beginning the close reading of a passage
a. whether the passage is at the beginning, middle, or end of the novel
b. whether the passage concerns the main character
c. whether the passage contains the main conflict
d. whether the passage clearly reflects the theme of the novel

boccaccio employs the voice of his narrator dioneo to represent his ideas on the tension between masculinity and femininity.  while dioneo excites the members of the brigata and recognizes women for their unique skills and independent ideas, he concludes the decameron with a story reminiscent of the society from which these young aristocrats escaped, revealing misogynistic overtones.  dioneo boccaccio is able to explore the gender disparity which is inherent in 14th century florentine society.

figurative language is a resource that fiction writers use to make better descriptions of what they want to write about or express. they can improve their stories, as they can elaborate more vivid and colorful sentences. this way, the reader will be able to have more detailed images in his/her mind.

places, objects, people and even feelings or emotions can be described with a lot of detail to metaphors, similes and personifications. making different kinds of comparisons to make a description more specific, as well as assigning human qualities to non-human objects (and vice-versa) can be very useful for science fiction writers.  

on the other hand, alliterations allow writers to elaborate more entertaining and creative sentences. it consists in using a sequence of words that start with the same consonant letter. they can be used to emphasize something important the writer wants to express, or just as a fun literary device.

the scene now shifts back to the shelby plantation in kentucky, where  aunt chloe  has just received the letter tom wrote her with little eva's . mrs. shelby tells her husband about the letter, in which tom says that although his new family is kind, he still longs to return to his "real home."

mr. shelby, in the meantime, has still been plagued by debt. mrs. shelby offers to raise money, especially so that they can buy tom. mr. shelby becomes angry, and his wife lets the unlikely hope drop for the present. chloe then calls for mrs. shelby and asks if she could be hired out as a pastry cook in louisville in order to earn money for tom. mrs. shelby gives chloe her blessing.