Should I use "is" or "was" in the following sentence?The "outlandish parrot," the crockery dog and cat, and the turkey feather fan above the...

I completely agree with mwestwood's answer above, but I
would also add that since it appears that you are writing a literary analysis of a
novel, it is important to always use present tense verbs in this type of writing.  The
thinking is that the action in a story is always happening -- someone, somewhere in the
world is reading the story for the first time, so the action is always happening -- in
the present tense.  Even when you talk about multiple events that happen throughout a
novel, each event should be in the present tense.  For
example:

Jim and Huck travel down the river and eventually
arrive at the farm where Jim is then held captive.

Huck
meets the many people along his travels, but none are more interesting than the Duke and
the King who are actually con men who play off the foolishness of the people they
meet.

It is a good idea to proof read your paper for
consistent present tense verbs.  Once you get good at it, it will second nature to write
literary papers in this way.