She writes, “Whirling happily in my starchy frock, showing off my biscuit-polished patent-leather shoes and lavender socks, tossing my head in a way that makes my ribbons bounce, I stand, hands on hips, before my father. “’Take me, Daddy,” I say with assurance; “I’m the prettiest!”’ (51). Her young confidence comes from others’ perception of her in her frocks and polished shoes and her sassy attitude; it’s that reception from others that is detrimental to Alice’s confidence after her accident. As Alice states, “It was great fun being cute. But then, one day, it ended.” (52).
Now that’s growing up without a childhood. Jane Smiley seems like a great parent who cares about her children but to allow her daughters to put on makeup even entering their teenage years just isn’t right. Her girls where prematurely growing up, where behaving beyond their age, and with their only priority being beautiful at all times it seem to help them in the long run. As they burned off the “Barbie stage” and grew into more important things down their lives. Like for example Smiley talks about her older daughter, “Now she is planning to graduate school and law school and become an expert on woman’s health issues, perhaps adolescent health issues like anorexia and bulimia” (377).
I believe the author’s point of this story was to make the readers value their culture and traditions of their family and to understand how meaningful it is. In the beginning of the story, we are introduced to the older sister, Dee. "Dress down to the ground, in the hot weather. A dress so loud it hurts my eyes… Earrings gold, two, and hanging down to her shoulders. Bracelets dangling and making noises when she moves her arm… The dress is loose and flows, and as she walks closure, I like it.
Sister Maude is about bitter sister rivalry and how ‘Sister Maude’ tells on her sister about her lover. Both poems are about siblings and how they get along in life. Even though both poems are about sibling rivalry to a degree, ‘Sister Maude’ was probably written a hundred years before ‘Brothers’. This unfortunately shows that sibling rivalry will forever go on no matter what! ‘Brothers’ is a typical modern poem, set in a simple form, with five lines and three stanzas.
All or Nothing How would it make you feel to be walked over, every day, by someone you love? In the short story “everyday use”, By: Alice Walker. There are two sisters that are so very different, they just don’t see eye-to-eye. First you have Maggie; she is quiet and is not happy about the way she looks. Then there is Dee, the older sister, which is out spoken and thinks she is the best looking girl in the world.
Her innocent need for care and support convinces Rose to take Troy back into the house) about getting in the house and wear the shoes that Rose told her to wear. Although Rose has been kind of weak in some scenes of the play, she has demonstrated that a woman can successfully excel in a macho
All these themes or can we call them questions or problems, are what the author tries to show us and maybe answer us trough the short story “The Sin Bin or Lucy’s Heart”. I’ve got the feeling, when I read the text that Lucy truly is a well behaviour girl; she’s a Grade A student and most of the times listen to her mother. But she’s weak and naive, she wants to be liked and to be cool, or maybe she’s just an easy target for group pressure. Her mother tells her not to smoke because it’s bad for her organs etc. Although she know it’s true she does it, because Bethan her popular but bad mannered best friend does it, and had told her that it keeps you skinny.
In addition, she portrays similar tones such as desperation and mournfulness. In fact, in lines 30 to 24 her tone is at it’s most somber state as she expresses her guilt for being a bad mother to her “child” and believes she has not sent this child away prepared for the world’s cruel criticism. Furthermore, the diction is a device that coincides with the tone of the poem. Her choice of words all share a very strong connotation. As previously mentioned she uses the words ill formed and feeble to describe her unfinished writing’s fragility.
In Kate Chopin’s short story, “A Pair of Silk Stockings” the protagonist, a caring mother, is the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars. She planned on spending it on her children, but temptation causes her to give into her desires. The story shows that, sometimes people give into temptation to fulfill desires and forget about their responsibilities. The story begins with Mrs. Sommers becoming the unexpected possessor of fifteen dollars and deciding what to do with the money. “The question of investment was one that occupied her greatly,” because “she did not wish to act hastily to do anything she might afterward regret.” Mrs. Sommers finally decides to, “buy so and so many yards of percale for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag…Mag should have another gown…she would get caps for the boys and sailor-hats for the girls.” But Mrs. Sommers is impulsive.
As time passed Jeing-Mei became rebellious over being pushed into a mold. Her mother was determined she was going to be a prodigy like Shirley Temple or other girls she saw on television. Finally, her mother decided she would become a pianist. Jeing-Mei started talking back to her mother and acting out disrespectfully, when her mother took her freedom and made her practice the piano every day. Jeing-Mei liked to practice best the fancier parts of songs that she could use her foot and leg to play.