...A Gift for My Mother Poverty is very prevalent all over the world today. In Africa for instance poverty is very common, and many people starve everyday. In the countries where people feel poverty, there is also a big distinction between the rich families and the poor. But how does this affect the children? Do they feel the poverty and the distinction? This is a very relevant theme in the short story “A Gift for My Mother” by Viv McDade. The lead character comes from a poor family, and her mother is frustrated by the fact that they don’t have enough money. So the child of this family goes out to pick some flowers, and she sells them to the richer people so the family can get some more money and to make her mother happy. It is a first person narrator who is telling the story, so the narrator is also the lead character. The lead character is a girl called Lucy, and we know she is ten because she says so herself. She cares a lot about her family, because she practically only talks about her parents in the story. She doesn’t tell a lot about her father, but when he comes home from work, she immediately runs out to him. Acceptance from her parents is also very important to her. There are several examples of this. One of them is when her father comes home and she runs out to meet him. In this scenario she says: “I was the only one who could spell illiterate,” I tell him. “Fantastic. You’re the best speller I know.” 1 This is the first thing she tells him, so the need of approval...
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...Topic: My mother Name: College: Unstable life in the Middle East since she was born, 42 years ago, was not favorable to her, and five years ago she left the place. She has then stayed in the United States of America for the past five years. She was a normal lady in her teenage, and she struggled with mistakes and adventures people make and go through in adolescence stage. The most notable thing about her by then is that she seemed to understand things quickly and make stable decisions in life. At that stage, many ladies who moved from childhood to adulthood seemed to be confused and undecided. Many of them could go through it and come out with regrets as they advance to adulthood. She, however, passed through it without any blemish. Furthermore, she was the type that all villagers admired in character and personality. She was used by villagers as an example to describe a girl they would like their little daughters to be when they grow up. My mother’s exceptional features in her adolescence have never left her. She is still the most adorned person that any man may yearn to have as a companion in life. Weighing about 135 pounds, she is 5 feet 6 inches tall, which makes her visible from far among ladies. The most adorned part that describes my mother’s innocence is her eyes. She has grey eyes that look at a person with genuine innocence I have never seen in many people. The most visible part that shows my resemblance to her is her nose. They are thin and oval...
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...Comparison Essay My Father and Mother Almost all children spend their childhood time together with their parents. I also grew up and spent my childhood with my father and mother. As parents, both of them loved and took care of me. However, there are three major differences between them. My parents have different views on children’s career, different views on children’s life and different habits. Firstly, my dad and mom had different opinions on what I should pursue as my future job. My dad said I should get a job related to sciences or business. He suggested I should become a doctor, nurse or business administrator. My mom said I should pick up their career and become a farmer or maybe a gardener. My dad was very strict when it came to what I could do as a child while my mom was more open-minded. My dad would not allow me to go outside to play with my friends. If he found out that I was outside he would force me to go back home and be really angry with me. He would also say that I should be either studying or be working in and around the house. My mom, on the other hand, would give me more freedom. She would allow me to have free time. She would even tell me to sneak out and go play with my friends. This leads to another difference between them. Even though my mom would let me go outside she herself stays at home all the time and does not like to go outside. She likes the comfort of her...
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...Audience: Philip and Nathan (my children) Purpose: To show them how precious life is, and never take it for granted. My Mother’s Eyes All of us have moments that happen to us. Some moments we want to forget, others remain seared in our minds and hearts forever. Such was a time for me 17 years ago. I was seven months pregnant with my second child. My mother was lying in Fort Sanders Hospital in a coma. She was diagnosed five years earlier with Multiple Myloma, a bone cancer. She fought hard against the disease, but in the end her body was failing her. This was the first time I had spent the night with her since she slipped into her final stage. I had been with her daily, but spending the night was difficult due to my condition. I knew I had to stay because I needed time with her alone, to tell her things and to say goodbye. Such as, the baby, and the family will stick together after she is gone. Most of all I felt like she needed me to give her permission to stop fighting. There I was beside my mother’s bed, sitting on her left holding her hand with my right hand, and my left hand was laying on my belly. We were finally alone. I could feel my baby moving and kicking. Then, the thought struck me here I am holding the hand of death and feeling life at the same time. What a bittersweet moment. “Mom”, I began, “I know you said you didn’t want to know the sex of the baby before the birth, but I’m going to tell you. I’m having a boy; his name...
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...My Mother Is The Best Mother In The World Most mothers love for their child begins often before birth and never ends. Mothers are the one who compromised their issues to feed and protect us right after we was born. Mothers are the one who stayed up all night whenever we were sick. Most mothers are willing to risk personal suffering, injury or loss to keep their children safe. A mother will always be there for her children no matter what. My mother is the best mother in the world because she is always there for me, when I am low on cash I can call on her and she is my encourager in my time of need. My mother is the best mother in the world because she is always there for me. She is my best friend. She has been the friend I turn to for advice. She has been the shoulder I cry on. The friend I vent to. The friend I tell everything to. I know I can count on her to be my biggest fan, my harshest critic, and the most loyal friend. I am so blessed because God is calling people home daily but I still have my mom. My mother is the best mother in the world because when I am low on cash I know I can call on her. My dad passed away in 2001. He worked for Union Pacific so he was the “breadwinner.” My mom stepped up to the plate and got a second job when he passed away because she did not want her children going without or ask a man for anything! When I was on my maternity leave I was on a fixed income. My mom paid my utilities. She did not have to do those things for me...
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...A Gift for My Mother “A Gift for My Mother” is written by Viv McDade in 2011. It is about a family, which consists of the parents and their daughter, Lucy, who live in South Africa. The family has to work hard to earn money to survive. Lucy tries to help them by selling flowers to people. Lucy is the first-person narrator. The year the story takes place; the narrator turned ten years old. We read the short story from her viewpoint, for example on page 8, on the first line: “In the year I turned ten…” Lucy a good student in her school; she does her homework and is an excellent speller, and as described in the text her only difficulty is the math homework. The short story takes place in South Africa, on page 8, we read about the bushveld behind their house, which is well-grassed plains in South Africa. On page 8, line 31, Lucy’s mother asks her husband about how much he has earned and she gives a little laugh. When Lucy’s mother gives a little laugh, I feel that it is not the first time she asks for it and that she got the same answer. I get an expression of the mother, who no longer wants to live like this. Later she says: “What you’ve earned isn’t enough for us to live on” It tells us how poor they are, and the mother is frustrated by the fact that they don’t have enough money. The relationship between Lucy and the parents is good. She cares a lot about her family, because she practically only talks about her parents in the story. She tries to help her parents by...
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...It is not to be had for love or money It is common to say that money is not everything, but for the 10 year-old Lucy from Viv McDade’s short story “A Gift for My Mother” money causes her parents’ unhappiness, and they mean everything to her. Lucy lives in South Africa with her mom and dad who she really values. Lucy is constantly a witness to her parents’ financial discussions, which the short story underlines from the first page: “How much is there this week?” asked my mother, and she gave a little laugh. “As much as I’ve earned, that’s how much.” “What you’ve earned isn’t enough for us to live on.” (p. 1, ll. 31-34) They manage just to scratch a living, and it affects their marriage so they only dare to tiptoe around each other: “He took a deep breath...” and “My mother’s voice was tired and small when she answered him.” (p. 1, ll. 28-29) It seems as an old topic of discussion which has followed them for many years and slowly ruins their marriage. Lucy is just like other children: She wants the best for her parents, and she will do anything to make them happy. One day Lucy finds out that her mother turns happy when she receives a bunch of flowers, so Lucy conceives the idea of collecting some wild flowers so she can earn money to give to her mother. Lucy describes every flower she picks in details, and the wild flowers underlines her innocence and unspoiled mind. Lucy finds a wooden peach box where she puts tins of water and collects different kinds of daisies. Afterwards...
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...world of an adult, which is much more complicated. That is exactly what ‘‘A Gift for My Mother’’ written by Viv McDade in 2011 is about. A short story that is about a girl who tries to help her poor family in the best way she can, despite her very young age. The daughter Lucy is the main character, but she is also the narrator, which means that the story is told by a first-person narrator. This means that we only see the events from her perspective, but it also gives an insight on her feelings and thoughts. Lucy is a 10 year old girl who has a big love for the nature. We see that, when she is out picking flowers for her mom. She describes how each and every flower looks like. ‘‘The leaves of the msasa trees were shiny, and the sun made it look as if there were diamonds on the big granite shoulders.’’ (p. 2 ll. 46-47) Her fascination of the nature is pure and unspoiled. She is very good at spelling and is in fact one of the best in her class. We see that, when Lucy tells her father about how she was the only one that could spell the word illiterate on p. 1 l. 19 Although Lucy is only a little girl, she really cares about making her parents happy. She picks flowers for her mom, thinking that it will enlighten her mood. She understands that her parents’ needs money and she thinks that she can solve the problem by selling some bouquets that she made, so she can give the money to her mother. Lucy has a very good relationship with her dad. She is a bit of a daddy’s girl. ‘‘…I...
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...everything my mom never had. My mother was born in Vietnam in 1973, a year before the Vietnam War ended. It was a place of destitution and poverty. Growing up in an impoverished family, my mom worked diligently to earn a living at an early age. A housekeeper for 23 years, my mother came home every day with a wounded back and bleeding hands. She was never home because she was always trying to earn money. While my mother was away, I had to learn how to help her and our family. I taught myself to study and to keep the house tidy so that she would never have to worry about my grades or coming home to yet another house to clean. The money she had earned from cleaning toilets and dirty bathrooms paid for the food on my table, so it was my responsibility to help her in return. As...
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...Heritage is about family and caring about each other; it’s about the importance of family coming together as one. In the poem "my mother placed quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both author's use imagery and figurative language to establish the quilt as a symbol for family heritage to illustrate their themes. Alice Walker uses the family heritage as a symbol for "Everyday Use" to represent the respect and appreciation of a family heritage. "She talked a blue streak over the sweet potatoes" (pg62). Alice Walker uses imagery to describe how she felt about the potatoes. "She gasped like a bee had stung her” (pg64). The author shows that Dee was shocked that her mom would give the quilts to Maggie instead of her. She acted this way because she didn't get what she wanted for the first time ever. "I could almost hear the sound her feet made as they scraped over each other" (pg64). This shows the level of tension in the room; the smallest sound in the room is the loudest. In Teresa Acosta’s poem “my mother pieced quilts,” Acosta uses imagery and figurative language to establish the quilt as a symbol a mother’s love. Acosta observes all the shapes and patterns her mother displays on the quilt. Astounded at “how she shaped patterns square and oblong and round”...
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...My Mother and her Sister. Jane Rogers wrote the text called “My Mother and her Sister” in 1996. The text is about the different relationships between the narrator, the narrator’s mom and Aunt Lucy. You gain insight into their relationship from when the narrator was a kid up to when she’s grown up. It’s a very emotional text since both the mother and Aunt Lucy’s husband died. The narrator’s view on Aunt Lucy differs from when she was a kid and when she has grown up. When she was younger she used to get mad at her mother when she said that Lucy would be a better mom than herself: “A mother like Aunt Lucy must be pathetic.” (ll. 6-7) The only thing Aunt Lucy does is knit cardigans. The narrator and her brother, Tim, would go to their Aunt Lucy on school holidays. She would bake them cakes and feed them well: “You used to cook such lovely food. I think Tim and I survived the rest of the year on what you fed us in the holidays.” (ll. 81-82). Aunt Lucy used to be a lady with large bones, but now she looks like the narrator’s mother. Ever since the mother’s funeral, Aunt Lucy has been staying at the narrator’s home. “She's on her own now in that big shabby house, and I never visited after Uncle Bill died. I owe her. Gratitude or something, for all those summer holidays.” (ll. 33-34) It’s difficult for the narrator to communicate with her Aunt Lucy, which surprises her: “I always thought of her as an easy, chatty woman, good at small talk and making you feel at home.” (ll. 38-39)...
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...1. Is the essay`s title effective? If so, why? If not, what alternate title can you suggest? No, it is not effective. I would suggest “My stay-at-home mother is a hard-working person.” 2. Smith-Yackel could have outlined her mother`s life without framing it with the telephone conversation. Why do you think she includes this frame? This is done to bring a sense a reality to the text and appeal to readers. Yakel also takes full paragraph out of her mother's diary, to make an emotional connection between the reader and Yakel's mother. This also helps the readers directly relate to Yakel's mother by including dialogue that show exactly how her mother is feeling. 3. What strategies does Smith-Yackel use to indicate the passing of time in her narrative? Yakel includes all the dates, especially the years, so the readers can recognize or even relate to surrounding environment. Such as in 1931, Yakel's mother went through a drought, therefore people who had experiences such as this can relate to Yakel's mother's hardship. 4. This narrative piles details one on top of another almost like a list. Why does the writer include so many details? The author wants the readers recognize, appreciates and even relate to her mothers work as she does. And not discard years of service and hardship towards her family, as Social Security did. For the same reason she describes the most smallest of the details from her mom`s diary. 5. In paragraph 20 and 21 what is accomplished by...
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...Parents influence their child’s culture by leading them to different activities. For example, as a kid, you don’t usually know what to do, so your parents help guide you to try and find something you love to do (baseball, football, basketball, etc.). In the story, My Mother Pieced Quilts, Teresa Palomo Acosta states, “Sewn hard and taut to withstand the thrashings of twenty-five years, stretched out they lay, armed/ready/shouting/celebrating, knotted with love.” The mother had made these quilts 25 years ago, as she gave the quilts to her daughter. The quilts symbolizes love as the daughter realizes the quilt is more than just a cover for the January winds. This evidence shows that parents influence their child’s culture by for every winter,...
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...last time my mom overdosed was the last time I was with her. I still remember this day like it was yesterday. It was almost the worst day in my life. My day started out just how any other day would. I woke up and got me and my little sister breakfast. Then I went to see what my mother was doing. I couldn’t find her at all I looked all over. I went in to her room. She was asleep and I couldn’t get her awake, which then wasn’t a big deal because she was hard to wake up. But then a couple hours later I tried to wake her up. She wouldn’t wake up. I was shaking her and slapping her hand. I had my twin sister try to wake her up. She couldn’t get her up. Then I called my great grandma, she came right there. She only lived a mile down the road. When she arrived she went in and tried to wake her up. She had no luck. So then my great grandma started crying. She then called my grandma she came as soon as she could which was like ten minutes. When she got there she went right to my mom’s room. She was furious. She knew what was going on. My mother had overdosed. She had been over dosing for awhile now. My grandma tried to wake her up she couldn’t. She called the town cop chief, she told him what was going on and he came and he brought the ambulance. When the chief got he sat down with my grandma on the front porch and talked to her about the situation and how long she had been overdosing. Meanwhile the emt’s were prepping my mother to take her to the hospital. I was holding my little sister...
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...By Faythy Fillmore My mom, Melissa Murray, is the best mom there ever was. I know this because she's my mom and she always is there for me. Another thing is that she is helpful in every way. She is almost always positive by not yelling at me. In addition she accepts me for who I am by telling me that I can do anything I can put my mind to. My mom is helpful by encouraging me to believe in myself. She gives me confidence to help me out in life whenever it gives me lemons. In other words she is also helpful by making sure the house is in tip-top shape just in case any unexpected guest arrives. She always makes sure that we have a good meal in other words she make sure we have enough of that item for the amazing...
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