Essay: Portrayal of Mothers and Motherhood

Motherhood is a big task for mothers to go through. When women become mothers, they go through a lot of changes such as women after become mothers become more responsible, physical changes, etc. Motherhood is a mechanical set of duty and feelings that starts from the pregnancy to the baby birth (Akujobi, 2011). Becoming mother is a great experience that is shaped by culture and social perspective. Mothers losses their freedom, independency as when they get attached to their baby. Mothers need to compromise on many things like for example sacrificing their sleep, their food, their body, their autonomy and many other things. Motherhood images differ from culture to culture, as they filter through our worlds. Mothers though have very huge responsibilities as to bring up their children, to make them learn the language and the culture where a child belongs to but they are portrayed as the criticized figure or nonexistent. Motherhood representations is everywhere, could be good or bad and it could be empowering or being slave. Motherhood has now become such controversial topic that in the twentieth century all the feminist are talking about being mothers, experiencing mother hood and the categories of motherhood. In America there are five categories of mothers (Leary, 2008). 1) Self-absorbed who prefers independency; feels that their children are burden on them and want to achieve their personal pleasures rather than keeping care of their children. They prefer their own happiness over the children’s’. 2) Self- martyred, who believes that she will take care of her children all by herself and is responsible for every difficulties that may face in the world. She will forgo her happiness even if it is the right of her for the children. She will believe that if her children take wrong actions she will blame herself and her upbringing. 3) Child-sacrificing where mothers believe that they will sacrifice everything either spiritually or physically so they may save their child’s lives and needs. She is kind of a mother who could kill her child just to keep him away from any sufferings. 4) Self-sacrificing where mothers will risk everything just to make sure that their children are happy they may risk their lives too to make sure that children are brought up properly. 5) The substitute is the step mother who is ready to take care of other’s child and bring up like their own child. (Allen, 2005) Has drawn the fine line between motherhood and citizenship and shown the change of women’s position over the centuries. The mothers were not allowed to take any responsibilities but as soon as the political regime changes they were allowed to take multiple responsibilities and they were given rank and existence in the society. When women become mother, it is a very unique hence selfless adventure. As mother needs to know every tit bits about the child; when her child is hungry, when he/she needs to wiped up after when it passed urine or stool, and when is the right moment to make her child learn to do all these things by themselves. Motherhood is a challenging yet rewarding job to do. When a child is born, he/she develops a unique relationship with the mother. Children find the special connection with their mothers by the love and care that has been given to them. When women are expecting child, they need to read the books related to parenting and development to child and education. The motherhood varies culturally as every mother comes from different backgrounds, have different norms and values and they nurture the same norms and values in their child. Motherhood involves total commitment (Scott, 2001). It requires 24/7 job which doesn’t pay in cash rather in respect and love and it starts from the day when the baby is born till mother leaves the world. The responsibility never stops until the child gets his/her own home or family. Mothers, wherever they are, whatever they are doing they always seem to know about their children and keeps in their mind that there is another entity which requires their care, love, affection and well being. The powerful bond between the child and mother creates a new level of responsibility. As mothers’ nurtures then, teaches them, guides them, and watches over them. Mothers are responsible for not only that they are brought up well, have a good self-esteem and taking right and wrong decision but also have they worn war enough clothes in winters, have they had stomach full meal etc. Mothers are all over the place in literature especially by women authors. Feminist writers and thinkers have constructed the most influential motherhood work and they have used especial influence on mother-daughter relationships (Rye, 2006).
The novel that is selected for discussion on motherhood is “Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry”. This book is on racism happened in America. The novel is written by Mildred D. Taylor in 1976 which is also a follow-up to her 1975 short story “Song of the Trees”. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is a artifact of three special eras of black people’s history. This story was initiated in Mississippi in 1933 when the Great Depression took place and poverty was on verge. The novel was revolutionary at that time when children literature was the status quo of white Americans and protagonists. Mildred wrote this book on the heightening of Black power and increasing existence and occurrence of African-American education. The story will revolve around the black family who is struggling to keep their land in that much poverty and high inflation, to keep their independency and their pride (Taylor, 1976). The story was in the middle of Great Depression and racially blamed south. The Logan family’s story is told by the eye evident nine year old Cassie who is novel protagonist. The injustice by the white people depicted in the book began with the roots of slavery and racial conduct which ended in Civil war but continues to influence America on the racial conducts from 1930 till now shamefully. In south racial discrimination basis were string up mobs, Unequal distribution of resources and segregations. Cassie Logan’s Grandmother (Big MA) tells the tale concerning Cassie’s Grandfather (Paul Edward) who was born as a slave two years before Civil War. Slavery was widespread in 1600s from United States and more specifically in south. This slavery enhanced the necessity of economic farming. During this era, the invention by Eli Whitney of cotton gin fostered the economy of south hence also augmented the need of Labor (slaves). The economic effect of slavery befits the national economy as north used to use south goods and was dependent on south. Slaves then started to build roads, rail road and canals. In this book importance of mothers were clearly defined as they loosed their jobs for their children. The south dominant culture causes the history if black i.e. African American. This novel illustrates of Logan family which is very important for their children to read as this would make them feel how much cruelty and racism their ancestors faced thus they will then respect their hardships. The Blacks history becomes clearer when hearing the story of Mr. Morrison which was most unfair treatment and slavery where slaves were forced to “breed” to produce stronger generation. Those slaves were not allowed to marry, own any property, testify and earn autonomy. Homi indicated the struggle of minority culture through domination. Mother named Mary took to Mr. Berry who got almost burned to death because he was trying to talk to some Caucasian lady which demonstrated discrimination and cruel behavior that whites were doing with black so Mary’s children understand the power structure and act intelligently. Mary then boycotted the Wallace’s store, and the children were left to decide what to act when the children are given information. Cassie grew up in this cruel society and was advised that if she wants to get respect she has to demand for it , as no one is going to hand it to her. Moreover in another scene Cassie got a lesson that if she got something and someone else is trying to take it while dragging her down so she should make sure whether to give it to them or not. The perfect example of racism is that when Cassie was asked to get a side while walking with Mr. Simms daughter Lillian Jean. Cassie didn’t understand why she was asked to get a side, and then her mother explained calmly that as Lillian was white and it was out of her prestige if Cassie is walking with her. Mildred Taylor’s novel was the first novel that pursued the role of education for the Black families. As in early twenties, African American couldn’t get the education instead they had to pick cotton and share crop. The black women could only do domestic work, marriage and teaching. They couldn’t do any white collar job nor were they use to prefer. Philanthropist took initiative to educate the black families to challenge racism. Black mothers wanted to eradicate their daughters and children and wished to educate their daughters that were the reason Big Ma wanted to educate Cassie and form a legacy, the very reason Cassie became representative and spokesperson of Taylor tale. Once Cassie was waiting in restaurant and in line when the Mr. Brannett the owner wrapped pork chops and when Cassie questioned about the discriminating behavior he replied that blacks are not worthy enough before whites and black are nigger. The white was better than black because of the difference of skin color (Paul, 2013). Mother explained Cassie as white people ask for the respect from the black people but they get fear from the black people. Respect is earned not forced, people can only give respect by their free will and not because they were forced to give respect. Mother clarifies that white people think that they are big and they want to dominate the society and they show that they are better people than black. Moreover, Cassie mother told her that how they behave that slaves were less human and are not allowed to live human living and also Bible and Christian believes also supports the concept.
In conclusion, Motherhood in advice literature was viewed as the most important offerings women could do to her family and to the nation in 1890s. Motherhood is an amazing gift from God to woman being (Glynn, 2003). Motherhood constitutes hopes, love, forgiveness, care, acceptance, repentance, dreams, disappointments, change and respect. Motherhood is providing a life to the one who is unlived, it provides dreams which have not yet dreamt and giving hopes to the world which are less of hopes (Hartfield, 2011). It also means untiring prayers in the exhausting and difficult times; becoming a role model and making them believe in God and be faithful in all the circumstances. (Dew, 2011) Illustrates that motherhood is a sacred gift of God which cannot be achieve by everyone. People define motherhood as maternity but in actual it has a lot of meanings and layers which cannot be defined in to pages. The relationship of mother – children are magical and they cannot be destroyed by any source until Children or mother herself wants to destroy it. Motherhood is very common in literature either when we talk about work of Shakespeare or any other classical writer they have shown huge importance in their novel. Just like other novelist Mildred D Taylor has also laid great importance to the mother and motherhood and educated different scenarios where how mothers compromised their own pleasure and will just to make sure about their children’s well being. In the novel, during great depression in south Mississippi there was increased racial discrimination of blacks by whites which causes cruelty. Taylor helped children to educate themselves about the respect one needs to give it to their mothers, and how did they sacrifice themselves so that they could get education and get respect from white people. Motherhood is a blessing and mothers should thank God to provide this amazing gift to womankind.

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