A Family Forever
A secret’s worth depends on the people from whom it must be kept. One cannot choose their family because they are God’s gift to us. A family is filled with those who support and care about you. They look out for you and are there when you need them. Family is the single most important thing in many people’s lives. It is true that some people will not ever understand your grief or is able to identify with your situation, but that should not stop anyone from reaching out to you. In the book “Eleanor & Park,” by Rainbow Rowell, the author describes a primary character named Eleanor whose life has been very difficult. Eleanor was abandoned by both her mother and her father at different times in her life, was abused by her stepfather and is bullied in school because of the way she looks. On the other hand, another primary character Park is a young American teenager who is half-Korean. He is kind and nice person but lonely and weird. Until they find each other, the way they have difference than other people made perfectly for each other: shy, enthusiastic about music and comics book. It is evident in the novel that the mothers of Eleanor and Park, Mindy and Sabrina have taken different paths on parenting. One has made all the wrong choices and the other has made sacrifices for her family. As I read the book, it intrigued me to know how important family is to a person. I am writing to four various people, each with different perspectives and thoughts in Eleanor
In movies there is always a villain or bad guy to ruin someone’s life or career. The only reason why they go after that person is because of jealously, money, or hatred. It is not always easy for villains or temptresses to get their targets, so they have to come up with clever ideas to lure their victims in. In the movie The Natural Harriet Byrd’s killing spree started off as jealously towards people who are very experienced in what they do and only want fame and fortune from it. When Harriet sees how much potential Roy Hobbs has in playing baseball, she then tries figures out what he wants from his extraordinary talent making him her next victim due to his answer.
Dystopian Literature seems to run along the same guidelines in terms of how the novels are set, and follow a similar chain of events leading to a great bittersweet climactic event. I will detail the similarities between the two novels Fahrenheit 451 and The Hunger Games. There is a reason behind the similarities of these two novels, and other dystopian literature. “The merits of dystopian literature are many.” (Erlich)
People often think of family as positive, loving, and with no flaws. However, there is almost a stereotype that all families love each other and there aren’t problems or challenges in a family. Sometimes families put people through challenges and some families aren’t “perfect”. In the book Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff, Jolly has two kids and goes through challenges with her family. Most careful readers can see how Jolly has these challenges with her kids and how she is far off from the “perfect” family. She goes through many of these challenges in life and finds a way to overcome them. Jollys family shapes her identity because the challenges she faces ends up making her stronger. Jeremy and Jilly challenging her, LaVaughn helping her out, and her past family all shape her identity.
In the following works: “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, and “Where Are You Going, Where have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates both authors display how dynamic characters do/don’t relate to their families, excluding themselves and/or accepting their worth.
Meg Jay talks about a client named Emma that is struggling with her identity and feels alone because she does not have a family. Families matter because they provide a sense of security and belonging, without a family people feel lost and unimportant. Not being part of a family can have negative implications on a person’s health such as depression. Having a family to go to can reduce the stress we face in relationships, school, and work. Families are important because they provide an unconditional love that is not found in other relationships.
The book “Eleanor & Park” was written by Rainbow Rowell and was published in February 2013 by St. Martin’s Press. Rainbow Rowell is an American author who writes young adult novels. It is a romance novel between two misfit students in 1986. The novel is portrayed from two different viewpoints, from Eleanor’s and Park’s who live in Omaha, Nebraska. Eleanor was a 16-year-old girl with big red curly hair and big body, she has pale skin with dark eyes. Park was a 16-year-old boy who is half Korean with nice black hair and had an average body, not ripped nor skinny. The love story was unusual because not only the main characters have contrast look but their social and family life is different too. This essay will provide summary of the book “Eleanor & Park” and provide the response focusing primarily on bullying, domestic abuse, and child abuse from all the chapters in the book.
“Family like branches on a tree, we all grow in different directions yet our roots remain as one.” Maria Bastida was basically saying that family is always going to be there for each other. In this short story a young girl named Cecilia learns how important her family is. Cecilia really wanted to go on her first class trip, but instead she has to go watch her grandmother because she just got out of surgery. In Carol Shaw Graham’s short story “To Sleep Under the Stars,” the family relationship is the most vital kind of intimate relationship across all of humanity.
Is family important to you? Are they with you through your life? Do they make you laugh and happy? Well the place in the book is a mess. The government is corrupted and the people were not fair. The rich were separated to a different part of the city away from the poor. Families were lost and abused like Day’s. In the Legend series, Marie Lu illustrates the theme that family is important to happiness through Day’s actions, Day’s symbolism and Day’s dialogue.
An example of how her family values each other is her description of the conventions and norms of her family. They are thoroughly supportive of one another, attending every graduation, baby shower, birthday, and house warming party. Her father and siblings have burial plots together so that they are never separated. Life is lived with everyone being connected and concerned for not only each person’s well-being, but happiness as well. She says her “relatives form an alliance that represents a genuine and enduring love of family…”
All families have certain levels of craziness. The relationships between the members are honest and appreciative of creativity. Families have different actions and beliefs towards particular subjects. In a story by Sarah Vowell, she describes growing up with her father who was very political and had a passion for firearms. The environment she grew up in made her the person she is today. Mary Ann Cooper had a personal story that shows how her perspective changed because of her family. All family and personal crises are resolved by strong family bonds.
Most families are complicated but supportive. For example, a family could argue a lot, but still love one another. In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” mama still supports her daughters even though, they’re not around much. Their issues are not unique because my family has its issues, too. The family in “Everyday Use” and my family both have similarities and differences regarding siblings, bonds, and mothers.
A family is the most important and fundamental processes of development in childhood. There are many examples of works that deal with family. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader sees how neglection from a family setting can invoke horrible events. In The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing, presents how Isolation and dislike can and will lead to unfortunate events. In Macbeth by Shakespeare, shows the betrayal of a family and how it affects the mind by playing with it in several different ways. Before a person can see effects of isolations, neglection, and betrayal of a family he/she must “climb into his skin and walk around in it.”
The key to a successful functioning family is communication. Communication in a family helps members express their needs, wants, and concerns to each other. Poor communication can lead to many family problems like a weak emotional bond, and different family conflicts. Also ignoring issues won’t work, it can cause more harm than good in some situations. In the novel “ Everything I never told you” the family display poor communication in so many ways. They hide their true feelings from each, afraid to let each other know exactly what’s on their mind. By the family not communicating with each other, it caused them to encounter various family conflicts, and weak emotional bonds between every one of them.
While I was reading through the book, this quote automatically stands out to me. I can relate to this quote because I do this at home. I have a lot of problems at home that I feel I can’t express myself to anyone. I had to find ways to cope with stress and this was one of the ways that I found helpful. Like Minerva says that diary help us reveal any emotions we feel but in a journal. It does reflect our deepest soul and fears or emotions. I’m the smallest child from the family and I think that most of the time my family is focus on bigger issues that they don’t realized that it’s affecting me. I come from a family of four siblings and me being the youngest. Therefore, most of the time it’s about what the oldest are going through because I’m too young to experience problems or stress.
My own personal experience plays a part here as I don’t believe my family was ever “fully actualized.” Independence and autonomy was stressed, however, warmth and connectedness between members was not. Feelings were definitely suppressed in my household growing up, and even today sharing openly feels awkward. Whitaker, as well as Satir, has inspired my theoretical framework because I see the importance of the affective or emotional layer of family interactions.