Recitatif Theme

Twyla went from being prejudiced herself to accepting Robert for who she is and then realizing that they will always be on opposite sides. Roberta went from accepting Twyla to becoming prejudiced herself. When they saw each other again at the tree store, Roberta finally let out her worries to Twyla. She told Twyla that she did want to hurt Maggie but wanting to do that had left her feeling guilty (19). This left both girls actually wondering what did happen to Maggie. Finally realizing that their prejudiced ideas were

In the short “Sula” by Toni Morrison, we watch two young girls grow up in a small town, the Bottom, and become unlikely friends. These girls, Sula and Nel, are as different as night and day, yet they are inseparable when they were young. They were only separated when Nel gets married to Jude, and Sula leaves the Bottom for ten years. These girls choose different lives, and each life has different connotations attached.

Not only that but her questioning of gender role was a concern for her. After her parents were separated, her father’s expectations of her were no longer there and did not speak to one another. After a while, blaming one-self after a separation of the parents is always expected from young children and so Roberta’s feeling that the separation of her mother and father was due to her misbehavior at home allowed her to be not happy. The separation of her parents did not only cause Roberta to feel not happy but also her thinking was shaped in ways that blamed all men to be the exact same way and that on one could be the same. This can be related to what each child feels and thinks if that were to happen to their own family, and unfortunately in our current society there are people that still the same way as Roberta’s father and

She was forcibly drawn into the adult world without anyway of escaping it or anyone to help her, it was as if she was in her own personal hell whe n Arnold Friend showed up at her housing wanting to take her out for a ride with him (“ Where Are You Going Where Have You Been 862”). Connie was so shocked she didn’t expect reality to hit so hard. When Arnold showed up he came for the mature woman he saw last night and wasn’t leaving until her got her to go with him. He even said to her that “ I’m your lover. You don’t know what that is but you will” and “ The place where you come from ain’t there anymore, and where you had in mind to go is cancelled out (“ Where Are You Going Where Have You Been 868 and 871”). All she wanted to do at the moment was be in her parents arms but it was too late for her because the monster had came and got her .

The short story Recitatif is about two different girls placed in a place in an orphanage. Their mothers unable to provide care. Twyla and Roberta, mothers’ reasons for their placement in St. Bonny orphanage was different, Twyla was neglected, and Roberta’s mother was ill. Despite the girls seemingly different up bring, they share a common bond, that racial divides cannot break. Morrison uses of symbolism in the short story “Recitatif” to convey Emulate the main character.

Lizabeth faced struggles of being muddled between the fact whether she was a child or a women. Lizabeth says “I just stood there peering through the bushes, torn between wanting to join the fun and feeling that is was all a bit funny” (123) She wants to grow up and be mature but doesn’t want to look scared in front of her brother and friends so she continues. She doesn’t understand who she is. Her surroundings have a negative impact on who she was trying to be. She felt like it was adolescent but she wanted to belong. Her internal struggles and living conditions really took toll on her. Dispite all her struggles lizabeth was holding together well until she overheard the conversation between her parents. Her dad was talking about how he felt like he didn’t do anything for his family. Her internal battles and hearing her father cry caused her to burst and Lizabeths emotions took control of her body. Lizabeth says “I had indeed

Maggie comes from a very strained family life, living in poverty. She lives in a horrific tenement in the Bowery neighborhood of New York’s Lower East Side, with her two younger brothers, Jimmie and Tommie. Jimmie is hardened against any sympathy due to the years he spent on the streets fighting with gangs and is currently working as a truck driver. Tommie was the infant of the family who passed away at a young age. The tenement is filled with argumentative feelings amongst her parents. Mary Johnson, Maggie’s mother, is an alcoholic and very aggressive. She has been noted for torturing Maggie with hateful words over actions that she has done. Mr. Johnson, the father, was also very aggressive with his children and an alcoholic like his wife, he too passed away. Maggie had a relationship with a friend of

The characters of the women are deliberately sad and lonely. The narrator’s wife before getting married to the nameless narrator indented to marry a military officer and wasn’t much happy about the issue, due to which she attempted to suicide. Even Robert’s wife was always pitied, as her husband was unable to see her and look at her romantically.

Mortifying occurrences at a birthday party or at school as a child can haunt a person until they are an adult. What made the experience traumatizing? Was it the way they handled themselves? Potentially, yet, it’s usually because of the reaction of the people surrounding them. Others ignorance is key to swerving away from humiliation. Which explains why people can find themselves more comfortable around friends for their purpose is not to laugh at them but with them. Meg Gleason never exposed the narrator's mistakes that she made or insulted her traditions, even when the narrator disliked her own traditions. With the All-American Slurp, among differing themes, Lensey Namioka manifested throughout her story the theme of how friends understand

Shit, shit, shit. What the hell happened to Maggie?” (par. 210). This coerces the reader to question why Maggie is so important. Maggie is an inactive character who literally made no word contributions to the story, and yet, the memory of the incident in the orchard with Maggie comes up almost every single time when the girls run into each other in adulthood.

When Ray comes back from his university and spends time with his friends, he observes the changes of H.O.P.P.E.R.S. and thinks to himself, “I had hoped I’d be able to see more of that Maggie girl, but with that Speedy guy around...Oh,well” (Hernandez 96). Since Ray comes back from his university, he hopes to see Maggie after seeing her drunk out in the streets and he drove her home. While continuing to hang out with his friends, Ray drinks and becomes drunk after seeing Esther pick up Speedy in her car. Then Maggie comes in and Ray mistakes her as Speedy’s girlfriend. He tells her, “ I ain’t [messed] up enough! I mean, you’re his girlfriend! Doesn’t that mean a thing?” (104). Fortunately, Maggie clarifies that she is not, which flusters Ray. Therefore, Ray realizes he would not have any competition to win Maggie’s love. While looking for Esther, Maggie and some girl run into Ray, who flirtatiously greets her with “How come I only see you smile once in a blue moon?” (120). Maggie blushes at his question and they form an intimate connection. Ray knows that Maggie is seriously looking for Speedy to stop the war between HOPPERS and Dairytown, but he wants to make Maggie smile during a difficult situation. Wile Maggie and Ray reside at the hospital for Litos, Maggie says, “Why are you the only sane person here?” (128). Through this, Ray comforts Maggie and becomes jealous as soon as Maggie finds out that

These views are slightly distorted as the girls aged. When Twyla became a mother, her optimism seemed to fade. Twyla started to become set in her ways and think that everyone is set in their ways and won’t change. The reader can notice this distortion when Roberta and Twyla meet again in adulthood and refuse to see eye to eye and compromise or agree to disagree. Roberta’s view on the world as an adult was an accurate representation of what Toni Morrison described when Roberta was a child.

The Faithful Daughter Shim Ch’ong by Vorhees is intended for fourth to fifth graders. This children’s tale follows Shim Ch’ong, the daughter of Blind Shim, who works to provide for her and her father. Late one night, Blind Shim falls into a stream. A monk rescues Blind Shim, who then promises to give the monk 300 bags of rice. Shim Ch’ong sells herself to sailors in order to help her father, and throws herself off the ship, waking up several days later in the palace of the Dragon King. He sends her back to the surface in a lotus flower. Fishermen bring the flower to the king, who opens it to see Shim Ch’ong, who is wed to him and as time passes, she grows worried for her father. The king, consoling his wife, hosts a feast for all the blind

In a country where Divorce is more normalized than ever before, one can be guilty of neglecting to consider the pain it can cause, not just the couple, but also their children. The short story “Hot or Cold” by Maile Meloy is a remembrance from the author's life which communicates the divorce of her parents represented in a nostalgic memory from her past. In the piece, the author’s young self plays in a van while her parents deal with an unexpected encounter with a bear. After a brief chase, the parents escape and the family drives away. The author masterfully develops the story by hinting at the nature of the parents relationship by adding clever metaphors, until it is apparent that the parents eventually divorce and that the story is only a dream. In the short story, the author utilizes juxtaposition, a motif, and metaphors, to suggest that memories create narratives, true or otherwise, that help one comprehend events that are otherwise incomprehensible.

The tone of this story is one of fear, regret, and guilt. The story first leaves the reader with impression that it may be a recount of the life of a daughter who was lost due to neglect. Soon it is evident