The Revolt of Mother: The Power of Decision
Decisions shape our lives. In history , the decisions of leaders and generals have changed the course of mankind. In today's world , multi-billion dollar corporations rest on the decisions of a few select executives. On a smaller but no less important scale, acting on decisions can liberate people from stagnation. In the story "The Revolt of Mother" the main character shows us the power of acting on decisions. Mother recognizes the wrongs of her situation and weighs the effect on her family. In the end she acts to free herself and her family from forty years of wrong.
Mother lives forty years with a suppressed dream—a new house promised to her after her wedding. She lives with the
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There ain't a prettier girl in town nor a more ladylike than Nanny, an' that's the place she has to sleep in"(LAC pg. 286).
Mother does something remarkable. Though she vehemently denies to doing so,
Mother decides to complain. She complains to father and break the monotonous silence and complains. As far as we know Mrs. Penn has failed to do this for forty years. Though she gets a less than favorable response from her husband—"I ain't got nothin' to say"—it is the first response about the subject in years.
It's a very important event because Mrs. Penn gets the answer to her forty year question—no. The house is not going to be built. Mrs. Penn's dream dies for now.
Then a new opportunity shows the power of acting on decision.
There is an old saying that says: When God closes a door he opens a window and a back door and a manhole and a secret entrance. There are always different solutions or second chances to resolve problems. Mrs. Penn acted on her first decision to confront her husband's neglect of the family's comfort.
She tried and failed to change her husband's mind. Opportunity presents Mrs.
Penn another chance to set things right. Father leaves the family and newly built barn to take a buy a horse in Vermont. Earlier, Nanny, with gentle pettishness, suggested to have the wedding in the barn. This helps fuel a bold decision by Mrs. Penn.
"S'posin' I had wrote to Hiram, she had muttered once, when she was
Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America’s Independence. By Carol Berkin. 2005. P. 194.
Carol Berkin’s "Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence" is an excellent book that I immensely enjoyed. When many people think of the Revolutionary War, they might imagine George Washington gallantly leading his men through the winters at Valley Forge or the like. Berkin begins her masterpiece by giving a general overview of the roll that women played in our countries war for independence. Now I, like many others come to think of the iconic role model women like Betsy Ross and the fabled Molly Pitcher, but this star of a book opened my eyes to the everyday
Baby suggs and Sethe are both the Mother figues in beloved and despite their suffering from slavery they both cared for their children greatly. Baby Suggs and Sethe connected through Motherhood to develop a close bond. They shared the love for their children a bond that all mothers can relate with. Sethe has four children that she loves very much but she could not deal with her past of sweet home. Sethe could not bare for that to happen to her children so she had to save them from the schoolteacher and slavery by trying to kill them. She kills one child whom is referred to as beloved for what is written on her tomb stone, but fails to kill howard buglar, and Denver. Sethe motherly natural instincts caused her
"The Mother," by Gwendolyn Brooks, is a sorrowful, distressing poem about a mother who has experienced numerous abortions. While reading the poem, you can feel the pain, heartache, distress and grief she is feeling. She is both remorseful and regretful; nevertheless, she explains that she had no other alternative. It is a sentimental and heart wrenching poem where she talks about not being able to experience or do things with the children that she aborted -- things that people who have children often take for granted. Perhaps this poem is a reflection of what many women in society are feeling.
Nanny had high hopes that Janie would marry and be a legitimate wife. This goal seems to be the
2015 marks the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli where ANZAC Legends such as ‘Simpson and his donkey’ were born. These stories shed light on war but left the heart break of mothers and death of millions of soldiers in the dark.
Nancy Scheper-Hughes studies and observes the connections between the loss of infants and the mother’s ability to express maternal love in the shantytowns of Brazil in her article “Mother’s Love: Death without Weeping.” Studying documents, interviewing, and observing the everyday lives of mothers, were the fieldwork procedures she used to conduct her research. The results of her research provided evidence of two theoretical perspectives observed in the article, structuralism and materialism.
She grieves for her husband a very short time. She then begins to feel a sense of freedom. This initially makes her feel guilty and
In a world in which abortion is considered either a woman's right or a sin against God, the poem "The Mother" by Gwendolyn Brooks gives a voice to a mother lamenting her aborted children through three stanzas in which a warning is given to mothers, an admission of guilt is made, and an apology to the dead is given. The poet-speaker, the mother, as part of her memory addresses the children that she "got that [she] did not get" (2). The shift in voice from stanza to stanza allows Brooks to capture the grief associated with an abortion by not condemning her actions, nor excusing them; she merely grieves for what might have been. The narrator's longing and regret over the children she will never have is highlighted by the change in tone
Mrs. Loisel and the grandmother are also similar in their reasons for keeping quiet. They were both too embarrassed to say anything when they found out they had made a mistake. Mrs. Loisel was too embarrassed to tell her friend that she had lost the necklace, because she thought so highly of her rich friend. "She had a rich friend, a schoolmate at the convent, whom she did not like to visit, she suffered so much when she returned." (66) Because Mrs. Loisel thought so highly of her friend, she was too embarrassed to tell her that the diamond necklace was gone. Instead she chose to keep her secret quiet and work to pay off the loans they got when they purchased a new necklace. If Mrs. Loisel would have swallowed her pride, and told her friend what happened, it would have saved 10 years of her life, and her appearance.
The plague of male dominancy and female oppression has spread throughout time and cultures like a pandemic infection, targeting women. Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and Janice Mirikitani’s “Suicide Note,” show the struggle and pain that oppressive forces perpetrated on women. Although, both speakers are oppressed the way they end the oppression and the cause of it are very different. Patriarchy has always existed, and it affects women all over the world. For example, banned bride abductions in Central Asia have continued to occur, and the women who resist abduction, risk death, or becoming ostracized from their country (Werner 2).
She told him that she never actually let herself believe that her daughter was going to die, even though it was as plain as day. And because of that, she never dealt with the real issues with her daughter. After several meetings Penny was finally able to see her own life and how this guilt she had was causing problems for the rest of the family. She had two sons. After finding out that neither of them lived at home, Dr. Yalom asked how Penny felt about it. This opened up doors for Penny and allowed her to take responsibility for the things in life that she could control. In the end, she had a good understanding of death and therefore was able to live life more fully by getting both kids back into the home and rejoining the family.
The religious overtones start with the title of the story, “The Revolt of ‘Mother.’” The name ‘Mother’ in many stories
When I open the formal front door I am immediately greeted by open sight line from the living room, through to the kitchen, and
In 1859 Henry Ward Beecher said, "the mother’s heart is the child’s schoolroom." I believe that statement because of experiences I’ve had with my own mother. I have learned more about life from her than from my 15 years of schooling. Over the last 20 years my mother has taught me many valuable lessons just by being a living example of compassion, thoughtfulness, and generosity. She is an angel that has protected and carried me throughout life.