In the wise words of Erich Fromm, “The mother-child relationship is paradoxical and, in a sense, tragic. It requires the most intense love on the mother 's side, yet this very love must help the child grow away from the mother, and to become fully independent.” {Introduce poem with author and pull out words from quote to connect} Since the dawn of humankind, the relationship between mothers and their children has remained the most important factor of growth. In Boland’s poem “Blossom,” she recognizes the journey of a girl from the perspective of the mother; Boland utilizes an extended metaphor, imagery, and diction to reveal the growth of young women through their mother’s care, concern, guidance. Throughout Boland’s poem, she uses an extended metaphor to communicate a message about coming of age: mothers nurture their girls and eventually the daughters gain independence. She begins the poem by …show more content…
Boland introduces the daughter as a flower, blooming as dawn approaches. She begins by stating, “the blossom on the apple tree is still in shadow” (Boland 4). This illustration of the blooming flower still concealed from the light of day illuminates the coming-of-age in girls. The flower is still in “shadow” or protection of her mother, but will soon be introduced to the responsibility of adulthood. Following this imagery, Boland describes the flower with “its petals half-white and filled with water at the core / in which the freshness and secrecy of dawn are stored” (Boland 5-6). The mother details the flower with “half-white” petals, and full of water. This commentary shows the reader that the girl remains innocent, hence the white as a sign of innocence and purity. The water filling the petal highlights the nurturing and development trailing the upbringing. Therefore, Boland’s use of imagery emphasizes the growth of a woman due to her mother’s
The definition of motherhood is “the state of being a mother.” Throughout the novel, The Bean Trees, written by Barbara Kingsolver, Taylor Greer learns the simple things about motherhood when a toddler, Turtle, is thrown in her car. Learning to raise the child brings up many tough decisions and obstacles, letting Tayor experience what love really is. Readers get to see everything Taylor does, reading through her eyes and getting to watch her mature into a young, independent individual. In the book, the storyline revolves around Taylor Greer’s growth, as she explores motherhood through love, maturity, and sacrifice.
The appeal of adulthood and independence reaches its apex in fervent children. However, Maria Mazziotti Gillan, poet of My Daughter at 14, Christmas Dance, 1981, conveys the paternal perspective of viewing one’s own kin experiencing the “real” world through her daughter’s first relationship. The Family of Little Feet, written by Sarah Cisneros, illuminates the negativities of young girl’s eagerness to physically develop in hope of acquiring attention from possible suitors. While both pieces of literature possess varying perspectives of epiphanies, Gillan and Cisneros divulge the significance of cherishing one’s youth, as the realities of maturity divest children of their innocence.
In life difficulties may arise, but an “instructive eye” of a “tender parent” is a push needed in everyone’s life. Abigail Adams believed, when she wrote a letter to her son, that difficulties are needed to succeed. She offers a motherly hand to her son to not repent his voyage to France and continue down the path he is going. She uses forms of rhetoric like pathos, metaphors, and allusions to give her son a much needed push in his quest to success.
The color white is associated with innocence and positivity, while flowers are typically placed in places as a memorial. The flowers represent innocent positivity Alaska had about her. She seemed to be troubled or dark but in the end the reader is able to see the real Alaska, the childlike and happy
The main message of the story is shown through the symbolism of the nursery. In the story, Bradburry shows that the parents are no longer matter to the children, and the mother and father are replaced by the nursery. The symbolism teaches not only that neglect can cause people to change, but also that too much technology is not a good thing. Similes are also a present part of this short story. For example when the text says “... and the yellow of them was in your eyes like the yellow of an exquisite French tapestry…” This is an excellent example of ‘like’ or ‘as’ being used to make emotions of sights more relatable, vivid, and understandable to the
It can be hard on the child to handle the overwhelming responsibility or even missing the empty space which used to be their parent. In passages from Confetti Girl and Tortilla Sun, the tension of having one parent and how that can affect their families is revealed. In Confetti Girl by Diana Lopez, the narrator, Lina, is having trouble coping with the loss of her mom and connecting with her
Alice Walker uses imagery and diction throughout her short story to tell the reader the meaning of “The Flowers”. The meaning of innocence lost and people growing up being changed by the harshness of reality. The author is able to use the imagery to show the difference between innocence and the loss of it. The setting is also used to show this as well.
Best of the Worst Parenting is never perfect. Every parents questions whether they are raising their child correctly, and no parent ever feels like they are doing the right thing. With no clear distinction between good and bad parenting, it is usually left to personal preferences and judgements to decide which parents have adequately raised their children and which have failed. When a parent so call “fails,” often it is the children with their strong will and determination to survive that collectively raise themselves. In Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, Leonie, one of the narrators and the mother of another narrator, Jojo, is not the most caring, hands-on mother, but is loving of her children nevertheless.
The author of A Thousand Splendid Suns demonstrates the significance of motherly love through Nana, Laila, and Mariam. The novel gives the reader a better insight of how passionate a mother’s love for her children can be, and how far she may go for the love of her
The poem Dusting by Julia Alverez relays several ideas to the reader. It begins by describing a young child going about a house and writing their name on the furniture. The child 's mother follows behind her and, in the process of dusting, incidentally erases the writing. While this poem may seem superficial from a quick reading, it not only reflects some aspects of Alverez’s childhood, but it also reveals some thought provoking questions. In Dusting, through making an analogy to a relationship between a mother and her child, Julia Alvarez demonstrates her desire to break away from traditional or cultural expectations, express her individuality, be well-known, and, ultimately, she makes an important point about life.
In a simile, she compares gardening to “boxing… The wins versus the losses” (Hudes 16). Through this comparison, Hudes conveys Ginny’s deep desire for a sense of control and success in her life. This desire is fed by the memory of her father, who was only bearable when he was gardening. Specifically, the assertion of this desire for control is evident as she recalls that her father “was a mean bastard…” but “became a saint if you put a flower in his hand” (Hudes 15). From those experiences of dealing with her father, a psychological analogy between nature and peace was instilled in Ginny’s mind at a young age, and is what she relies on as an adult to handle her emotional trauma.
The only woman in the world who will still cradle you in her arms even if you've stabbed her loving heart is your mother. The short story “Teenage Wasteland” by Anne Tyler is about guilt and reveals mother’s feelings towards her children. A loving mother will feel guilty for anything that happens to her children, and even for that how they feel. Mothers is the person who cares the most about her child. The story “Teenage Wasteland” tells about a common situation many families experience: a misunderstood child creates problems to his parents, not by fault, but because he feels unwanted.
In the short story “The Flowers”, Alice Walker sufficiently prepares the reader for the texts surprise ending while also displaying the gradual loss of Myop’s innocence. The author uses literary devices like imagery, setting, and diction to convey her overall theme of coming of age because of the awareness of society's behavior. At the beguining of the story the author makes use of proper and necessary diction to create a euphoric and blissful aura. The character Myop “skipped lightly” while walker describes the harvests and how is causes “excited little tremors to run up her jaws.”. This is an introduction of the childlike innocence present in the main character.
The relationships defined in The Field of Life and Death were not intimate as the traditional values implied. Moreover, the relationship between mother and children is not as intimate as implied by traditional value. Considering Golden Bough and her mother’s relation, as the narrator indicates “she loved her daughter, but when the girl ruined some vegetables, she directed her love toward the vegetables” We cannot deny that Golden Bough’s mother cares her daughter, but not as much as other material things like vegetables and money (in Chapter 14, Golden Bough earned quite a few money in the city, her mother encourages her to go back immediately in order to earn even more without caring what she is doing). Motherhood is hardly seen in this novella. Hitherto, the portrayal of these female characters has deconstructed the traditional male-centered
The speaker uses both alliteration and imagery to compare herself to “famous flowers glowing in the garden” (22). This image and repetition of consonants is used to both show the speaker as a metaphorical center of attention in her children’s lives and emphasize her intentions. The speaker also notices her daughters only talk about “morsels of their [own] history” instead of asking their parents (27). Here, it can be inferred that the speaker resents her daughter’s choices to independently find answers to their own questions and stray away from their mothers