Homeless Bird
The book “Homeless Bird” written by Gloria Whelan, shares the story of Koly, who’s culture insists that she finds herself a husband at the age of thirteen. When Koly’s family finds her a suitable groom, she must leave her family to live with his. The marriage turned out to be built on lies of health and age. Koly’s husband, Hari was 13 not 16, and was laying on his deathbed. Soon after the marriage Hari died, leaving her unwanted with her Sass (Mother-in-law) who was rude and demanding. Eventually Koly’s only real company, her Sassur, (father-in-law) who died, and Chandra (her sister-in-law) left to get married. Sass became so angry at Koly, she devised a plan to leave Koly in the city of widows. Koly was all alone in a huge
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city, sleeping in a dirty doorway.
Koly had no money, no job, no food, no family, no friends, and no real place to stay, all she had was a book of Tagore’s poems which comforted her. Koly had hit rock bottom in life, but “when you hit rock bottom the only way you can go is up” - anonymous. Fortunately for Koly, her luck turned around, she met a future friend who introduced her to Maa Kamala who runs a house for widows, who would provide her with a home, friends, food, a job, a widows pension, money, and family. Koly isn’t alone in the big city meant for people who were dumped and alone, for widows, but Koly stayed positive and she had a different ending then being homeless and a widow forever, through all the heartache and misery on her journey she finds love and friendship, she may have left her family but only to gain a new one where she can be happy. Koly shows us that when you’ve think all is lost, and you’re in despair just know that when you’ve hit the very bottom, they only way left to go is up. Rabindranath Tagore quotes “ You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” Koly didn’t let her herself stand by and stay homeless, she got up and met someone to help her find her the way and eventually she ended up getting paid for doing what she loved, with Raji the
man she loves. Shes says on page 122 “ No one was more fortunate than I.” “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky” - Rabindranath Tagore
In the narrative poem “Cautionary Tale of Girls and Birds of Prey” the author, Sandy Longhorn, tells the story of a young girl who is afraid of a hawk, and her inconsiderate father who doesn’t take her concerns seriously. The story shows how her father is determined to get rid of her fear of the hawk, because he thinks it is both foolish and childish. The daughter very well knows the capability of the hawk, however her father doesn’t acknowledge it until it is too late. In the poem, Longhorn uses alliteration and rhyme to help explore the theme of how being inconsiderate towards others can in the end hurt you as much as it hurts them. The poem takes place on a little farm where the girl and her father live with all of their livestock.
Thesis Statement: Mary Aprarico Castrejon’s essay “The Fighter Bird” reveals her family’s poor living situation and the grit which members of her family, like herself and her papi, have despite of their situation.
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie had three marriages. “The three marriages and the three communities in which Janie moves represent increasingly wide circles of experience and opportunities for expression of personal choice. Nanny, Janie's grandmother, had in fact been a slave and had borne a child to her master.” (Cathy Falk. Vol.
In Francine Prose’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read her purpose is to inform the audience that books presented to high school and college students are not to study the language, words, and value of a text, but to study and bring up discussion on other topics such as racial discrimination and human nature. She does this through the use of long sentences, which are separated by commas and dashes, and appositives. Prose effectively achieves rhetoric because she appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos.
The novel Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is a book that was written in order to provide “Some instructions on writing and life.” Lamott published the book in 1994 in hopes to share the secrets of what it is truly like to be a writer, as both a warning and as encouragement. Bird by Bird shares with the reader the ironic truth of being a struggling writer through personal experience and humorous stories. Lamott uses memories from her past to help illustrate her points and to help the reader get to know who she is, not only as a writer, but as a person. The author focuses on the true struggles and benefits of being a writer while using metaphors and analogies to express her points, she also wraps her life stories around almost every writing tip.
The documentary, Lost Sparrow, is a very compelling production of one man’s quest to not only help his family deal with some of the trauma’s they had long been suffering from, it was also created to tell the story and hopefully shed some light on the conflicting story of the disappearance and death of his Native American adoptive brothers, Bobby and Tyler. Initially my overall takeaway from this documentary was a mixture of curiosity which quickly turned into confusion. “How did the boys (Bobby and Tyler) end up on the tracks?” and “Why were they running away in the first place?” were two questions that confused, lead me to be curious, and slightly suspicious very early in the viewing. Upon initial completion of the documentary my sole thought
The bitter cold bit against the starved girl’s skeletal body. She was tired. Her parents discussed ways to get to good lands. They told her the only way to have a better life was to sell her into slavery. The girl, only ten years old was silent. She dreamed of fine clothing and good food. The girl went to the House of Hwang. She was too ugly to be in sight; she was kept in the scullery. All dreams of any kind were lashed out of her young mind. Mistreated, beaten, and underestimated, young O-lan learned to work hard and became resigned to her fate. One day, the Old Mistress summoned her and told her that she was to be married to a poor farmer. The other slaves scoffed, but O-lan was grateful for a chance to be free - they married. O-lan vowed to return to the great house one day in fine clothing with a son. Her resolve was strong; no one could say otherwise. Her years of abuse as a slave had made O-lan wise, stoic, and bitter; whether the events of her life strengthened or weakened her is the question.
Women’s Escape into Misery Women’s need for male support and their husband’s constant degradation of them was a recurring theme in the book House on Mango Street. Many of Esperanza’s stories were about women’s dreams of marrying, the perfect husband and having the perfect family and home. Sally, Rafaela, and Minerva are women who gave me the impression of [damsel’s in distress].CLICHÉ, it’s ok though. It’s relevant They wished for a man to sweep them of their feet and rescue them from their present misery. These characters are inspiring and strong but they are unable to escape the repression of the surrounding environment. *Cisneros presents a rigid world in which they lived in, and left them no other hope but to get married. Esperanza, however, is a very tough girl who knows what she wants. She will keep dreaming and striving until she gets it. She says, "I am too strong for her [Mango Street] to keep me here" (110). Esperanza learned from all of these women that she was not going to be tied down. She said, "I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain" (88). **Especially after seeing that Sally was suffering so much. Sally’s father is making her want to leave home by beating her. Sally "said her mother rubs lard on the places were it hurts" (93). There is not enough lard in the world to be able to cure the pain within Sally’s heart. Sally, "met a marshmallow salesman at a school bazaar" (101). Pretty soon " sally got married, she has her house now, her pillowcases and her plates" (101). Her marriage seems to free her from her father, but in reality she has now stepped into a world of misery. This was supposed to help her heal; " she says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape." (101). Unlike the other women Sally has no escape, no poetry, not even papaya coconut juice, not to mention, " he does not let her look out the window" (102). That is why "she sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission."(102). Rafaela’s situation also involves imprisonment in her own home. Cisneros introduced us to Rafaela, a young beautiful girl whose expectations from marriage were to obtain a sweet home to live in. Instead...
Throughout history, the story of womankind has evolved from struggles to achievements, while some aspects of the lives of women have never changed. Poet Dorianne Laux writes about the female condition, and women’s desire to be married and to have a home and children. She also seems to identify through her poetry with the idea that women tend to idealize the concept of marriage and settling down and she uses her poetry to reach out to the reader who may have similar idyllic views of marriage or the married lifestyle. Though Dorianne Laux’s poem “Bird” reads very simply, it is actually a metaphor for an aspect of this female condition.
Symbolism is a poetic and literary element that interacts with readers and engages their feelings and emotions. In Sold, thirteen-year-old Nepali girl, Lakshmi, is forced to take a job to help support her family. Involuntarily, she ends up in prostitution via the Happiness House; this sex trafficking battle forces Lakshmi to envision her future and possibility of never returning home. The very first vignette of the novel speaks of a tin roof that her family desperately needs, especially for monsoon season. At the brothel, Lakshmi works to pay off her debt to the head mistress, Mumtaz, but cannot seem to get any sort of financial gain in her time there. Both the tin roof and the debt symbolize unforeseen and improbable ambitions, yet she finds the power within herself to believe. How does Lakshmi believe in herself despite her unfathomable living conditions and occupation?
In the book Sold by Patricia McCormick shares the story of Lakshmi who at the age of 13 is sold by her step father and is forced into the a life of prostitution. She is born and raised in a simple village community, her only trouble in life is her step father. Lakshmi will soon come to learn there is a whole world outside of her village and it is not as pure as she once believed. Lakshmi is starved and beaten until she finally comes to terms with her new fate. She tells stories of what happened to her while locked away, what she learns from the other girls, and what could happen to her if she angers Mumtaz. Lakshmi does not understand what is happening only they are happening to her. The experiences Lakshmi goes through can relate to everyones’ personal experiences in life.
Do you think different adversities are solved similarly? Are there any correlations between different adversities? Is there a way to overcome one’s adversities? Well in the book I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, the main character has the capability to solve her most important ones. The main character, Maya Angelou, experiences the wrath of racism while living in the south during the 20th century. Racism is the stem of many adversities such as low-self esteem and poverty which Angelou must face.
Although she got pregnant by someone other than her husband they did not look at the good and joyful moments the child could bring. Having a baby can be stressful, especially being that the village was not doing so great. The baby could have brought guilt, anger, depression, and loneliness to the aunt, family, and village lifestyle because having a baby from someone other than your husband was a disgrace to the village, based on the orientalism of women. Society expected the women to do certain things in the village and to behave a particular way. The author suggests that if her aunt got raped and the rapist was not different from her husband by exploiting "The other man was not, after all, much different from her husband. They both gave orders; she followed. ‘If you tell your family, I 'll beat you. I 'll kill you. Be, here again, next week." In her first version of the story, she says her aunt was a rape victim because "women in the old China did not choose with who they had sex with." She vilifies not only the rapist but all the village men because, she asserts, they victimized women as a rule. The Chinese culture erred the aunt because of her keeping silent, but her fear had to constant and inescapable. This made matters worse because the village was very small and the rapist could have been someone who the aunt dealt with on a daily basis. Maxine suggests that "he may have been a vendor
There are many different characters in this book called “Homeless Bird”. I decided to talk about Koly. Koly who is a thirteen year old young women, is growing very quickly. Her Maa said to her,” It’s time for you to have a husband”. Koly’s Maa is trying to find her a husband in the age of 13. This is called arranged marriage.
In the novel A Bird In The House, Margaret Laurence illustrates the theme of physical entrapment. All of the characters in the novel feel the need to escape their personal situation. In fact, the title is a symbol of entrapment because of the bird that is. trapped in the house and is also trying to get out. From my background knowledge.