No matter how strong one may seem, inside we all have our weaknesses. Beneath that armor, we all have our faults and burdens to carry. "Raymond's Run" written by Toni Cade Bambara, tells the story of a girl named Squeaky. The story focuses on Squeaky as she deals with the hardship of poverty and the responsibility of taking care of her mentally challenged older brother, Raymond. Beneath that misleading facade, Squeaky is just a caring and protective sister, that defends her brother by using both her words and fists. As Charles R. Swindoll, the famous pastor and author, once said,” Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it.” And we react to these events by taking action. To some, these actions may cause us to risk …show more content…
It was before they announced the winner, and Gretchen and Squeaky nearly finished at the same time. Looking at the other side of the fence, she sees Raymond running in his own type of style. Squeaky realizes that Raymond is more independent than she thought. Right before announcing the winner, Squeaky then understood that winning did not really matter. It was in this part of the story that Squeaky showed a deep realization and understanding of her brother. “...it occurred to me that Raymond would make a very fine runner. Doesn't he always keep up on me on my trots? And he surely knows how to breathe in counts of seven cause he’s always doing it at the dinner table, which drives my brother George up the wall. And I'm smiling to beat the band, cause if I've lost this race, or even if Gretchen and me tied, or even if I won, I can always retire as a runner and begin a whole new career as a coach with Raymond as my champion” (Page 38, lines 353-362). In this scene, Squeaky begins to recognize that Raymond would make a great runner and is more autonomous than she thought. She realizes that even if she doesn’t win, this race, she can still coach Raymond to be number one. Squeaky is a selfless character because of her willingness to give up everything to help
Jack Reacher notices a woman struggling to carry her recently dry cleaned clothes. As she dropped her clothes on the dirty Chicago street, Jack decides to escort her to her destination while carrying her cumbersome load, which was easy for a strong 6 foot 4 man. As they begin to walk to her car they are cut off by two men holding pistols right at their stomachs. Being ex-military Jack Reacher starts to evaluate the grave situation, thinking of a way out without harm to him or her. He looks at the man facing him, he is a fit man, but appears very nervous and jittery as if he hadn’t done this before. Jack then looks at the man across from her. He observes his calmness and his stature. He can see that it is not his first time holding someone at gun point. The men are both in top physical shape, but not too much for Jack to handle. The man across from her commands both of them to get into the back seat of the white car on the side of the street. Jack in a matter of seconds examines the intense situation. He knows how to disarm the first man but can’t tell if the woman knows what to do in this event.
In “Raymond’s Run”, Squeaky is very offensive. She “[doesn’t] feature a whole lot of chit-chat, [she’d] much prefer to just knock you down right from the jump and save everybody a lotta precious time.”. She is too offensive to make friends, as shown in a scene where she meets some other girls in her class. She immediately
The runners are the children that have to find a way out of the maze. Some of the people have been trying to get out of the maze for three years. After some time they have a few memories that become clear. The people that brought them hear call themselves “Wicked.” Alby is considered an elder, because he has been there the longest. All of the people have their set ways to do things; some are runners
“It just barely missed me, but in my place it swallowed everything that mattered most to me and swept it off to another world. I took years to find it again and to recover from the experience-precious years that can never be replaced” (133). Individuals who find themselves in life or death situations experience a spectrum of factors that play into the aftermath, including, mental, moral, and costly forms of accountability. The decisions individuals are forced to make in order to survive is what causes this accountability. Therefore, individuals should not be held responsible for their decisions when in survival situations.
With her mentally-challenged brother to her quick speed the main character of “Raymond's Run’’ by Toni Cade Bambara faces many difficulties throughout her interesting life. Although Squeaky is a show-off , she is very competitive and caring .
As a character who is sassy and cocky, she could be stereotyped to be the type of person who only cares about herself and her running skills. However, in reality, besides being arrogant and competitive, Squeaky has a soft spot in her heart that enables her to fiercely protect him, both physically and emotionally. For instance, in the beginning of the story, when she and Raymond confronted Gretchen, her biggest competitor, and Gretchen’s squad. When she encountered the “Mean Girl” squad, Gretchen’s friends confronted Squeaky and discouraged her by asserting that she would lose to Gretchen. Notwithstanding, Squeaky took action and protected herself and Raymond. Although Squeaky seems to be brave and secure, she copes with her misery through running, one of the few things she enjoys doing in her life. Throughout the story, we witness Squeaky’s true colors emerging from many different perspectives. In the beginning of the story, Squeaky is seen as cocky and aggressive; however, she is more than just that as she is hardworking, caring, and aggressive in a way that helps her deal with the trouble in her
The article, "Overview of ‘Raymond's Run’" was a particularly effective feminist literary criticism because the claims that supported its argument were clear, well-supported, and well-connected to its argument while criticizing the short story, “Raymond’s Run” through a feminist lens. Notably, the author included the claim, "Hazel's voice and behavior reflect her strength". The claim was clear and connected to the article's argument which was that Hazel was a self-confident female character who became uncomfortable by meeting "a young, confident African-American girl." The claim described how Hazel was self-confident in the short story, "Raymond's Run" and was supported by evidences such as "she asserts that, though small and thin, she would rather act against taunts from others" which explained her self-confidence in her ability to fight and "she implies that she does it better
Squeaky really wants a friend, but she has to take care of Raymond which is affecting her from getting friend’s. If you are Squeaky’s friend you have to deal with temper,and over competitiveness. The way she acts affects how others think of her which she doesn't know. The way she acts is horrible but she doesn’t realize this is why she has no friends. Still the reason she has no friends is she doesn't know that the way she is acting is blocking her from getting friends.
In the short story ¨Raymond‘s Run¨ by Toni Cad Baramba, the protagonist squeaky is a young girl who is taking care of her handicapped brother. They live in the big city of New York. Squeaky real name is Hazel Elizabeth Deborah Parker, she got her nickname because of her squeaky voice. Squeaky proves to be an extremely memorable character because she is a dedicated athlete, protective. And most of all, because she is a nonconformist.
In conclusion, you can’t change what happens in life, just want to be aware of my mistakes, so that I will not repeat them. I tell my students, make sure every choice that you make today, will be the decision you’re okay with tomorrow. Life is not perfect, so I am learning to not freak out about situations that I can’t control. I listen to gospel music for comfort, pray and thank God for getting me through it. I also reflect back over my favorite poem, Footprints in the Sand. The poem by Mary Stevenson
All decisions have consequences, either positive or negative and reflect on the person’s quality of choices. Negative decisions lead to negative consequences and all positive decisions lead to better improvement of a person’s life, especially young adults in high school. Drugs abuse and alcohol abuse are destroying the men and women parents are molding for the future.
Elder Renlund states that “When our day-to-day challenges loom before us, it is natural to focus on the here and now. But when we do, we may make poor choices, become depressed,
If life were merely a contest with fate, then should we not think before we act? Though some may argue that the proper time to reflect is before acting, I have learned from experience that, more times than not, this is not the best approach. The ability to act on instinct is crucial to success, in many situations. During an earthquake, for instance, one must quickly respond in whichever way necessary to protect themselves, as well as their loved ones. No matter how prepared, or trained, one may be, there is no way to predict what the essential motions should be taken at the time of an emergency.
As humans, we tend wallow in despair and self- pity when our dreams and aspirations seem to disappear into thin air before our very eyes. While it is true that we might go through catastrophic situations that are irreversible, we can also choose to have a positive outlook towards life. I do appreciate the gift of life very much so many years ago, I made a commitment to myself that as difficult as it may be, I would live my life one day at a time. I try to control the situations that are within my reach but for those that are nature adaptive, I allow nature to take its course. After all, I’m just human!
People don't truly accept life for what it is until they've actually tasted adversity and went through those misfortunes and suffering. We are put through many hardships in life, and we learn to understand and deal with those issues along the way. We find that life isn't just about finding one's self, but about creating and learning from our experiences and background. Adversity shapes what we are and who we become as individuals. Yann Martel's Life of Pi shows us that adverse situations help shape a person's identity and play a significant role in one's lief by determining one's capabilities and potential, shaping one's beliefs and values, and defining the importance and meaning of one's self.