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Narrative essays about mothers
Narrative essays about mothers
Challenges of parenthood these days essay
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Motherhood is a compassionate kinship between the mother and her offspring. Becoming a mother can be planned or unplanned depending on the person. Families tend to cherish the new beginning to a little human life. When someone decides to have a new life, it isn’t easy, and not only can some women not get pregnant, but the variation your body endures is amazing. The body goes through many life changing experiences. Some women can gain weight, or have a rollercoaster of emotions due to their hormones. Having a child is a very hard thing, because your whole life changes and it’s not all about you anymore. Children cannot control the family or mothers they have when born, they aren’t able to understand the concept of what is happening with their mothers or families until they are older. In novels, Incidents in the Life of a Slave girl, by Harriet A. Jacobs and The Awakening by Kate Chopin motherhood is portrayed in many different ways. The two stories differ in my way but both encounter similarities of motherhood in various ways. In the novel, Incidents in the Life of a Slave girl, by Harriet A. Jacobs the protagonist Linda is a slave girl who has many family values even though at a young age she lost her mother and was left with her brother in her grandmothers care, but was sent to her mother’s mistress who treated her very well she even taught Linda how to read. Linda was unaware that she was a slave until she was six years old. After her mother’s mistress passes away, she is then sent to a relative whose name is Dr. Flint. He is very mean to Linda and she struggles to stay away from the consistency of Dr. Flint trying to engage in a sexual relationship with her. An example of this is when stated in the book by Linda “When he to... ... middle of paper ... ...is that Edna probably had kids because it was the norm, but then knew that her entitling her freedom and affairs weren’t the best for her kids either. I feel like Linda didn’t really want to get married, or have kids, but because it was the normal thing to do in her high class and society. I feel like she wanted to always be a free woman but wasn’t allowed to, but then she just one day decided to do her. In novels, Incidents in the Life of a Slave girl, by Harriet A. Jacobs and The Awakening by Kate Chopin motherhood is portrayed in many different ways. The two stories differ in my way but both encounter similarities of motherhood in various ways. Both women were both essentially slaves in their own lives, both literally and theoretical. Both women portrayed motherhood by what I think it making a life for their children better, either before or after themselves.
Morrison’s authorship elucidates the conditions of motherhood showing how black women’s existence is warped by severing conditions of slavery. In this novel, it becomes apparent how in a patriarchal society a woman can feel guilty when choosing interests, career and self-development before motherhood. The sacrifice that has to be made by a mother is evident and natural, but equality in a relationship means shared responsibility and with that, the sacrifices are less on both part. Although motherhood can be a wonderful experience many women fear it in view of the tamming of the other and the obligation that eventually lies on the mother. Training alludes to how the female is situated in the home and how the nurturing of the child and additional local errands has now turned into her circle and obligation. This is exactly the situation for Sethe in Morrison’s Beloved. Sethe questions the very conventions of maternal narrative. A runaway slave of the later half of 19th century, she possesses a world in which “good mothering” is extremely valued, but only for a certain class of women: white, wealthy, outsourcing. Sethe’s role is to be aloof: deliver flesh, produce milk, but no matter what happens, she cannot love. During the short space of time (which is 28 days) Sethe embraces the dominant values of idealised maternity. Sethe’s fantasy is intended to end upon recover, however, it doesn’t, on that ground she declines to give her family a chance to be taken from her. Rather she endeavours to murder each of her four kids, prevailing the young girl whom she named Beloved. Sethe’s passion opposes the slave proprietor’s- and the western plot line's endeavours at allocations, for better or in negative ways. It iwas an act arranged in the space between self-attestation and selflessness, where Sethe has taken what is humane and protected it
The novel, The Awakening, and the short story, “The Revolt of ‘Mother,’” both stories have women that are not respected by their husbands. Both of the women, Edna Pontellier and Sarah Penn, have husbands who do not respect them, but they fight back in different ways. Their battles shows the differences between these two women from an earlier and less accepting time.
Linda Brent, Ms. Jacobs' pseudonym while writing "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," became so entrenched in hatred of slaveholders and slavery that she lost sight of the possible good actions of slaveholders. When she "resolved never to be conquered" (p.17), she could no longer see any positive motivations or overtures made by slaveholders. Specifically, she could not see the good side of Mr. Flint, the father of her mistress. He showed his care for her in many ways, most notably in that he never allowed anyone to physically hurt her, he built a house for her, and he offered to take care of her and her bastard child even though it was not his.
Motherhood is something that many slaves dealt with mainly when slaves were children having some type of relationship with their mother. Women had to be dedicated to their children because there seemed to be a survival of the fittest mentality. Mothers usually took on the role of caring for their children and also doing their jobs as slaves and u...
The most prevalent and obvious gender issue present in the novella was that Edna challenged cultural norms and broke societal expectations in an attempt to define herself. Editors agree, “Edna Pontellier flouts social convention on almost every page…Edna consistently disregards her ‘duties’ to her husband, her children, and her ‘station’ in life” (Culley 120). Due to this, she did not uphold what was expected of her because she was trying to be superior, and women were expected to be subordinate to men. During that time, the women were viewed as possessions that men controlled. It was the woman’s job to clean the house, cook the meals, and take care of the children, yet Edna did none of these things. Her lifestyle was much different. She refused to listen to her husband as time progressed and continually pushed the boundaries of her role. For example, during that time period “the wife was bound to live with her husban...
Motherhood, in its simplest definition is the state of being a mother; however, it isn't as clear cut and emotionless as the definition implies. Motherhood holds a different meaning for everyone. For some it is a positive experience, for others it's negative. Different situations change motherhood and the family unit. Slavery is an institution that twists those ideas into something hardly recognizable. The Master and the Mistress are parental figures. Slaves never became adults; they are called boy or girl no matter what their age. They are forced into a situation where biological parents have no say over their children. The slave owners control the slaves' lives and destroy the traditional idea of motherhood and family. Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl deals with the issues of being a woman in slavery. The mothers throughout the narrative are powerless in keeping their children from harm. They watch as their children are hurt or sold and can't do anything about it. The mothers use everything in their power to protect their children and succeed in their motherly duty.
In the Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, is Linda Brent, who, in the beginning lives her early years in a comfortable home with her parents, who are somewhat slaves. When her mother passes away, six-year-old Linda is sent to stay with her mother’s mistress, who treats her fine and teaches her to read. After a few years, this mistress also passes away, forcing Linda to go and live with a relative. Her new masters are unkind...
Despite Flint’s overtures, Linda is able to avoid being by the grace of her own intellect. Although her actions may seem illicit and ill-advised, like her love affair with Mr. Sands to fend off Dr. Flint, so are the repercussions if she cooperates and does nothing. Jacobs predicates that slaves suffer from the influence of the slave system on their moral development. In the text, it is evident that Linda does not condemn slaves for illegal or immoral acts such as theft or adultery, but rather saying that they usually have no other option but to behave this way. However, she also points out that slaves have no reason to develop a strong ethical sense, as they are given no ownership of themselves or final control over their actions. This is not their fault, but the fault of the slavery system that dehumanizes them. “Pity me, and pardon me, O virtuous reader! You never knew what it is to be a slave; to be entirely unprotected by law or custom; to have the laws reduce you to the condition of a chattel, entirely subject to the will of another” (Jacobs 49). Slaves are not evil like their masters, but important parts of their personalities are left undeveloped. She argues that a powerless slave girl cannot be held to the same standards of morality as a free
Few years later, the mistress died and Linda was sent to Dr. Flint. Dr. Flint abuses his power as a slave owner to get what he wants, such as trying to get Linda to sleep with him. Another example of him abusing his power is when Linda stated, “I was made for his use, made to obey his command in everything; that I was nothing but a slave, whose will must and should surrender to his…” However, Linda had no intention of submitting to Dr. Flint’s control. Although Dr. Flint owns her body, she can still remain spiritually free. She lives in a time of slavery, but she still hold the hopeful thought of someday of being really free. Linda was different among all the slaves. She has the power to control her life in a way. She had an affair with a white neighbor and has two kids. However, because she was afraid Dr. Flint would do something to her kids after he finds out, she decides to hide in the attic for seven years. During those seven years, Dr. Flint spent countless of days and money to track her. This shows Dr. Flint has a deeper feeling towards Linda rather than just a slave. Linda have lived her life in confinement, yet she does not give up hoping one day she will provide a home for her
Motherhood is an integral theme in the work of Toni Morrison. She uses the experiences and perspectives of black women to develop a view of black motherhood, that is, in terms of both maternal identity and role, very different from how motherhood is practised in the dominant culture. Whilst the African view of motherhood claims that all mothers are a symbol of creativity on Earth, American slavery forced many black women to repress their natural instinct to nurture their offspring. In Morrison's view, motherhood is an act of resistance essential to black women's fight against racism and sexism. O'Reilly suggests that Morrsion's maternal theory is a politics of the heart, i.e that the power of motherhood is what makes possible the improved world that is sought for oneself and for our offspring. This empowerment is explored in `Beloved' where the enslaved families have not been allowed to lead normal lives.
While motherhood represented women's primary opportunity for achievement and respect within previous societies, second-wave feminism critically explored the lived reality of women as mothers within our middle-class American society. Betty Friedan's influential The Feminine Mystique, published in 1965, indicted the deadly boredom of the suburban home, while later works such as Adrienne Rich's Of Woman Born, articulated with devastating incisiveness the oppressive qualities of the contemporary institution of motherhood. According to Rich, the intense joys of mothering children were embedded in a patriarchal structure that created agonizing conflicts for any woman who saw herself as more than merely a nurturer of her spouse and children. As feminists, we believed that the institutions of family and motherhood would change quite radically as women entered the workplace.
"[M]otherhood was invented by someone who had to have a word for it because the ones that had the children didn 't care whether there was a word for it or not," Addie Bundren reflects from beyond the grave in As I Lay Dying (171). Though she can hardly be considered the paragon of motherhood, Addie 's words have a degree of truth to them which can be interpreted in more than one way. Perhaps mothers don 't need a word for motherhood because their experience is one that transcends language. Or perhaps it is only men and childless women who care about defining motherhood, because those who are mothers have realized "that living [is] terrible and that this [is] the answer to it," and thus have no desire to concern themselves with the definition of a meaningless term (As I Lay Dying 171). The latter appears to be the case for Addie, whose favoritism and passive aggressiveness lead to the horrible neglect of almost every one of her five children, but specifically of her only daughter, Dewey Dell. In contrast, Ellen Sutpen 's understanding of the terribleness of living and her own dysfunctional relationships lead her to seek happiness in an illusory world of wealth and status, to the neglect of her only daughter Judith. Both
By the mothers showing what society expects a woman’s role to be, is more of an obstacle to any kind of successful self-discovery (Spark notes, 2016). Rather than help women achieve self-actualization the mothers believe that a woman’s reputation or respectability determines the quality of her life in the community (Spark notes, 2016). Both stories show the concerns within each relationship between mother and daughter (Spark notes, 2016). Although the mothers can be in their daughter’s life, but they can’t always control how daughters turn out different from what they expected. The mothers are having difficulty letting go, but they are also honest with their
Motherhood is a traditional role for women. From the time they are young, girls are taught to grow up, marry and become mothers. Of course they can do other things with their lives like play sports, have careers, and travel, but an overwhelming amount of women want to be mothers no matter what else they accomplish with their lives. It is common knowledge that being a good mother is one of the hardest jobs in the world. It is to forever have a special link with another person or people and have a tremendous influence, maybe the most tremendous influence over their lives. Motherhood is a roller coaster ride for women, full of ups and downs, fears and accomplishments. But what happens when motherhood defines who a woman is? All children grow up, and while a woman is always a mother, children need their mothers less and less until eventually their dependence is very minimal. What happens to the woman whose singular role and purpose is no longer needed? In The Summer Before The Dark, and The Fifth Child, the maternal roles of Kate Brown, and Harriet Lovatt are analyzed and traditional motherhood behavior is deconstructed due to these characters’ experiences and relationships with their children.
I choose the number one of the myth the author present in this chapter “Motherhood is the ultimate fulfillment of a woman. It is a natural and necessary experience for all the women. Those who do not want to mother are psychological disturbed and those who want to but cannot are fundamentally deprived”. The reason I choose that one was for understand and respect all those feelings and I am sure be a mother is a unique and inexplicable achievement. Didn’t have the opportunity to be a mother made for many years at list very curious about how I could feeling if I have the opportunity to be a mother. I choose during my marriage do not have a child because my relationship was not a model of stable or happy marriage. I was very afraid how that insecurity