Sean Wright
H. English 2
February 17, 2014
Chapter 1 : Is Daddy Coming with Us? ~ 1982 : Theme Tracking
Quote 1: "Main Man, you just can't hit people, and particularly women. You must defend them, not fight them. Do you understand?" (20)
Summary of Events That Lead to Quote 1: At this point in chapter our protagonist Wes is three years old and he has just hit his older sister while they were playing a game. As he hits her their mother appears in the doorway and asserts that he is never to hit a women. His father, then comes to tell his mother that yelling is never the way to get through to a boy. He follows his actions by gong to Wes's room and telling him that you should never put your hands on a woman ever, and that he should "protect and defend" them instead.
Analysis of Theme Identified in Quote 1:This qualifies as a representation of the theme of mentoring. By this quote the author uses Wes's father to facilitate what is right and what is wrong for our protagonist, in the way that mentors and guardians are suppose to do for their charges and or trainees. His teachings thus become a lesson or prior where young Wes will learn how to be a man from his dad, and know what a man does and doesn't do.
Quote 2: "After my father died, Bill no longer called, wrote, or bothered to check up on her." (24)
Summary of Events That Lead to Quote 2: During this period of the story Wes's dad has just passed away due to a rare disease called epiglottis, which causes the body to suffocate itself.
Analysis of Theme Identified in Quote 2: During the time which Wes's dad was still living he became cry close to Nikki, even though she wasn't his daughter. It shown that once he is dead, that
Nikki's real father no longer call or checks on her. This is a theme of "absent fathers", he had only stayed in contact with Nikki because of him feeling threatened by another man in his daughter's life. Although once that man was gone he felt that there was no need in a way to remind her of who her father was, this would then crush Nikki with the feeling that "she lost two fathers in the same day".
Quote 3: "Mary realized the letter effectively closed the door on her college aspirations." (26)
Summary of Events That Lead to Quote 3: Mary has just received a letter stating that the budget that was used for financial aid has just been cut in half, leaving her with no way of finishing college.
Analysis of Theme Identified in Quote 3 : Through the above quote the dual themes show that poverty is very evident at this period. Not only with the budget cut due to most likely a economic problem, but with its effects on the life and well being of Wes's mother. Without a college career how would they ever be able to survive without a stable payment that would allow their mother to provide for three children. This theme then signify stye troubles and hardships that poverty had on most likely all of the single mothers might have gone through during this time.
Quote 4: "Looters ran free as the city exploded with anger". (28)
Summary of Events That Lead to Quote 4: During this point of the text the narrator is explaining what was occurring during the time when, Dr. Martin Luther King had just been assassinated at there was crime and violence everywhere.
Analysis of Theme Identified in Quote 4 : The theme that is proposed though the above quote is crime, this theme signifies that with the effects of Dr. King's death, there were multiple effects but the one that is most evident was the crime spree in Baltimore. Nothing was safe, and crime ruled over all things. It would seem that the authors thought to include this to try and convince its readers of what they should not do because the criminals were severely punished with the water hoses being unleashed on them and as well as the dogs being viciously put on people. It would seem that also try to signify through this theme that violence is never the answer, especially when it comes to revenge.
Quote 5: "Kenneth, usually a gregarious and fun-loving person, also fought the demons of alcoholism."(31)
Summary of Events That Lead to Quote 5: During this point in the chapter, character Alma has just died of kidney failure. The character Kenneth then results to drinking to cope with the pain.
Analysis of Theme Identified in Quote 5 : The theme that is represented through the
character Kenneth is alcohol and drug using. He symbolizes the effects that occur to a person upon the lose or sense of loneliness that a person goes through during times of grief. He later goes on in drunken stupor and tells his kids that there mother has died in a less then appealing way that would allow the children to be able to grieve well. This goes on to show that drinking is never the answer and a person should result to other ways of aiding them when in times of deep sorrow.
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