From Father to Son

This week, the pieces "Shooting Dad" and "Arm Wrestling with My Father" were discussed. Both pieces discuss a relationship with the authors' fathers, but one deals with a father-son relationship and the other with a father-daughter relationship. In class, these relationships were compared and contrasted according to the experiences by the class. I believe that the father to son relationship is what affects the father-daughter relationship most. In "Arm Wrestling with My Father", Manning describes his relationship with his father as purely physical, and not much actual conversation was ever had, where as Vowell's relationship is more verbal. Fathers seem to be able to show more affection outwardly to their daughters, and this is probably because of how the father and the son relate to each other. As a son grows older, the father starts to treat him as a man and give him advice about women, mainly that they are to be respected and should be treated with absolute love. This usually applies to the son's mother and sister, but eventually when he starts his own family, this will carry on to his wife and his daughter. The ripple effect all starts with the father-son relationship and trickles down to the father-daughter relationship.

Racial Integration in America

Fitting in is one of the most prevalent social issues in America. Integrating multiple cultures into one is a difficult task and always causes problems, because people fear what they do not know or what is different from them. This shows in Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks" in which an American boy named Robert is embarrassed to be around Tan's Chinese culture, which in turn embarrasses her. This boundary between cultures stops advancement in some societies because people have to get along and work together in order to create a better environment. The pieces that were discussed in class this week open the eyes of their audiences to certain aspects of this issue, such as why identity is important and how difficult it can be for some to assimilate. The key point to remember is that individuality runs America and that it is perfectly fine to be different. If a person cannot accept you for who you are, then they are not worth it anyway.

Fight for Your Rights

This week, we read "Champion of the World" by Maya Angelou. As a boxer, Joe Louis fights for a living, but he also fights for the pride of his people. The Black community adored him and held their breaths every time he entered the ring fearing the worst and hoping for the best because he was like their voice. He literally fought for them and represented the protest to domestic violence that was wrought against African Americans during this time period. As the crowd in the story listens to the broadcast of the fight, they seem to speak of him as an older brother who looks out for them and protects them. This emotional feel helps bring people together and drives others to achieve greatness. Being pushed down as the underdog is not always a bad thing. This oppression of African Americans was inspiring and gave them a drive to prove themselves as Joe Louis did. Fighting hard for something you want and believe in is what creates a better tomorrow and helps improve the world as we know it.