The unique bond that exists between a mother and her child is practically unbreakable. A mother’s love is unselfish, unconditional, and knows no boundaries. Without the love and support of a mother, a child is like a ship lost at sea. The only way one can possibly repay their mother for all they have done is by giving her the same relentless love and affection that she have always given. In “The Lanyard”, Billy Collins implements juxtaposition, humorous comparisons, and metaphors to refrain the poet's message of love from lapsing into a cliché about parental love and convey the theme of a mother’s love.
Billy Collin’s juxtaposition of the lanyard, a seemingly pointless gift, to the gift of life given by his mother portrays the complexity of
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Collins compares something as meaningful as “a breathing body, and a beating heart” to the lanyard he gives his mother in return. Furthermore, he recollects how she taught him “to walk and swim” and he reciprocates by handing her a lanyard. This drastic comparison proves that children will never be able to repay their mother for all they have done for them. At the same time, Collins conveys the point that even just the thought of doing something small is enough to make the mother happy. A small gift, like a lanyard, gives the mother the emotional satisfaction and support that she has always given to her children no matter how minor it is. Collins’ main point is that a mother's love is so great that it does not matter what her child gives her, she will still be more than grateful for her child’s recognition of her as a good …show more content…
Collins makes the lanyard and presents it as “a gift to [his mother]” because at the time he thought that would be enough to repay her for all of her devotion. All of the crafts and gifts a child gives his mother is a way to give thanks and prove how much they love and admire her. Now much more mature, he realizes that it is impossible to ever repay his mother for all of the love she has given him. On a deeper level, there is a connection between the colors of the lanyard and the colors of the gifts the mother gives Collins when he is born. The lanyard is made with “red and white” strands, and his mother gives him “a beating heart, strong legs, and bones and teeth”. Undoubtedly, the red and the white strands correlate to the parts of the human body that a mother gives to her child. The color red symbolizes the blood and beating heart, and the color white represents the bones and the teeth. In the end, the lanyard turns out to be much more than just a plastic gift, and holds a greater meaning that relates back to a mother’s unconditional love.
A mother’s love shapes all individuals. There is a profound and long-lasting impact from being cared for so deeply, and the loving care is necessary in the creation of a child. One cannot possibly underestimate the power of a mother’s love, and the significance of her emotional
Theme 1.1: Envy. In Knowles’s coming of age book, “A Separate Peace”, there are lots of mishaps that happen and the beginning of these mishaps is when one of his main characters, Gene, starts thinking malicious things about Phineas, his friend. It started out as a small inkling of envy, suddenly later on in the book, it turned into something that resembled a fractious disaster. As the chapters progress, Gene shows the readers his way of thinking towards Phineas, by describing his “unexpected excitement” (27) when Phineas was about to receive a scolding from Mr. Patch-Wither, the substitute headmaster of Devon during the summer session. Surprisingly, when Phineas (aka Finny) further explained why he wore the school tie as a belt,
Throughout the book ethan and Mattie have a growing relationship and their love is shown by Mattie's apparel. The ribbon and scarf found in Mattie’s hair and around her neck are both red and symbolise love. Ethan watches Mattie dance with “a cherry-coloured ‘fascinator’ about her head” (26).
"My mom and I got in a fight and she told me she was going to kill me," she recalls. "And I wrapped a belt around my neck and told her I would do it for her. I ended up in a psychiatric hospital and from there I went to foster care." The author appeals to emotion by trying to get as personal as possible as she could to
In life difficulties may arise, but an “instructive eye” of a “tender parent” is a push needed in everyone’s life. Abigail Adams believed, when she wrote a letter to her son, that difficulties are needed to succeed. She offers a motherly hand to her son to not repent his voyage to France and continue down the path he is going. She uses forms of rhetoric like pathos, metaphors, and allusions to give her son a much needed push in his quest to success.
Parents are always supposed to look out for the best interests of their child. Anne Tyler authored the short story “Teenage Wasteland” which depicts the story of a strained mother and son relationship between the character Donny, and his mother Daisy. Donny is a teenage boy who is struggling with his grades at school and is exhibiting poor behavior. His mother, Daisy is concerned with her son’s grades and behavior, however, she fails at getting her son the help that he requires. Told through the point of view of the character Daisy, Tyler uses irony to tell the story of a teenage boy who is failed by the adults in his life who are supposed to help him flourish, including his parents, a psychologist, and his tutor.
When her only son was going to school , she said; “ I never though a son of mine would choose useless books over the parents that have you life”(Macleod 18). It shows how the mother was putting so much pressure and guilt
In this book specifically, the separation of children from their mothers. From the moment their mothers say goodbye, children consider their mothers to be, “larger than life,” (7). In their mothers’ absence, children long for their care and support. This highlights the importance of a mother’s role in a child’s life. Even in more developed countries, some children suffer psychologically while growing up due to the absence of a mother-figure, or any other parental figure.
Best of the Worst Parenting is never perfect. Every parents questions whether they are raising their child correctly, and no parent ever feels like they are doing the right thing. With no clear distinction between good and bad parenting, it is usually left to personal preferences and judgements to decide which parents have adequately raised their children and which have failed. When a parent so call “fails,” often it is the children with their strong will and determination to survive that collectively raise themselves. In Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing, Leonie, one of the narrators and the mother of another narrator, Jojo, is not the most caring, hands-on mother, but is loving of her children nevertheless.
This is also present in the fact that she is detached from her family members. A black feather with white band is said to signify home, harmony and balance. All that she wishes to be surrounded by but isn’t. It’s not that she can’t have balance at all it’s that she never has enough time to bring it in to light. The feather is covering one of her eyes to convey that she is blinded by this dream of one day settling down in one place and bringing the whole family together.
The pendant is a key moment in June’s story; her mom is presenting a necklace that she has worn and now it is June’s turn to wear it and take in her mother’s meaning. Because of Suyuan's early words, it is clear her “meaning” is her pride and love towards her daughter. Suyuan is proud because her child chooses others over herself, and that humility is the best quality. Now, June must try to believe in herself as her mother believes in
Parenting has been a long practice that desires and demands unconditional sacrifices. Sacrifice is something that makes motherhood worthwhile. The mother-child relationship can be a standout amongst the most convoluted, and fulfilling, of all connections. Women are fuel by self-sacrifice and guilt - but everyone is the better for it. Their youngsters, who feel adored; whatever is left of us, who are saved disagreeable experiences with adolescents raised without affection or warmth; and mothers most importantly.
The poem Dusting by Julia Alverez relays several ideas to the reader. It begins by describing a young child going about a house and writing their name on the furniture. The child 's mother follows behind her and, in the process of dusting, incidentally erases the writing. While this poem may seem superficial from a quick reading, it not only reflects some aspects of Alverez’s childhood, but it also reveals some thought provoking questions. In Dusting, through making an analogy to a relationship between a mother and her child, Julia Alvarez demonstrates her desire to break away from traditional or cultural expectations, express her individuality, be well-known, and, ultimately, she makes an important point about life.
In the novel Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, the relationship between Annie and her mother can be very confusing and complicated at times. In the passage, symbols such as the thimble and the “black thing” play an important role in depicting the relationship between Annie John and her mother. Annie and her mother each have a black thing resting inside of them and when they begin to fight, the black things join together. The thimble rests inside of Annie and represents her sadness and her unwillingness to grow up and become distant from her mother. These symbols together help portray the relationship between Annie and her mother by showing that they have a mutual dislike for one another and how they are tired and depressed because of their quarrelling.
Her daughter Pearl was not a ordinary child in any ways comparing to others, she has a tendency of asking question and ridicule her mother often. Pearl took some grass and imitated her mother as best she could on her own bosom the decoration of letter A which is as same like of her mother’s. In this same instance she keeps on questioning “What does the letter mean, mother? And why does you wear it?
“When I discover who I am, I will be free.” ~Ralph Ellison With a cultural identity as unclear as her own, Sarah Howe grew up questioning the human condition, specifically regarding the idea of belonging. Yet despite her great efforts in discovering what it means to have a bicultural heritage, her journey of understanding is forever ongoing.