Patricia MacLachlan's Life Reflected in Sarah, Plain, and Tall
Beyond MacLachlan's basic interest in creating a good children's novel in Sarah, Plain, and Tall, she also has a very personal investment in connecting her story and its characters with the many facets of her personal experiences: family, her beliefs, and her biography.
It seems odd that an only child, from an intact family, would have the insight to write so detailed about the feelings of loss and a blended family. When asked “Do you think a family means a mother, and a father, and a child? Surprisingly, MacLachlan replied, “No, I don’t think that. And I never had.” MacLachlan went through a time when her own mother had Alzheimer’s disease and was losing her memory. MacLachlan stated, “In a sense, she was leaving me, though not because she wanted to. (Author Information; teachers@ran-dom.com) Her characters Anna and Caleb feel that same sense of loss as they remember their mother and learn to accept Sarah. MacLachlan felt there were extended people who became your “kind of; parents. For a lot of children she was their mother/grandmother surrogate. We (MacLachlan’s family) are very strongly connected, my children, myself and even my nieces and nephews. What I am most concerned about is who we are as family and how we effect each other. I didn’t have brothers or sisters, and this may be where it came from”. (“Author Information” teachers@-random.com). It is now easier to see how Anna and Caleb are so willing to take Sarah into their own family. The characters in the book don’t cling to who was a part of their original family, but instead like MacLachlan, focus on how each character effects each other.
MacLachlan also wrote a series of journal articles on adoption and foster mothers which had a major impact on her life. It was clear to me that much of the focus of my writing was sharpened by my involvement and concern for families and children. This was partially the basis for her decision to write for children. She spends a lot of time listening to people talk and begins stories in her head.(Author Information teachers@random.com) It is clear to see that her inspiration came from many sources. What started out as a career in a seemingly separate field, overflowed into what is unique and central to the themes of her writings today.
To understand the setting of the book Sarah,
Prudence Mackintosh's mother and father were the main influences as she was growing up. She was born into a family of writers, who both worked for the newspaper, her mother wrote articles and her father did editing. Her parents took her to their office where she observed the hectic yet exciting environment of the writers using adult language that children shouldn't hear. So she grew up to think that writing was the job for her.
In this essay you will read about numerous similarities as well as differences between these two gentlemen. Their names are Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois. But before I explain the differences between these two gentlemen, I will give you a more in depth background on each of them. This information that I will provide for you will give you a clearer thought on how they were raised and their beliefs.
Thus, O’Connor grew up in a highly racist area that mourned the fact that slaves were now being treated as “equals.” In her everyday life in Georgia, O’Connor encountered countless citizens who were not shy in expressing their discontent toward the black race. This indeed was a guiding influence and inspiration in her fiction writing. The other guiding influence in her life that became a major theme in her writing was religion. Flannery O'Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia, the only child of a Catholic family.
A family either plays a positive role in one’s life leading to their success, or a negative role leading to failure. The love and concern from a family is very important in determining the prosperity in life of its members, and without this support, a person will only face adversity. In Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie McDonald, the Piper family, primarily the father, is responsible for the sorrowful life of the Piper daughters. The disappointment in life of Frances, Kathleen and Mercedes is due to lack of love and nurture, inadequate parenting and over protectiveness.
Having grown up with these men and serving with them in the military with them did not eliminate the differences between them because of Tayo’s mixed ethnicity. Emo, one of the men who has never liked Tayo, consistently harasses him because he is half white. At the bar, without provocation, Emo says to Tayo, “There he is. He thinks he’s something all right. Because he’s part white. Don’t you, half breed?” (Silko 52). Though Tayo has not yet don’t anything to deserve harassment from Emo, the fact that he is not full Native American does make a difference in the way certain people view him, and thus in the way he views himself. Tayo goes on to say that Emo hated him since grade school, just because he was part white.
The media in the United Sates is accustomed to portraying Haiti as a failed state without referring to the external influences of other countries on Haiti’s problems including the 1915 to 1934 occupation of Haiti by the United States. Haiti has suffered at the hands of numerous dictators who have robbed the country of its resources, but little is said of the U.S support of some of the dictatorial regimes that have ruled over Haiti and plundered its resources (Maus, 2015). The natural disasters that have wrought havoc in Haiti in the form of hurricanes and floods are solely blamed on Haitians who have decided to destroy their land using destructive agricultural methods. Little is said of the destruction of Haiti’s natural landscape
And choose wrong?” (P.98). From reading this, I feel that the community was able to control problems such as divorce, rape, teen pregnancy, and AIDS. They all are given a life that is predictable, orderly and painless. Mostly, they have no memory or experience. In reality, we learn from our mistakes to be better each day. Experience is the best teacher in the world; unless one goes through sorrow, he or she will never know how it feels. “Warmth, Jonas replied and happiness. And let me think. Family, that it was a celebration of some sort, a holiday. And something else I can’t get the word for it. Jonas hesitated; I certainly liked the memory, though. I couldn’t quite get the word for the whole feeling of it, The Giver told him the feeling that was so strong in the room is love” (P.125). Family in the novel is described as a group of people that have a unit or bond that they share each day together.
Flannery O’Connor was a unique writer whose personal life was as unusual as her short stories. From her zealous and strict Catholic faith, to her love of peacocks, she is possibly the most interesting female writers of the 20th century. It takes a bold writer to put religion into their writing and it takes and even bolder one to be a female writer and put religion into their writing. Not only was Flannery O’Connor a bold writer, she set the bar for the writers of her present time and of the future. Her battle with lupus tested her faith and her diligence toward writing on numerous occasions and although in the end it took her life, the life of her work continues to live on.
Since Ma’s kidnapping, seven years prior, she has survived in the shed of her capturer’s backyard. This novel contains literary elements that are not only crucial to the story, but give significance as well. The point-of-view brings a powerful perspective for the audience, while the setting and atmosphere not only affect the characters but evokes emotion and gives the reader a mental picture of their lives, and the impacting theme along-side conflict, both internal and external, are shown throughout the novel. The author chooses to write the novel through the eyes of the main character and narrator, Jack. Jack’s perception of the world is confined to an eleven foot square room.
Children literature is a term that refers to the texts written for children. The artist uses creative ways to ensure that children are provided with educational books, touching on a variety of themes. This paper will include comparison of two characters from the two texts, “Hana's Suitcase: A True Story,” authored by Karen Levine and “Charlotte’s Web,” written by E.B. White, with the aim of understanding ways in which problems are solvable as indicated by selected characters.
Watkins, Thayer. "Political and Economic History of Haiti." Political and Economic History of Haiti. Silicon Valley & Tornado Alley, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014
After reading through this book, I feel that my thoughts on what Christian discipleship should be have been reinforced and somehow cleared up. Discipleship is central to Christian faith and practice because it is how the Christian message is shared with the world. Christian discipleship is not just about spreading the Word of God; it is also showing the world what being a Christian really is. Discipleship-focused faith should demonstrate how God’s Word is for everyone and knows no boundaries whether they are race, language, country, size, gender, etc. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world, therefore, His sacrifice it to be shared with the world through our actions, as always, actions speak louder than words.
When the country Haiti is said, one does not think of a nice, relaxing, vacation destination. Thoughts like ‘poverty’ and ‘earthquake’ pop into mind. Haiti has been struggling its whole existance trying to overcome poverty, crime, and natural disasters. Throughout all of this, Haiti’s people and culture has remained as exciting and energetic as it naturally is. From the mountains to the coastal lowlands, Haiti’s culture and struggles make it the interesting tropical island it is today.
Laura Ingalls Wilder may be viewed as one of the greatest children’s authors of the twentieth century. Her works may be directed towards a younger crowd but people of all ages enjoy her literary contributions. The way that Wilder’s books are written guarantees that they have a place among classics of American literature (“So many…” 1). Laura Ingalls Wilder’s form of writing portrays an American family’s interworking in a journey through childhood.
...ael; Heinl, Nancy Gordon (2005) [1996]. Written in Blood: The Story of the Haitian People, 1492–1995 (2nd Ed.). Lanham, Md; London: Univ. Press of America