‘Like father, like son ' is a phrase known widely among people. It means that fathers and sons resemble each other, and sons tend to do what fathers did before them. Children who are in their learning stage, mostly aged about two to three years old, spend most of their time with their parents. Children learn how they should behave or act by looking and mimicking their parents. By doing that, children are becoming one step closer to becoming like their parents. In both books, The Road and Fun Home, as the stories get closer to the final chapter, the children develop their identity similar to their father. However, the children in both texts develop their father-like identity in a different way. In The Road, the father continually teaches his …show more content…
While his father was prepared for the survival, the child was ignorant about the apocalyptic world. He was vulnerable most of the time. However, the son was eager to help others who desperately needed the hand. Even though it is righteous action to help people, the father made him not to take such actions due to possibilities of putting them in danger. "He was as burnt looking as the country, his clothing scorched and black. One of his eyes was burnt shut and his hair was but a nitty wig of ash upon his blackened skull. As they passed, he looked down. As if he 'd done something wrong. His shoes were bound up with wire and coated with road tar and he sat there in silence, bent over in his rags. The boy kept looking back. Papa? He whispered. What is wrong with the man? He 's been struck by lightning. Can 't we help him? Papa? No, We can 't help him. The boy kept pulling at his coat. Papa? He said. Stop it. Can 't we help him, Papa? No. We can 't help him. There 's nothing to be done for him." (McCarthy 49,50). In this quote, the boy is confused about the fact that his father would not help the injured man. The father knew that helping the guy who got struck by lightning could have a devastating impact on themselves because they are also short on food and supplies. He had to make his son stop being kind to teach him how to survive. In this sense, the child can learn not to interact with …show more content…
It was a surprise because her identity is not learned from Bruce. It is identity discovered by herself that started from her curiosity. When she realized that she was a lesbian, Alison decides to write a letter to her parents. Because she was so confident about being homosexual, Alison was not afraid to talk to her parents. Despite her expectation, her mother disapproves her homosexuality. "I imagine that, if in the long run, your choice turns out to be a serious one, I could live with it, but I truly hope that this does not happen. There are dangers that your idealistic outlook seems not to have faced." (Bechdel 77). This was because her mother, Helen knew Bruce was having gay affairs with teenage boys and was shocked to have another homosexual person in the family. If she was okay to live with her husband and her daughter to be homosexual, she would not have thought of a divorce with Bruce. For the most of the time, Alison did not know her father was gay before Helen told her through the phone call that Bruce is very much like her daughter. Even though they lived a life different from each other, There a lot of things in common besides being homosexual. Alison and Bruce both liked to refer their life to fiction. In her autobiography, Alison often compares her relationship between her father to literature. For example, the first chapter begins with a
In the memoir, Fun Home, Alison Bechdel effectively depicted her life as a child all the way up to age nineteen when she finally decided to come out to her family. Growing up Alison’s path crossed paths with struggles that try to hinder her while she attempts to grasp on to the identity of being homosexual. Even though Bechdel encounter struggles she is able to overcome those struggles in a supportive environment. Despite her father, Bruce Bechdel homosexuality, which was unknown to Alison for the majority of her life could possibly be the emotional core of Fun Home. In actuality, it is Alison 's personal coming out party that assists her mother, Helen Bechdel, to expose Bruce 's hidden relationships to Alison. Effectively, the process of writing the memoir has really permitted Bechdel to reminisce about her father through the spectacles of her experiences, later giving her the chance to reveal clues about her father 's undercover desires that she was incapable of interpreting at the moment. In a scene where Bruce takes his openly queer daughter to a gay bar embodies the dissimilarities amongst Bruce and Alison 's attitudes of dealing with their homosexuality. Bruce tussles with the shame of hiding his
The father has a hard time following rule five, "Help others." The Biblical reasoning for this rule is, "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" (King James Version, Luke 6.31). The child continuously wishes to help all people that don’t seem to be bad guys. At one point the man and his son find a man that was struck by lightning the child questions, “Cant we help him? Papa?” (McCarthy 25). The father doesn’t want to give him any help. This conflict is exemplified when the child and father run into a man named "Ely." The man seems weary of the man as shown when it is said, "He looked up the road and down. If this is an ambush he goes first, he said." (McCarthy 83). The child follows the rules better than the man as shown whe...
Bruce, an “Old Father, Old Artificer,” uses his art form as a way of whitewashing his past memories and faults. The exclamation of the woman shows the extent her father has covered up the truth. He has put many unneeded items and decorations in the house, distracting people that visit. Alison likes things functional, while Bruce likes things very elaborate and over the top, not needed. These decorations have made people confused from what is there and what is not.
Other People’s Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy by Victoria Purcell-Gates recounts the author’s two-year journey with an illiterate Appalachian family. Purcell-Gates works with Jenny, the mother, and her son, first grader Donny, to analyze the literacy within the household. Throughout the journey, we learn the definition and types of literacy, the influences of society and the environment, and the impacts of literacy on education from the teacher’s perspective. In order to evaluate literacy in the household, one must study multiple types, including functional, informational, and critical literacy. As the name implies, functional literacy incorporates reading and writing as tools for everyday survival. Informational literacy is used through text to communicate information to others. The highest level of literacy, critical literacy, requires critical interpretations and imaginative reflections of text. In her study, Purcell-Gates strives to teach Jenny and Donny functional literacy.
The father often uses the phrase “carrying the fire,” to suggest the knowledge the son must inherit from his father in order to one day continue the father's legacy. The father tries to educate his son in goodness, survival, and decency even though all such humanity has been extinguished. His efforts to preserve civilized manners reflect his nurturing and give purpose to his existence. Before the father dies he tells his son that all this fire—warmth, instinct for good, and knowledge—lives inside him: “You have to carry the fire. I don't know how to. Yes, you do. Is the fire real? The fire? Yes, it is. Where is it? I don't know where it is. Yes, you do. It's inside you. It always was there. I can see it” (McCarthy 278-279). The fire has multiple symbolic meanings for the man and the boy. For the man the fire represents the love he has for his son because his son is his reason for continuing. It is also the man’s moral code, his way to refrain from turning evil and committing murder or cannibalism. For the boy the fire symbolizes the kindness he carries even when he has been exposed to evil. Since the boy was born after the catastrophic event, he embodies a sense of purity, an untainted fire within him. Consequently, the son is more naïve and trusting of others than his father. McCarthy's “carrying the fire” functions as a metaphor of knowledge and hope for humanity, the natural instinct to keep going and hope for something better along the
Morris Bishop’s poem has elaborately depicted a classical greek legend with a unique approach. The legend itself briefly describes the perishment of Phaethon, who insisted to ride his father, Apollo’s chariot although Apollo have discouraged him to do so. Likewise, the poem introduces a father who used the legend of Phaethon to deter his teenaged son from driving “the car”. By clearly implementing a sarcastic humour and tone through the impressive imagery, and the upbeat rhyme, rhythm, the poem addresses some of the key aspects of a parent’s attitude towards the child. Bishop suggests that in order to keep their child in their “wonted courses”, it is essential for parents to carry out the obligation to address their child’s sense of limit.
Through all this, Bruce struggled with his self identity. From a young age, Bruce knew that he was different from the other boys. When his mother and sister were gone, Bruce loved to dress up in their clothing. Bruce remembers envying all the other boys and girls who were comfortable in their own skin since he felt like he was “stuck in the middle”. Throughout his entire life, Bruce struggled with himself and was in fear of what his family and the world may think of him. But, this year Bruce decided that he was going to introduce Caitlyn to the world. Due to his
...within her household. Within her own household, Alison was uncomfortable of being herself; in fact, at times she felt that she almost had no say in the selecting items such as clothes. This was also quite complex when it came to her subjectivity as well. Instances such as the time Bruce wanted Alison to wear a particular dress to a wedding, or when he insisted for her to were a particular set of pearls, would play a pivotal role in her sexual self development. Other factors such as her relationship with her girlfriend and the news she would find out following her fathers death seemed to also play an important part. Alison Bechdel’s battle in her sexual self-development was one full of anguish and pain because of all of its complexities but she now presents the confidence in herself and her sexuality to present in her eloquent and impactful graphic novel, Fun Home.
...he thought it was beauty or about goodness.” Things that he’d no longer any way to think about at all.” (McCarthy 129,130). “The man” still shows acts of kindness towards strangers here and there in hopes that the boy will not follow in his footsteps and give up fate as well; he wants “the boy,” as McCarthy states it, to continue “to carry the fire.”
The author shows how the feelings of each character affects the story. The sentiment of the father throughout the story is his selfishness. He doesn’t care much about other people
John Milton’s epic Paradise Lost and Mark Water’s movie Mean Girls display how different parental styles affect children. Parents are important characters in all works, whether it be a novel, play, movie, epic, or television show. As a result of the many mediums in which parents are portrayed, often different representations of parents can appear. This is the case with Paradise Lost and Mean Girls. Not only do these works showcase the different ways parental figures govern over children, but they also show how the reactions children have to these controls can be very similar even in different situations. As is apparent with the parent and/or divine leader roles of God the Father and Satan in Paradise Lost and Mrs. George and Mr. and Mrs. Heron in Mean Girls. An analysis of both Paradise Lost and Mean Girls
Fun Home’s Alison Bechdel reveals her lesbian identity which is built upon the closeted homosexuality of her father. It is speculated that the cause of Bruce Bechdel’s suicide is because he was unable to handle the contradiction between his false identity (as a heterosexual family-man) and his true identity (as a homosexual). Once the inevitable reveal of his true identity occurs, it is as if the death of his false identity was so real to him that it took him with it. Throughout the graphic novel, Bruce’s hidden identity will often reveal itself to the reader. For example: “He was an alchemist of appearance, a savant of surface, a Daedalus of décor” (6). One might begin to question Bruce’s love for flourishes and perfection. His character becomes more complex as you consider that he is married with kids. Bruce’s obsessive need to restore his Victorian home demonstrates the distance between him and his family. This barrier is connected with the protection of his h...
The first half of the story is told from the protagonist Jack’s perspective, who is a five year old boy. I was able to relate to Jack’s habit of referring to objects in third person and also playing with toys while telling a story, all of which reminded me of myself when I was young. The love and help he gave his mother furthered my appreciation for him, however a...
Every parent has different skills that they use when dealing with their child. Growing up I had two parents with completely different techniques on how to handle situations with me. Both of my parents love me unconditionally, and would give me the entire world if they could. For every parent, teaching lessons and earning respect is a very important aspect to them. Each of my parents love me so much, but both have very different ways of showing affection, discipline, and communication.
Everyone has a mom and a dad, however some people only live with one of the parent. Some parents are single parent or some have remarried to a different person, thus giving the child a step parent. If the step parent is up for the challenge and parents correctly they can easily just become a motherly or fatherly figure instead of the step mom or step dad. Regardless, there are many differences between a mom and dad. They typically have different ideas on parenting styles, different attitudes towards certain experiences or ideas, etc. They are almost never completely on the same page, but if they are it is very well known it took quite some time to get there together.