Callenges Of Life

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Challenges of Life

Jerry is a young boy in, the story of “Through the Tunnel.” He has a very big

challenge which is swimming through a tunnel. By swimming through the tunnel he

will be able to prove to the older boys and especially to himself that he can reach his

goal if he sets his mind to it. Jing-mei and her mother from the story “Two Kinds,”

also have a couple of challenges they must face. In this story, the mother is so eager

for her daughter to excel, that she pushes and pushes until the daughter finally

pushes back.

Jerry wants to do something very challenging. He wants to swim through a

long tunnel, but must hold his breath some throughout his journey. When he sees

boys (older boys) diving into the water, lasting a long time under water, and coming

out a couple of meters away, he tries to so the same thing. It seems to be very easy

for them. Jerry tries to do this a couple of times, but he is not successful. After his

unsuccessful attempts he decides to practice holding his breath for a long time before

trying it again. “A controlled impatience makes him wait.”

In the story of “Two Kinds,” a mother tries to make her daughter do things

that she is not interested in doing. Jing-mei had always head her mother talking

about “America” and how wonderful and different life would be once they arrived.

Jing-mei never liked the plans her mother had for her. Her mother wanted her to be

a perfect kid. (Or at least what her mother thought o perfect child ought to be like.)

Jing-mei’s greatest challenge was to inform her mother that she wasn’t interested in

being the perfect child. She simply wished to be accepted as herself. One day

Jing-mei performed a musical piece on a piano at a talent show. After her horrible

performance, father, mother, and Jing-mei drove home disappointed, especially

mother. Jing-mei went to her room went they arrived home. Her mother went to

Jing-mei’s room shouting and yelling at her about her awful performance. talked

back and told her mother that is this wasn’t for her to be so controlling of her life.

“Why don’t you like me the way I am?” exclaimed Jing-mei.

As I mentioned previously, Jing-mei’s mother wanted her daughter to be a

perfect child. She sent her to piano lessons with a retired piano teacher. Mother

cleaned houses for a living. She would find magazines in the houses she worked for.

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