Journey To My Past: Responses to Silent Dancing Story

1927 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays about sorrow

Journey To My Past: Responses to Silent Dancing Story

1 Journal of Reading Silent Dancing

Many people say, "Do not judge a book by its cover," but the cover of this book drew me into a journey of reading. The line of the letters Silent Dancing is on top; just below that is a picture of a beautiful four-year old girl. Perhaps she lives with a wealthy family; the girl looks so cute and pretty in her dress. Like many other young girls who usually love toys, she is holding a rattlebox; however, she does not pay attention to the toy in her hands. The young girl appears sad because of wide opened eyes that seem interested of what is in front of her. The quiet lips that have no smile make her look shy and older than her time. Why does this young girl have a feature of sadness? This picture seems to suggest that after reading Silent Dancing I should have the proper answer to that question.

Silent Dancing is a garden of many stories in the childhood of a Puerto Rican girl, Judith Ortiz Cofer. Some chapters in her book are very exciting because her memory sometimes stimulates mine. There are many remembrances that are evoked by the reading this book.

2 Reading "More Room"

When I first read the caption "More Room," I did not guess that the main character in this chapter was an unhappy person. Soon after reading, I understood she was a sad woman because of only a reason: she could easily get pregnant (actually she had many children). That woman's situation reminds me of my mother. What are the similarities between this character and my Mom? A simple thing: they both were mothers of many children and sometimes felt full of cares when they knew they were carrying another baby. The sound is simple but the fact is not. Like many ...

... middle of paper ...

... tiny paper clothes. Some characters in Cofer's childhood were exciting just like some of the people in my childhood, but the ending of her childhood and mine were very different. At the age of fifteen, Cofer had some boyfriends; they loved and admired her. She fell in love for the first time and learned a lesson about the love; she also was no longer a child at the age of fifteen. However, the ending of my childhood was caused by a war. Like the rope of a kite was broken in the raging wind, my childhood's kite disappeared into the sky. The tragedies of the war fell upon the people in my family and my country; they shattered my innocent childhood when I was only a thirteen years old girl. Although everyone has a different memory about their life, and each of us has special ending to our childhood, reading Silent Dancing gave me the urge to recall these remembrances.

Show More
Related

  • Ghost Dance Movement Essay

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    The governmental leaders of the United States of America began implementing Indian policies from its inception. As Euro-Americans they expected all non-whites in the U.S. to assimilate into a Euro-American (Christian) lifestyle, without reciprocation or sympathy to the traditions and history of our native people. Our founding fathers and subsequent leaders of the United States at varying times have used suppression, segregation, aggression, and assimilation to manage what they perceived as an Indian problem, and civilize them. The native peoples of North America have responded to these actions by, at times, complying with the U.S. government and allowing themselves to be relocated to other areas of the country leaving behind their ancestral

    Read More

  • Coming of Age in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the biggest challenges Francie faces while growing up is loneliness. As a young child living in a Brooklyn slum, Francie has no friends her age. The other children either find her too quiet or shun her for being different because of her extensive vocabulary. Betty Smith describes how most of Francie's childhood days are spent: "in the warm summer days the lonesome child sat on her stoop and pretended disdain for the group of children playing on the sidewalk. Francie played with her imaginary companions and made believe they were better than real children. But all the while her heart beat in rhythm to the poignant sadness of the song the children sang while walking around in a ring with hands joined." (106). Francie is lonely, and longs to be included. As Francie matures, she begins to experience a different kind of loneliness. Betty Smith portrays her feelings as she observes her neighborhood: "spring came early that year and the sweet warm nights made her restless. She walked up and down the streets and through the park. And wherever she went, she saw a boy and a girl together, walking arm-in-arm, sitting on a park bench with their arms around each other, standing closely and in silence in a vestibule. Everyone in the world but Francie had a sweetheart or a friend she seemed to be the only lonely one in Brooklyn without a friend." (403). Loneliness is a constant challenge for Francie but it is through her loneliness that she finds a new companion in her books. Francie reads as an alternative for her lack of friends and companions. It is through her love of reading that Francie develops her extensive, sophisticated vocabulary. Her books lead her into maturity and help her learn to be independent and overcome her many hardships.

    Read More

  • Transition from an Innocent Child in Boy in the Striped Pajamas

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    Children have often been viewed as innocent and innocent may be a nicer way to call children naive. Since children’s lives are so worry free they lack the knowledge of how to transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. Their lack of knowledge may be a large part of their difficulties growing up, which could be a few rough years for many. In books like the boy in the striped pajamas the story is told from the point of view of a little boy, this way we get a full view of how innocent he is. In this book the writer shows the reader first hand how a child viewed the holocaust and how his innocence cost him his life. Then in books like the perks of being a wallflower Charlie is a teen whom is struggling with the transition from being a child to becoming an adolescent. In this book the writer gives a first hand look at how difficult it can be to transition into an adolescent. Charlie has many difficulties in this book; he is in search of his identity and how to fit in.

    Read More

  • Strength Grown by Celie

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations: Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publisher, 2000. Print.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    The discussion of children and school also gives well meaning of an organized and well-balanced village the people have put together, one the average parent would want their children raised in. “They tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands (p.445).” The thought of children playing also illustrates of a positive outlook for the rest of the story, a sense of happiness.

    Read More

  • Voices In The Park by Browne, Mortal Engines by Reeve and Little Women by Alcott

    2659 Words  | 6 Pages

    ‘Some idea of a child or childhood motivates writers and determines both the form and content of what they write.’ -- Hunt The above statement is incomplete, as Hunt not only states that the writer has an idea of a child but in the concluding part, he states that the reader also has their own assumptions and perceptions of a child and childhood. Therefore, in order to consider Hunt’s statement, this essay will look at the different ideologies surrounding the concept of a child and childhood, the form and content in which writers inform the reader about their ideas of childhood concluding with what the selected set books state about childhood in particular gender. The set books used are Voices In The Park by Browne, Mortal Engines by Reeve and Little Women by Alcott to illustrate different formats, authorial craft and concepts about childhood. For clarity, the page numbers used in Voices In The Park are ordinal (1-30) starting at Voice 1.

    Read More

  • Confetti Girl And Tortilla Sun Essay

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    On an everyday basis teens all around the world fight and disagree with their parents. In the passages Confetti Girl and Tortilla Sun this very thing is clearly demonstrated. Both stories feature two teenage girls that have lost one of their parents. They both now face the daily struggle of agreeing and relating to their remaining parent. In Confetti Girl, the narrator is constantly overlooked and out shadowed by her father’s favorite thing, books and literacy.

    Read More

  • On Being Young-a Woman-and Colored

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    Marita Bonner starts her short essay by describing the joys and innocence of youth. She depicts the carefree fancies of a cheerful and intelligent child. She compares the feelings of such abandonment and gaiety to that of a kitten in a field of catnip. Where the future is opened to endless opportunities and filled with all the dream and promises that only a youth can know. There are so many things in the world to see, learn, and experience that your mind in split into many directions of interest. This is a memorable time in life filled with bliss and lack of hardships.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis of Recitatif Toni Morrison

    1321 Words  | 3 Pages

    The narrator, Twyla, begins by recalling the time she spent with her friend, Roberta, at the St. Bonaventure orphanage. From the beginning of the story, the only fact that is confirmed by the author is that Twyla and Roberta are of a different race, saying, “they looked like salt and pepper” (Morrison, 2254). They were eight-years old. In the beginning of the story, Twyla says, “My mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick.” This line sets the tone of the story from the start. This quote begins to separate the two girls i...

    Read More

  • Dealing with Dropouts

    1768 Words  | 4 Pages

    To counteract this massive loss of profit and potential, the reasons behind dropping out must be addressed. One of the main reasons teenagers are forced to drop out of high school is to counteract family costs. Family costs include regular bills such as mortgages, rent, car insurance, car payments, gas, grocery bills, and utilities. Family costs also include unscheduled expenses such as medical bills, school field trips, and holiday celebrations. Teenagers must s...

    Read More

  • Gender and Violence in Disney Movies

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many of us have seen a Disney movie when we were younger. Disney movies captured our attention with their mortals and successful conclusion. The animations and music transform us into a land of magic where anything is possible if we just believe. Disney movies wrapped us in the idea that good always triumphs evil, that happy ever after exists. We have become the generation of Beauty and the Beast, The 101 Dalmatians, Dumbo and Snow White as children now have not heard of these or have watched them. Some of these movies have been recreated and released in high definition and on DVDs in the past few years, but the structure and themes of the movies stays the same. However, we never stop and thought of the undertones in Disney movies? They contain abuse, violence, dysfunctional relationships, and gender stereotypes, which is not appropriate for children. They may not understand what abuse, violence, dysfunctional relationships, alcohol or tobacco are at their ages but do we want to think it is normal. When we think that little girls wat...

    Read More

  • The Stereotypes Of Walt Disney

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    He left this world, impacting and inspiring the lives of everyone, young and old and changed the world of movie making forever. Part of the study will consider Walt Disney 's background, and his self-made success in America such as the famous Disneyland we all know today. Multiple resources have been collected that focus on Walt Disney 's life and how he significantly impacted the entertainment industry and became a symbol of America, to achieve this goal. The primary source is the book, Remembering Walt: Favorite Memories of Walt Disney by Amy Boothe and Howard E. Green. In the book, there are several interviews with family members and coworkers. Walt Disney promoted diversity an idea that wasn 't even thought of in the 20th century. "Disney

    Read More

  • Loss of Innocence in The Flowers, by Alice Walker

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    Innocence is something always expected to be lost sooner or later in life, an inevitable event that comes of growing up and realizing the world for what it truly is. Alice Walker’s “The Flowers” portrays an event in which a ten year old girl’s loss of innocence after unveiling a relatively shocking towards the end of the story. Set in post-Civil War America, the literary piece holds very particular fragments of imagery and symbolism that describe the ultimate maturing of Myop, the young female protagonist of the story. In “The Flowers” by Alice Walker, the literary elements of imagery, symbolism, and setting “The Flowers” help to set up a reasonably surprising unveiling of the gruesome ending, as well as to convey the theme of how innocence disappears as a result of facing the harsh reality of this world.

    Read More

  • The Color Purple

    529 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel, The Color Purple, is an epistolary novel. In the letterforms, Alice Walker gives several ideas, such as, friendship, domination, courage & independence. She impacts readers by looking at the story through the eyes of Celie and Nettie. The book describes the fateful life of a young lady. It tells how a 14 year old girl fights through all the steps and finally she is in command for her own life. Celie is the young lady who has been constantly physically, sexually, and emotionally abused.

    Read More

  • The Causes of White Teens Dropout in the Delta.

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    Rumberger, Russell. “Dropping Out: Why Students Drop Out of High School and What Can Be Done About It” (Dec 19, 2012)

    Read More

More about Journey To My Past: Responses to Silent Dancing Story

Open Document