Father-Son/Daughter Relationships

We talked a lot about relationships in class this week, and a lot of it related to father-daughter/son relationships. After reading both descriptive pieces that touch upon this topic, i realized they are very easy to relate to. In Sarah Vowell's "Shooting Dad", she portrays the relationship she had with her father. Vowell illustrates herself as a daughter who lacks similar interests with her father, and because of this they tend to get into heated discussions. I feel like this fits the stereotypical father-daughter relationship. Girls tend to form their own opinions and pull away from their fathers during their teenage years. Also, because they are girls they get emotional, which is difficult for fathers to relate to. As for "Arm Wrestling with My Father", Manning shows the father-son stereotype through a relationship of similar qualities and little argument; and unlike girls, boys don't really pull away from their fathers. Although, in the end both stories depict equal love. Dispite having different or similar opinions and interest, fathers, sons, and daughters all hold equal love for each other because of a family bond.

Blue Dancers: Edgar Degas

A flock of blue dancers,
all decked out in pale white faces.
Each the same as the other,
condensed into their sleek pale pink tights
and royal blue, fluffed costumes.

Pinning back long brunette locks,
grooming cobalt tulle.

The dewy scent of perspiration
and anticipation hover the air,
along with the faint tunes
from orchestra members.

Hands firmly placed on hips,
flushed powdered cheeks.
The dancer's eyes evaluates her stretched sole.
She contemplates each movement,
playing it over.

Each step, each leg,
each arm, toe, and finger.

There is only a glance of surrounding colors.

Her tasteless balmy lips perk
just at the thought of an attentive,
wide eyed audience.
All dressed in dapper, tailored clothing.

Never mind them.

The show must go on,
let's prepare the canvas.

Race

Sherman Alexie, Maya Angelou, and Amy Tan all discuss the effects of being a minority race. Although they each touch upon the positive aspects of being unique, there is still a looming negativity within each passage. As i read, I realized how many people from different races have continuously been trying to assimilate into white culture. I think the underlying cause is societal views. It pressures people into wanting to redefine their image and blend in. I find this kind of ridiculous. America is supposed to be the home of diversity, but there is still a "dominant race". Just looking back at history, with every new race there has never been true cultural acceptance. This aspect is most prevalent within Amy Tan's "Fish Cheeks". Due to society's set standard, adolescent Amy was not able to accept the uniqueness of her culture. She was only able to focus on the negative aspects of being different. Personally, I feel like it is unfair for certain races to grow up feeling unaccepted, unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to change the mindset of American society.

Disabilities

In Nancy Mairs' piece, she discusses disabilities and relates it to her personal health. In class, we took her writing and discussed perception versus identity, and beauty's correlation to the truth. In "Disabilities", Mairs' discusses society's view on people who don't fit the "status quo," and how the public has formed inaccurate opinions based off of television shows and other social media. For example, advertising businesses avoid using handicapped individuals because they don't want people thinking that their products are exclusive. Due to this, society perceives the handicapped as being in a different category. This leaves the disabled feeling neglected and not beautiful. When the truth is, that every individual functions the same. Women all buy tampons no matter if their leg, arm, or toe is missing. Disabilities do not define any person, we create our own identities and beauty. Mairs shows that it is all internal, no matter our physical state.