This blog post is about challenging an authority figure, going against what is expected from you. In the excerpt My Name is Margaret (Maya Angelou) it tells a story of a girl named Margaret who refused to be "as queit as a little mouse." (Maya Angelou)
Did you agree with Margaret's choice to break the casserole dish and two green glass cups? I do agree with Margaret's choice to break the casserole dish and two green glass cups. I felt her pain when she was a respected house keeper, turned into just a girl who worked in the kitchen due to the influnce of another woman who did not know her at all. The disrespect Margaret most likely felt breaks my heart, to be given an opportunity to make a better living for herself just to be belittled by someone who could not even tend to herself. What made me feel angry towards Mrs. Cullian was that she let a grown woman influence her thoughts and respect for Margaret. Calling Margaret "Mary" was like a slap in the face, like leaving toothpaste all over the bathroom sink, like telling little girls it is okay to think less of their name. I think when Margaret broke the items that was her silently saying I am not who you make me out to be, I am bigger than this, and my rights will be respected. In the end for Mrs. Cullian to call Margaret by her actual name while crying over the dishware just shows that she knew from the beginging that she was in the wrong, and for that she lost what was important to her. Just like Margaret had lost the importance of her self identity. When have you made an important choice to either resist or not resist oppression, challenge the status quo, or refuse to obey an authority figure? It was my senior year in highschool, me and my mom were fighting like cats and dogs. I remember feeling like I was not perfect enough for her. We went through this constant battle of what was best for my life, things I needed to improve, or ways that I could be a better me. One night we got into a firery arguement, and that is when she gave me the ultimatum to either leave or to stay home and follow her rules. In that moment I was blinded by the visions of me being free, finding happiness, knowing my mind will be at ease with my own choices. That was enough for me to leave my house at 17, thankfully I was given a place to stay with my grandparents. In the time being away from my mom I found myself, I graduated highschool which she doubted I would do. I also found a new job, I applied for college, payed for all of my expenses since then. Now me and my mom have a better relationship, but I definitely think we appreciate each other more from a distance. I always understood that she wanted what was best for me, but what is best for me is to be decided by me and only me. Without my mom I am nothing, I have no existence, and with her I am who I always needed to be.
2 Comments
|
Yolanda Nash.I always fall in love with words. All I crave to do is read poetry with a mug full of hot tea and let the beautiful words run around in my mind. Archives
April 2018
Categories
All
|