Natalya Pulaski
March 19, 2013
EN101.17
Event Analysis 5
Bharati
Mukherjee’s “A Father,” Stephanie Shapiro’s “Serving up Hope,” Richard Hague’s
“Directions for Resisting the SAT” and Gary Gildner’s “First Practice” all
explore the role of what it means to move beyond the norms in society and what
it means to take risks. Often times in a
society so driven by doing what is right rather than what is wrong, people can
become taken in by only the rewards of doing something the right way. However, doing something wrong or different
in some situations can be the best choice, yet people sometimes fear that being
different will be looked down upon and people might not be accepting of the
action or the person. Vulnerability is
also very influential when considering when and how people take risks and try
to move beyond the norms of society. A
person must be willing to make him or herself vulnerable in order to take a
risk and experience something transformative and meaningful. When a person takes a risk, the situation or
people they are surrounded by often have a large impact on their decision
making process. In the two short stories
Bharati Mukherjee’s “A Father” and Stephanie Shapiro’s “Serving up Hope,” the
characters all take risks and challenge their society in some way. In Richard Hague’s “Directions for Resisting
the SAT” and Gary Gildner’s “First Practice,” the societal norms are challenged
by being independent and pushing what is comfortable.
In
Bharati Mukherjee’s “A Father,” Mr. Bhowmick questions the differences between
his own Ranchi culture with that of American culture. Mr. Bhowmick strongly identifies with his own
Indian culture, however sometimes he struggles to understand the reasons and
implications behind American culture. The
story’s central conflict involves Mr. Bhowmick’s daughter Babli, who becomes
pregnant before marriage. Mr.Bowhmick is
conflicted by two very different cultural perspectives. There is a difference between Ranchi culture,
which shuns women from their families if they become pregnant before marriage,
and American culture, which is relatively more accepting of pregnancy before
marriage. Mr. Bohwick reflected on what
it meant for his daughter to be pregnant.
He explained that, “his daughter, his un-tender, unloving daughter he couldn’t
love and hadn’t tried to love” (910). He
even pushes himself to realize that in a sense he was, “Afraid of
her”(911). Ultimately, Mr. Bohwmick is
the one with the “crazy, progressive ideas”(913). Despite his struggle of having two different
cultural viewpoints, Mr.Bhowmick chooses shame over family, and risks the life
of his own daughter’s baby to try to save his family’s reputation.
In
Stephanie Shapiro’s “Serving up Hope,” the Sampson couple serves as an example
of people moving up and progressing through society. The couple opens the Dogwood Deli, something
both of them had dreamed of doing for a long time. The husband leaves behind his other job and
takes the risk of opening the new restaurant.
Sampson explains that it was, “time to switch roles”(2). Sampson pushed the norms of his ordinary life
and job and went after what he had always wanted to do with his wife. Ultimately, he found the experience very
rewarding and was able to fully commit and relate to his work.
Richard Hague’s
“Directions for Resisting the SAT” addresses the issues of the norms of the
SAT. Hague challenges the reader to not
be tricked by the test and to, “Follow no directions. Listen to no one”(lines
14,15). He seems to be further
suggesting that when a person takes the SAT, he or she should not be distracted
by the little hidden tricks or the lies that the test may appear to have. Instead, the test taker should challenge the
exam and take control of the situation. Similarly
in Gary Gildner’s “First Practice,” the coach challenges his players to push
themselves beyond their limits and challenge the norm. The coach not only motivates the players, but
pushes them to take risks “Now”(line
27). These stories and poems made me
reflect on the event for sexual diversity week titled, “What does it mean to be
an ally?”. The discussion challenged me
to consider in my own life when and why I take risks for others. The talk encouraged me to think about how at
Loyola I stand up for someone or something that is offensive or hurtful for
another person. I was able to push my
understand of what it means to be an ally for LGBT students on campus here are Loyola
and consider how I can speak up more for others in my own day-to-day life.
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