Event Analysis March 21st

Brian Kelly

Dr. Ellis

Literature-101-17

21^st March 2013

 Event Analysis

            The story titled A Father by Bharati Mukherjee tells the story of a Hindu family who recently immigrated to America. The father, Mr. Bhomwick, is a hardworking, cautious man who is deeply religious to his Hindu faith. His wife, Mrs. Bhomwick, works at an insurance company close to home but gets up extra early to make her husband breakfast every morning. Their marriage was arranged thereby causing tension between the two, which resonates on to their 26-year-old daughter Babli. It becomes very clear to the reader that Mr. Bhomwick faces “new-world reasonableness and old-world beliefs” as he longs to abide by his Hindu way of life while living in Detroit. His daughter, a electrical engineer, desires greatly to have a daughter and eventually becomes pregnant out of wedlock, something very shameful within the Hindu way of life. Mr. Bhowmick, secretly found out about her pregnancy but was hesitant as to how he would approach her and let her know that he knew. There is a feud between accepting the new, progressive culture that is the American way of life or holding true to the outdated beliefs Mr. Bhomwick grew up with in his generation. This story presents a question regarding two very difficult cultures and how we should answer it.  The idea of willingness to change is very prevalent throughout this story and urges the reader to understand the idea of adapting to one’s situation in order to make a positive change in the world.

            Serving up Hope, by Stephanie Shapiro is an article that emphasizes the impact one person can have on the world they live in. The article takes place in Hampden telling the story of the Sampson’s who opened Baltimore’s “Dogwood Deli” in as well as the employees who worked there. Ranging from a drug addict inspired to complete rehab, to friends through local recovery programs, the employees at Dogwood Deli had a tremendous amount of love for their jobs. Along with their of of running the Dogwood Deli, Bridgette and Galen Sampson “train former drug users and convicts in skills that will launch their careers”. The article tells the remarkable story of a loving and caring couple who are determined to “make the world a better place”. It is a compelling article about the ability to change in positive ways and to always give people second chances to prove themselves as important members of society. By simply acknowledging all the tremendous potential around us, we are more than capable of affecting change for the better.

            Richard Hague’s poem “Directions for Resisting the SAT” encompasses the mindset to truly be an individual and not just be pawns on the chessboard that is society.  “Listen to no one. Make your marks on everything” says Richard Hague. He encourages young adults to question everything they encounter and not to live their lives by dogma. This poem correlates appropriately with both “A Father” and “Serving Up Hope” in the sense that it illustrates the idea of change and how strong of an impact we can have on the world around us.

            Gary Gildner’s poem First Practice is a passionately written poem from the point of view of a High school football coach speaking before his players. Referencing his military background, the coach relates his experiences to his players experiences not only on the football field, but in their future lives as well competing for jobs.  Lining the players up in two lines facing one another illustrating his point that we must compete in life to get ahead. Correlating with the three previous works of literature, this poem illustrates the point that we are capable of doing great things in life as long as we are ready and willing to fight for what we believe in.

            At this point in my meditation “career”, I have developed the ability to use the time spent meditating as a way of slowing my life down and prioritizing everything in front of me. Simply taking the time to look within myself has enabled me to gain a better understanding as to what I desire most in this world. I know that I am capable of having a positive affect on those around ultimately making the world a better place. The conjoining of ones body, soul, and mind into one functioning machine is the first step we all must take in order to better ourselves, which will allow us to then better those around us. The four works of literature all highlight the idea of change and the ability to provoke it. Our responsibilities in this world begin with, and ultimately end with our behavior. As the famous saying goes, we all have the ability to “be the change you wish to see in the world”.