two kinds reader response

1. At top of p. 90, the mother encourages her son. My parents often do that if they think I'm depressed.

2. In the last paragraph of p. 90 the narrator states her mother brought up issues in the magazines about remarkable children. My mother used to compare my brothers and I to some of child prodigies and said that we can be like them if we try like them.

3. At top of p. 93, the main character's mother kind of forces her daughter to take piano lessons even though the character doesn't want to. I was once "forced" to take violin lessons when I was young, but I finally gave up violin in 3 years.

4. On page 95, the character's mother brags to her friend about Jing-mei's talent that she really doesn't have. I've never seen my parents ever do that, but I once overheard one of my parent's friend saying stuff like that about their child.

5. The main character is disappointed in herself after messing up her performence. I messed up once on a talent show performence once, and now I have stage fright.

6. In page 98, Jing-mei yells at her mother for making her what she is not. I remember being mad at my parents because of their high expectations.




I think similar events like this happen in almost every family at least once. Every parents have imaginations to make their children into prodigies even though they have other talents other than one specific thing. I guess this type of thing is typical because parents have high expectations on their children.

Personal Connections

1. In the second paragraph, Collier wrote that she remembers Marigolds at the most strangest times. I occasionally remember things that were a huge shock or delight to me in the most random/special events.
2. Also in the second paragraph, Collier says that she and the other African Americans were waiting for the prosperity which would come soon, even though they knew it wasn't true. I tend to think every other commercials such as cooking machines or skin solutions really work as they do in TV when I know that those are all exaggerations.
3. Collier describes in the fourth paragraph about a zoo-bred famingo who doesn't know how to fly. Everywhere I move to, I meet quite a few people that waste their talents without knowing how much they can accomplish more by applying those gifts.
4. In pg. 78, the author wrote that she and her friend were wore out from having nothing to do. This occurs to me too often. I wait and hope for an easy day with no work, but when I reach there, I get more fatigued and even frustrated with having no plan whatsoever.
5. Collier provides us an information about how the narrator's emotions changed when she thought of Miss Lottie. When I think about something that I believe is wrong or sick, I have a foreboding feeling that makes my mind go blurr, gaunt, and for some reason, offended.
6. Collier tells us how she felt whenever she saw the marigolds in Miss Lottie's lawn. Everytime I come face to face with occasions or observe situations that has a flaw in the whole nice scene, I begin to think negatively because of that tiny scar. Vice versa, when I see a ruined painting with a minor good left, I become in contact with a strange expectation wishing that insignificance will purify the ruined.
7. The writer says that she felt two feelings one after the other(child & woman). Few, but meaningful experiences have taught me to not only think about my view. When I view everything from my aspect whenever I have a conflict or argue with another person, I fit and mix things around to make it seem right to me. But when I visualize it from the other person's view, I realize that all the mixing and fitting stuffs make it even more nonsense that it was before.
8. Collier told us in the text about Lizabeth listening to the conversation her parents had. I often think like Lizabeth's mother, thinking and wanting to see only the okay parts and avoid to think about the shadow that lies within the lightened.
9. At the very first sentence in pg. 83, Lizabeth is confuse because she doesn't know where she should fit in her family picture. It's unusual, but I get totally lost when it seems like I don't fit in a specific event, like an alien.
10. Collier describes the rush of emotions that narrator felt in the climax of the story. I also say and do things which aren't what I mean when I'm pissed or become challenged knowing it's not right and that I'm going to regret it.
11. At the very last paragraph, Colliers describes the resolution of the story and Lizabeth's future, like planting marigolds. Whenever I commit something faulty, once in a while I leave a symbol reminding me the wrongs I've committed to help me prevent doing things like that ever again.