Motherdaughter Conflicts essays

Motherdaughter Conflicts essays My mothers expression was what devastated me: a quiet, blank look that said she lost everything. (p. 143, The Joy Luck Club) In the novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, the characters Suyuan and Jing-Mei (June) have a tumultuous mother-daughter relationship: one that ultimately is composed of conflict and commitment for one another. Their opposing ideas and beliefs is the product of their life experiences, which are drastically different. This and their lack of communication are responsible for many of the problems they face in their relationship. Only when June learns of her mothers past, her life experiences and the ways in which she was raised, can these conflicts be resolved. Amy Tan reveals several themes through her novel, in which she intends for her audiences to understand and learn. Some themes include such topics as lifes choices, and understanding our family and ourselves. Mother-daughter relationships are perhaps the most painful but the most rewarding relationship women share. And though a simple comment such as Youre becoming more like your mother every day. might offend or strike terror in the female heart, she is still considered to be the rock on which we stand, and a steady hand that guides us through life. To understand the mother-daughter connection (healthy or destructive) it is wise to delve deeper and explore why we are first- natural enemies, secondly- why she (our mother) is determinably unpleasable, and last, how to redefine the mother-daughter relationship, so that both can learn and accept the other as she presently is by appreciating the others good qualities and accepting the bad. What is it about the mother-daughter attachment that yields natural enemies and demands so much power? No other human being is as similar to her daughter than the daughters mother. They are mirrored from head to toe. And almost replicated down to their gene...

A Sweet Story About Marmalade

A Sweet Story About Marmalade A Sweet Story About Marmalade A Sweet Story About Marmalade By Sharon The other day I was watching the last episode of the Parkinson Show (a UK talk show), when Michael Caine told a story about the origin of the word marmalade. The word refers to a jelly like preserve, usually made of citrus fruits, in which bits of the fruit and rind are suspended. According to Michael Caine, the name comes into the English language via Mary Queen of Scots, who was visiting a French speaking country and fell ill. Marmalade was one of the dishes they brought to tempt her palate and the phrase she overheard constantly was Maam est malade (Madam is ill) which gave the name marmalade (and which, incidentally) is a great way to remember the correct spelling of the word. So I set out to find out if this could be true. Disappointingly, the etymological dictionaries tell a different tale. The word marmalade meant quince jam and comes into English via French and Portuguese, deriving from marmelo meaning quince. Further back, the origin is Latin and Greek, from terms meaning honey-apple, which was the fruit resulting from the grafting of an apple onto a quince. The mystery is solved, but I cant help preferring Michael Caines version. 😉 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 English Grammar Rules You Should Know45 Synonyms for â€Å"Old† and â€Å"Old-Fashioned†Epidemic vs. Pandemic vs. Endemic