First, read Anika Fajardo's "What Didn't Happen" in Brief Encounters. In this essay, Fajardo explores how her life would be different if her parents had not divorced and she had not moved from Columbia to the U.S. with her mother.
Then, write a three-paragraph mini-essay exploring how your life would be different if one aspect from your childhood were to be changed. Be deliberate as to which of the nine rhetorical modes you will use in these three paragraphs (definition, description, narration, argument, exemplification, compare/contrast, cause/effect, division/classification, process analysis). Each paragraph must be at least 80 words, so write your paragraphs first in a Word program (which will count the words for you), and then copy and paste those paragraphs here.
In the sixth grade my parents got into a horrifying altercation that resulted in my mother, brother, and me moving into a battered women’s shelter. At this shelter, the three of us shared an empty room containing just two twin beds. Up until this point, I had had my own bedroom with a full size bed and was able to have friends come over. Because of this fight, I was now sharing a twin bed with my mother. Because of this fight, I couldn’t invite my friends over or even tell them where I lived in order to keep myself and the other women and children who also lived at this shelter safe. Because of this fight, my life was flipped upside down.
ReplyDeleteIf this fight hadn’t occurred, I would have stayed at Lakeside instead of having to transfer to Stiern in the middle of the school year. I could have enjoyed Camp KEEP with my friends instead of having to transfer back to Lakeside the week that they left for Camp KEEP. I could have gotten to go on hikes, share a cabin with a few of my classmates, gotten to learn the memorable Camp KEEP songs all of my friends came back singing for the rest of the school year. Instead, I sat in a classroom with 12 other children (who either could not afford to go attend the trip or were left behind due to behavior and disciplinary reasons) for a full week working on busy work packets and sitting by myself.
Had I gone to CAMP KEEP, I would have remained friends with all of my old classmates and never met Marissa or Miranda. I instead most likely would have become a bully at Lakeside. I would have allowed my friends there to help me pick how I dress, who I am friends with, and what I like. My life would have been completely in their hands because at that time, I was very insecure and moving away toughened me up. It helped me understand that a person’s actions affect other people in more ways than one could imagine. That one experience introduced me to paths and people that helped make me a better and more caring person. I am who I am partially because of what I experienced after an altercation involving my mother and father.
used cause/effect, description, & compare/contrast
DeleteGuadalupe Munoz
ReplyDeleteIf my parents would have not migrated to the United States, my life and childhood would have been completely different. My parents were both raised in a small town where education was not pursued or mandatory, their parents did not encourage education on them due to their lifestyles and needs. Work was much more important to them and their families to support and maintain the household. Both were not able to go to school past elementary which limited their knowledge on basic education. They both knew they did not want the same for their children so decided to migrate in hopes of a better future for their children. If my parents had not done so my life would have been completely different.
In the town they were raised in education was not as stressed as well as it was low quality education, compared to the education offered in the States’. If I were to have been raised in their hometown I would have not been able to expand my knowledge just like my parents. However, since they pursued a better life for their children I was able to attend school and graduate from high school. In contrast, if they had not moved I would not have been able to receive a diploma nor pursue a college career. This would have drastically changed my childhood experiences because I would have not meet the people I know in my life today. My life would be different, I would have most likely received little education and sent to work right after a couple years of school.
After my parent’s migration they did all they could to push their children to pursue education because it was something they did not have. This impacted my life completely as a child because I was gaining new experiences as well as learning a lot more. I would have had a different life if this change in locations did not occur. Also, I would have not been pursuing a career in college or typing this today. If this aspect from my childhood changed I would not be the same person, I am today or become a future educator. Since they pursued a better life I am able to be in college as well as provide back to them.
Rhetorical modes used: narration, compare/contrast, cause/effect.
I can relate to Fajardo's story about how her life would be different due to her parents’ divorce. Growing up, I never realized that my parents were quite different from other parents. When I was about fourteen or fifteen, my parents got into a huge argument, next thing I know is they were living apart and my siblings and I were forced to choose who we wanted to live with. Now I am not going to go into too much detail about it all however, there was so much that could have changed my outlook at that time in my life if they had not divorced.
ReplyDeleteMy family never really had money growing up and although I never resented my parents for it, the struggle for money on both sides of my family was now very evident. Yes, we had food on our table but I was now in high school and did not always have brand new clothes, shoes and other things a teenager in high school was hoping to have and same went for my siblings. I hate to say it but holidays were almost depressing to me, it was having to choose how you spend your time and who you need to see first, or who’s side of the family you decided to stay the night on. Many of what occurred was always heartbreaking, especially for the first few years.
I would like to say that if my family had stayed together, I would say that my entire outlook on life would be different. I know there are certain characteristics in my life I could be happier about. I would not have been so sad about only seeing one parent at high school sports games because the other would be there. My siblings and I would probably have been closer if my parents had stayed together because we would not have been separated. One of the biggest differences would be that my dad would not have moved back to Mexico. I try not to say that I am bitter about their entire divorce, however I can say that then entire thing has changed my entire outlook on how my life is now lived.
Within the three paragraphs I used, narration, description, cause/effect and exemplification.
When I was around 6 years old we moved from the San Fernando Valley to Palmdale. I dreaded the move at first. We used to live in a mobile home complex and I was just old enough to be able to go outside with my older brother around the complex. I had finally made a few friends and I was mad that we were going to be leaving to go to a new place where I had no friends. Also, I was in the first grade now and in my old school that meant we were able to play in the big playground. These were some of the things that made me not want to leave but we did end up moving and it was for the better.
ReplyDeleteMy mom hated the valley. She hated that it was so expensive and that she could only afford to house me and my brothers in a mobile home complex while working two jobs. She hated that it was over ridden with gangs and that one of her sons was in one because of where we lived. She hated that our school was so far and had to pay a neighbor to take us with her kids. She hated that she wasn’t able to do the things she expected of herself.
We moved into a street that was two blocks away from my new school. I would now walk to school with my brother and I liked that we were able to wear whatever we wanted; at my old school there was a dress code of green slacks and a white shirt. During my first week at my new school I met my two best friends Richardo and his older brother Jermaine. After school I noticed that they walked home in the same direction and then found out that they lived four blocks over. We are some of the best of friends who still hang out together to this day. My mom fell in love with Palmdale when we first moved there. It was a quiet, small, and cheap town that wasn’t too far from her work. Our school was down the street from our house and gangs are almost nonexistent in Palmdale. She also stopped working two jobs and was able to spend more time with me and my brothers. I grew up with great friends and our house was luckily situated to where I was within a 20 minute walk to get to either my middle or high school. I was never around any gangs and had plenty of quality time with my mom. Who know what life would have been like if my mom stayed in the valley.
within the three paragraphs i used narration, cause/effect, and description.
An event that drastically changed my life was in third grade when my private school principal told us that we had to turn into a charter school. In the third grade, i couldn’t really comprehend what that meant, all I knew was that it clearly was not going to be the same and it frightened and saddened me at the same time. I knew all the kids in the private school since I was in day care. There were basically the only kids that i knew besides the ones that were in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteSine my school was turning into a charter school, I had to go to a public school. I didn’t know what a public school meant but i would soon find out. The kids at the Baldwin Hills school were very different and it was overwhelming. In Alpha private school, all the kids new each other, we even knew the parents by names. At Baldwin Hills the kids were meaner and they didn't seem as advanced. It was too many kids for me and they were all out of control. I would have preferred to stay at Alpha.
Baldwin Hills Elementary changed me. I was not as sensitive, and I was way more outspoken. I became more selfish about my belongs and I didn’t open up to kids because i was so used to how much of a family my old elementary school was. I did become more sociable and I started being in more dance recitals and La’s Best after school program. I met some of my best friends there and i danced for the Mayors campaign. After that, it took my dancing career to the next level.
I could relate to Fajardo’s situation about her parents divorcing. Growing up, I always thought I would remain in a complete family. However, family issues started to occur and I thought this was normal because everyone has problems. Eventually, this lead to a divorce. I was 12 years old at the moment along with my younger siblings. I remember being in shock because I couldn’t believe that now I would only be living with my mom because my dad was the one to leave the house. My perspective on life changed after this.
ReplyDeleteLife was difficult for us. My mom struggled to maintain the house, take us to school and while having to work at the same time. The divorce impacted me the most from my siblings perhaps because I was the oldest. I tried to focus in school but there was days where I gave up and I couldn’t see reality. I was jealous of other kids who had a complete family. I never had motivation to go out or bond with others. Although, I would see my dad on the weekends, it was difficult to get used to the routine.
My life would have been completely different if this hadn’t occurred. For example, I would have been more positive and enthusiastic about school and life. I would have also had more motivation to socialize. Another point is that my dad would have been able to see us grow daily because most of the time we were with my mom. Although my parents’ divorce devastated me, on the bright side it made me happy that both my parents are now remarried and continued their life.
The rhetorical modes used are narration, cause/effect, and exemplification.
All my childhood I had lived in the city of Santa Ana. My family was comfortable there; we knew all of our neighbors and my parents were familiar with all the teachers at our school. My uncles and their families lived with us, which made me really close with all of my family. When I was in the summer going into my sixth grade year, my parents had finally made the decision to move to Bakersfield. This was a shock to me because I was going to lose all my friends that I had known since I was in kindergarten and not live with all my cousins.
ReplyDeleteMy parents decided to move because they were tired of the traffic and how expensive it was getting there. My dad would have work that would take him half a day, but because of the traffic wouldn’t get home till the evenings. They were also concerned about the increasing rate of crime and the gangs that started to appear. One night I remember sleeping in my room that my younger brother and I shared, when I was awoken by a bright light shining through our window and a police yelling through an intercom telling someone to get out of our backyard shed.
Although I was resistant to the move to Bakersfield, if I hadn’t moved here my life would have been so much different. I look back and wonder if I would be in the same position of being one month away from my nursing degree. It was here that I saw the need for healthcare providers and decided that I wanted to pursue a career in nursing. It was the move here that made me into a brave person, when I had to go to a new school where I didn’t have any friends. I had to learn coping skills that made me grow as a person when dealing with the change in my environment. I went from knowing everyone to knowing no one.
Rhetorical modes: narration, cause/effect, exemplification
ReplyDeleteMy father has always had health issues for as long as I can remember. Throughout my childhood he suffered from colitis, inflammation in the lining of the colon. Once I reached third grade, my father’s health issues reached the tipping point. That year my parents spent a majority of their time driving back and forth from Bakersfield to Los Angeles visiting doctors. The decision was finally made to remove his colon at the UCLA medical center. I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if my father hadn’t had these health issues.
Some selfish thoughts come to my mind first when I think of this alternate universe. I wouldn’t have lived in fear that my dad’s health could take a turn for the worse and I would possibly have to live in a world without my father in it. My parent’s finances and their entire savings wouldn't have been allocated to countless medical bills. My mom wouldn’t have spent every waking moment stressing about my father’s health, constant medical bills, and how she would support our family.
My childhood would have been relatively normal. I wouldn’t have had to have grown up so much faster than the rest of my friends and classmates. My family would have spent the majority of our time together, not split up with my parents in Los Angles and my sister and I staying with our grandparents. Although this alternate universe may have been an easier path for my family, I want to believe that the trials my parents faced with my father’s health issues made our family stronger in the end.
The summer before my 8th grade year, my family was asked to move out of the home we rented from a friend and with nowhere else to go, we moved into a house on my grandpa’s property. The house wasn’t much larger than most average mobile homes. The house had not been kept up and in exchange for rent, we promised to fix up the things that needed fixing and to keep the house taken care of while we were staying there. With the absence of rent, my parents were able to finally take care of the massive amounts of debt they had accumulated while living in the previous rental home. Yet as an 8th grader, all I knew was that I was living in my grandpa’s house. The house that had always been empty. The house my grandpa bought only because he didn’t want to have neighbors.
ReplyDeleteIf the friend’s son had not lost his job and needed a place to go, I would have finished growing up in that home. My childhood home. When I went to high school, I could have walked myself to class every morning. My mom would never have had the burden of driving me to one school and my brother to another making her late to work almost every morning. I could have walked myself home after a difficult day or a bad practice instead of having to try and hide my emotions on the awkward ride home in my dad’s truck. The awkward rides that always ended in never-ending lectures and life lesson that always seemed to be over my head. The life lessons that didn’t mean a whole lot until I had gotten a little older and finally understood how wise my dad really was.
I would have witnessed the tensions of financial burdens tear my family apart. My parents would have never had the break they needed to get ahead. We always seemed to be one step behind. My dad’s work truck breaking down would have caused arguments to be set off between my parents and their frustrations would have been passed down to my brother and I. The costs of the truck would have been too large and I would have had to go an entire year without seeing the white board in class because I broke my glasses playing outside on the playground with the boys, yet again.
Heriberto Pina
ReplyDeleteBased on Fajardo’s Situation about her parents divorcing I can’t relate to this situation because thankfully I didn’t experience it. We have always been a united family, and we have all supported each other. I am the youngest out of two brothers and two sisters. One of the things I have always said is that the day I decided to get married I want my family to be just like that one I have right now. With massive support from top to bottom because that’s what has defined me as a better person.
I feel that if I didn’t have that support at home, I wouldn’t be the same person I am right now. I am currently six weeks away from graduating, and I wouldn’t be able to do it without the support my parents have offered me. I will be the first one out of my brothers and sisters who will graduate from a University. I was given the best advice on why I should continue my education after high school and the positive side of doing so.
Still to this point I receive real life advice if it wasn’t for the support I received from my family I don’t know if I would be the same person. The reason I say that is because growing up in my neighborhood where the people I would hang out with were older than me I was seeing certain things a 14-year-old kid shouldn’t experience. Even though I was faced with some tough situation, my family was there for me, and I realized that it was time to grow up and it was time to make a change for good in my life.
used- Description
In the summer of 2012, my father was forced to resign from his job but he was able to retire. It took an impact on our life’s because we had to sale our house from the county. We had to sale it because if we didn’t we would have had to walk out on it. I grew up in that house and it was very hard for my family and I to move because we had lots of memories there and it was the house that my brothers and I grew up in.
ReplyDeleteThis really brought a lot of stress into the family because my mom was the only one working and it was hard living off one paycheck. We only had so much time after we sold our house to find another one and that was stressful because I can remember hearing my parents talk about what they were going to do if they couldn’t find a house to rent. My dad would go every day to look for rentals and my mom would surf the internet hoping that a rental would pop up.
Just in time, my dad found the perfect house for us to move in to, it was different because we moved out of the country to the city. It was a lot to take in because it was a dramatic change. My life would have been different it this even in my family’s life wouldn’t have happened because we probably would have been still living in the country my dad would have been working still.
My father’s decision to move his family to Bakersfield altered my life. In the summer before seventh grade my father moved my family to Bakersfield. Moving a little over twenty miles was one of the greatest choice my father has made. His decision changed not only where I resided but it altered my entire future. I expanded my education here, I met my closest friends here, and I have gained tremendous life experience as a result of moving to Bakersfield. My life would have been different if I had not moved during my childhood.
ReplyDeleteWhen I moved from a little town to the city of Bakersfield it changed my entire outlook of my own life. My entire life, I had lived in a big ranch home on the outskirts of a little town. I was an incoming seventh grader who had little exposure to anything. When I moved to Bakersfield I learned that I can could be anything I wanted to be. That new idea is what lead me to excel in grade school and at the University.
In Bakersfield, I met my closest friends that lead to the best adventures. The friends I met in middle school helped the transition. They showed me the places in town where I could have fun. The friends I made as an adult in Bakersfield have travelled all over the states with me. I have gone to many different shows and explored different cities with them. We have also spent many sleepless nights together studying for exams. The people I have met and experiences I have had have molded me into the person I am.
The rhetorical modes I used were cause/effect, description, narration, and exemplification.
Growing up I never realized and understood how different and young my parents were. They would argue almost every day in front of me and I would cry and hate to see my mother cry herself to sleep. When I was five my parents split up and my sister and I would have certain days to visit my dad. I didn’t understand much at the time, but all I knew was that I felt like that was the right way to raise a family.
ReplyDeleteThe older I got I started understanding why my parents would disagree a lot. Again, they were extremely young, 20 and 19 years, and raising two kids. My father had a lot of growing up to do and didn’t know exactly what he wanted at the time, and my mother was raised two kids on her own and wanted to go back to school to finish high school and get her diploma in something in college.
Now I am twenty-two years old working and two semesters away from getting my bachelors in Liberal Studies. Even though, I had struggles growing up, having to stay with my grandma for months or hoping day care to day care, I’m still standing strong enough to continue forward, and keep a healthy relationship with my parents even though their disagreements affected my sister and I, were still accomplishing our goals to be independent and not go through what they went.
I used narration, description, and cause/effect.
I was born with many medical issues. I have lunge issues and many allergy issues. These issues have caused me to have a rough childhood. I would constantly be in the doctors for shots and different medication to help. Due to these issues I was limited in the activities I could do. But what if I didn’t have these issues. All the activities I could have done could have made my life vary different.
ReplyDeleteI have always tended to be a bigger person. My mom would put me in different sporting activities to get me active. However, I could never push myself to the point I know I could do because of my asthma. Without my issues I could have been a mid running back and forth on the field. Instead, I was a defender waiting in the backlines for players to come my way. I was in track and field. I did the discus and the five hundred meter. I would have done more, like the fifteen hundred and the rally race. I would be in better health. I would be more active now.
My life would be completely different. I would be a heathier individual. My interests could have varied greatly. I could be more into going to the gym and being more athletic and do more outdoor activities. I would probably be less sick in general. There would be less doctor visits, less medical bills. I would be more energetic as a person. Instead of being more of a homebody. Maybe I would be less into videogames and be into more social interactions.
I have type one diabetes. I went to the pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Children’s Hospital in Madera for my diagnosis. I was a shy and quiet thirteen-year old when I had my first insulin injection. Technically, I was born with this disease, the only question was when my body would give up on producing insulin. If my pancreas failed me earlier in life, if I was diagnosed in my younger days, I would have had less fun, no sister, been a burden on my parents, better eating habits, not been made to play sports, and spent more time with friends at school.
ReplyDeleteI would have never gone to camp K.E.E.P or parties without my mom. My parents may have stopped with me; afraid my sibling would meet the same fate. My sister could have never been conceived and not made to deal with a life long illness. My medicine would have been a burden too heavy to bare. My parents could have struggled and drowned under the piles of needles and waves of Lantus and Humalog. Perhaps my eating habits would be greater today if people were watching what I ate, my meal times controlled like a pet’s. My relationship with food might have been healthier. I might not have been forced into sports and ridiculed, when I was the least valuable player.
If my inevitable diagnosis happened sooner, I would have used an insulin pump earlier. I could have enjoyed my lunch periods in junior high. Instead of making my way to the nurses office each day to count carbs with my mom, and injecting myself with a metal pen, releasing clear liquid into my flesh. But I was diagnosed in the seventh grade, when I was old enough to take control of my illness, when my parents had already had my sister and were financially stable and could afford my supplies, and when most of my childhood was already cemented in memories.
I used description, narration, process analysis, and cause and effect.
DeleteWhen I was younger my family had one car. It was a little red car; and on top of being red it was old. Sometimes the door would get jammed from the outside and the person on the other side had to open it for you. It had no heater or air conditioning, and in the summer we would roll the windows down as a makeshift AC. However, sometimes the windows wouldn’t work. With the windows glued shut and the sun beating down on the metal, the car gathered heat like an oven. Even if we took a breath it felt like we couldn’t breathe. I remember my brother holding his breath during the rides home from school, and later telling me that somehow that made it seem less hot.
ReplyDeleteIf we hadn’t had that car and had had a better one, one whose doors didn’t jam, windows didn’t lock and air conditioning worked, then my brother, mother, and I would have had comfortable rides. We would have been able to eat an ice cream in the car without it melting in a couple of minutes and dripping down to stain the seats. If we hadn’t had this car we would have been able to go further out than just the grocery store and rides to and from school.
If we had not had this car, my brother and I would have never tried to make fun of it and made my mother cry. We would have never known how hard my mother worked to be able to provide her children with a car. We would have never known how proud of it she was. Had we not had this car, we would have never learned to be as appreciative of the struggle and sacrifice my mother and so many other mothers go through to provide what they can for their children.
I used Narration, Cause/Effect, Cause/Effect
DeleteIf my parents did not buy a home, I believe my life would be different. In elementary I attended Ramon Garza which is an elementary school. At that time, there were not many students enrolled so everyone knew each other. I was three months away from finishing fifth grade when we moved. It was within the city but I did not want to move because all my friends were there. I had a close relationship with all my teachers and everyone knew me. I was a track student and the athletic director for the elementary. Today, it might not seem as a big deal but at my age it was. I was practically leaving everything and everyone behind.
ReplyDeleteEventually, we moved but I was frustrated and did not want to adapt to my environment. It was on the opposite side of town far away from my old neighborhood and school. I was so close minded about everything that now I look back at thank my parents we moved. I was able to attend camp keep while my old school had a fee for the trip. The trip was a memorable one because it was my first time away from my family but I also built a stronger bond with my friends. The school had many events and school fairs that made moving to the school. I met my friends in fifth grade that to this day were still best friends.
If my parents did not buy a house, I would not have gone to the same middle and high school. In middle school, I met all the people that have shaped my life in a positive way. I met outgoing people and went on trips with friends. In high school, I met my girlfriend. We have been together for five years. If I did not move, I would have attended the same high school and would have never met her. We have gone on many trips and had the best time of our lives. Overall, if I did not move, I would have not experienced the memorable events and my best friends that have shaped my life.
In my early years of my childhood, I used to live in the East side of Bakersfield in an area were gangs were very active at the time. Both of my parents worked full time jobs, which meant that me and my brother barely saw them when we got home from school. We saw our parents sometimes at night but it was rare, but we will see them the next morning because my mother will get us ready for school and give us a quick breakfast meal. Although, both of my parents worked full-time jobs, they made sure we did our homework and always asked us how our day went the day after when we saw them. In other words, they were strict because they would not allow us to hang out with friends. Since, at the time my brother was only ten years old and I was seven years old, we did have our grandma or aunt take care of us but my brother and I would not like to be in their house so we stayed at our apartment instead. Our grandma and aunt lived in the same apartment complex as well, which they did not mind that we stayed in ours alone because they were just about two apartment doors down. Once my parents had enough money saved, we finally moved from the East Side of Bakersfield to the Southwest of Bakersfield when I was about to attend middle school because they did not like that type of surround me and my brother had.
ReplyDeleteIf my parents would of never pay attention to me when I was younger, I would of probably had join a gang when I was in elementary school with other peers I had due to their brothers and/or other relative being gang members. Also, if my parents never cared if I complete my homework or even asked me, I would have been slacking off in school and probably end in ditching school and hang out with other peers. In additional, if my parents have not cared about the area that me and my brother were growing up in and did not moved out from there, I would not of have graduated from high school and probably end up pregnant, and/or be addicted to drugs.
Moving out of the East Side of Bakersfield had a huge impact upon the person I am today. Active gang members and peers would of have been my motive to engage in delinquent behavior. Having my parents be “strict” on me and my brother when we were living in that area, helped me stay on the right path to do my best in school and achieve my goals in life, which I am currently doing. On the other hand, not having my parents strict, I would have not gone to school or worse case scenario, I could have been incarcerated as of today or abusing drugs or struggling to provide for my child working a low wage job instead of attending Cal State.
Rhetorical modes: Description, Cause/Effect, and Compare/Contrast
Growing up in America compared to the Philippines creates two completely different people. Americans have a love for football and sports, an obsession with how one looks, a respect and understanding for cultural diversity, a craving for fast-food restaurants, and the fixation of having the latest materialistic things. In contrast, Filipinos are more family oriented, very religious, have a deep respect for older people, and frugal about wasting food or money on unnecessary/materialistic things due to the extreme poverty in the Philippines.
ReplyDeletePhilippines is a series of small islands located in Southeast Asia. It lies beneath China, is to the right of Vietnam, and slightly above the islands of Indonesia. The predominant religion in the Philippines is Roman Catholicism. Poverty is rampant, the government is corrupt, but despite all of this, the people are happy and simple. There are many dialects in the Philippines but most of the people know how to speak and understand English. Before American influence, Spain made a huge impact on the Philippines as evidenced by the country’s main practicing religion Roman Catholicism and the Filipino dialects mixed with some Spanish words.
Life is better in America compared to the life in the Philippines. America is the land of milk and honey. America has a higher life expectancy, the quality of healthcare is better with its advanced technology and higher education, a cleaner environment, and a supporting government to reach out for those people who are in need. On the other hand, Philippines has a lower life expectancy, the quality of healthcare is one of the worst with its lower than average technology and basic education, a filthy environment, and a corrupt government who provides little to no support for people who are in need.
As a child, I grew up in a house hold of 11. I’ve always pictured how my life would be had it just been me, my older sister and my mom. Drugs were a big factor in my families past causing many of my relatives to be spilt up from their parents and placed within my immediate family care. Most of which ended up with my mom leaving her a single mother of two raising 8 other relatives. Because of this me and my sister have grown to have a bond that is irreplaceable and like no other.
ReplyDeleteLife for us was plenty of fun and games, and there was never a dull moment with such a large family. Holidays were nice and Christmas was my favorite, but the things I loved the most was sharing rooms with my sister. Even though it was a lot of us in one household by sharing rooms with her, still gave us the opportunity to grow up together as if it was just us two and our mom. We began everyday together and ended it together until we were in high school. Are relationship remained the same for the most part, but was different in other ways once we spilt into our separate rooms. Growing up, one of our family doctors told my mom to make sure she takes me and my sister on separate dates with just the three of us to make sure we understood the situation and to make sure a solid bond was created. (which it was)
After splitting rooms this is when I began to think about how life would be if we had a household of just us 3. I wonder would we still have the same bond that we do today, because most likely wouldn't have shared rooms. I can see that from the years that we didn't share rooms were both more distance and because we did share rooms most of our life, there wasn't much privacy between us so we were very comfortable around each other when it came to a lot of things. I believe that due to having the many other children in our home, this grew my sister and I closer and to be very protective of one another. Had they not been there, I think we would have been very distant and not as close because there wouldn't have been other competing for the attention we showed one another and we wouldn't have had to share rooms.
If I were to be raised in a separated family, my life would be completely different. When I was younger, it seemed that my parents were always fighting over something. I would have been raised packing bags with all of my socks, shirts, and pants constantly forgetting a homework book or underwear to bring to the other house. I would be trying to keep up on my homework going between house to house with my brother keeping up on chores and the separate expectations of both of my parents.
ReplyDeleteMy dad would move back to Reedley because that is where he is from and my mom would live I Fresno. My brother and I would go to school in Fresno while traveling back and forth from Fresno to Reedley and vice versa to each parent. My dad would have an apartment working at a car repair shop because he didn’t get to college while my mom lived in a nice house because she did get to go to college. For example, my dad would be struggling to provide child support for my brother and I while my mom would be fine supporting my brother and I.
If my parents were to stay together, it would be a lot easier on my brother and I to have both of my parents parenting us and raising us instead of them co-parenting. It’s a way easier situation to have a joint income and parents who love each other around you. If my parents would have stayed together, my brother and I would know what a loving married couple should look like. I would also have an example of how a man should treat a woman.
In these paragraphs I used cause/effect, exemplification, and description.
My father’s decision to move our family to Bakersfield from Orange County for a job promotion. I was 11 years old during the summer my parents decided to pack our things and move to a different city. It was just a month before my 12th birthday. As a child, I was dreading the move; switching schools and making new friends was my main fear. I had to move away from the friendships I had developed. All my close relatives lived down the street or a couple blocks away from our house. I didn’t like having to move away from my close family and friends. I lived about 20 minutes away from the beach and Downtown Disney, 15 minutes away from Knott’s Berry Farm. So, coming to Bakersfield, was a huge change.
ReplyDeleteAs I grew older, I understood the reasons for moving. Although it makes me still wonder what my life could have been still living in Long Beach. The friends I would have kept in touch with, the new friendships I would have made, the different schools I would have went to, and what college I would have attended. I don’t regret moving, but until this day I still think about my old friendships and what my life would have been like still living in Orange County.
My family moving to Bakersfield has allowed me to develop new friendships which some have become now to be my best friends. It was hard transitioning to a new school, I have always attended private school in Orange County and coming to Bakersfield would be the first start of public school. It was very different, but in the end looking back I did enjoy public school way better than I thought I would. I got accepted into a University, experienced several job opportunities. Bakersfield has allowed to explore and experience several new opportunities as I grew older.
Rhetorical modes: Cause/effect, description, Compare/contrast
Deletewas thirteen years old when my parents told my brother and I that we were having another brother or sister. At that moment, I knew my life was going to completely change. I remember feeling so many emotions at once when they told me. I was angry at my parents for letting this happen and not asking for my opinion beforehand. I was not excited to be having another brother. I was a young teenager who thought selfishly and knew that most of my parent’s attention would be now directed to my baby brother. A lot of time and energy from my parents was focused on my brother and not on me. Part of me felt like I lost that close relationship my mom and I once had before my brother was born. It was much more difficult for my mom and I to go out and spend one-on-one time with each other with my baby brother around. My parents also worked full-time so when they weren’t taking care of my brother, they were working.
ReplyDeleteNot only did my relationships with my parents worsen, but my responsibilities became much more substantial and strenuous. With my parents work schedules, there was countless days and nights where I had to babysit and take care of my baby brother. It was a hard transition from not having to take care of anyone and being able to hangout with friends on the weekends to not having that all the time. If anything, growing up taking care of my little brother, has matured me at an earlier age.
My little brother also caused a big impact on our family financially. With my mom working less to take care of my brother, it was hard for us to manage sometimes. This affected me in which my parents could not afford me going straight to a four year university from high school. If my mom hadn’t had my baby brother, I would possibly be at UCSB. I would have made new friends, lived in the dorms, and made different memories and experiences. My life would have been different in so many ways, however I still love my little brother more than anything in the world. He brings us so much joy and chaos in our lives and I am so thankful for that.