Motherhood in Barbara Kingsolvers The Bean Trees :: Kingsolver Bean Trees Essays

Motherhood in The Bean Trees In the novel, The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, we watch as Taylor grows a great deal. This young woman takes on a huge commitment of caring for a child that doesn't even belong to her. The friends that she acquired along the way help teach her about love and responsibility, and those friends become family to her and Turtle. Having no experience in motherhood, she muddles through the best she can, as all mothers do. Marietta was raised in a small town in Kentucky. When she became an adult, she decided she needed a change. She wanted a different name and a different place to call home. She got in her Volkswagon, started driving, and on this journey she changed her name to Taylor. A stranger gave her a three year old Indian child to take care of, who she names Turtle. The two finally settle down in Tucson, where they live with a single mom who is also from a small town in Kentucky. Taylor works for a woman who hides political refugees in her home, and Taylor becomes good friends with two of them. These two refugees act as Turtle's parents and sign over custody to Taylor, so that Turtle could become her daughter legally. Taylor was very unsure about whether or not she would be a good mom, but in the end she realizes that Turtle belongs with her, and that Tucson is home. The first half of The Bean Trees was hard to stay interested in. Although the book had a lot of action, it could have been spread out more. It wasn't until the middle of the book that we found out what was medically wrong with Turtle, why she was so lethargic. Considering this child was such a major part of Taylor's life, and would change her future completely, she was not talked about as much as she could have been. It's like half the time she forgot Turtle was there. "It's funny how people don't give that much thought to what kids want, as long as they're being quiet"(280). I understand that Turtle was just dropped in Taylor's lap, but I still think Turtle deserved to have more attention given to her than she did. I would have liked Turtle to have been the child that was taken from the refugees, the refugee woman showed her so much love.

Race & Ethnicity Essay

Looking back at the history of Race & Ethnicity I am proud to see how much progress is made in the world. I must say that I am blessed to live in such a diverse society, amongst individuals with more rights than those of other countries. My name is Sunny Patel and my family comes from a small village back in India. My young family members such as my cousins, sister & myself, are considered 1st generation Indian Americans. In my culture picking names are customarily rights given to the father’s side of the family, particularly the child’s grandparents. I was the first in my family to no have followed such tradition as my mother decided my fate and named me Sunny. Ever since that missed tradition I strived to set myself apart from other people within the Indian community. Anytime someone asks me where I am from, I simply tell them I was born and raised in the south. The truth is I have been all over the east coast splitting my childhood between the north and south. I star ted my journey in Orlando, Florida (2 years), where I was born, then made my way to New Jersey (11 years), back down south to Georgia (6 years) and finally back to Jersey (4 years and counting). What sets me apart from all other South Asians is my lack for Indian culture and native English tongue. I do not look or dress like other south Asians which allows  me to diversify amongst my peers a lot easier than most. Living in America and going to school has made me forget my culture and language. In other words going to American schools you find it easier to fit in with others when you let go of your differences and come together with your similarities. Before you knew it I was not speaking anything but English even in my household Going back to what I said earlier, â€Å"Anytime someone asks me where I am  from†¦,† after this dialogue people are usually not expecting me to have said what I said so they nervously continue and say, â€Å"oh, you never been to India?†. Unlike most South Asians I only been to India one time and that was when I was 7 years old. That trip to India made me reacquaint myself with my Indian roots. I was not embarrassed or afraid of not fitting in when it comes to my religion but I simply wanted to distinguish myself as someone who is unique and different from the rest. I still embrace my religion and will always follow the traditions as it makes my mother happy and keeps me connected to who I am. If I grew up in India there is no denying my ties to my religion but growing up in America was the transition phase between where I come from and where I am. When you are South Asian, growing up in America is not the best things because there are many cases in which we get mad fun of and even though I was Americanized, I was still made fun of after people find out where I was from. This is what made me not want to be Indian and not even American but my own person defined by my own standards. After my move from Jersey to Georgia I felt more out of place than ever and I do not believe many people with my experience have had to go through such great change. I went from a school with a mix of Indian, Asian, Caucasian, African American etc. to a school with primarily all African American and Latino students. I was terrified because the school would have many fights and this is the time where I got made fun of the most probably due to the fact that the education system was so low that I felt I dropped back a grade or two, and most importantly 9-11 just had occurred not too long ago. I was miserable and faced much torment due to the ignorant. I was no where close to the people who were involved in the 9-11 attacks but due to the poor education system of the southern public schools breading ignorance, I had to face those problems one attach at a time. I would not sit back and let people talk so I talked back and sometime got into trouble from the administration and of course fights I got myself into, without a possible out. After going through one year in Georgia public schools I made my way to a private Presbyterian Christian Academy. I found myself to grow and better myself at this fine institution. I never felt more at home than I did at  this school but at first it was scary, as I was the only Indian American their surrounded by primarily those of the Caucasian decent. I strived to excel amongst my peers and found a place where I was accepted and grow up in peace. I played every sport and joined many clubs while making great lifelong friend, who I still talk to till this day. If I did not attend this school I would not be the man I am today. After graduation I went to school in Gainesville state college for one year while my mom rapped up her business in Georgia so we could make the move back to Jersey where the opportunities were a lot greater. I transferred to NJIT and found myself to grow even further as I toke my experience that I earned over the years and  put it into effect. I am now to graduate at the end of this summer and will most likely work with my Pennwell, the company I last interned with as a Marketing Intern.

Vaccines And Its Effects On Children - 1339 Words

Nowadays, there are many vaccines invented by different scientists. Vaccines are so much in demand that even a simple flu has a certain vaccine. They have been invented to protect us. Its main function is to build our immune system and allow it to work against different kinds of bacteria. However instead of helping us fight against infection and certain diseases, vaccines can be the main cause of infection and diseases. Because of its live-attenuated organism, which means the pathogens were partially killed to lessen the harmful effects, it can still trigger an infection particularly with those who has a very weak immune system. Thus, vaccines should not be given to young infants because of their high risk of acquiring an infection that could eventually cause them long term effects. Rather, vaccinations should be delayed until the infant is a toddler (18 months to 3 years), and he has fully stabilized his immune system. Vaccines started since the ancient times. However, none was being recorded during that time. A practicing naturopath, osteopath and accupuncturist Leon Chaitow claim in his book Vaccination and Immunization that the first recorded vaccine was invented by Edward Jenner, who is the father of immunology. He developed the first vaccine, which is the smallpox vaccine, by exposing the person to the cowpox bacteria. Jenner discovered that the body could develop its own protection from the disease once it is exposed to the little amount of the microorganism. ThisShow MoreRelatedVaccines And Its Effects On Children1404 Words   |  6 Pagesadverse reactions from the vaccines? Today, there are many vaccines, they are in such high demand that even a simple flu has a vaccine. Vaccines are created to protect us. The main function of vaccines it to build our immune system and fight against many bacterias. However, adverse reactions have become severe over the last couple of years, leaving some parents with no child. Therefore, parents shouldn’t be punished for not vaccinating their children because, vaccines can cause many adverse reactionsRead MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children1503 Words   |  7 Pagesawful diseases, while that is the last thing on most of the world’s minds now. Vaccines have transformed human life. Parents should vaccinate their children because it saves lives, the vaccines are safe, and the risks of not vaccinating can harm children more than the vaccines themselves. Vaccines were created in 1796 by Edward Jenner, an English scientist. Edward Jenner formed the Royal Jennerian Institute when vaccines became more popular, but experienced some opposition towards it because of peopleRead MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children1010 Words   |  5 PagesVaccines Debates have risen lately whether or not to vaccinate children. Although vaccines potentially cause negative side effects, they are a common procedure for most families each year. Over time, several case studies have developed highlighting these side effects and raised concern about whether or not to accept vaccines. However, many people are not familiar with the typical vaccine and what it actually does once inside the body. â€Å"A vaccine is consisted of killed or weakened versions of aRead MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children1325 Words   |  6 Pages Vaccines are essential to a person’s everyday life and well-being. A person who sneezed in their hand just touched the same door handle that everyone else does. Most people don’t worry that they touched the same item or breathe the same air as someone else because the risk of them contracting a disease such as polio, or diphtheria are extremely low because most people are vaccinated against such diseases. Without the creation of vaccines the population of the world could be completely eliminatedRead MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children1400 Words   |  6 Pages Vaccines have changed the life of children with making some illnesses obsolete. The majority of parents are making sure that their children get vaccinated against potentially serious diseases. The parents that get their children vaccinated are trying to prevent the reoccurrence of these deadly illnesses. The problem arises when you have these children that have not been vaccinated around children not of age to get the vaccine for a particular disease. The older children get the disease and giveRead MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children1463 Words   |  6 Pagesnot until 1796 when Edward Jenner revolutionized medical technology, with the first record of vaccines. Vaccines have diminished these diseases going from very common to little or none. Setting requirements on vaccines will not assist the reduction or eliminate them, but will also protect our youth from the wide-spread variety of deadly diseases. Multiple individuals do not truly understand what vaccines are and their true benefits and advantages of receiving them. When an individual gets ill,Read MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children914 Words   |  4 PagesVaccines have saved millions of lives since they were first invented hundreds of years ago. But, they continue be a much debated topic among doctors and parents. Their benefits are often disputed because of so-called dangers related to their administration. Although vaccines are extremely effective, parents still have the power to decide if their children will receive them or not. As a result of parents choosing to not vaccinate their children, others may become ill and government spending increasesRead MoreVaccines And Its Effects On Children992 Words   |  4 Pages Vaccines, while known as the painful occurrence at the physicians visits of your childhood, are responsible for eradicating many of the deathly diseases of the past. While no child likes being stuck wi th a needle, guaranteed immunity to certain life altering diseases is worth the slight prick. Recent movements regarding vaccines has shed a negative light on vaccines, and if they continue to grow attention, may bring back some of the diseases that were the initial issue. Vaccines are a very helpfulRead MoreThe Importance Of Vaccines And Its Effect On Children915 Words   |  4 PagesThe Importance of Vaccines Having a baby utterly changes the perspective of the parent. They no longer are self- involved, but now have this new life they brought into the world. Nothing else can give a person the same joy that being a parent can bring. A parent would do anything for their child to protect them and give them the best life imaginable. A parent would never wish an illness upon their child and would do everything in their power to prevent their child from getting sick. With havingRead MoreChildhood Vaccines And Its Effects On Children1528 Words   |  7 Pagesdiscussed and debated about whether or not people should vaccinate their children. â€Å"Childhood vaccines offer protection from serious or potentially fatal diseases† (The Mayo Clinic, 2014)†. Vaccinations prevent diseases that can affect a child with symptoms of a cold or in some cases, the disease can be much more serious and can cause disability and death. The problem is that parents are choosing not to vaccinate their children against them. With choosing against vaccinating a child becoming a common