Auntie Mame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Auntie Mame - Essay Example Auntie Mame does not hide her lifestyle from Patrick, and she takes care of him with as much honesty and assurance, as she possibly can. Mame is appointed to raise Patrick by her brother as the legal guardian, but when Patrick arrives at her house, she is hosting a party for other people. She feels sorry about that, and she asks Norah, Patrick’s nanny, â€Å"But why didn’t you tell me you were coming today? I’d never have been giving this party† (10). After Auntie Mame laments on her mistake, she happily embraces and kisses him, giving him the reassurance that he is safe. Auntie Mame is also very proud to have Patrick around, as she goes around and introduces him to her guests. Her pride is apparent from her statement that â€Å"This is my brother’s son and now he’s going to be my little boy† (13). After Mame welcomes Patrick into her home, she apologizes for her mistake and promises him that they will talk more the following day. This relationship is an exemplary example of the importance of honesty, acceptance and assurance to a child. Mame does not want to hide anything from Patrick, and she readily admits that she has made a mistake for forgetting about his arrival and hosting a party. Her behavior also provides him with comfort and makes him feel cared for and safe. Auntie Mame and Patrick not only share a child-parent relationship, but also a youngster-mentor bond. For instance, Patrick looks up to her aunt to learn the difficult words that she uses in her conversations with other people. When Mame finds out that Patrick does not comprehend her words most of the time, she is happy to have the chance to teach him or engage in â€Å"molding a little new life† (19). She instructs Patrick to write all the words that he does not understand for later explanation. Patrick seems very excited about this learning process because he â€Å"immediately wrote down six new words which Auntie Mame said to scratch o ut and forget† (19). Patrick’s father stated in his will that he would like him to be sent to â€Å"conservative schools†, but Mame thinks that the schools are â€Å"dull†, â€Å"tiresome† and â€Å"tedious†, and she wants him to go to her friend’s new school since it is â€Å" Coeducational and completely revolutionary and all classes are held in the nude under ultraviolet rays† (20). Many parents or adult guardians give their children a strict education and make it an obligatory and tiresome process, but Mame tries to make education a fun and engaging process. This not only promotes Patrick’s willingness to learn new information, but it also increases his curiosity in learning about life’s experiences. Even though Mame faces many difficulties especially in regard to her financial problems, she does not give up taking care of Patrick. For instance, during the Great Depression, Mame’s investments fail, and s he can only have â€Å"two hundred dollars a month†, so she has to go to work in order to â€Å"keep Patrick in that wretched St. Boniface school† (40). Mame finds and engages in many jobs during this period, but none of them lasts long. For example, Mame becomes a copywriter at Vanity Fair and is fired due to inaccurate writing; she also works as a reader, but she loses the manuscript and gets fired. Mame keeps working and finding jobs to sustain her family until she meets and falls in love with Beau Burnside, who is a

This World of Faltland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

This World of Faltland - Essay Example The three ideas satirized most fiercely are classism, sexism, and the treatment of the handicapped and mentally ill. In Flatland, class is determined by the number of angles a shape possesses. The shapes go to great lengths and even risk injury to determine one another’s shape by feel. The higher classes of shapes even learn how to determine shape by sight through the science of optics, which the lower class shapes are not permitted to learn. They are considered to be unintelligent, and therefore incapable of learning. Ironically, the triangles with the narrowest angles, and therefore the lowest class and least intelligent, are forced to become teachers, showing that they in fact are intelligent, despite what their society says. Determining class and maintaining class distinctions was of the utmost importance to the people of Flatland, just as it was to the people of Victorian England. Instead of using angles, Victorians had many ways to determine one’s rank in society, including accents, clothing, and titles (Mitchell 151). Even though in modern American society we claim to be above those distinctions, people still go out of their way to have the most expensive brand-name clothing, live in the most prestigious neighborhoods, and keep people seen as undesirable out of exclusive clubs. Things haven’t changed all that much since Edwin Abbot’s time.