09.08.11
Posted in Article Summaries/Critiques, Lisa's Writing at 2:59 pm by lisa
SUMMARY
In the article, “Bridging the Language Barrier in Mathematics,” Matthew S. Winsor (2008) describes how he approached teaching math to a large population of Hispanic ELL students at a Southern California High School from 1995 to 1999. Winsor hypothesized “that the main barrier for [his] students was learning mathematics in their new language” (p. 372). He reviewed research on how people learn a new language and how people learn math and used similarities between the two to develop techniques for teaching his students. In his research, Winsor found that students learn both a new language and math better if they write about their learning, if they collaborate with other students, and if their learning has context and relevance. Winsor then implemented a program called “Mathematics as a Second Language,” or MSL, based on this research (p. 373). He used pretests and posttests to measure student learning and to assess the success of his program.
The writing aspect of his program involved students in vocabulary exercises and journal writing. One successful vocabulary exercise required students to create a Word Square, developed by Quinn and Molloy (as cited in Winsor, 2008), for each new vocabulary word. On index cards, students recorded the new term in their own language and in English, the term’s definition in whatever language they felt most comfortable, and an example of the term either with words or images. In the journal, students wrote about math concepts in their own language except that they had to write the math terms in English.
The collaboration aspect of his program involved students working in groups. Students in each group had varying levels of English proficiency, which required them to interact more and improve their math communication skills. Winsor also moved students around so they could gain new perspectives from students they had not worked with before.
The context and relevance aspect of his program involved projects centered on real-life scenarios such as the stock market or current social concerns. Students also presented their projects to the class.
Winsor evaluated the success of his program using Mary Brenner’s framework (as cited in Winsor, 2008). Did his students’ communication about, in, and with mathematics improve as a result of his program? Winsor concluded that “MSL did seem to promote communication about mathematics …[and] communication in mathematics” (p. 376), however, he thought that MSL was not as successful in improving students’ ability to communicate with math. Using mathematical language as a “tool for everyday life takes time” (p. 377), and there was not enough time to develop this skill in his students.
CRITIQUE
Many people think math is a nonverbal subject and should be easy to teach to ELL students. However, understanding and communicating in math requires words as much as numbers and symbols. The numbers and symbols are merely shorthand for expressing rather sophisticated concepts. Furthermore, the concepts are what make math interesting. The relevance of math to real life requires students to understand the “how” and the “why” behind the computations. This requires words. For example, in a middle school math lesson I developed, I ask students to read graphs of various objects in motion and use words to describe what is happening to the objects. The point of this lesson is to prepare students for one of the biggest ideas in calculus, i.e. things change and we can determine the rate of change at any point. The activity sheet that I developed for this lesson is attached to illustrate how important language is to math.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM, 2011) also emphasizes communication in math and has outlined communication standards for all instruction from prekindergarten through twelfth grade. These standards state that students should be able to “organize and consolidate their mathematical thinking through communication; communicate their mathematical thinking coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and others; analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking and strategies of others; [and] use the language of mathematics to express mathematical ideas precisely” (NCTM, 2011). The program Winsor developed not only addressed the specific needs of English language learners but also incorporated the NCTM communication standards for all students. The vocabulary exercise, journaling, and real-life projects enabled students to organize and consolidate their thinking. Students had to analyze the math and the vocabulary before, during, and after they wrote about their mathematical thought processes. Winsor also had his students critique and discuss each other’s journal entries, which reinforced vocabulary and led to better understanding and exposure to new perspectives. Finally, the students’ project presentations helped them practice using mathematical language to express their ideas within the context of real-life scenarios.
The implication of Winsor’s research is that his approach would benefit all students, not just ELL students. Richardson, et al (2009) addresses the misconception that “good teaching for native speakers is good teaching for ELLs” (p. 412). While this statement is inaccurate, I believe the converse is true: Good teaching for ELL students is good teaching for native speakers. When it comes to math, native speakers can be as unfamiliar with using mathematical language as ELL students are with using their new language. Therefore, native speakers can only benefit from a curriculum that makes adaptations for ELL students.
Winsor’s article (2008) would benefit all classroom teachers, whether or not they have ELL students. Winsor describes activities that he tried and explains how those activities improved his students’ understanding. Teachers who read this article will learn that “the Word Squares acted as a condensed set of mathematical notes” (p. 374) and that students used the Word Squares in subsequent math classes with different teachers. They will also learn that group work may help more fluent students gain a deeper understanding of math because teaching requires a deeper understanding. Similarly, less fluent students may benefit from reviewing concepts with students who speak their language and who have a fairly good grasp of both English and math. Finally, teachers will learn that bilingual journaling “helped students to associate the English term with the mathematical concept already in their minds in Spanish” and “forced students to decide what they did and did not understand and to put those thoughts on paper” (p. 375). Winsor’s research provides teachers with a few successful activities to try. When trying new things, it is helpful to start with ideas that others have used and found successful.
The article does not provide an exhaustive list of activities, however. The strength of the article is in Winsor’s explanation of how he chose the activities for his program. Winsor’s research on how students learn math and how students learn a new language led him to incorporate writing, collaboration, and real-life problems into his teaching. This research provides a foundation on which classroom teachers can build a program that works for them and their students.
REFERENCES
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) (2011, June). Communication Standards for Grades 9–12. Retrieved from http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=4004
Richardson, Judy S., Morgan, Raymond F., Fleener, Charlene E. (2009, 2006). Reading to Learn in the Content Areas Seventh Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Chapter 11, p. 412.
Winsor, Matthew S. (2007, December / 2008, January). Bridging the Language Barrier in Mathematics. Mathematics Teacher v. 101 no. 5 p. 372-378.
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04.22.10
Posted in Literary Essays at 5:12 pm by lisa
When one is an adult, pretending is a form of lying and deceit and hurts everyone involved, including the liar. Oscar Wilde portrays the dangers of pretending in his novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Throughout the story, Dorian pretends to be someone he is not. He is able to do this because the part of his nature that would reveal his true identity is absent from his physical body and manifests itself in the portrait. Dorian was able to experience “Eternal youth, infinite passion, pleasures subtle and secret, wild joys and wilder sins” because the portrait would “bear the burden of his shame” (Wilde 90). He remains young and innocent-looking, which enables him to hide his sins. This pretending proves to be harmful to Dorian and to just about everyone Dorian befriends.
Oscar Wilde uses an actress and the theater to illustrate how harmful pretending can be. There is irony in how Wilde uses the theater, because it is not deceitful or harmful to act in a play or musical when the audience knows the actors and actresses are pretending. However, for actress Sibyl Vane, acting becomes very harmful. It is Sibyl’s acting that attracts Dorian to her, and Sibyl gives her whole heart to him, referring to him as her “prince, Prince Charming” (Wilde 54). Dorian is infatuated with Sibyl because of who she is on stage, not because of who she really is. Other than being beautiful, the only quality that Dorian finds attractive in her is that she “is” so many people, “One evening, she is Rosalind, and the next she is Imogen,” he says (Wilde 45). Dorian does not recognize Sibyl beyond the characters that she portrays and treats her badly when she fails to “be” her character; “You make yourself ridiculous. My friends were bored. I was bored” (Wilde 74). It is apparent that Dorian places a high value on pretending. Dorian continues to be unsympathetic when Sibyl explains that she “cannot mimic [a passion] that burns me like fire” (Wilde 75). Unmoved by Sibyl’s own passion for him, he breaks his relationship with her saying, “you have killed my love…You simply produce no effect” (Wilde 75). His mistreatment of her reveals him as a cruel, selfish person, not her “Prince Charming” as she had thought (Wilde 54). Sibyl is devastated by his cruelty and ends her own life. Dorian’s high value of pretending and his own performance as “Prince Charming” harms Sibyl to the point of death (Wilde 54).
The incident with Sibyl marks the beginning of Dorian’s life as a liar and deceiver. The portrait of Dorian reflects his treatment of Sibyl by showing a “touch of cruelty around the mouth” (Wilde 78). This is the first time the portrait alters, and Dorian thinks about “praying that the horrible sympathy that existed between him and the picture might cease” (Wilde 91). Instead, he decides that “there would be a real pleasure in watching it” (Wilde 91). Throughout the rest of the novel, Dorian pretends to be someone he is not. He hides his hideous character behind his good looks in the same way that Sibyl’s character was hidden behind her acting. The difference is that Sibyl did not hide herself for the purpose of deceiving people. Dorian purposely deceives his friends with his innocent appearance. Though Dorian looks young and innocent, he is actually evil and has a bad influence on his friends. Basil lists the many people influenced by Dorian:
There was that wretched boy in the Guards who committed suicide. You were his great friend. There was Sir Henry Ashton, who had to leave England, with a tarnished name. You and he were inseparable. What about Adrian Singleton, and his dreadful end? What about Lord Kent’s only son, and his career? I saw his father yesterday in St. James’s Street. He seemed broken with shame and sorrow. What about the young Duke of Perth? What sort of life has he got now? What gentleman would associate with him?” (Wilde 127)
The actions of Dorian’s friends reflect what kind of person Dorian is, according to Basil, who says, “One has a right to judge of a man by the effect he has over his friends. Yours seem to lose all sense of honour, of goodness, of purity. You have filled them with a madness for pleasure” (Wilde 128). If these people had known that Dorian was pretending to be someone he was not, they could have avoided him and made better choices for friends. However, “His beauty had been to him but a mask, his youth but a mockery” (Wilde 185). People are attracted to Dorian because of his good looks, and he easily befriends them.
Dorian also ruins his own life by pretending to be someone he is not, because he worries, “What sort of life would his be if, day and night, shadows of his crime were to peer at him from silent corners, to mock him from secret places, to whisper in his ear as he sat at the feast, to wake him with icy fingers as he lay asleep!” (Wilde 168-169). Even though he hides his sins from society and masquerades as a young, innocent man, he has to live with the consequences of his actions. Dorian acts immorally and then has to commit more sins to cover up his previous ones. He kills Basil in a rage after Basil confronts him about his immorality and his influence over his friends. He then gets high on opium to keep himself from thinking about Basil’s death, because he “felt that if he brooded on what he had gone through he would sicken or grow mad….It was a thing to be driven out of the mind, to be drugged with poppies, to be strangled lest it might strangle one itself.” (Wilde 137). Dorian cannot rest and enjoy his life. At the thought that the only person who could help him cover up his crime might be out of town, he “grew nervous, and a horrible fit of terror came over him” (Wilde 139). When explaining to Lord Henry where he was the night he killed Basil, Dorian stumbles, “No, I don’t mean that. I didn’t go to the club. I walked about. I forget what I did…” (Wilde 153). He is petrified that James Vane will find him and kill him. Dorian has to constantly look over his shoulder, think carefully about what he says before he says it, and fear being discovered. I agree with Alan Campbell, who exclaims, “‘Your life? Good heavens! what a life that is! You have gone from corruption to corruption, and now you have culminated in crime’” (Wilde 145). Dorian has no life. The portrait offered Dorian a way to sin and to pretend that he was not sinning. He decides against changing his ways; “Yes, Basil could have saved him. But it was too late now. The past could always be annihilated. Regret, denial, or forgetfulness could do that. But the future was inevitable. There were passions in him that would find their terrible outlet, dreams that would make the shadow of their evil real.” (Wilde 102). Hiding his immorality allowed him to get so deep into his pleasure-seeking that he could not stop.
A theme that runs through this novel is that one can distance oneself from the one he or she really is, but one cannot rid oneself completely of that true identity. Dorian’s true nature is bound to be discovered by someone. The unveiling of Dorian’s identity comes when Basil confronts him about his influence on his friends. This discovery is similar to Dorian’s discovery of Sibyl’s true personality and her own passion for him. Dorian only loved Sibyl when she hid her true identity behind her characters, “Without your art, you are nothing….What are you now? A third-rate actress with a pretty face.” (Wilde 75). Dorian is only loved and accepted by society when he hides his true nature in a portrait. Basil confronts Dorian about his nature, because other people discover the connections between him and their family tragedies. Basil says, “They say that you corrupt every one with whom you become intimate, and that it is quite sufficient for you to enter a house, for shame of some kind to follow after.” (Wilde 129). What is Dorian now that his true character is revealed? He is nothing more than a third-rate human being—a corrupt, selfish, drug addict and murderer— with a pretty face. Dorian knows this and is “burdened by his past” (Wilde 187). Dorian never rids himself of his corrupt nature. He tries to destroy the picture to “kill the past;” Dorian “seized the thing [knife], and stabbed the picture with it.” (Wilde 187). However, Dorian kills himself instead of destroying the picture, because what he wanted to destroy in the picture was part of him; “When they [servants] entered, they found hanging upon the wall a splendid portrait of their master as they had last seen him in all the wonder of his exquisite youth and beauty. Lying on the floor was a dead man…with a knife in his heart” (Wilde 188). This nature, which Dorian could hide but not destroy, finally destroyed him.
References
Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oxford University Press Inc., New York, 2006.
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Posted in Literary Essays at 1:39 pm by lisa
Parenting is a struggle between holding on and letting go, because all children are born to be let go and all parents have to figure out when to let them go. The transformation from dependent infancy to independent adulthood is gradual. As each year passes, children seek more and more independence while parents let go little by little. Parents struggle with knowing when, how much, and in what situations they need to let go. Jenise Aminoff portrays this struggle in her short story, “Fate,” from Mojo: Conjure Stories. Throughout the story, Cass was torn between holding on to her son, Eshu, to protect him and letting Eshu go to live out his fate. Although Cass was required to let Eshu go prematurely, much of her relationship with Eshu was like other parent-child relationships. Cass described her relationship with Eshu as being “full of tricks and changes, joys and reversals” (Aminoff 93). This describes all parent-child relationships, because knowing what is best for any given child and gaining the strength to do it involves making uncertain decisions, making mistakes, and fixing mistakes.
Cass’ choices and the events that followed them illustrate the trickiness of parenthood. Even though Cass’ premonitions allowed her to know that Eshu would be taken from her, she was still very much like any other mother. Cass loved Eshu dearly, worried about him and how her decisions would affect him, made mistakes, endured pain for him, made sacrifices for him, and ultimately, only wanted what was best for him. Through Cass and her relationship and experiences with Eshu, I will illustrate how difficult parenting is. All parents have to balance their sacrificial love for and desire to protect their children with their desire to do what is best for them, even if it means they have to let them go.
From the very beginning of the story, we learn that Cass loved Eshu as much as any mother loves her child. At his birth, “she’d laughed and wept and stroked his forehead and put one fingertip into his tiny grasp” (Aminoff 93). She was overwhelmed with joy over her newborn son and lavished affection on him. Her tears could have been tears of joy as well as tears of sadness for his fate. Cass also enjoyed Eshu. His presence, words, and actions alone delighted her. She needed nothing from him except for him to be himself. This is evident from her reaction and response when “Eshu did a wild, ecstatic dance in the living room, and [she] and Stevie laughed and clapped and sang along…” (Aminoff 96). She wanted to tell Eshu a story when he finished, but he protested because he had not brought her anything. She responded by saying, “you just gave me something wonderful” (Aminoff 96). Likewise, parents love watching their children grow and learn and make discoveries about the world around them. It is the best gift children can give, and for most parents, the greatest joy.
Because Cass loved Eshu so much, she naturally worried about him and about the decisions she made regarding him. She thought about what her husband, Hank, said when he “told her she was going to give their son a complex, holding him that tight, that close, never leaving him even for a moment…” (Aminoff 93). Cass wanted what was best for Eshu so “Over time, she began to think that maybe Hank was right…” (Aminoff 93). So Cass did what she thought was best for Eshu and let him go just a little by “paying him little mind as she carefully moved a batch of baby geckos into a new, larger tank” (Aminoff 93). Cass also worried about Eshu after she turned him into a duppy. After Elliot committed suicide, she realized that she had made a mistake. At the funeral, “Even Hank did not notice his dead son tugging at his pant leg, wanting to be held. It broke Cass’s heart.” (Aminoff 100). In the end, she tells Anansi, “He’s my son…I have to set him free.” (Aminoff 101). Through all of the worrying and mistakes, Cass finally realized what was best for Eshu. Many other parents worry in the same way. They fret over decisions wondering if they are doing what is best, because the best is what they want for their children.
In addition to the emotional pain of worrying, Cass also endured great physical pain for Eshu. In her attempt to save his life, she stepped on a toy and broke her ankle. However, “Somehow, she made that ankle work. She made a dash across the room and lunged, her ankle going crack!” (Aminoff 94). Even after she also broke her arm, she “bit back the pain, dragged [Eshu] up over the wall, and set him down on the floor beside where she collapsed” (Aminoff 94). Though she endured great pain that day, she still thought it was all worth it. “I did it. It was worth it. I changed my son’s fate. I saved him.” (Aminoff 95). Many parents endure pain and are able to overcome great physical limitations to save their children. There are instances where people have lifted heavy objects or moved at great speed to save their children.
Cass also made a great sacrifice for Eshu when she traded her ability to know things in order for Eshu to go to heaven. “she thought…How will I know anything? But she looked at Eshu…and she knew there was no going back. So she nodded. ‘Yes, take it…’” (Aminoff 101). This sacrifice was not just for Eshu. It was for her entire family, because she was willing to do anything as long as it only affected her. She told Anansi that she would give “‘Anything that is mine to give. Not Hank, nothing that will harm anyone else. Just me.’” (Aminoff 101). This sacrifice reflects Cass’ sacrificial love for Eshu even though she made it to rectify her mistake of making him a duppy. Ultimately, Cass only wanted and did what was best for Eshu. I believe the same motives are inherent in all parents. Parents often make mistakes but change their minds and their decision—if they can.
Though I have drawn many parallels between Cass and other parents, Cass certainly acted in ways that I cannot compare to other parents’ actions. Bringing someone back from the dead is a horrifying idea. With these events, I believe the author was employing the concept of “Cognitive Estrangement” as defined by critic Darko Suvin. Aminoff exaggerated the events in the story to emphasize the values and ideas that she was trying to convey. When Cass brought Eshu back from the dead, Aminoff was speaking of the struggle all parents have between holding onto their children and letting them go. Every time children gain more independence, parents have to let go a little bit to allow it to happen.
Parents are human beings with their own feelings and desires. The strong love that parents have for their children can make decisions unclear, because it is difficult to distinguish between what is truly best for children and what is only what parents want for them. This uncertainty creates a tug-of-war as parents let go and then pull back and then let go again. Although I am addressing how this tug-of-war makes parenthood tricky and difficult, I believe another closely related theme of the story is for parents to make sure to enjoy their children because no one really knows what their fate entails. I think that any parent-child relationship can be described in the same way that Cass described her relationship with Eshu, which was “full of tricks and changes, joys and reversals” (Aminoff 93). All of the bad is mixed in with the good. One cannot take only the good. The good is actually made better because of the bad. If Cass had had no idea Eshu would be taken away from her, would she have enjoyed Eshu’s “wild, ecstatic dance” (Aminoff 96) as much?
References
Aminoff, Jenise. “Fate.” Mojo: Conjure Stories. Hopkinson, Nalo. New York: Time Warner, 2003.
Parenting is a struggle between holding on and letting go, because all children are born to be let go and all parents have to figure out when to let them go. The transformation from dependent infancy to independent adulthood is gradual. As each year passes, children seek more and more independence while parents let go little by little. Parents struggle with knowing when, how much, and in what situations they need to let go. Jenise Aminoff portrays this struggle in her short story, “Fate,” from Mojo: Conjure Stories. Throughout the story, Cass was torn between holding on to her son, Eshu, to protect him and letting Eshu go to live out his fate. Although Cass was required to let Eshu go prematurely, much of her relationship with Eshu was like other parent-child relationships. Cass described her relationship with Eshu as being “full of tricks and changes, joys and reversals” (Aminoff 93). This describes all parent-child relationships, because knowing what is best for any given child and gaining the strength to do it involves making uncertain decisions, making mistakes, and fixing mistakes.
Cass’ choices and the events that followed them illustrate the trickiness of parenthood. Even though Cass’ premonitions allowed her to know that Eshu would be taken from her, she was still very much like any other mother. Cass loved Eshu dearly, worried about him and how her decisions would affect him, made mistakes, endured pain for him, made sacrifices for him, and ultimately, only wanted what was best for him. Through Cass and her relationship and experiences with Eshu, I will illustrate how difficult parenting is. All parents have to balance their sacrificial love for and desire to protect their children with their desire to do what is best for them, even if it means they have to let them go.
From the very beginning of the story, we learn that Cass loved Eshu as much as any mother loves her child. At his birth, “she’d laughed and wept and stroked his forehead and put one fingertip into his tiny grasp” (Aminoff 93). She was overwhelmed with joy over her newborn son and lavished affection on him. Her tears could have been tears of joy as well as tears of sadness for his fate. Cass also enjoyed Eshu. His presence, words, and actions alone delighted her. She needed nothing from him except for him to be himself. This is evident from her reaction and response when “Eshu did a wild, ecstatic dance in the living room, and [she] and Stevie laughed and clapped and sang along…” (Aminoff 96). She wanted to tell Eshu a story when he finished, but he protested because he had not brought her anything. She responded by saying, “you just gave me something wonderful” (Aminoff 96). Likewise, parents love watching their children grow and learn and make discoveries about the world around them. It is the best gift children can give, and for most parents, the greatest joy.
Because Cass loved Eshu so much, she naturally worried about him and about the decisions she made regarding him. She thought about what her husband, Hank, said when he “told her she was going to give their son a complex, holding him that tight, that close, never leaving him even for a moment…” (Aminoff 93). Cass wanted what was best for Eshu so “Over time, she began to think that maybe Hank was right…” (Aminoff 93). So Cass did what she thought was best for Eshu and let him go just a little by “paying him little mind as she carefully moved a batch of baby geckos into a new, larger tank” (Aminoff 93). Cass also worried about Eshu after she turned him into a duppy. After Elliot committed suicide, she realized that she had made a mistake. At the funeral, “Even Hank did not notice his dead son tugging at his pant leg, wanting to be held. It broke Cass’s heart.” (Aminoff 100). In the end, she tells Anansi, “He’s my son…I have to set him free.” (Aminoff 101). Through all of the worrying and mistakes, Cass finally realized what was best for Eshu. Many other parents worry in the same way. They fret over decisions wondering if they are doing what is best, because the best is what they want for their children.
In addition to the emotional pain of worrying, Cass also endured great physical pain for Eshu. In her attempt to save his life, she stepped on a toy and broke her ankle. However, “Somehow, she made that ankle work. She made a dash across the room and lunged, her ankle going crack!” (Aminoff 94). Even after she also broke her arm, she “bit back the pain, dragged [Eshu] up over the wall, and set him down on the floor beside where she collapsed” (Aminoff 94). Though she endured great pain that day, she still thought it was all worth it. “I did it. It was worth it. I changed my son’s fate. I saved him.” (Aminoff 95). Many parents endure pain and are able to overcome great physical limitations to save their children. There are instances where people have lifted heavy objects or moved at great speed to save their children.
Cass also made a great sacrifice for Eshu when she traded her ability to know things in order for Eshu to go to heaven. “she thought…How will I know anything? But she looked at Eshu…and she knew there was no going back. So she nodded. ‘Yes, take it…’” (Aminoff 101). This sacrifice was not just for Eshu. It was for her entire family, because she was willing to do anything as long as it only affected her. She told Anansi that she would give “‘Anything that is mine to give. Not Hank, nothing that will harm anyone else. Just me.’” (Aminoff 101). This sacrifice reflects Cass’ sacrificial love for Eshu even though she made it to rectify her mistake of making him a duppy. Ultimately, Cass only wanted and did what was best for Eshu. I believe the same motives are inherent in all parents. Parents often make mistakes but change their minds and their decision—if they can.
Though I have drawn many parallels between Cass and other parents, Cass certainly acted in ways that I cannot compare to other parents’ actions. Bringing someone back from the dead is a horrifying idea. With these events, I believe the author was employing the concept of “Cognitive Estrangement” as defined by critic Darko Suvin. Aminoff exaggerated the events in the story to emphasize the values and ideas that she was trying to convey. When Cass brought Eshu back from the dead, Aminoff was speaking of the struggle all parents have between holding onto their children and letting them go. Every time children gain more independence, parents have to let go a little bit to allow it to happen.
Parents are human beings with their own feelings and desires. The strong love that parents have for their children can make decisions unclear, because it is difficult to distinguish between what is truly best for children and what is only what parents want for them. This uncertainty creates a tug-of-war as parents let go and then pull back and then let go again. Although I am addressing how this tug-of-war makes parenthood tricky and difficult, I believe another closely related theme of the story is for parents to make sure to enjoy their children because no one really knows what their fate entails. I think that any parent-child relationship can be described in the same way that Cass described her relationship with Eshu, which was “full of tricks and changes, joys and reversals” (Aminoff 93). All of the bad is mixed in with the good. One cannot take only the good. The good is actually made better because of the bad. If Cass had had no idea Eshu would be taken away from her, would she have enjoyed Eshu’s “wild, ecstatic dance” (Aminoff 96) as much?
Works Cited
Aminoff, Jenise. “Fate.” Mojo: Conjure Stories. Hopkinson, Nalo. New York: Time Warner, 2003.
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