GMO Argument Essay

Argument Essay Draft

Should GMOs be labeled?

You just sat down with a nice, hot slice of pizza after a long day of hard work. You take a bite, and then another, and then another until you have finished the whole slice. Little do you know you have been eating GMOs. GMO: When DNA (chemicals) from one food is injected into another food. Doesn’t that sound intriguing… I didn’t think so. Let’s be more specific: GMOs occur when scientists take genes from a food, such as a kiwi and puts it into another food, like a tomato to make it have the same genes. But, then again, how would you know if you have been eating these GMOs, because it is not labeled on most food labels. The thing is, we don’t know if GMOs are dangerous or not. So, GMOs should be labeled because people don’t know if GMOs are safe.

GMOs should be labeled because people don’t know if they are dangerous. One thing that people don’t know is if GMOs can cause allergies. Richard Dahl, author of the article “To Label or Not to Label” introduces his readers to possible health issues when people consume food that has been genetically altered. He helps us to understand that “If you take a gene from the kiwi fruit, put it into a tomato, and the tomato gets turned into sauce for your pizza, and there’s an allergic reaction, only the genetically altered tomato would produce that allergic reaction” Food allergies can be a serious health concern for those who have them. Most who suffer from allergies carefully monitor the foods they consume to avoid what might make them sick. Dahl tells us that, with GMOs it can be difficult or impossible to know exactly what DNA is included in your everyday meal. The article “GE Foods Can Cause Allergic Reactions”, the authors from Organic Consumers Association (OCA)  inform the reader the risks that come with genetically modified foods. They explain, “Soy beans, corn, canola, and cotton are the most widely grown GMO crops… The list also includes: peppers, peanuts, potatoes, sugar beets, sunflowers, and tomatoes. There is a concern that GM foods pose an allergy risk. Currently that list of GM food products intersect with the eight most common food allergens: eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.” The most common foods that causes allergic reactions contain GMOs. The OCA shows the reader that the most common GM foods are some of the most common allergy foods. The scary part is, we don’t know if GMOs are what causes these reactions. We also don’t know if they are even in certain foods because they aren’t labeled. All in all GMOs should be labeled because they could potentially be causing allergic reactions.

GMOs should be labeled because there is no information on how it affects our health. The article “Should Companies be required to label genetically modified food?” published in The Wall Street Journal points out to the reader that there are possibilities of GMOs affecting your health in negative ways. It is said that,  “Consumers, the advocates say, should be well informed of what’s in their food. Further, they argue, genetically modifying food carries risks while providing few nutritional benefits.”  There is no official proof that GMOs are dangerous. This shows that because of this uncertainty GMOs should be labeled of the possible risks you could be taking to alter your health badly. People should have the right to know what they are consuming. Gary Hirshberg, Chairman of Stonyfield Farm, said a speech in the video “Why Genetically Engineered Foods Should Be Labeled: Gray Hirshberg at TedxManhattan 2013” justifies to his viewers that GMOs should be labeled. Hirshberg explains that GMOs should be labeled because of the possibilities of affecting your health badly. He talks about how, the potential health concerns of GMOs are contained in many foods.  He reveals that “we were told by these very same chemical companies who own these crops when herbicide tolerant crops, which is the primary gene available in these crops, when they were first introduced, we were told that they would actually result in a reduction of herbicide usage. But, here’s actually what’s happened, we have seen since 1996, since these crops were introduced, a 527 million pound increase in herbicides” The usage of herbicides have increased tremendously and so have concerns of people consuming the herbicides. He also says “ I will tell you that the mellmen group has done research showing that 92% of Americans, when given the choice, say that they prefer to know whether these crops or ingredients are in our food or not” GMOs are shown to be potentially hazardous and that many people want to be informed of this on their food labels. Hirshberg tells us that, GMOs could pose a threat to our health and that we should be informed when GMOs are contained in our foods. Because of this, GMOs should be labeled.

Now, some people might say, GMOs aren’t dangerous so they shouldn’t have to be labeled. This is because all of this “GMO stuff being dangerous” is not actually a definite, and we really don’t know if they are dangerous. In the article “Should GMOs Be Labeled”, the author, Amir Khan informs the reader that GMOs shouldn’t have to be labeled because they may not even be bad for you. Khan tell his readers, “Some studies have even found that some GMOs may even be good for you.” Yes, GMOs may not be bad for you, but they may be. The whole point of GMOs being labeled has nothing to do with exactly if it is absolutely bad for you, or it is absolutely good for you, it’s the fact that we don’t know. We don’t know if it causes allergic reactions, or if they don’t and we don’t know if it affects your health negatively or positively. Richard Dahl, author of the article “To Label or Not to Label”, informs the reader about this uncertainty. He says, “There’s no conclusive evidence that GE [GMO] foods are unsafe, there also is no conclusive evidence that they are.”  GMOs could be fine or they could be really bad, but the fact that we don’t know the answer to that is very alarming, leaving many people concerned and wanting to know if it is in their food by just looking at the label. This shows that GMOs may not be 100% dangerous, but, they can be, so they should be labeled on food products.

In the end GMOs should be labeled on all food products because they can be the cause of food allergies, or affect your health it a negative way. It is very alarming that these things that are going in our food, that we are consuming, isn’t absolutely safe. In the words of Gary Hirshberg “This is a fight about whether our government is of, for, and by the people or of, for, and by a handful of chemical companies”

Is the Gaokao too Much Work for Chinese Students? By Emma Crowley 711

Part of growing up, and being a successful student is learning from your successes and failures. Unfortunately Chinese students don't get this opportunity. In China about nine million students take a test called the gaokao. This test has a lot at stake. These students go through years of studying for this single test. This test alone determines their future.This is too much pressure for students to be under. The gaokao has a lot at risk.  All students do is study, and it affects the student's and their family's lives. The gaokao has too much control over students lives.

The gaokao is an extremely long test that many Chinese students take that determines, basically their future. The article "China's Cram Schools" by Brooke Larmer helps readers understand what exactly the gaokao means and what is at stake. For example, "20,000 students train around the clock for China's national college-entrance examination, known as the gaokao. In some ways, the gaokao is like the SAT or ACT, but it's more than twice as long and the stakes are much higher: Given every June over several days, the test is the only thing that matters for admission to Chinese universities." Another important thing to know is if you fail the gaokao, you must do hard labor working in a factory or construction site as your job. There are no second chances for these students.  For example, "manual labor would be their fate too, if they failed to do well on the gaokao." Overall the gaokao is a very tough test that risks too much in a student's life.

One reason that shows that the gaokao has too much control over students lives is that students are studying too much that it has taken over their lives. For example "Yang Wei, then a senior at Maotanchang, had spent the previous three years, weekends included, stumbling to his first class at 6:20 in the morning and returning to his room only after the end of his last class at 10:50 at night." This shows that students have a school day that is 14 and a half hours of non-stop studying which is crazy. Another example of Chinese students studying too much is a quote from Yang Wei that says, "If you connected all of the practice tests I've taken over the past three years... they would wrap all the way around the world" This shows the amount of of work that they have to do in just three years. This is over 300 million pieces of paper, practice tests. A final example of this is that they study too much that they don't even have have enough time to eat, the article states "students [are]... hooked up to intravenous drips to give them strength to keep studying". This is inhuman and certainly unhealthy for these students.  In the end we see that these students are simply studying way too hard.

Another reason that shows that the gaokao has too much control over Chinese students' lives is how badly it affects their lives. For example students get so stressed out that it even comes to suicide sometimes, in the article it states "Teenage suicide rates tends to rise as the gaokao nears.". This shows that these students are under major amounts of stress and having to do so much work that it sadly comes down to this. Another example is that there are many poor families who are counting on their children to get a good job and help pay for necessities. But, some students are strugglers and might fail the gaokao and get a low paying job. For example "The rent on their tiny room was high, rivaling rate in downtown Beijing, and it represented only part of the sacrifice Yang's parents made to help him become the first in his family to attend college. Yang's father is a peach farmer in a village 45 minutes away; his mother quit her garment-factory job to support Yang in his final year of cramming.". This shows the struggles families go through and how much they depend on the results of this test.  A final example of this is that they study too much that they don't even have have enough time to eat, the article states "students [are]... hooked up to intravenous drips to give them strength to keep studying". This is affecting their lives and it also affects the lives of their parents who try desperately to support this awful way of life.  All in all this shows that the gaokao test affects students lives and families in many ways.

In conclusion, we see here that the gaokao test in China has many bad affects on the students taking the test, from suicide to poor families trying to make some money. You can't push kids so hard that they can't even make a single mistake or else it could affect the rest of their life. Testing is absolutely necessary to determine student learning but it should not be the sole measurement of a student's learning.  

“Those Winter Sundays” & “My Papa’s Waltz” Essay

By: Emma Crowley 711

Sometimes children don’t understand how much their parents do for them because they love them. Poems show lessons that you can use as you go through life. The poems “Those Winter Sundays” by Robert Hayden and “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, both show the love parents express to their children but in different ways. These poems with similar themes can be presented differently.

“Those Winter Sundays” by Theodore Roethke is about a boy telling the reader how hard his father worked for their family and how the father was never thanked. “No one ever thanked him” the speaker said. His love is too hard to distinguish as love, so is never thanked for what he does for his family. The speaker makes the reader think about how parents can express their love for their children in a subtle way. It also makes the reader think about how we should appreciate people who do things for us and how people can show their love in different ways. We see this in the line “I’d wake and hear the cold splintering, breaking./ When the rooms were warm, he’d call,”. This shows the reader that the father woke up early in the freezing cold to make a fire so his family wouldn’t be cold when they woke up. This is a sacrifice that the father made for his family. We see the father as a very selfless person. Although this example is hard to identify as love, it is. A final example is at the end of the poem the speaker says “What did I know, what did I know/ of love’s austere and lonely offices.” (Love’s austere means stern/ very plain love. Offices is a role someone takes on.) The father is displaying his love for his family in a a very plain way that isn’t usually classified as love. In the end the father shows the message of love in his own way.

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is about a child telling the reader about how he waltzed with his father. This father has a completely different way of showing his love towards his son that “Those Winter Sunday’s”. When this father comes home to his son he plays and waltzes with him. For example the speaker was telling the reader about how “ We romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf,”. Now romping means to play in a lively way, showing that the father was frolicking around with his son to express his love. His father wants to continuously express this feeling to his son by having a good time together whenever he can. For example “Then you waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt.”. This is showing two things, one that he puts his child to bed sending this message of love. Secondly it shows that the child recognizes this message from his father and the love he (the child) feels for his father, that he doesn't want to let him go (still clinging to your shirt). All in all this poem shows that the father is affectionate towards his son in his own way, and his son recognizes this act.

In conclusion the thing that makes these poems similar is how the fathers show their passion they have for their children, but what makes these poems different is in the way they show it. One father shows his love by working hard to take care of his family and the other father shows his love by interacting and playing with his family.  We see that these poems show that parents do these different little acts of kindness to express their fondness for their children. Sometimes it can be hard to notice that what they are doing is because they love you. And sometimes we can’t know that someone’s actions are how they express love to us.

Emma Crowley 711

When You Reach Me

By Rebecca Stead

Friends surround our lives and through these friendships we can learn many life lessons.  The Book “When You Reach Me” by Rebecca Stead is about a young girl named Miranda and it’s a very important time in her life, a big turning point. She has many things going on, her only best friend gets punched then doesn’t talk to her anymore, she makes some new friends, gets a new job, and even more. The story shows many themes throughout the book. A big theme in the book is friendship and it teaches you, the reader, and Miranda many things about life.
One reason the book shows friendship as a theme is through the relationship between Sal and Miranda. Throughout the story we see this relationship change a lot. It started out as them being the best of friends. They did everything together. Miranda says talking about this time in their friendship [page 17] “I used to think of Sal as being part of me.” We see here that they had such a strong relationship that they felt like part of each other. It’s good to have a friend like that.  But the thing is they had each other, ONLY each other. This was a problem.[page 167] “Remember… when you got sick? I spent that whole week alone.” This shows the reader that they only had each other as friends and when one was not around the other was simply lost and alone. When you only have one really good friend, it’s the only person you have to depend on. In the end the lesson we learn though this friendship is that having only one friend can be a problem.
Another reason when the book shows friendship as a theme is through the relationship between Annemarie and Julia. These friends had a fight, [page 35] “Julia told her [Annemarie] that, as punishment, she wasn’t going to have lunch with Annemarie for the remainder of the week.”. This “punishment” ruined their relationship. Annemarie and Julia drifted apart. The thing is friends can be mad at each other but they still love each other and wouldn’t let anything or anyone hurt them. For example, Jimmy (owner of the sandwich place Miranda, Colin, and Annemarie work at) thought that Julia stole his money because she is black. Annemarie heard this and got mad.[page 129] “You racist pig!” she yelled at Jimmy. Annemarie was mad at Julia but they were such good friends that that couldn’t let anything happen to each other. Julia felt terrible about the whole thing, the break up, and drifting away from each other. Miranda notices this, [page 144] “ It was Julia that left the rose for Annemarie… Julia cared about Annemarie”. No matter what kind of fights they get into they won’t forget each other because of this strong bond they have created. The lesson we learn within their relationship is that sometimes friends have fights but if your are true friends you’ll always make up and care about each other.
A final reason when we see that friendship is a theme in this book is with the relationship between Miranda and Marcus. Marcus and Miranda had a very bad start. When she first officially met him she realized something, “[page 47] It was the boy who hit Sal”.  Miranda thought that Marcus was the reason her and Sal “broke up”.  As we go through the story Miranda starts to talk more and more to Marcus, and created a relationship. Miranda starts to realize that Marcus isn’t as bad as she thought. “[page 167] I suddenly got how totally stupid I’d been, never telling Sal that Marcus was an okay kid”. Eventually they become friends. For example on page 173 “I think a kid is going to get arrested. A friend.”  Without Miranda noticing she was gaining a new friend with the same kind of relationship as Annemarie and Julia. At first Miranda and Marcus were in a “fight” (punching Sal). Then they became friends and look out for each other (Marcus almost getting arrested). A lesson from this relationship is that sometimes you can make a friend without even knowing or trying.

In conclusion, throughout the story we see that Friendship is a big theme in the book. We also see that friendships can be in different forms and end with different lessons. There are many relationships in the book that show this, Miranda and Sal, Annemarie and Julia, and, Miranda and Marcus. Friends are an important part of your life and they can help you get through tough times, in many different ways.

"A Wrinkle In Time" By Madeleine L'engle

We sometimes have feelings of doubt or hartred but just remember to always believe in yourself and others. The book “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’engle is about a young self - doubting girl named Meg and this is a story of a really important time in her life. Meg has a little brother named Charles and a mother. She also has a father that she believes left her and her family. She later finds out that her father was taken away by thing dark force. Meg, Calvin, and, Charles meet three mysterious old woman Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which who came to help Meg find her father. This group goes on an adventure through all of these different dimensions including the tesseract. They finally get to a place somewhere in the galaxy where their father was help captive. Meg starts believing in herself and saves her father. Throughout the story we see that Meg’s relationships with others are very complex.
One way we see that Meg has complex relationships is Meg’s relationship against IT and the darkness. Everyone has similar and different qualities. We also all have emotions, some may be the same and some may be different. Hatred and anger are two emotions everyone has had before. These feelings make us do things we don’t really “want” to, it’s just in the moment. To break these feelings is love and happiness. For example in the book there is a force called IT. IT is a rhythm that people get hypnotized to, that makes them feel this hatred and makes them do things under its power. Charles gets hypnotized and Meg has to save him, but doesn’t know how to. On page 227 Meg says “What is it that I have got that IT hasn’t got?”. Meg struggles with this problem then it hits her. Love. Love can save Charles, love can defeat IT. Meg starts to truly express her love towards her brother and in the end saves him. Now the dark shadow symbolizes evil and all the evil in the world. This darkness is the reason Meg’s father is gone, it is “trapping” him so he can’t get out into the real world. When Meg, Calvin, and Charles first see the dark thing they know there is something wrong. Charles says [page 82] “Make it go away. It’s evil.” The darkness and IT both represent the badness and hatred that is in our world we see now that Meg has a strong complex relationship with these figures that she might have to believe in herself to fight them.
Another example where we see that Meg has complex relationships within the story is the relationship between Meg and her father. At the beginning of the story Meg thought her father left her. She had mixed emotions about this. She was really sad about the disappearance of her father but at the same time she is mad that he left their family alone without even telling them anything. Meg expresses these feelings to Calvin, [page 59] “[calvin says] You haven’t heard anything at all [about your father?] no [Meg said] nothing. Her voice was heavy with misery.” This confirms for the reader that Meg’s father is gone and she is miserable. This is a controversial issue in the real world today. But what Meg didn’t know is that her father didn’t leave her. He was taken by the darkness. On page 54 Mrs. Which says “he [your father] is behind the darkness so that even you can’t see him” This darkness can also represent this feeling of something blocking Meg from seeing her father. The only reason her dad is gone is this evil that keeps him away from her. 
A final reason that shows the complexity of Meg’s relationships, is the relationship with herself. A big issue in this book is self - doubt. Kids at her school think of her as this stupid and dumb girl. Because people think of her like this she pretends to be that girl they think she is. She has done this for so long that she has started believing that she is that girl. An example of this is when she is talking to her father about Charles she says [page 14]“ I don’t want him to grow up to be dumb like me.” This line is showing the reader that Meg doubts herself and doesn’t think highly of herself. This is a problem later in the book because when she has to go back to IT to save Charles she thinks she can’t do it. on page 215 Meg’s says “I can’t! you know I can’t!” But in the end she starts to believe in herself and successfully saves Charles and her dad.
In conclusion We now see that Meg has some complexity within her relationships with IT, her father, and herself. These relationships also teach Meg, as well as the reader, lessons we can use in our lives. Sometimes we get mad and it makes us do things we don’t plan to but it’s just in the heat of the moment.  Most importantly the book teaches us to always have self confidence and BELIEVE.

Should Kids Play Contact Sports? By Emma Crowley 711

            Injuries related to young people playing contact sports have become a controversial issue. Everyday over 3,000 kids are injured due to these aggressive sports. That’s about one kid every 25 seconds.  Contact sports are risky because injury rates are getting higher, parents and coaches are pushing kids too hard, and too many people think that competition is healthy for you and not unsafe.  Teenagers should not play contact sports because it is dangerous for kids at such a young age.

            One reason why teenagers shouldn’t play contact sports is that injury rates are getting higher.  The web page for the Wall Street Journal reports say  “When you look at the total number of injuries, it’s about 1.24 million injuries 2013 [due to contact sports].”  This sounds crazy but true.  Kids are too competitive and this often makes them get too physical.  Kids as well as adults don’t take into account the seriousness of these sports and don't realize the injuries that could result.  Another example of this is that the web page for the Huffington Post states  “39 high school football players have died since 2000 because of injuries sustained while playing football.”  This—let me remind you—is just football.  This risk is because children are being too rough with each other.  But because they are getting too rough with each other they can get injured easily because their bodies are not yet fully developed.  The web page of Family Health says, “Teens participating in sports run an increased risk of injury…Teens vary in their development and are different sizes…  the skeleton is also immature.”  This proves that teens are not yet fully developed so they have a higher risk of getting permanently damaged.  So in the end it is not only dangerous to play these types of sports at any age, but, children playing these sports are at a greater risk of injury or even death.

            Another reason why teenagers shouldn’t play contact sports is because parents and coaches push kids too hard.  An article for The Seattle Times states “Be it soccer, gymnastics, baseball, basketball, or ice skating, more and more youngsters are getting pushed into making a full-time commitment to a single sport at an earlier and earlier age.”  This is showing that parents are not aware of this risk they are putting on their kids  at such a young age.  They are driven by the possibility of a sports scholarship.  Parents and coaches need to understand that this is putting their child in a dangerous position and need to understand that sports aren’t always safe so you can’t push them so hard.  When children focus on only one particular sport they are putting unequal strain on certain muscles.  This can put a lot of wear and tear on your body.    The web page of abconyourside.com said “Athletic trainers say that some sports that require a lot of repetitive motion can put a lot of wear and tear on a kids body.” Sports can be good for you but if you play too much (which parents enforce) it affects your kid’s body and health.  Parents and coaches have these kids train and work way too hard. In fact it is slowly injuring them without them even knowing.  This will affect them when they get older. 

            A final reason why teenagers shouldn’t play contact sports is that some people mistakenly think that competition is healthy for kids but, in reality, too much competition is not.  For example the Kids Health article states that “It’s ok to be competitive…more fun when kids actually compete.”  This is true because it is fun when you play competitive games, I get it but what if the game takes a wrong turn and you maybe suffer a serious injury.  Still call that fun? People should start taking these things more seriously.  An example of this is that the website today.com Sheinelle Jones, high school hockey player ”Was struck in the side of her head with an opponent’s stick. Boothby blacked out.” She blacked out, when she regained consciousness all she thought about was getting back in the game. She says “I thought I had to be tough, and I thought I needed to get back in because we were losing and I needed to support my team”.  This clearly shows that she has been taught that the competition is the most important thing, but it is not. Later that night she began to feel nauseous and was losing her memory and she was. This example shows how dangerous it is to play competitive sports, and not realize the risk of injury.  So many deaths and injuries are happening that it’s come down to this.  People need to understand that playing sports without adequate protection and safety guidelines can be very dangerous. 

            In conclusion, kids shouldn’t play competitive sports because it is too dangerous.  Kids’ bodies are not yet fully developed and safe from possible injuries, yet injuring rates are getting higher because parents and coaches push kids too hard, thinking it will be safe.  What is at stake is far worse than winning any game.   Would you rather have the glory of finishing one game or the glory of a healthy lifetime?
Bibliography:

   1.(n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.today.com/heath/ teen playing through pain not taking sports injuries seriously says study 



    2.





(n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.wsj.com/video/ "how children and teens can avoid sports injuries" 


•               3. 





KidsHealth - the Web's most visited site about children's health. (n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://kidshealth.org/

•                4.teen stress 101: teens training too hard for sports www.abc6onyourside.com/news/features/top-stories/teen-stress101

•                5.High school football player dies from on field injury in brocton new york. (n.d.). Retrieved February 3, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/17helmet

"Building Bridges" Essay By Emma Crowley

“You got big hopes child, but they gonna leave me alone, by myself”

This reminds us that parents or grandparents have a hard time letting someone they are really close to leave them to go follow their dreams. The short story “Building Bridges” by Andrea Pinkney is about a teenage girl named Bebe and her grandmother Mama Lil. In the story, Bebe really wants to be an engineer. Andrea Pinkney portrays in the story that Mama Lil is reluctant to let Bebe go follow her dreams as an engineer. Through the story the author wants the reader to know that Bebe and Mama Lil’s relationship is complex and yet kind of like our relationships with our parents and grandparents too.

In the story Mama Lil can’t seem to let Bebe go.

First, Mama Lil just hated the idea and the answer was simply NO. In the beginning of the story Mama Lil was doesn't want to let Bebe go.  For example as Mama Lil was sitting down smoking her cigarette she said “Ain’t no black woman doing no engin-ing” page 21 . The reader infers that this shows that Mama Lil doesn’t accept Bebe’s dream of engineering doing and doesn’t really seem to care. The reader also comes across this idea of that Mama Lil is using her real life experiences to believe that race dictates the type of job you can and can not do.  Also she doesn’t even care enough to say engineering correctly.  Another example is in this quote where Bebe is trying to talk Mama Lil into letting her do the Brooklyn Bridge project Bebe says, “Mama Lil, your eyes are always closed, closed to seeing me” page 28.  At this part the reader thinks Mama Lil won’t pay attention or cooperate with Bebe. The reader then assumes that this is because she doesn’t want to sign the papers because she doesn’t want to let Bebe go. This also shows the reader that Mama Lil doesn’t want Bebe to leave her so therefore she wont truly look at Bebe and doesn’t even try to understand Bebe’s hopes and dreams.  Another example of this is that while Bebe was describing the kind of relationship they have and what they say about/to each other she says “She [Mama Lil] thought I weighted too much, and dressed badly.” page 18. This shows the reader that Mama Lil isn’t afraid to tell Bebe how she feels. This can be good and bad, it means they have a good, trusting relationships, or that they are kind of mean to each other. But, when they are mean to each other it can cause feelings to get hurt, it really depends on what they say and how they say it. Something like this might have happened to many people with their families and/or friends. But if they are so close that they can say these things to each other then the reader becomes a bit confused when in the middle of this story Mama Lil has trouble telling Bebe how she truly feels about this Bridge project…

In the end of the story Mama Lil opened her eyes and realized what was best for Bebe and she let her go live out her dream. Everyone knows “If you love something let them go, and if they love you to, they will come back.” At the end of the story when Mama Lil finally approves Bebe’s dream she says to Bebe “ Bebe, the bridge is lucky to have you.” page 34. This quote shows that Mama Lil really does care and love Bebe and even though she doesn’t want to let Bebe go, she still respects her decision and loves her.  Another thing is that when Mama Lil is explaining to Bebe why she doesn’t want Bebe to go work on the bridge project she says, “ [Bebe] Your dreams are the kind that’ll take you away from here” page 29. This shows that the only reason why she didn’t want to let Bebe go is that she didn’t want Bebe to leave her all alone with nobody.  Mama Lil then says, “what little bit of dreaming I got left… I’m putting to you.” page 29. Mama Lil loves Bebe and she wanted her to be the best she can be. Something that Mama Lil knew she didn’t do.  Mama Lil shows her true colors here.  Mama Lil loves Bebe and always will. She never wants to let her go but she realized that the best thing to do for Bebe is let her shine and be the best that she can be.  So therefore Mama Lil gave in and said yes to let Bebe follow her dreams.

Throughout the story Mama Lil changed her whole demeanor. She went from being reluctant to let Bebe leave her to realizing allowing Bebe to follow her dreams was best. Mama Lil started out not being truthful or honest with Bebe or how she truly felt about this project. She is telling her that she wouldn’t sign the permission slip because she was a black woman. She even says to Bebe “ If God had made you to do a man’s work he would’ve made you a man” page 20. She starts to come up with any possible excuse to stop Bebe from doing this. As we read through the story we see a change in Mama Lil. This is that she starts being more truthful with Bebe and tells her why she really didn’t want her to do the project. She didn’t want to be alone. Mama Lil says to Bebe “ Your dreams are the kind that’ll take you away from here.” page 29.  The thought of losing Bebe was the only reason she didn’t want to sign the form. Bebe is determined to do this job. “Mama Lil I got to find my own way” page 29. Even though Mama Lil doesn’t want Bebe to leave her it doesn’t get in Bebe’s way of doing her dream- this is important.

In the end the reader sees that relationships can be hard and complicated. We see this through the way Mama Lil starts out reluctant to letting Bebe go. Or this even shows in her decision to let Bebe go to follow her dreams. It can be hard to let go of someone you’re so close to. I can relate to this. I have Family in Ireland. I only see the two weeks every two years. So when I see them but then I  have to go back to America it’s hard for me. I just can’t let them go. This can help me understand how Mama Lil is feeling. Andrea Pinkney shows this very well in the way she created Mama Lil as a person. Through the story the author wants the reader to know that Bebe and Mama Lil’s relationship is complex and yet kind of like our relationships with our parents and grandparents too. In the story Mama Lil can’t seem to let Bebe go. I think that Bebe and Mama Lil will make this work and always have each other no matter what. Sometimes we feel resistant to letting go of someone you care for so much but when you love someone you have to let them go.