Question

Describe some of these rites and the traits that help the individuals to survive and learn from their experiences. "The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant" by W.D. Wetherell "Oranges" by Gary Soto from I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou "First Lesson" by Philip Booth "On Turning Ten" by Billy Collins "Hanging Fire" by Audre Lorde from My Forbidden Face by Latifa "The Scarlet Ibis" by James Hurst "My Brother's Keeper" by Jay Bennett with all these passeges

Answer 1

We can look at two of these passages as examples in order to find some rites and traits that help the individuals survive and learn from their experiences.

In "Hanging Fire" by Audre Lorde, the speaker feels overwhelmed with the problems that are going on in her life. She has just become a teenager, and her mind is constantly busy with the many things that worry her. Moreover, she feels incapable of talking to her mom in order to ask for help. The ritual that seems to help this speaker survive is going over her problems in her head. Although she jumps from one problem to the next in a sudden way, we can see that she thinks about them, and that she is aware of the changes that she is experiencing in her life.

Another example would be that of "The Scarlet Ibis." In this story, the narrator struggles with his brother, who suffers from a condition and is therefore, less developed and athletic than the speaker. One way in which the speaker copes with this is by pushing his brother to constantly do more and learn more, so that he is as little limited as possible. This strategy brings about some negative and some positive consequences.

Answer 2

The Scarlet Ibis, the older brother loves his younger brother. He teaches him to walk, to play, etc. Then, one day the older a younger brother walk to a tree and the older brother gets angry and runs away. The younger brother is ill and can't run. When the younger brother attempts to run after his older brother, he runs out of air and dies. The older brother feels horrible and the younger brother dying reminded the older brother of the scarlet ibis that had died earlier in the story. Both were helpless.