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  • Growing Up

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    Russell Baker's piece "Growing Up" tells the story of his complex relationship with his mother and her declining mental health. He uses descriptions of her past lively nature, with her "chin thrust forward" and always seeming "on the run," to contrast with the shell of a woman she became. Baker employs the motif of movement to both celebrate the woman his mother once was and chronicle her later bedridden days as her mind slipped away. This changing use of movement enhances the feelings of loss and longing the author experienced throughout this bittersweet story of his mother.

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    Russell Baker's piece "Growing Up" tells the story of his complex relationship with his mother and her declining mental health. He uses descriptions of her past lively nature, with her "chin thrust forward" and always seeming "on the run," to contrast with the shell of a woman she became. Baker employs the motif of movement to both celebrate the woman his mother once was and chronicle her later bedridden days as her mind slipped away. This changing use of movement enhances the feelings of loss and longing the author experienced throughout this bittersweet story of his mother.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    7 views2 pages

    Growing Up

    Uploaded by

    smithm12S
    Russell Baker's piece "Growing Up" tells the story of his complex relationship with his mother and her declining mental health. He uses descriptions of her past lively nature, with her "chin thrust forward" and always seeming "on the run," to contrast with the shell of a woman she became. Baker employs the motif of movement to both celebrate the woman his mother once was and chronicle her later bedridden days as her mind slipped away. This changing use of movement enhances the feelings of loss and longing the author experienced throughout this bittersweet story of his mother.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 2

    MalcolmI.

    Smith
    APLACPer.4
    GrowingUpbyRussellBakerEssay

    GrowingUp
    byRussellBakertellsthestohispiecememorializesandmournsthisvacant
    shellthatusedtoheusedtocallmom,creatingafeelingofbittersweethappinessweavedinto
    thisstory.
    AsRussellopensthisstoryaboutthecomplexrelationshipbetweenhimandhismotherin
    thecatastrophicstateofhermentalhealth,todrawthereaderintothisstoryoflosshemustpaint
    apictureofthewomenhismotherusedtobe,Mymotherhadhurledherselfatlifewithchin
    thrustforward,eyesblazing,andanenergythatalwaysmadeherseemontherun(56).This
    picturethatRussellpaintsofhismotherstandsinstarkcontrasttothewomenatthebeginningof
    thestory.ThesenseofmovementthatRussellusesinthequoteevokeasenseofastrongwilled
    nature,especiallychinthrustforward.Asenseofadmirationandaweisfeltthroughthese
    words,asifthereaderisalsoexperiencingitthroughRussellseyesasachild.To
    counterbalancethelackoflifeinhismother,Russellusessuchquotesas,Sheranwhenshe
    madethebed,sheranwhenshemadethetable(57).Therepeateduseofthewordrunplacesan
    emphasisonwhatRussellmostwantsustogetoutthissentencethefactthathismotherwas
    oncefulloflifeandjoy.ThemovementsthatRussellincludesformatypeofhappinessthatwe
    feelwehavelostwhenwearetransportedbacktothemotherwiththeslippingmindandailing
    body.

    Alongwiththeuseofmovementasawaytocelebrateandrememberhismother,itisalso
    usedinamoresomberwaytochroniclethebedriddendaysofhismotherashermindcontinues
    toslip.CompletelydifferenttothewaysRussellusedmovementinalightertone,inadditionit
    isusedtoexpresssomeofthedarkerthemesofthestory.Inthesefreewheelingexcursions
    backthroughtimetorecapturehappiness(58)Thelongingisevidentinthislineaswenowsee
    Russellusemovementinatotallydifferentway.Heabandonsthestrong,securemovementfor
    morefreeflowing,undefinedmovements.Thepatternoftheuseofmovementtoenhancethe
    emotionoflossthattheauthorisfeelingthroughoutthispieceisbestrepresentedbythe
    followingquote,Fortenyearsormore,theveracitywithwhichshehadonceattackedlifehad
    beenturningintoarageagainsttheweakness(58).Thestoryasksalotofthereader,itasksthe
    readertoreallydigdeepintothestorytoconnectwithwhatRussellisfeeling.Ifwecannot
    experiencethesamesenseoflossandhopelessnessashim,themessageofthisstoryfallsondeaf
    ears.Andoneofthewaysinwhichhedoesitis,astheaboveshows,isthroughmovement.By
    conjuringuptheseimagesofavivid,lively,activewomen,whenRussellswitchesbacktothe
    pictureofthefadingwomen,thesenseofsomethingmissingisevident.Itriedtotravelalong
    withheronthosefantasticswoopsintothepast(59).
    Inconclusion,

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