Esperanza views her mother as a pretty, warm loving person: "my mother's hair, my mothers hair, like little rosettes, like little candy circles all curly and pretty because she pinned it in pincurls all day, sweet to put your nose into when she is holding you, holding you and you feel safe- (6). ... The day of her cousin's baptism her mother doesn't bring home the shoes Esperanza wanted for her new outfit, showing Esperanza she really doesn't care about her feelings. ... "Mama dances, laughs, dances. All of a sudden, mama is sick" (47). ...

• Word Count: 1635
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

October 26, 1995 is the day that I was born. ... There weren't any hospitals nearby in the village, so a day before my mom was due, my parents travelled to the city to give birth to me. ... The first word I said was "Mama and that was around when I was a one year old. ... I love school, and learning new things every day. ... She is a very hard working woman, and one day I wish to be just like her....

• Word Count: 1387
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

PARENTS AND KIDS RELATIONSHIPS "October Sky" by Joe Johnston and "Every Day Use" by Alice Walker's stories deal with parents and kids relationships. ... In "Every Day Use" it's a story narrated by a woman who describes her self as "a large, big-boned woman with rough, woman-working hands." ... This was shown when she says to her mother "She can have them, Mama, I can still remember Grandma Dee without the quilts." ... As well as "Every Day Use" by Alice Walker provided us a list of conflicts, which made Maggie and her mother relationship very static. ...

• Word Count: 1757
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School