We'll talk about the James McBride book "The Color of Water" on Thursday.
Ruth McBride refused to reveal her past to her children.
How has your knowledge -- or lack thereof -- about your family background shaped your own self-image?
Write a paragraph. Grammar, spelling and punctuation don't count.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The knowledge of my family has shaped my self-image. It is like taboo to take about the past issues and therefore, I see myself as a keeper or all secret. We don't talk about the way people look. If I feel like if I dare to think about myself as fat or skinny then I don't know what I am. I am hard on myself about the way my face looks even though I know that it is the way the family is and I can't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteThe knowledge of my family background has helped me in a great way to shape my own self image, this being because ive been able to see what my Mother and my Father were like along with my grandparents. It helped me realize exactly what i wanted to be and what exactly i did not want to turn into. This being through my childhood years my family has had some trouble with alcholism. This has helped me realize that i never want to put anyone i care about in the kind of situation that i was put into in my younger years. Also i have had many people that i admire and that i look up to, like my grandfather a unbeliveable man who i love very much and that i know i can always go to when S*%^ hits the fan. He understands where i come from and his best trait is that he will not ever be the kind of man who just jumps on a side he will help you to understand the situation at hand and will help you make the best decision! Understanding your family helps you decide what you want to do and what you want to become. This is why understanding your family background is very important in shaping your future
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I've been strongly influenced by the German side of my family. My grandmother was German and spoke the language a little bit. When I had a chance to take a foreign language in school, I chose German. When I had a chance to be a foreign exchange student in high school, I went to Germany. I minored in German in college. I got a job in Germany and lived in Munich for nine years. When I worked at CNN, I traveled to Germany on business a lot. Now my family is hosting a German foreign exchange student.
ReplyDeleteKristin Bell,
ReplyDeleteRuth McBride reveals very little of her past life to her children. This does not seem to affect them until later on in their lives. This is how the situation plays out for me in my real life. My parents where both much like Ruth, they revealed nothing and said nothing about their pasts. As a child I thought nothing of it. I always thought they just liked to live in the present. It is recently that all this secrecy is starting to affect me. I would love to know more about past history involving issues such as health history, relatives, and past issues. This I have come to terms with the fact that I will probably not find out anything about their pasts. They are closed doors not willing to open up.
My self-image is only somewhat related to what I know about my family history. Almost all of my family comes from a Jewish backround, so I was raised around Judaism. Over the years, I have been taught to believe in the jewish religion, but since I have matured, I feel that I do not agree with the rest of my family. Having the opportunity to witness first hand how the Jewish practice their religion has shaped me to think deeper about my spirituality. I have learned what religion really is about by being around alll of my family members. With recent deaths of close family members, I have looked deep within myself to try to find out what I really believe
ReplyDeleteMy family is not close when it comes to family thats not imidiate. I think its difficult to not know much about parts of my family because I loose the opportunity to find out what they went through and what some family trates are. I also have to go to my parents to ask them if parts of my family have ever had health issues or things that I should be aware of. Overall not being close to a lot of my family can be a stuggle becaue now I just have to try and look out for things that could be signs of health issues. I wish i knew more about my family and was closer because I know of a few family members, that I didn't know have died and their families don't want diagnosises done, so if I have the problems its less of a chance that I will know.
ReplyDeleteI think knowing my families back ground helped me appreciate them more. I think knowing also helped me respect certain people’s situations more because I knew that my family had gone through it and I knew how they had made it through. It also helped me decide what path I wanted to go into in life. By knowing my family’s history I believe it made me stronger as a person because I knew what things I should stay away from. I feel like I know myself more and can be myself more from knowing my family’s history. It’s not always fun hanging out with people you don’t know but it is fun to get to know people. I think it’s just as fun learning about your family, learning about where you came from. I don’t know much about my dad’s family and it isn’t as fun hanging around them because I don’t feel like I truly know them and share anything with them. If you know your family’s history then I feel like that makes you closer in a way because you all share those stories and it helps you realize who they are therefore your learning about who you are, or at least who part of you is. I think a big part of me is my family. So all in all I believe in knowing my family’s background it gave me understanding and strength.
ReplyDeleteMy parents have never really revealed much about their history. The only thing that I know for sure was that my mother side is French but I don't really know much about my fathers side. It wasn't until I read "The Color of Water" that I really even wanted to know more about my family. I would like to know more about my fathers side of the family since most of the health problems are on his side such as heart conditions and my grandfather had diabetes. I would also like to know more about the realatives I have and know more about the past issues that my family has had. Like why i have half uncles and aunts and what it was like for them to grow up on a farm. But I have never really asked about my family history which is why I haven't gotten any answers.
ReplyDeleteMy families backround has deffinetely shaped me into the person i am today. Each one of my family members have shared stories with me that have helped me get through multiple situations. Also I feel that after my parents had shared there pasts with me it helped me develop my love for music. It's important for parents to share their pasts with their children because the morals of their stories teaches there kids valueble lessons and can prevent them from making mistakes and also incourage them to try new things.
ReplyDeleteMy family has always been close: both on my father's side and my mother's side. Family gatherings would always tend to stir up some old memories. Sometimes the stories were not so flattering, but I leanred more and more about my parents over the course of the years. As I got older and started to share my thoughts with my parents, they would give me thier insight on anything I was having trouble with. Most of these stoies statred with: "Well, when I was your age," or "Remember, I was 17 once too you know." I also learned a lot about my extened family and how it was growing up in my grandparents house. I suppose I would say that I have a "healthy" understanding of my family's history in all aspects and the lessons that I have gained from them have helped mold my self-image. Because of my upbringing and the choices I was taught were right, I have seen myself become a better person.
ReplyDeletethe knowledge of my family history has not contributed to my self image very much. i am not that into my families past and therefore i shape my image around my current family and my surroundings. however the thought of getting more into my families past is very interesting to me. i would like to look more into my history and understand more of where i come from.
ReplyDeleteI don’t really know much about my family history. My grandparents on my moms side of the family died when I was to young to remember them. On my dads side my grandfather also died when I was young but, my grandmother is still alive but has not talked at all about here childhood or her own family history. As for my parents, they have not talked about the history of our family. I know so little about my families past so it has not transformed my life in any way. I do sometimes wish that I knew more about their past.
ReplyDeleteThe knowledge I have about my family's history has greatly influenced my self-image. My parents and I are very close and we share everthing with each other. At times I will sit down with either my mom or dad and listen to stories about their past. Sometimes it is hard for them to share somethings, but they are little life lessons that mean a great deal to me. Hearing certain things that happened to them when they were my age makes me very greatful for the life I have. I have an uncle that is an alcoholic that rarely comes around. He lives out of state, and some of the stories I hear are shocking and help me to decide what I do and don't want in my life. There are many different aspects of my family history that shape who I am as a person today.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know much about my families past. I never had the chance to meet my grandparents on my fathers side and my grandmother just passed away on my mothers side, so I really don't know much. I can say that my family history has not contributed much to my self image today. I am more independent and like to keep thoughts to myself. That's just the way I've always been. I am also insecure about my looks/appearance. I honestly don't think that if I knew more about my families history, it wouldn't change the person I am today.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge about my family has helped shape who I am quite a bit. I have known about my parents past and heritage for a long time they never kept any secrets from me. They raised me the same way they were brought up by their parents. Recently i went on an overseas trip to Ireland with my parents, because we wanted to see the land our ancestors grew up and lived their lives and learn about our history. The Irish are comfortable with drinking at younger age so my family has adopted that from our history and I have been allowed to drink responsibly since I turned 18. My life has been greatly impacted by my past and Im sure my future will be impacted as well.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge of my families past is very faint. My dad was adopted when he was very young and did not who his maternal mother was. This hampers my knowledge on my families past which is detrimental to me knowing where my family came from and what heritage i am. Not knowing my families past does not effect my self image i built my own personality and self image on who my parents are not on my families background.
ReplyDeleteAshley Gonier
ReplyDeleteI dont think that my family history has had a lot to do with who I am as a person today. But it has had a little. Most of my family is either French or French-Canadian. This has shaped me as a person today because it has inspired me to learn French. I took French for all four years of my high school and am taking it my freshman year in college. I would like to see that if I knew more about my history how my personality would be today. It might or might not have changed who I am.