Elders play a great influential role in a child’s life Essay Example
Elders play a great influential role in a child’s life Essay Example

Elders play a great influential role in a child’s life Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (826 words)
  • Published: September 11, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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In both Budge Wilson's The Charmer and Tayeb Salih's A Handful of Dates, there is a noticeable similarity in the character types that reflect each other. The Grandfather and Zack are particularly striking examples, as they both have a significant influence on the narrators' childhoods in various ways. However, this influence cannot be considered positive, as their actions, speeches, and selfishness contribute to the negative impact they have.

The negative actions and behaviors of the main characters had a detrimental impact on the narrators' childhoods. These actions included setting harmful examples for the innocent and young. In the story "The Charmer," Winifred failed to recognize Zachary's wrongdoings and saw him as a great person because he didn't get into trouble. For instance, when their mother left a chocolate layered cake on the kitchen table with a note stating "Death To Anyone W

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ho Touches It" for a church event, Zachary took a portion of it and turned the note upside down, leaving crumbs all over the floor when their mother returned after two hours.

Disregarding the reason or recipient of the cake, he would suddenly kneel down, transforming into "The Ultimate Prodigal Son." Family members observed from the corner of the room, including Winifred and her siblings. In A Handful of Dates, the grandfather's negative behavior included speaking ill of their neighbor Masood behind his back, an action repeatedly demonstrated throughout the story.

Speaking negatively about others is strictly forbidden, something that a supposedly righteous individual like himself should recognize. Additionally, bragging about acquiring ill-gotten goods was a regular habit for him. The grandfather boasted about the land he possessed, which was obtained illegally by Masood. The situation

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parallels that in The Charmer.

Both the main characters in The Charmer and A Handful of Dates appeared to be highly respected, kind-hearted, and knowledgeable in their own ways. However, they both set bad examples for young children by speaking ill of others and acting hypocritically despite their knowledge and apparent goodness. As a result, the impressionable children followed in their footsteps. It is important to remember that an elder's speech and words of wisdom can greatly impact a child's character.

Zack and his grandfather appeared knowledgeable, skilled orators, and deeply religious. However, their true nature was revealed to be egotistic and selfish, which only the young and innocent, like Winifred and the grandson, were exposed to. This realization taught them that things are not always as they seem.

Aside from the words and actions of the characters, the narrator's childhood was impacted by their own selfishness. In 'The Charmer', when Winifred's sister Lizzie lay dying in hospital, everyone gathered by her side except for Zack who arrived only after her passing. This failure to show up for his family, and particularly Lizzie in her time of need, shattered Winifred's perception of Zack as the perfect brother. Seeing that he prioritised his own desires over his family's needs caused Winifred to feel disgusted and frustrated. Similarly, in 'A Handful of Dates', when the grandfather discussed their neighbour Masood with his grandson (who is also the narrator), he revealed a previously unseen aspect of his personality.

During a conversation, the grandfather expressed that he did not own any land when he arrived in the village and that Masood was the wealthy owner. However, he stated that he would buy

the remaining third of the land before Masood passed away. This conversation highlighted the grandfather's insensitivity in a new way. (A Handful of Dates, P.126)

It was evident that, upon Masood's departure from this world, all three portions of the land would belong to the grandson according to grandfather's declaration. However, it remains unclear how he is certain that Masood would be called upon first by Allah. His self-centered and conceited attitude led him to assume that he was entitled to a longer lifespan than Masood, despite their differing present circumstances. This arrogance fueled his greed and impaired his judgment, which ultimately caused the grandson to harbor negative feelings towards his grandfather.

Despite having different plots, the two stories share similarities in characterization. Zack and the grandfather served as negative role models during the narrators' childhood due to their selfishness and misuse of religion. When the narrators entered adolescence, they recognized the flaws and behavior of their elders. Although Zack and the grandfather influenced the loss of innocence in both narrators, they also prevented them from following in their footsteps. For instance, in The Charmer, Winifred's growing awareness made her realize the importance of dealing with her own children differently before they became like her charming but problematic brother, Zack.

After reading both tales, I have developed the notion that children possess the ability to perceive a person's true essence, penetrating through their facade just like slicing into a cake. With their innate intuition and purity, they excel at determining what is right and wrong.

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