Unforeseen Consequences Essay Example

do not care for him.

Like any other child, he constantly craves attention throughout the story. His babysitter, Mrs. Conin, provides him with guidance by taking him to a revival meeting near the local river. The meeting is led by a supposedly renowned preacher who promises that accepting God into their lives will lead to Heaven. At the meeting, Harry observes people getting baptized in the river of life, which the preacher claims will guide them to the Kingdom of God.

Harry, influenced by his parents' lack of guidance, innocently believes that going into the river is a path to meeting God. This flawed way of thinking leads to his tragic suicide. Meanwhile, The Artificial Nigger portrays a grandfather ill-equipped to care for his foster child due to the absence of his wife and daughter. Nelson, the child, suffers under his poor parenting.

The grandfather's domineering and egocentric nature results in him having an inflated opinion of himself. Whenever Nelson finds himself in trouble, the grandfather disowns him. For instance, when Nelson unintentionally bumps into an elderly woman, the grandfather, Mr. Head, disavows any association with Nelson and departs, leaving Nelson to handle the situation alone. Furthermore, Mr. Head misleads Nelson with erroneous societal beliefs.

As the story unfolds, Nelson's thoughts are shaped by his grandfather's insinuation that African Americans are a danger to society and don't fit in. Initially, Nelson lacks knowledge of what an African American looks like. However, as time passes, he becomes more reliant on his grandfather and loses his ability to think independently because of the constant directives from him.

Mr. Head is upset that Nelson continues to have a fondness for African Americans,

as he approaches a woman who greets him warmly. The grandfather takes advantage of Nelson's reliance on him when he becomes lost after hitting the woman. Nelson follows his grandfather quickly in an attempt to catch up with him. During all of this, Nelson has been accepting the inaccurate perspectives of the grandfather. These beliefs influence Nelson's perception of society, making him think negatively about all African Americans.

Despite having initially trusted his grandfather, Nelson eventually loses faith in him and flees after Mr. Head tests his dependence in a childish manner, causing him to awaken abruptly. Mr. Head had instilled in Nelson a belief that all African Americans posed a threat to society. At the end of the story, Nelson declares that he never wishes to return to his birthplace, which is where this event occurred.

The poor upbringing of individuals can lead to a pessimistic outlook on society, which highlights the importance for adopted children to receive love, care and guidance from responsible parents. It is crucial for parents to take on their duty of directing their child towards a successful life path. Religion also plays an important role in this aspect as evidenced by the parental figures in these stories who do not believe in God.

Selfish parenting is the root cause of children's misguidedness, leading to dire consequences. In both stories, parental figures display self-centered behavior, focusing only on their own concerns. In The River, this misguidance and selfishness ultimately leads to tragedy for an innocent child.