Birth represents a beginning of a new. For some, it’s
growing and developing into something whole. It can, for others, be a second
chance to make things better. When Abdul entered Precious’s picture, his birth
gave her the determination she needed to go forth with her education. She says,
“Now instead of life for me I got Abdul. But I love Abdul. I want go school
love Abdul… (69)”. Precious never had anybody to fight for. Realizing that she
now as Abdul to care for herself, she knows she must also go and give herself
that it chance for herself and Abdul. Precious’s desire to be a “good mom”
expresses her willpower to go to school and make something out of herself for
the love of her son.
Throughout her hardships in life, she never had that one
source to turn to for comfort. I cannot imagine how isolated Precious feels
throughout her entire life. But everyone has the need to be loved and accepted,
even if it’s only one person. Throughout chapter 3, Ms. Rain turns into a form
of a “motherly figure” for Precious by giving her advice and the encouragement
to continue school. Precious has never had someone in her life to look out for
her. Trust is critical for forming any relationships with anybody. For Precious
to talk to Ms. Rain about her father raping her, she is finally opening up to
others and learning to trust.
When Precious leaves home, she turns to Ms. Rain for
support. I believe that this moment was one of the most difficult for Precious.
Turning to someone for help requires great humility and for Precious, she never
had an opportunity to be humble. Accepting the help from Ms. Rain shows that
she is accepting care and acceptance from her. Precious says about her mother, “If she ever
said a kind word to me I don’t remember it (85)”. So for Precious to get
kindness from Ms. Rain, she is shocked and welcomes it.
As Precious becomes closer with her classmates when she
tells them she has AIDS. She then starts to refer to them as “friends”, marking
that she is finally making relationships with people around her and knowing she
is not alone in the world. With this newfound confidence, and now with friends
to back her up, she could approach new problems with the assurance that she is
loved. But will these new feelings and people become too much for her? Will she
learn how to love in return?
I agree with Jeanine that "Ms. Rain turns into a form of a “motherly figure” for Precious by giving her advice and the encouragement to continue school." Precious becomes closer with Ms. Rain when she begins writing to her from the hospital. She was able to tell her about everything she's been through, and she took all of Ms. Rain's opinions into consideration. It's important for Precious to have this motherly relationship in her life because she basically doesn't have a mother, and she needs to know about resources that are available to her, such as the "1/2way house."
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jeanine and April that Ms.Rain turns into a motherly figure for Precious in chapter 3. This is the first real relationship Precious has ever formed with anyone and sadly it happened at sixteen years old. Ms.Rain is enabling Precious to develop interpersonal skills that will help guide her through life and help her become successful.
ReplyDeleteJeanine's reflection on chapter 3 is more then true. Precious finally has someone to turn to for comfort, support, and to even just have a conversation with. Ms. Rain turns into a motherly figure for Precious. Ms. Rain cant stand to see her in these tough of situations at such a young age. For example when Precious is sitting in the floor in Hotel Theresa and Ms. Rain walks in and sees her she says, "You are gonna be living somewhere, as god is my witness. As GOD is my witness" (79). This just goes to show that Precious is finally starting to develop a healthy human relationship like Jeanine has stated, people are finally starting to care for her.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that Precious wants to fight for and be someone for Abdul. I found this to be extremely interesting. Many children and young adults model what they become by what their parents are like. Unfortunately, when children are raised in troubled homes, they take after their parents. I am happy that Precious goes the opposite route of her parents. She wants to be there for her children Abdul and little Mongo. Rather than putting them through the pain and hardships she has been through, she wants to provide for her children and be someone. When I read that Precious has AIDS I was heartbroken. I feel that is unfair. Her parents have set her up for failure in every aspect of her life. I am proud of Precious for turning her life around by working for an education. I am also happy that Precious has found a support system through her friends that she has made at school and through her teacher Ms. Rain.
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