Building Bridges

 Building Bridges Essay

Jared Dougall 711

              Symbols can be used in many different ways, such as to show ideas and feelings, and to help a story flow. In the short story, “Building Bridges”, the author, Andrea Davis Pinkney demonstrates how symbols can portray characters thoughts and emotions in many ways, and by using symbols she helps progress the plot. She uses symbols such as the Ham Skillet, the Brooklyn Bridge and Mama Lil’s cigarette within the short story. Mama Lil, Bebe’s 73 year old grandmother, is illiterate and racist, and uneducated, but a person with good intentions, through and through. Bebe, a teen who is independent and heavy-set, and doesn’t care about her appearance. The two are arguing over whether or not Bebe should work on a team to help renovate the Brooklyn Bridge. They both go to symbols that show freedom, regret, remorse and hope. Without these symbols, the story wouldn’t move along as well.

              Furthermore, a symbol that the author uses is Brooklyn Bridge itself to show Bebe’s hope for freedom and independence from her grandmother, and Bebe’s passion for engineering. “Ahead in the distance, stood the Brooklyn Bridge. This was the best spot in Brooklyn’s Red Hook section for seeing the bridge. I’d come to this corner and studied the bridge millions of times. And on every one of those times, I was taken by what I would come to call Brooklyn Belle.” This quote shows that Bebe escapes Mama Lil’s constricting grip by going to the bridge and experiencing ‘Brooklyn Bell’. Bebe wants to work on the bridge and to become an engineer, and Mama Lil is stopping her, so she gets as close to her dream as she can. “Tonight I’d draw Belle with her lighted cape. I sketched slowly at first, then faster, my pencil working with the speed of my excitement – the thrill that worked me over every time I sketched that bridge.” Additionally, this quote shows how much Bebe loves engineering, and how much she longs to break through the limits, and see what she can do.

              Secondly, another symbol used by Andrea Davis Pinkney is Mama Lil’s cigarette, which shows Mama Lil’s way of escaping. Mama Lil has had a pathetic life, and has achieved nothing. So to retreat from her miserable life she smokes the world away. “I’m enjoying my cig, Bebe,” she said, “It tastes better with my eyes closed.” Mama Lil’s dialogue shows the reader that she is neglecting Bebe, and is taking the easy way out of life; smoking blindly. Mama Lil is doing this because she is old and has had a terrible life where she has achieved nothing. “The cigarette had burned to ash. Its smoke had gone, but its heavy odor remained in the room.” This quote symbolizes that Mama Lil’s life was gone, but the hardships she faces still burdened her. It also symbolizes that Mama Lil had wasted her life to the point where the only thing worth living for is Bebe, and she was wasting that too.

              Finally, the special ham skillet that Mama Lil made for Bebe was also a symbol. When Mama Lil was asking for forgiveness of Bebe the morning of the bridge team meeting, she made Bebe’s favorite breakfast. “I awoke to the smell of Dunbar’s Ham coming from the kitchen. The sun hadn’t risen; twilight slowly approached. I listened for Mama Lil’s TV, but all I heard was crackling grease and the shuffle of Mama Lil’s feet against the kitchen tile.” The ham represents Mama Lil’s remorse for stopping Bebe’s hopes and dreams. She shows her asking forgiveness by getting up at the crack of dawn to serve Bebe the ham, which is only served on special occasions.   “When I got to the Kitchen, my place was set. Mama Lil scurried between the stove and the table, setting down napkins, pouring orange juice, flipping the ham as it rustled in the skillet.” That quote also shows that Mama Lil put in a good faith effort to help Bebe get to the bridge. Also, Mama Lil put in a great deal of effort to please Bebe on her big day.

              In conclusion, the ham, bridge and cigarette were all extremely effective ways of demonstrating ideas throughout the story, and also helped progress the plot. Mama Lil and Bebe’s character arch were supported by the symbols, which not only moved along their character arch, but also moved along the plot as a whole. The bridge really showed Bebe’d disparity, the cigarette showed Mama Lil’s regret, and the ham also demonstrates Mama Lil’s asking for forgiveness. All in all, symbols really do rock!

MY NAME

MY NAME:

My name is Jared Anson Yachuda Heim Dougall. Jared Anson, for my family. I was named after my great grandparents Jack and Janet, so that is where the "J" comes from. Sometimes I don't like having a 'J', it's much to common. Anson, well, my great grandmother Anne was a favorite of my mother's, so to honor her I am literally 'Anne's son'. I feel like my name is one big commemorative statue to those in my family, while my brother's name 'Cailan' was chosen just because my parents "liked it".

You can kind of guess who's the favorite...

 

I was named Yachuda after Yachuda Macabee, a warrior in the Jewish religion who fought the Romans and kept our people alive. He retaliated after the Romans eviscerated one of our temples, which sparked the story of Chanukah. So I am pretty much named after the 'founder of Chanukah', which I find to be pretty cool, being that Chanukah is my favorite Jewish holiday. Next, I am Heim, which means 'life' in Hebrew. So I am a "Warrior Who Embraces Life", which I think describes me pretty accurately.

 

Ms. Cunningham asked us to pick an animal, an element and a color to describe us, and I came up with some good ideas. I was thinking 'Orange Uranium Wolf", and I know what you're thinking right now, "What the heck is he thinking? Uranium? Pfft...". But before you condemn me, hear me out. Orange, soft to the touch, sweet like an orange, yet volatile and powerful. Uranium, radiant, explosive, sought after, powerful and versatile. Wolf, strong, fierce, travels in packs, loyal and a protector of the young. So next time when you think the name Jared Anson Yachuda Heim Dougall, think Orange Uranium Wolf.

To Kill A Mocking Bird

TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD

The book to kill a mocking bird changed my life. The book was fantastic, and I loved it. I really admired Harper Lee for writing a book like this in the 40s, and openly opposed segregation on a national scale. I think Harper Lee showed a lot of courage to right a book like this. I think that even though this book has a lot of explicit content, this book should be 'censored' for kids of the age of 9-10, and should be a read aloud required for that age level. If you don't know about history then you are bound to repeat it's mistakes.

I think Harper Lee displays courage through some of the characters in this book. Such as when Atticus defends Tom Robinson from the angry farmers in the middle in the middle of the night. This is important because at the time of segregation, a white man defending a black man for a crime is uncommon and is a big deal. Atticus displays courage and moral, and he shows that he is a good guy.

In conclusion, To Kill A Mocking Bird was a fantastic book. It illustrated the injustice in the south during segregation. Harper Lee showed a lot of courage to write a book like this, and I really look up to her for that. I hope that everybody gets to read this book in their life time, because it will change your life. If Harper Lee had not written this book, then maybe segregation would have never ended.