Families are important to people and society especially during difficult times. Having a strong connection to a supportive family is critical in one’s journey of life. In fact, people are sometimes forced to travel miles to reconnect with their families. Such opportunities allow them to make new memories and connections as well as building strong relationships. The four literacy pieces, Those Winter Sundays, My Papa’s Waltz, Cathedral and The Lottery, reinforce the importance of family at all levels ranging from parenting, creating connections to helping members overcome challenges.
Parenting as a component of family is a means through which parents and children forge strong relationships. For instance, in the poem, Those Winter Sundays, Hayden is seen reflecting on the parenting style of his father, especially how he provided for them. The fact that his father worked even on Sundays, as evidenced in stanza 1 show how determined he was in providing for his family. The same is replicated in the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz” where the boy admits he loves his father in spite of his many flaws. Despite being “very physical and tough” as described in Lines 15-16, he dances around the kitchen with his son. It is these kinds of memories that keep people close to their families.
Furthermore, families also help people overcome challenges and forge new connections. For instance, in Raymond Carver’s Cathedral, Robert and his wife cripple with the issue of connection but as the story unfolds, he undergoes reawakening. It took the intervention of a third party, Robert, to help the narrator break through the walls of isolation. Similarly, in The Lottery, families are united in an effort to address the impending challenge of the Lottery (Jackson 26). Although the Lottery caused families to turn against each other, the members seemed to find a way of getting together and mourn for the loss of a member. Ideally, families are important and the relationships developed cannot be broken regardless of how complex the challenge is.
In conclusion, families are important to people especially during hard times. As evidenced in the literacy pieces, parenting styles plays an important role in determining how children relate to their parents. In Those Winter Sundays, for instance, Hayden reminisces how his father was committed to providing for them. In fact, he regrets why he never thanked his father for being there for them. In essence, families define who turn out to be in life.
Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “Cathedral.” Religion and the Arts 2.3 (1998): 279-298.
Hayden, Robert. “Those Winter Sundays.” The Heath Anthology of American Literature 2 (1962).
Jackson, Shirley. “The lottery.” In the Mind’s Eye. Routledge, 2021. 43-54.
Roethke, Theodore, and William De Witt Snodgrass. My papa’s waltz. Bluestem Press, College of Saint Benedict, 2001.