First paragraph in and I already want to give this strong woman a hug. The loss of a child is never something a parent should have to go through even if their child is an adult. I watched my Nana Honey lose my Uncle John and it was truly life changing. I like Isabel’s perspective of how she is still the same girl 50 years later. It shows that although we change we will always have younger versions of us and their values inside of us. “You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich ” I like this quote because it is really true. If you do not connect with others you never really live the most of your life. Human connection brings so much value to life that you would never think. It gives perspective and experience. “Loving them is my joy ” This is exactly how I feel about my family. Watching my little cousins grow up and experience life is beautiful. Seeing how they develop their own perspectives and experiences deepens my own as they share theirs with me. Watching my family older than me accomplish their dreams is also so fulfilling. My mom was the oldest sibling and had me when she was 25 so my aunts and uncles were still teens and early 20s when raising me. I got to see them accomplish their dreams and grow their own families. “What is the point of having experience and knowledge if I don’t give it away?” This whole long quote in the book is exactly how I think of life. What’s the point if I can not share it?? I really love Isabel’s perspective and I also wrote down 2 of these quotes in my quotes I love list on my phone.
The big idea of the piece of writing called In Giving I Connect with Others by Isabel Allende she overcame losing her daughter from cancer. She explains that she was able to realize that she still had so much to give even after her daughter’s death. This story shows how sometimes tragedy can make you think about yourself and life in a different way.
An idea that I agreed with in this piece of writing was how tragedy can help you grow and think about life in a new perspective. In the piece it states “However, that year also gave me an opportunity to reflect upon my journey and the principles that hold me together”. I agree very much with this quote. I had to learn who I was again after someone very close to me in my family passed away. I had to learn who I was without her. I think many people would be able to relate to the quote from the writing.
An idea that confused me in this piece of writing was how she described losing her daughter. She described it as a “cleansing experience”. I totally understand where she was coming from when stating this, but I think there could have been another way to describe the way she was feeling. I don’t think losing anyone that you love is a “cleaning experience”. I believe it is the total opposite, you have to find who you are, but it’s not a cleansing experience, you don’t feel good being on your own.
The big idea of this piece is the author’s belief that giving to others is the central focus of her life. She states that after the death of her daughter, while she felt empty by her loss, she realized that she was still full of love; something that could be given and shared with others. Through this act of giving, she states that she is able to connect with others and, in whole, connect “with the world.”
One quote that I liked in this writing was when the author said in response to sharing her experiences, wealth, and stories with others, “I don’t intend to be cremated with any of it!” I liked how this particular quote emphasizes that while all of these material and experiential things might be important to us right now, in the end, if they are kept only to ourselves, they will die with us. But by sharing them with others, these things are instead able to live on well beyond our own time. Through giving, we are able to help and contribute greatly to the lives of the people we love.
One quote that I didn’t really like from this piece was when the author stated in regard to her husband, son, and grandchildren“Frankly, I don’t know if they even like me.” While I understand the point she is trying to make about selfless love, I also think that this quote is a bit of an overstatement. I have a feeling that she would definitely be able to sense if the people she loved didn’t love her back in return.
The entire point of Allende’s “In Giving I Connect With Others” is to share her belief in giving. She walks through her story of how she lost her daughter to an illness. Isabel’s daughter was always giving all the way up to when she passed away. This sentiment taught Allende to give everything she had in life because that’s what made her happiest. One moment in the essay I liked was when she stated, “I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things.” (Allende, 13). This statement holds true for many many people. Everyone tries to live in a hurry to get everything they want to do, done. It is rare that people take a moment to slow down and liev in the moment. I like this statement because it is important to just slow down once in a while and take a deep breath. One thing in Allende’s essay that I disagree with is “ Because of Paula, I don’t cling to anything anymore.” (Allende, 14). I understand where she is coming from however, I personally wouldn’t be able not cling to things. I am a very sentimental person and I feel things very deeply. So I personally would turn to clinging to everything I possibly could.
The big idea of this piece is the author’s belief that giving to others is the central focus of her life. She states that after the death of her daughter, while she felt very empty by her loss, she realized that she was still full of love, something that could be given and shared with others. Through this act of giving, she is able to connect with others and also connect “with the world.”
One quote that I liked in this writing was when the author said in response to sharing her experiences, wealth, and stories, “I don’t intend to be cremated with any of it!” I liked how this particular quote emphasizes that while all of these material and experiential things might be important to us right now, they all, in the end, will die with us. But by sharing them with others, these things are instead able to live on well past our own time. Through giving, we are able to help and contribute greatly to the lives of the people we love.
One quote that I didn’t really like from this piece was when the author, in regard to her husband, son, and grandchildren, said, “Frankly, I don’t know if they even like me.” While I understand the point she is trying to make about selfless love, I also think that this quote is a bit of an overstatement. She definitely would be able to sense if the people she loved didn’t love her back in return.
In Giving I Connect with Others by Isabel Allende:
What is it? What’s the big idea in this piece?
Isabel Allende’s essay shares the idea of giving and creating human connection through generosity. Many people think of giving as charity, but Allende explains through her own personal experience that giving is not charity, it creates genuine human connection in her eyes. By sharing her time, resources, and energy she creates meaningful connections with other people.
See if you can locate 1 idea/concept or line in the essay and circle it. Explain why you like what you circled.
“ …what is the point of having experience, knowledge, or talent if I don’t give it away?” (Allende 15).
I circled this quote from Allende’s essay because it encapsulates her personality of giving. I also think the way she worded this section of her essay is very powerful. Why be rich if you aren’t going to be willing to share with those in need? Why have so much knowledge and not be willing to educate others with it? I just really enjoyed the undertones of this quote and what it truly means in society.
See if you can locate 1 idea that confuses you or you disagree with. Explain as best you can what confuses you or why you disagree with what you circled.
“It’s by spending yourself that you become rich” (Allende 14).
This quote was confusing to me, I am not completely sure what she is trying to say in this part of the essay. My educated guess would be that she isn’t talking about money when she talks about wealth, but instead she is talking about giving your time and energy to others makes you rich with fulfillment.
Journal #8
Madison Robinson
In Giving I Connect with Others
The essay “In Giving I Connect with Others” written by Isabelle Allende shows how the biggest tragedies can lead to growth and understanding of life. After losing her daughter, Allende was able to reflect on “the principles that [held] her together” (Allende 13). The essay shows how people can go through many different challenges and phases of life but still believe in the same set of values. She also discusses the idea that giving can be much more fulfilling than receiving. One piece of the essay that stuck out to me the most was “it is in giving that I connect with others, with the world, and with the divine” (Allende 15). This reminded me that it is important to give back to others, especially those that have given to me. Having conversations, sharing advice, or giving actual items to people can be a way to connect with friends and family while also feeling accomplished in helping someone. The one piece that I struggle to identify myself with is “…and frankly I don’t know if they even like me; but who cares?” (Allende 15). Personally, I would struggle to continue to give to people if they did not like me. It may be beneficial to not care about how people think of you, but that is something I struggle to practice.
This piece walks through the author’s journey of grief and discovering a new way to go about life. The author talks about losing her daughter and how even though in the moment she felt like she had lost everything, she really realized she still had the ability to love deeply and made her goal in life to love others and care about others just as her daughter used to do. The author believes that if she has it, she should give it and share it with the world. I think the big idea of this piece is giving to the world and to people and building true connections with people through it.
A quote that I liked in this piece is “what is the point of having experience, knowledge, or talent if I don’t give it away?” I really like this quote and fully agree with it as well. I think sometimes people try to keep things bottled up or hidden sometimes as if almost to have a level up on one another but at the end of the day what is the point of that? She goes on later to say that she won’t be cremated with any of it anyway and I think that is so true. What is the point of keeping your knowledge, or experiences or anything to yourself when you can choose to share with others and build more of a connection with people. I think as a society we tend to often overlook this.
“Frankly I don’t know if they even like me. But who cares?” When I get what the author is trying to say in this quote and how it is still important to love and connect with others even if they don’t like you, I think I would still struggle with this personally. I do understand showing kindness and love to people no matter what, but I think that reciprocation is also important and sometimes there comes a time where you have to cut ties with people and while you can still show them respect you don’t always have to be overly kind.
In Giving I Connect With Others
Reading this just made me want to sit in a corner and cry with the author. I don’t believe anyone let alone a mother should have to grieve the loss of their own child they grew in the womb and helped raise. The big idea in this piece is her overcoming losing her daughter and her deciding there’s so much love in giving back to others. She realizes that there’s so much to give in this world, there’s so many ways of giving back to the community and she realizes that there’s more joy in making others happy than making yourself happy.
One line I really enjoyed reading was “Because of Paula, I don’t cling to anything anymore. Now I like to give much more than to receive. I’m happier when I love then when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, my grandchildren, my mother, my dog and frankly I don’t know if they even like me. But who cares? Loving them is my joy.” She realizes the happiness remembering and giving can bring after going through dark times. It’s like Dumbledore says “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn the light on.”
There weren’t a lot of concepts or lines I disagreed with but when she said “The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience.” I could understand where she was coming from, though I don’t think she executed the sentence well. She could have worded it differently to better capture the complexity of grief and transformation we go through after major losses.
This piece was about how the author, Isabel Allende, lost her daughter and more specifically, what she learned from that experience. The author gets to the point straight away, which was surprising and a very unique way of writing, but one that I like. I suppose it could be because of the limited amount she was allowed to write, but it seems that’s also her writing style. I found myself with tears in my eyes multiple times throughout the piece, even though it was just a few pages long. The piece covers sickness & loss very well, explaining with minimal detail, yet full of emotion. It speaks on how such loss will fundamentally change you, yet how you still remain the same person throughout your life, despite the circumstances and possible loss.
I really enjoyed when Allende said, “I am still the girl I was fifty years ago, and the same young woman I was in the seventies. I still lust for life, I am still ferociously independent, I still crave justice, and I fall madly in love easily.” I loved hearing that! I sometimes fear that the older I get, the less life I will have in me. So, I find it relieving and hopeful that the author says this. It reminds me of myself in a way, especially the part about independence.
I wouldn’t say that I disagree with this part, but I was slightly surprised/confused when Allende said, “The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience.” I wish there was a little more clarity with this thought. After, she explains how she had to lose all excess baggage, which provides a little bit of clarity. To me, the word “cleansing” was just a bit surprising!
The essay In Giving I Connect with Others tells the story of how the author Isabel Allende had her values shift after the death of her daughter. Her daughter was a philanthropist, who gave every part of herself helping others. After her death, Isabel took the values of her daughter to heart. She decided to honour her daughter’s legacy by taking up her mantle as a philanthropist. The big idea in this piece is how fulfilling this way of living was for the author, as she writes “now I like to give much more than to receive.” I really liked the line where the author relays her daughter’s mantra, which eventually became hers: “You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich.” The only thing I don’t quite understand is when the author says “I had to throw overboard all excess baggage and keep only what is essential.” I don’t know what she means by “excess baggage.”
This piece is about how the author’s values had changed after the death of her daughter. The Idea in this piece is that the big acts of generosity and giving can help create a sense of connection and strengthen relationships between people. It suggests that giving is not just about the material exchange, but as well as the emotional and social bonds that can be formed through an act of giving.One thing that I liked was that she cared enough to continue to take care of her daughter as much as she could. She didn’t give up and pushed as much as she could. Something that really confused me was when she mentioned that losing her child cleansed her and that she had to basically get rid of the extra baggage that she felt, after the death. This confused me because what does she mean by extra baggage, and that the death cleansed her. How can someone’s death cleanse you. What extra baggage is that from when she escaped and came over, the death of her father or family member. I want to know what baggage she thinks is necessary. I think that it could lead to a bad coping mechanism if that is what she does all the time.
For me, the main idea of this reading that I got was the giving is more fulfilling than recieving. I really like this idea as it’s very true in life and whenever I receive anything it’s okay, I’m grateful but I’d rather give to the people who need it instead of me, and that’s just how I always feel about that. Then a concept that I circled was “you only have what you give.” I picked this because I felt that it hit deep in idea of giving. It forced the mother to shed her previous attachment of “excess baggage” and led her to a new happieness in giving knowledge, wealth, and love to others. One of the most confusing things I thought was when she said she hadn’t changed. That’s because in this story I felt that she was changing into a new and better person learning a new perspective. I don’t know why she thought that but to me it defiantly wasn’t the case for her. I really enjoyed this reading as it hit deep for me, and I could learn a thing or two from it.
The big idea in this piece is all about what grief does to people. Isabel Allende lost her daughter, and after her daughter’s death, she spent a lot of time drowning in her grief. She wanted to do something to honor her daughter, so now she gives back to her community in any way that she can, because her daughter loved doing volunteer work and found fulfillment in it. This piece is all about how one manages grief.
I enjoyed reading about how Isabel Allende changed her worldview because of her daughters death. In the last paragraph of her essay, she talks about how she no longer holds on to wealth or material goods, because what use does she have for them? I like how profoundly changing her daughters death was on her psyche, and what ideologies she has now adapted after.
I disliked when she discussed how her daughters death was a cleansing experience. I know that grief hits everyone differently, I have experienced many ranges of grief myself, but rarely do I see someone mention how cleansing losing someone was. I have never been put in the position of watching someone die slowly, so I cannot relate, but maybe losing someone before they’ve even died is tragic enough that when the person does die, it feels like a breath of relief. It reminds me of a lady from my Universal Unitarian church. Her husband was misdiagnosed with many things, and in the end, he actually had brain cancer. He died a long, painful death, and at his funeral, she mentioned how relieved she was when he did die. I think maybe for her, it was being able to properly say goodbye, instead of grieving a living person.
14 thoughts on “JOURNAL # 8”
Journal 8 Response to Isabel Allende
First paragraph in and I already want to give this strong woman a hug. The loss of a child is never something a parent should have to go through even if their child is an adult. I watched my Nana Honey lose my Uncle John and it was truly life changing. I like Isabel’s perspective of how she is still the same girl 50 years later. It shows that although we change we will always have younger versions of us and their values inside of us. “You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich ” I like this quote because it is really true. If you do not connect with others you never really live the most of your life. Human connection brings so much value to life that you would never think. It gives perspective and experience. “Loving them is my joy ” This is exactly how I feel about my family. Watching my little cousins grow up and experience life is beautiful. Seeing how they develop their own perspectives and experiences deepens my own as they share theirs with me. Watching my family older than me accomplish their dreams is also so fulfilling. My mom was the oldest sibling and had me when she was 25 so my aunts and uncles were still teens and early 20s when raising me. I got to see them accomplish their dreams and grow their own families. “What is the point of having experience and knowledge if I don’t give it away?” This whole long quote in the book is exactly how I think of life. What’s the point if I can not share it?? I really love Isabel’s perspective and I also wrote down 2 of these quotes in my quotes I love list on my phone.
Journal #8:
The big idea of the piece of writing called In Giving I Connect with Others by Isabel Allende she overcame losing her daughter from cancer. She explains that she was able to realize that she still had so much to give even after her daughter’s death. This story shows how sometimes tragedy can make you think about yourself and life in a different way.
An idea that I agreed with in this piece of writing was how tragedy can help you grow and think about life in a new perspective. In the piece it states “However, that year also gave me an opportunity to reflect upon my journey and the principles that hold me together”. I agree very much with this quote. I had to learn who I was again after someone very close to me in my family passed away. I had to learn who I was without her. I think many people would be able to relate to the quote from the writing.
An idea that confused me in this piece of writing was how she described losing her daughter. She described it as a “cleansing experience”. I totally understand where she was coming from when stating this, but I think there could have been another way to describe the way she was feeling. I don’t think losing anyone that you love is a “cleaning experience”. I believe it is the total opposite, you have to find who you are, but it’s not a cleansing experience, you don’t feel good being on your own.
The big idea of this piece is the author’s belief that giving to others is the central focus of her life. She states that after the death of her daughter, while she felt empty by her loss, she realized that she was still full of love; something that could be given and shared with others. Through this act of giving, she states that she is able to connect with others and, in whole, connect “with the world.”
One quote that I liked in this writing was when the author said in response to sharing her experiences, wealth, and stories with others, “I don’t intend to be cremated with any of it!” I liked how this particular quote emphasizes that while all of these material and experiential things might be important to us right now, in the end, if they are kept only to ourselves, they will die with us. But by sharing them with others, these things are instead able to live on well beyond our own time. Through giving, we are able to help and contribute greatly to the lives of the people we love.
One quote that I didn’t really like from this piece was when the author stated in regard to her husband, son, and grandchildren“Frankly, I don’t know if they even like me.” While I understand the point she is trying to make about selfless love, I also think that this quote is a bit of an overstatement. I have a feeling that she would definitely be able to sense if the people she loved didn’t love her back in return.
The entire point of Allende’s “In Giving I Connect With Others” is to share her belief in giving. She walks through her story of how she lost her daughter to an illness. Isabel’s daughter was always giving all the way up to when she passed away. This sentiment taught Allende to give everything she had in life because that’s what made her happiest. One moment in the essay I liked was when she stated, “I have lived with passion and in a hurry, trying to accomplish too many things.” (Allende, 13). This statement holds true for many many people. Everyone tries to live in a hurry to get everything they want to do, done. It is rare that people take a moment to slow down and liev in the moment. I like this statement because it is important to just slow down once in a while and take a deep breath. One thing in Allende’s essay that I disagree with is “ Because of Paula, I don’t cling to anything anymore.” (Allende, 14). I understand where she is coming from however, I personally wouldn’t be able not cling to things. I am a very sentimental person and I feel things very deeply. So I personally would turn to clinging to everything I possibly could.
The big idea of this piece is the author’s belief that giving to others is the central focus of her life. She states that after the death of her daughter, while she felt very empty by her loss, she realized that she was still full of love, something that could be given and shared with others. Through this act of giving, she is able to connect with others and also connect “with the world.”
One quote that I liked in this writing was when the author said in response to sharing her experiences, wealth, and stories, “I don’t intend to be cremated with any of it!” I liked how this particular quote emphasizes that while all of these material and experiential things might be important to us right now, they all, in the end, will die with us. But by sharing them with others, these things are instead able to live on well past our own time. Through giving, we are able to help and contribute greatly to the lives of the people we love.
One quote that I didn’t really like from this piece was when the author, in regard to her husband, son, and grandchildren, said, “Frankly, I don’t know if they even like me.” While I understand the point she is trying to make about selfless love, I also think that this quote is a bit of an overstatement. She definitely would be able to sense if the people she loved didn’t love her back in return.
In Giving I Connect with Others by Isabel Allende:
What is it? What’s the big idea in this piece?
Isabel Allende’s essay shares the idea of giving and creating human connection through generosity. Many people think of giving as charity, but Allende explains through her own personal experience that giving is not charity, it creates genuine human connection in her eyes. By sharing her time, resources, and energy she creates meaningful connections with other people.
See if you can locate 1 idea/concept or line in the essay and circle it. Explain why you like what you circled.
“ …what is the point of having experience, knowledge, or talent if I don’t give it away?” (Allende 15).
I circled this quote from Allende’s essay because it encapsulates her personality of giving. I also think the way she worded this section of her essay is very powerful. Why be rich if you aren’t going to be willing to share with those in need? Why have so much knowledge and not be willing to educate others with it? I just really enjoyed the undertones of this quote and what it truly means in society.
See if you can locate 1 idea that confuses you or you disagree with. Explain as best you can what confuses you or why you disagree with what you circled.
“It’s by spending yourself that you become rich” (Allende 14).
This quote was confusing to me, I am not completely sure what she is trying to say in this part of the essay. My educated guess would be that she isn’t talking about money when she talks about wealth, but instead she is talking about giving your time and energy to others makes you rich with fulfillment.
Journal #8
Madison Robinson
In Giving I Connect with Others
The essay “In Giving I Connect with Others” written by Isabelle Allende shows how the biggest tragedies can lead to growth and understanding of life. After losing her daughter, Allende was able to reflect on “the principles that [held] her together” (Allende 13). The essay shows how people can go through many different challenges and phases of life but still believe in the same set of values. She also discusses the idea that giving can be much more fulfilling than receiving. One piece of the essay that stuck out to me the most was “it is in giving that I connect with others, with the world, and with the divine” (Allende 15). This reminded me that it is important to give back to others, especially those that have given to me. Having conversations, sharing advice, or giving actual items to people can be a way to connect with friends and family while also feeling accomplished in helping someone. The one piece that I struggle to identify myself with is “…and frankly I don’t know if they even like me; but who cares?” (Allende 15). Personally, I would struggle to continue to give to people if they did not like me. It may be beneficial to not care about how people think of you, but that is something I struggle to practice.
This piece walks through the author’s journey of grief and discovering a new way to go about life. The author talks about losing her daughter and how even though in the moment she felt like she had lost everything, she really realized she still had the ability to love deeply and made her goal in life to love others and care about others just as her daughter used to do. The author believes that if she has it, she should give it and share it with the world. I think the big idea of this piece is giving to the world and to people and building true connections with people through it.
A quote that I liked in this piece is “what is the point of having experience, knowledge, or talent if I don’t give it away?” I really like this quote and fully agree with it as well. I think sometimes people try to keep things bottled up or hidden sometimes as if almost to have a level up on one another but at the end of the day what is the point of that? She goes on later to say that she won’t be cremated with any of it anyway and I think that is so true. What is the point of keeping your knowledge, or experiences or anything to yourself when you can choose to share with others and build more of a connection with people. I think as a society we tend to often overlook this.
“Frankly I don’t know if they even like me. But who cares?” When I get what the author is trying to say in this quote and how it is still important to love and connect with others even if they don’t like you, I think I would still struggle with this personally. I do understand showing kindness and love to people no matter what, but I think that reciprocation is also important and sometimes there comes a time where you have to cut ties with people and while you can still show them respect you don’t always have to be overly kind.
In Giving I Connect With Others
Reading this just made me want to sit in a corner and cry with the author. I don’t believe anyone let alone a mother should have to grieve the loss of their own child they grew in the womb and helped raise. The big idea in this piece is her overcoming losing her daughter and her deciding there’s so much love in giving back to others. She realizes that there’s so much to give in this world, there’s so many ways of giving back to the community and she realizes that there’s more joy in making others happy than making yourself happy.
One line I really enjoyed reading was “Because of Paula, I don’t cling to anything anymore. Now I like to give much more than to receive. I’m happier when I love then when I am loved. I adore my husband, my son, my grandchildren, my mother, my dog and frankly I don’t know if they even like me. But who cares? Loving them is my joy.” She realizes the happiness remembering and giving can bring after going through dark times. It’s like Dumbledore says “Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn the light on.”
There weren’t a lot of concepts or lines I disagreed with but when she said “The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience.” I could understand where she was coming from, though I don’t think she executed the sentence well. She could have worded it differently to better capture the complexity of grief and transformation we go through after major losses.
This piece was about how the author, Isabel Allende, lost her daughter and more specifically, what she learned from that experience. The author gets to the point straight away, which was surprising and a very unique way of writing, but one that I like. I suppose it could be because of the limited amount she was allowed to write, but it seems that’s also her writing style. I found myself with tears in my eyes multiple times throughout the piece, even though it was just a few pages long. The piece covers sickness & loss very well, explaining with minimal detail, yet full of emotion. It speaks on how such loss will fundamentally change you, yet how you still remain the same person throughout your life, despite the circumstances and possible loss.
I really enjoyed when Allende said, “I am still the girl I was fifty years ago, and the same young woman I was in the seventies. I still lust for life, I am still ferociously independent, I still crave justice, and I fall madly in love easily.” I loved hearing that! I sometimes fear that the older I get, the less life I will have in me. So, I find it relieving and hopeful that the author says this. It reminds me of myself in a way, especially the part about independence.
I wouldn’t say that I disagree with this part, but I was slightly surprised/confused when Allende said, “The pain of losing my child was a cleansing experience.” I wish there was a little more clarity with this thought. After, she explains how she had to lose all excess baggage, which provides a little bit of clarity. To me, the word “cleansing” was just a bit surprising!
The essay In Giving I Connect with Others tells the story of how the author Isabel Allende had her values shift after the death of her daughter. Her daughter was a philanthropist, who gave every part of herself helping others. After her death, Isabel took the values of her daughter to heart. She decided to honour her daughter’s legacy by taking up her mantle as a philanthropist. The big idea in this piece is how fulfilling this way of living was for the author, as she writes “now I like to give much more than to receive.” I really liked the line where the author relays her daughter’s mantra, which eventually became hers: “You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich.” The only thing I don’t quite understand is when the author says “I had to throw overboard all excess baggage and keep only what is essential.” I don’t know what she means by “excess baggage.”
This piece is about how the author’s values had changed after the death of her daughter. The Idea in this piece is that the big acts of generosity and giving can help create a sense of connection and strengthen relationships between people. It suggests that giving is not just about the material exchange, but as well as the emotional and social bonds that can be formed through an act of giving.One thing that I liked was that she cared enough to continue to take care of her daughter as much as she could. She didn’t give up and pushed as much as she could. Something that really confused me was when she mentioned that losing her child cleansed her and that she had to basically get rid of the extra baggage that she felt, after the death. This confused me because what does she mean by extra baggage, and that the death cleansed her. How can someone’s death cleanse you. What extra baggage is that from when she escaped and came over, the death of her father or family member. I want to know what baggage she thinks is necessary. I think that it could lead to a bad coping mechanism if that is what she does all the time.
For me, the main idea of this reading that I got was the giving is more fulfilling than recieving. I really like this idea as it’s very true in life and whenever I receive anything it’s okay, I’m grateful but I’d rather give to the people who need it instead of me, and that’s just how I always feel about that. Then a concept that I circled was “you only have what you give.” I picked this because I felt that it hit deep in idea of giving. It forced the mother to shed her previous attachment of “excess baggage” and led her to a new happieness in giving knowledge, wealth, and love to others. One of the most confusing things I thought was when she said she hadn’t changed. That’s because in this story I felt that she was changing into a new and better person learning a new perspective. I don’t know why she thought that but to me it defiantly wasn’t the case for her. I really enjoyed this reading as it hit deep for me, and I could learn a thing or two from it.
The big idea in this piece is all about what grief does to people. Isabel Allende lost her daughter, and after her daughter’s death, she spent a lot of time drowning in her grief. She wanted to do something to honor her daughter, so now she gives back to her community in any way that she can, because her daughter loved doing volunteer work and found fulfillment in it. This piece is all about how one manages grief.
I enjoyed reading about how Isabel Allende changed her worldview because of her daughters death. In the last paragraph of her essay, she talks about how she no longer holds on to wealth or material goods, because what use does she have for them? I like how profoundly changing her daughters death was on her psyche, and what ideologies she has now adapted after.
I disliked when she discussed how her daughters death was a cleansing experience. I know that grief hits everyone differently, I have experienced many ranges of grief myself, but rarely do I see someone mention how cleansing losing someone was. I have never been put in the position of watching someone die slowly, so I cannot relate, but maybe losing someone before they’ve even died is tragic enough that when the person does die, it feels like a breath of relief. It reminds me of a lady from my Universal Unitarian church. Her husband was misdiagnosed with many things, and in the end, he actually had brain cancer. He died a long, painful death, and at his funeral, she mentioned how relieved she was when he did die. I think maybe for her, it was being able to properly say goodbye, instead of grieving a living person.