The Day that My Father Left Home - Essay Example

?The day that my father left home. Version one. Our house in China was quite small and I will always remember how comfortable I felt in its tiny rooms. The place was always full of clothing samples and pieces of material because my parents were in the clothing trade. My father traveled to look for new products to sell, and my mother helped him with the accounts. I missed him when he was gone, and I was always glad to see him when he came home. I remember one particular evening when my father came back from a trip. He was very late and my mother was not happy because she had been waiting so long, and the food had been ready for several hours. Soon after he arrived, I went to bed and I could hear my parents arguing in the kitchen below. My father was shouting and my mother was crying. Suddenly I heard a door slamming and I looked out of my bedroom window. He was marching down the street in the rain, carrying his bag and looking very angry. I went to speak to my mother but she sent me to bed. Later that night I could hear her crying and this made me very worried indeed. I could not sleep because I thought that this time my father really had left home for good. I thought he would never come back. I was only twelve years old and I imagined that I would have I would have to look after my mother now, because my father was no longer at home. This was a big responsibility and it was terrifying to think that everything I had known would now change. I thought I was too young for such a big responsibility. My mother worked for my father, and so if they got divorced, she would have no money and no job. Our house, and our plans for my studies at school and then later at college, would all be destroyed. That night I tried to sleep but it was not easy. I had a dream that some big, black birds had come to take away my clothes, and that I had to walk in the street in my underwear. This was a very upsetting dream and I wondered what it meant. The next morning I spoke to my mother about my worries and my troublesome dream. She told me that I should not worry because my father would come back in a few days. She looked so sad, and I wondered if she was just saying that to comfort me and make me get ready for school. I went to school as normal and for three days there was no sign of life from my dad. Eventually, on the fourth day after school I came home and saw his shoes at the door of the house. My joy was very great, and I hugged my father and told him that I had thought he was never going to come back. He just laughed and said that I would understand about such things when I was older. This experience made me think that whatever happens in my life, I will not leave someone in an angry mood. I think it is better to settle any different opinions with kindness, and to protect children from the fear and pain that I felt on that night. The time when dad didn’t return. Lipogram version. Our house in China was rather small and I recalled how much at home I was in its small rooms. The place had clothing samples and pieces of material scattered around. Mum and Dad were in the clothing trade. Dad had to locate new products to sell, and Mother helped him with the accounts. I missed him when he was gone, and I was glad to see him when he came home. I recall one particular night when Dad came home late. He was so tired and Mother was not happy since she had waited so long, and the dinner was warm for ages. Soon after he arrived, I went upstairs and I could hear Mum and Dad arguing in the rooms below. Dad was shouting and Mum was weeping . All at once I heard a door slamming and I saw Dad out of the window. He was marching down the street in the rain, holding his suitcase and looking quite mad. I went to Mother and then she sent me upstairs. Later that night I could hear her weeping and this made me most worried indeed. I could not sleep that night. I thought that this time Dad had deserted us. I thought he would not come back again. I was only 12 and I imagined that I would support Mother now, since Dad was no longer at home. This was a huge weight on my shoulders and it was weird think that all I had experienced until now would change. I thought I was too immature to have such a chore upon me. Mother had assisted for Dad , and a divorce would mean that she would get no cash to support us. Our house, and our plans for studies at school and then later at college, would all be ruined. That night I tried to sleep. It was not hard. I had a dream that some huge creatures had come to steal our clothes, and that I had to go down the street wearing underwear. This was a very upsetting dream and I wondered what it meant. The next morning I told Mother all the dream stories and she told me that I should not get upset. Dad would return in a while. She was so sad, and I wondered is she distracting me and pushing me to me get to school? I went to school as normal and Dad was not around. At last, I came home and saw his shoes at the door of the house. I was glad, and I hugged Dad and told him that I had thought he was not going to come home again. He laughed and said that I would understand such things when I was older. This experience made me ponder that no matter what, I will not let someone remain in a cross mood. I am sure it is essential to settle any disputes with calm words, and to protect children so that they do not get as scared as I was that night. Reflection on what I have learned. Writing the story was easy for me, and I enjoyed thinking about my childhood. Sometimes I am homesick for China, and so it was very pleasant to think about this time and compare it with my present life in America. I chose to do a Lipogram, because I thought this would be easy to do. All you have to do is look for certain letters, and then if you find them, change the word into something else which does not contain these certain letters. After the story was finished I found that in fact it was much more difficult than I thought it would be. I started by attempting to remove all of the letters suggested for a Lipogram, mainly B F H J K Q V Y and Z. I hit a problem in the title, because removing H meant that the word “the” could not be used, and I could see that later in the story I would not be able to use “he” or “she”. I decided therefore to try and do a Lipogram by removing B F J K Q V Y and Z, but allowed myself to keep all the words containing H. Most words could be easily changed like “dad” instead of “father” , and “rather instead of “quite” and “small” instead of “tiny”. I had to look for inspiration in a dictionary a few times, and it took a long time to complete the whole essay. I really found it hard to do without the pronoun “my” and this made me feel that the story was slipping away from me. As I read it over it did not sound like my writing any more, but it looked like the writing of a stranger. It is not the same to write “mother” and “my mother” because the possessive form “my” conveys emotions and respect. This was sad, in a way, but it allowed me to reconsider my own story as if I was an observer. I could stand and look at my life from the outside, and see it as a stranger would see it, and this made me reflect on what it means to write an autobiography. When I was reading the story one last time I had the idea to make the word “mother” more respectful and by making it have a capital “M”. I changed it to this, and also the “d” in “dad” into a capital D. Such changes made my work sound old fashioned and a bit weird but some changes were improvements, for example when I removed “left home” and added “deserted us”. There was more emotion in the new form, and it created a better atmosphere to explain why I was so upset. If I had not been doing this exercise, I would not have thought of this expression, and so I suppose it has been a good thing to have to look for words that I do not usually use. It extends my range and builds more confidence in exploring different styles. It also creates distance between me and my work so that I can appreciate it in a different way than before. Read More