Thom Gunn’s Donahue’s Sister :: Donahues Sister

Thom Gunn’s Donahue’s Sister      Ã‚  Ã‚   Thom Gunn was a poet who often wrote of common hardships in every day life.   Gunn’s writing style and choice of topics makes it obvious that he was writing in the middle to late twentieth century, and this is what draws people of today to his work.   I believe that not only are people able to relate better to Gunn because of his topic selection but because of the time period the majority of his work is written in.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In the twentieth century, particularly since the 1950’s or so, we have witnessed as a society; the arrival of AIDS, an increasing amount of single parent families, an increase in drug and alcohol use among young people, controversy over homosexuality, and an increasing number of instances where we, as a country, have seen that money and power can get anyone off for any crime or wrong-doing.   In â€Å"Donahue’s Sister†, Gunn writes from a point of view that more than half of our population can probably relate to because almost all of us know someone with a drinking problem or have one of our own.   â€Å"Donahue’s Sister† shows the frustration of a brother as he explains the degree of severity that his sister’s drinking problem has reached.   The poem puts us in Donahue’s body from the start so as if we are looking at her standing at the head of the stairs, drunk beyond recovery.   Although there is surely room for different interpretations, I believe â€Å"Donahue’s Sister† is written by Gunn primarily to show the destruction that addiction can do to a person or a relationship.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In this paper, I will attempt to make Gunn’s voice heard according to how I interpret the poem, and by doing so I hope to show how relevant this poem was to the decade it was written in, the 1980’s.   I also will explore some other possibilities of how this may have related to or affected Gunn directly.   In other words, what factors may have been responsible for his writing this poem.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The beginning of the poem describes the sister standing eye to eye with Donahue at the head of the stairs.   She is in her own drunken world, which is referred to as her â€Å"private world† throughout the poem.   This depiction is very accurate of a drunk who believes that they have everything under control and that the world they are in is actually better for them than the sober world; reality.

A taste of honey †From dependence to independence Essay

Jo, a trapped schoolgirl seeking sanctuary away from her unreliable mother Helen, yet finding herself dependent upon her. The frequent movement from place to place and no steady source of income meant that Jo had no real social life at school or at home and few luxuries. Jo relies on a carefree black sailor for comfort, however, a facsimile of her own life, he is torn away and she is forced to move on. Helen leaves Jo and marries the untrustworthy Peter. A Gay colleague known as Geoff now comes into her life, and Jo soon realises he is a reliable person, and begins to depend upon him when she is pregnant. Towards the end, Geoff leaves upon the return of Helen, and Jo becomes the independent woman that she so longed for, perhaps a result of her quick taste of honey. In Act 1, Scene 1, we find out about Jo’s schooling abilities. When she arrives, she wants to find somewhere to plant her bulbs. As she says, â€Å"It’s nice to see a few flowers.† Helen finds some drawings that Jo had done and compliments her by saying, â€Å"I didn’t realise I had such a talented daughter.† Jo reveals her childish side by replying with â€Å"I’m not just talented, I’m geniused.† Jo’s intentions of leaving school and Helen at Christmas, becomes apparent, as she seems to think that she is mature and independent enough to do so. Another sign her naivety. Her view of the new flat also comes into light when Helen says, â€Å"This is the place,† and Jo replies with, â€Å"And I don’t like it.† Her attitude to life is arguably summarised with those few words. She is forever criticising Helen and rarely calls her mother or ‘mum’. The pair are constantly bickering and Jo even sa ys, â€Å"I’m sick of you. You’ve made my life a misery.† Her dislike and contempt for life, instantly recognisable, is possibly due to her loneliness. Her mother gives her very little support so she must seek affection from other sources. Although she seems to hate Helen, Jo is very dependent on her and – to a certain extent – Helen is dependent on Jo. She is always making Jo do things for her (getting drinks, cooking, etc). There is little doubt that her misery is also due to her unsatisfactory mother. Their relationship is hardly your stereotypical mother-daughter one, which contributes greatly to Jo leaving school and her mother as soon as she has the chance. Helen is not oblivious to her incompetence as a mother who says, â€Å"I know, I’m a cruel, wicked woman,† and not using the word ‘mother’. Peter is a dodgy car salesman with an eye patch, and one of the reasons that Helen moved. He wants her to marry him but Helen declines. However with persuasion and persistence his charm soon takes affect and she finally agrees. Jo immediately holds Peter with just as much contempt as her mother. Her spiteful attitude towards him is likely because Peter has her mothers love and she does not, though of course Jo would never admit this. Jo soon changes however and asks Peter coyly, â€Å"Do you fancy me?† and he responds, â€Å"Not yet. † Jo clearly seeks attention from Peter. He also has photographs of all his ex-girlfriends. Jo makes fun of his eye patch, again expressing her childish ways. We also find out about Jo’s phobias, â€Å"I’m not frightened of the darkness outside. It’s the darkness inside I don’t like.† This tells the reader that she feels dark and lonely inside, which sheds light onto why she has a depressing attitude to life. Helen neglects her needs, for example, leaving her alone for a weekend while she runs off with Peter. Helen also makes no attempt to help Jo when she’s pregnant, if anything Helen is angry, perhaps because Jo has made the same mistakes she once made. Being the age of 16 some may say she is quite independent, leaving school and home, however she is still a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve child inside with a thirst for attention and affection Jo is not perturbed by her mother’s actions, and is still determined to become independent. Her plans to move out are executed, and she decides she would like to marry a black sailor. Jo knows Helen will disapprove, which seems to make it the whole affair better. Jo’s relationship with the sailor seems short and casual. They both say that they love each other but are very relaxed. For example, when he leaves and does not come back she is not worried, probably because she is used to moving on and leaving many things behind. Later on though when talking to Geoff, she says â€Å"Last Christmas I had him,† she obviously misses him, and talks fondly about him especially when the baby is due. Helens departure has little effect on Jo, which is slightly unexpected, as she now has the independence away from her mother that she always wanted. This is likely because she really needs someone to depend on especially with a baby on the way. Geoff, a gay student is her saviour. He becomes Jo’s shoulder to cry on, and is keen on becoming a father figure for the baby. Jo seems to take advantage of Geoff’s kindness and often makes him do stuff for her. Geoff does not seem to mind, even when she makes fun of his sexuality, which many people did at the time. Geoff was her pillar of strength when she had her childish tantrums, such as wanting to ‘cut off the babies head’ or disown it. Geoff, probably more than she was on her mother. Jo even says, supposedly to the baby, â€Å"Let’s see what big sisters making us.† Geoff is a friendly carer and is totally different from the sailor. Whereas the sailor wants a sexual relationship, Geoff is content with caring for Jo and making cakes. Geoff even asks Jo if they should get married and also asks her what she’d do if he started something. Jo replies, â€Å"In my condition, I’d probably faint.† He adores babies but Jo is less keen on them. Geoff seems to want, more than anything, to be the father of Jo’s child. To begin with, Jo treats Geoff with little respect, joking around and saying things that could hurt him. As their relationship progresses and they get to know each other better, Jo respects Geoff more and more. Jo eventually realises that the baby will need a father figure and decides to let Geoff stay, but they wouldn’t get married. Jo has mixed feelings about becoming a mother. She is intent on keeping the baby at first because she thinks it is cruel to have them aborted. She does, though, have some doubts. For example, she doesn’t want to breast feed her baby. Geoff brings her a doll to practice holds on. She says the colour’s wrong – the father being black – and explodes. She screams, â€Å"I’ll bash its brains out! I’ll kill it! I don’t want to be a mother,† which makes us think that she may have an abortion after all. Previously though, the baby kicked her and she was overwhelmed. All of these details then leave us wondering if she is ready for motherhood. It is more likely that she is ready to become a mother because she has matured a lot since the beginning of the play when she was dependent on Helen. As the play progresses, we see Jo turn from a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve young girl to a mature woman. She is no longer dependant on anyone and, although she is probably destined to a life living in small flats and houses, the prospects are bright and, as she sings at the very end, a glimmer of hope shines through and we think she may have a happy life.

The Abortion Debate Essay - 1454 Words

What is an abortion? An abortion is an operation to prevent women from carrying on with the pregnancy and having a baby. In other words, it means terminating a pregnancy. Also this method is called a birth control. An abortion is a legal procedure that is done around the world. Other countries, they might have different beliefs about an abortion. There is an illegal way of having an abortion. A certified doctor has to do the operation. The illegal way is when an unprofessional person without certificate or license giving the abortion. This method can be fetal and very dangerous. Abortion is the death of a person, a living human being distinct from any other individual on this planet(book 2). The History of the Abortion†¦show more content†¦A lot of people died and more are dying from previous and recent diseases, such as mal-nutrition, hunger and abuse and murder. Abortion is just a legal way of killing more people that just has not developed yet. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Abortions The advantages of an abortion incorporated into situations such as if you want your freedom and do not want the burden of a child, you will be for the right to have an abortion. If you were young and it was a mistake and inconvenient for you, you would not have the baby. If you were rape and that was the outcome and could terminate, you would. These are situation stated in book 1 that show how they were present these similar cases and saw the decision of the abortion becoming legal. Because of the court decision, this is now an advantage for many women who each have situations similar to these (book 1). The disadvantages of an abortion can be the side effects that can occur during and after an abortion. It can be the pain or not being able to become pregnant or carry the fetus for nine months and also death. There can also be psycho-social stress following the abortion. Many women sink into deep depression after realizing that they killed their unborn child (book 6). Another dis advantages is that there are people trying to stop the abortions because they believe that mothers-to-be are killing a ?human child? and should be convicted for a crime. A woman named Virginia Robertson got arrested forShow MoreRelatedThe Debate On Abortion And Abortion1448 Words   |  6 PagesAbortion. This word leaves most people feeling uneasy after just saying it out loud. The discussion of abortion is continuously left open-ended with millions of opinions, arguments, and questions. Abortions occur every single day leaving potential fathers devastated or thrilled, leaving friends and families broken and distraught or in contrast, proud. More importantly, leaving the potential mother uncertain and even destroyed. 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