Cherokee Paul McDonald’s Essay, “A view from the Bridge.”
The reason why Cherokee Paul McDonald called his essay, “A View from the Bridge” is because, the stranger who was jogging, by the help of the blind child was able to see something different and strange. The essay narrates the determination of a young blind boy to catch fish using his reel from the top of the bridge. Cherokee Paul McDonald uses descriptive language to explain the fishing experience and excitement of the blind boy by catching the tarpon using his fishing reel and using the eyes of the stranger to “see” the beauty of the tarpon. The stranger was in his small world, but by with the assistance of the child, he was able to notice a new, strange and beautiful world at the same place he was passing daily.
However, the stranger’s attitude shifts from being disappointed and annoyed after the child interrupts his concentration on jogging to being so humble after realizing the child were blind. The initial attitude of the stranger resulted from the fact that he could not understand why the kid was stopping him from helping in finding the fish bait, which was right on the kid’s left foot. However, after observing and interacting with the kid, the stranger was able to notice that the kid was blind, and that was the reason why he needed assistance to find the fish bait. When the kid says one day he will catch a blue marlin, a sailfish, and a giant tuna, the stranger had the conviction that it will happen after observing the kid’s determination to capture the tarpon despite being blind and having inadequate fishing equipment. The underlying point of the essay is to never judge a book by its cover.
Maya Angelou, “Mrs Flowers”
Angelou describes Mrs Flowers as a beautiful and a gentlewoman who dresses so decently as if she is about to enjoy tea with the queen and does not laugh but smiles or giggles gently. She totally admires her and longs to be her when she grows up. Mrs Flowers plays a critical role in assisting Angelou to walk through the road to healing and growth after the terrific experience at St Louis. She describes Mrs Flowers as the perfect definition of a human being because of the way she accepts and treats her for who she was during her most difficult time as well as her style and physical appearance among other attributes.
The purpose of Angelou describing Mrs Flowers as a true measure of a human being results from the way in which she plays her mentorship role. Mrs Flowers spends quality time with Angelou teaching her meaningful life lessons that help in moulding her to the kind of a person she is today. She gives Angelou some books and encourages her to read them loudly; as a result, Angelou ends up finding her voice. Some of the most critical life lessons that Angelou borrows from Mrs Flowers are; to never pay attention to ignorance, to possess collective wisdom from generations, and to always show respect and value to a child. She also taught Angelou that language is what distinguishes human beings from other animals and gives them a chance to interact and connect with each other. Angelou intends to make the readers consider Mrs Flowers as special and to accord her the respect that she deserves for being a mentor and a role model.
