Question

the work you do, the person you are
by toni morrison
may 29, 2017

the pleasure of being necessary to my parents was profound. i was not like the children in folktales: burdensome mouths to feed.

all i had to do for the two dollars was clean her house for a few hours after school. it was a beautiful house, too, with a plastic - covered sofa and chairs, wall - to - wall blue - and - white carpeting, a white enamel stove, a washing machine and a dryer—things that were common in her neighborhood, absent in mine. in the middle of the war, she had butter, sugar, steaks, and seam - up - the - back stockings.

i knew how to scrub floors on my knees and how to wash clothes in our zinc tub, but i had never seen a hoover vacuum cleaner or an iron that wasnt heated by fire.

part of my pride in working for her was earning money i could squander: on movies, candy, paddleballs, jacks, ice - cream cones. but a larger part of my pride was based on the fact that i gave half my wages to my mother, which meant that some of my earnings were used for real things—an insurance - policy payment or what was owed to the milkman or the iceman. the pleasure of being necessary to my parents was profound. i was not like the children in folktales: burdensome mouths to feed, nuisances to be corrected, problems so severe that they were abandoned to the forest. i had a status that doing routine chores in my house did not provide—and it earned me a slow smile, an approving nod from an adult. confirmations that i was adultlike, not childlike.

in those days, the forties, children were not just loved or liked; they were needed. they could earn money; they could care for children younger than themselves; they could work the farm, take care of the herd, run errands, and much more. i suspect that children arent needed in that way now. they are loved, doted on, protected, and helped. fine, and yet...

little by little, i got better at cleaning her house—good enough to be given more to do, much more. i was ordered to carry bookcases upstairs and, once, to move a piano from one side of a room to the other. i fell carrying the bookcases. and after pushing the piano my arms and legs hurt so badly. i wanted to refuse, or at least to complain, but i was afraid she would fire me, and i would lose the freedom the dollar gave me, as well as the standing i had at home—although both

words of the wiser
what advice does the author give through the main character’s experiences?
the author gives advice about ____ through the main character’s experience.
how does this advice help us understand the story’s message?
this advice helps me understand that ____.

contrast and contradiction
find times when the main character feels differently about work than what most people expect.
the main character feels __ about work, but most people think __.
what do these differences tell us about her and the idea of who she is?
this shows that she is __ and that the story is about __.

aha moment
when does the main character have a big idea that changes how she thinks about work and herself?
the big idea the main character has is ____.

Explanation:

Words of the Wiser

1. The author gives advice about the value of being necessary and contributing (or taking responsibility/being useful) through the main character’s experience. The main character feels pride in working and being helpful to her parents (by contributing earnings) and in gaining adult approval, unlike folktale children who were burdens. The advice relates to understanding that being needed and contributing gives a sense of self - worth and status.
2. This advice helps me understand that being useful and contributing to one's family or community (through work, even as a child) can provide a sense of pride, purpose, and a unique status (adult - like approval) that goes beyond just being loved or cared for. It contrasts the main character's positive experience of work with the negative portrayal of children in folktales, showing that work can be empowering.

Contrast and Contradiction

1. The main character feels proud and fulfilled about work, but most people think (or the folktale portrayal is that) children are burdensome, nuisances, or problems to be dealt with (like in folktales where they are abandoned). The main character takes pride in earning money, contributing to her family, and gaining adult approval, while the folktale children are seen as mouths to feed or problems.
2. This shows that she is responsible, mature (in her attitude towards work), and values contribution and that the story is about how work (even as a child) can shape one's identity, give a sense of purpose and pride, and contrast with traditional (folktale) views of children's roles.

Aha Moment

The big idea the main character has is that work gives her a sense of freedom (from the dollar she earns), a standing at home, and a feeling of being adult - like (not childlike), and also that she understands the importance of being necessary (unlike the folktale children who were burdens). She realizes that her work is not just about the money but about the status and purpose it gives her, and also that children in her time were needed and could contribute, which is different from how children might be seen now (or in folktales).

Answer:

Words of the Wiser

1. The author gives advice about the value of being necessary and contributing (or taking responsibility/being useful) through the main character’s experience. The main character feels pride in working and being helpful to her parents (by contributing earnings) and in gaining adult approval, unlike folktale children who were burdens. The advice relates to understanding that being needed and contributing gives a sense of self - worth and status.
2. This advice helps me understand that being useful and contributing to one's family or community (through work, even as a child) can provide a sense of pride, purpose, and a unique status (adult - like approval) that goes beyond just being loved or cared for. It contrasts the main character's positive experience of work with the negative portrayal of children in folktales, showing that work can be empowering.

Contrast and Contradiction

1. The main character feels proud and fulfilled about work, but most people think (or the folktale portrayal is that) children are burdensome, nuisances, or problems to be dealt with (like in folktales where they are abandoned). The main character takes pride in earning money, contributing to her family, and gaining adult approval, while the folktale children are seen as mouths to feed or problems.
2. This shows that she is responsible, mature (in her attitude towards work), and values contribution and that the story is about how work (even as a child) can shape one's identity, give a sense of purpose and pride, and contrast with traditional (folktale) views of children's roles.

Aha Moment

The big idea the main character has is that work gives her a sense of freedom (from the dollar she earns), a standing at home, and a feeling of being adult - like (not childlike), and also that she understands the importance of being necessary (unlike the folktale children who were burdens). She realizes that her work is not just about the money but about the status and purpose it gives her, and also that children in her time were needed and could contribute, which is different from how children might be seen now (or in folktales).