Cynthia Rylant's Short Story 'Spaghetti'

In conclusion everyday we feel gratitude for something sometimes not even knowing it and it is a big thing in our lives that affects us a lot. People getting something for you, your parents buy you something that you want or just something happens that is just makes you happy and it makes you feel

In terms of conceptual discrepancies, one of the most important notions to consider is the “social definition of ‘need’” (p. 166). This idea of needing material objects and being satisfied

Everyone has an expectation, but what does an expectation feel like when it does not become reached? The boy in Gary Soto’s Short story “The Jacket” experiences just that. The author wants the reader to know the overall theme is that one's expectations can get in they way of our happiness. In Gary Soto’s “The Jacket” the boy explains “My clothes have failed me.” “ I remember the coats I wore in fifth and sixth grades when you either danced like a champ or pressed yourself against a greasy wall, bitter as a penny toward happy couples.”

Being thankful for what you already posses is essential for living a happy life, as it is healthy to focus on the things you already have and to not focus on the things others have. In the story “Marigolds” by Eugenia W. Collier and the story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, both authors gives examples as to why it is important to be thankful for what you already have, and to not dwell on what others might have that you don't.

Are you thankful for thanks? Well, thanks should be at the top of your list! Why be thankful for an insignificant word though? However, thanks, according to “Ode to Thanks,” can “melt iron and snow.” This word rings everywhere and brings happiness where otherwise dark, dangerous shadows would take over. In the poem “Ode to Thanks,” Pablo Neruda gives thanks to the word thanks by describing all of the marvelous things it does for us using figurative language, writing an ode, and using powerful poetic elements and structure. Without gratitude and exchanges of “thank you's”, our world would be filled with depression and hatred.

In the short story, “Stray”, by Cynthia Rylant, a young girl named Doris Lacey was shoveling one day when the protagonist saw a dog that was walking alone and shivering. Doris picked the helpless dog up and took the dog into her warm, cozy home.The theme of the story is that persistence pays off. Doris was persistent in the story by feeding the dog and the main character was also persistent by repeatedly asking her parents to keep the dog.

Authors use their point of view of a story to develop the central tone of a story, or to better institute what their purpose may be. Some authors may have the same purpose of different stories, or may have significant differences. Anna Quindlin (author of “Homeless”) and Lauralee Summer (author of “Learning Joy from Dogs without Collars”) both discuss having homes as a top priority when it comes to a childhood, and a feeling of normalcy and security; “Learning Joy from Dogs without Collars” was written to foretell how a home can affect one’s childhood, while “Homeless” was written to tell how “home is where the heart is” (834).

However, his struggle does not end because he does not learn to be grateful. He says, “No luck. I gave up. From my bed, I stared at the jacket. I wanted to cry because it was so ugly and so big that I knew I’d have to wear it

showing how gratitude affects someone and helps them cheer up when needed In addition, not only can gratitude reduce bad feelings but gratitude can also help someone gain courage. In the book “Refugee” by Alan Gratz, a man named Mariano Padron was escaping Cuba on a boat with his family. While on the boat, he reveals the amount of courage he has for them due to gratitude. A few years before he had a family, Mariano was a police officer from Cuba. His job was to send refugees back to where they did not belong.

Many people tend to take things for granted. We overlook the things that some people wished they had so they can live without struggle. It usually just comes so easily for us and we don’t realize how hard other people’s lives are. Jeannette Walls knows firsthand what it’s like to be without these modern luxuries. In her memoir, “The Glass Castle” she writes about how she sometimes grew up without things like a place to live, clothes to wear, food on the table, electricity to power the house and keep her warm. In her upbringing, her parents never really supplied her with the things she needs or took very good care of her so she learned how to survive with the little she got. She learns throughout her life that she should never take anything for granted and to appreciate the good things in life because she doesn’t get most of the essentials that other people have normally. Throughout the story she always knew to be grateful and value every little thing she got because she didn’t get much.

First, the similes in “ The Jacket” supports the overarching theme: Be grateful for what you have. In fact, the main character was ungrateful for his new jacket that his mom bought him because he truly wanted a biker’s jacket to fit in and

The instructor had the right to correct the misunderstanding of Richard, on the other hand, her choice of words and tone of voice was unforgivable. The overwhelming emotion to buy himself a daddy by quintupling his original amount caused him a grave mistake followed by a lesson he did not expect to learn at that moment. Her patience came to a halt when he offered a donation from his “daddy”. She then proceeded by slapping him with the cold truth by saying, “We are collecting this money for you and your kind, Richard Gregory. If your daddy can give fifteen dollars you have no business being on relief”, she then added, “We know you don’t have a daddy”. In that instance he became the center of attention. Helene quickly turned to see him with a teary eyes that showed sympathy towards him. There was much shame in the room, his eyes were full of tears which caused him to run away. From his perspective, it was as if everyone in the world witnessed his shame. His fellow classmates just felt sorry for him, but said nothing when the instructor lashed out at him. Now he understood that society was cruel to him by hosting their events such as the Worthy Boys Annual Christmas Dinner. It was if ignorance was a blessing rather than the harsh reality of his status. The jacket he received from welfare singled him out from the crowd not to mention it

In the “Gilded Six-Bits,” the husband expressed to his wife that he was envious of the “wealthy” new comer in the town. He longed to have the popularity, money, and even his protruding belly. He was enthralled by any detail related to this man’s life. “Everyday Use” has a character, Maggie, which is jealous of her sister because she is beautiful and has the world basically handed to her because of her beauty. Often people will look into others’ lives not knowing the other person’s situation, only knowing what they see and they think that the person has the perfect life. Often that is not the case and sometimes the person’s life whom you are longing for may be secretly longing for your life because theirs isn’t as great as it seems to the people looking in.

Have you ever feel so worthless, like you were nothing? Everyone must have feel hurt because of others’ words and actions, no matter how tough they are. Judith Ortiz Cofer expressed her hurt feelings through her story, “Abuela Invents the Zero”. “Abuela Invents the Zero” is a story about respect and treat others like you want to be treated. Ortiz Cofer presents this theme by explaining how Connie; the main character in the story; made her grandmother felt worthless, Connie’s embarrassment towards Abuela, and the impacts of mistreating someone.

I believe there are many traits in life that make you a good person and lead you to live a happy life, but being grateful is one of the best traits you could obtain. Being grateful is one thing I feel many people in our society forget to do. One day I learned to always appreciate what I have instead of what I don’t.