The Shawl- Motherhood.

-This is the blog I couldn't submit sunday and was meaning to e-mail I completely forgot to do so. Sorry it took so long. Whether or not I receive credit is up to you. Sorry once again.

-This is another story about motherhood. Reflect on the way motherhood affects a woman's identity. How is Rosa's survival mitigated by the loss of her daughter/motherhood?

-From all of the books we’ve read over this semester I’ve seen that motherhood can be many different things, it depends on who the mother is and what motherhood their mother showed them. For example, In Precious we see Precious’ mother seeing motherhood as nothing more than an opportunity to use Precious as a maid. She has Precious do all the homely dirty work, but she never shows her any love.

-In the Shawl we see that Rosa takes Motherhood as something important to her. Early in the story in the camps, Rosa does everything she can to protect Magda, for to hide Magda she uses the Shawl. When Magda is discovered by the guards and is killed, the picture of Magda on the electric fence is burned into her memory. Rosa would sacrifice anything for Magda, be it food, warmth, or any comfort she would give it all for Magda. As the story continues on, Magda continues to drift further and further into her past memories of the camps. The main memory that leads her into isolation is Magda, how she was killed and how Rosa didn’t try to save her from the guard in the moment of her death. All of her trying to hide Magda from the guards, and keep her from any harm meant nothing now because she didn’t attempt to save her when it mattered most. In isolation in the hotel room Rosa is alone and she’s constantly thinking and writing to Magda, though Magda will never get to read the letters. This shows her guilt about not being able to keep Magda alive. Her showing guilt shows that she takes a responsibility for Magda.

-I think that’s what Motherhood is, is a responsibility of the mother to carry herself in a certain manner and to take responsibility for their children, to try to protect them. Once one has become a mother they change some of their ways for the better of the child, unlike Precious’ mother, but like Rosa. In all of the stories we’ve read that some mothers take motherhood seriously and others don’t know that motherhood is.