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March 29, 2006

Be thankful!

O'Connor, ''A Circle in the Fire'' -- Jerz: American Lit II (EL 267)

"'All I got is four abscess teeth,' she remarked.
'Well, Be thankful you don't have five,' Mrs. Cope snapped and threw back a lump of grass."

I chose this quote from O'COnnor's "A Circle of Fire" because I love the character of Mrs. Cope. She 100% reminds me of my mother. Anytime I would be down about something or feeling sorry for myself, she woul always make some type of remark about how things could be worse or about people who were worse off. It annoyed me so much, when I was younger...but, now I realize that when I am down or feeling sorry about myself, I always think about how it can be worse or people I know who are worse off...and I dont feel that sorry for myself anymore and I am annoyed because my mother rubbed off on me...hehe...But Mrs. Cope handles everything like it could be worse and she is thankful for everything that she has, not sorry for what she doesnt. That's a good lesson in life.

Posted by TerraStumpf at March 29, 2006 11:37 AM

Comments

Terra,
That is a good lesson to be learned is that someone always has it worse than you do. Not only that complaining really doesn't change anything at all. Sometimes talking it out is better.

Posted by: LisaRandolph at March 29, 2006 12:53 PM

True, and I think O'Connor might have expected readers to draw out that message. After all, their farm is "A Circle in the Fire," emphasized by the way that the small boy continuously encircles the farm with his gaze, and some other minor details; in other words, the farm stands up strong despite all the evils rampant in the world beyond, thanks to Mrs. Cope (the name Cope probably alludes to her ability to cope with the situation).

Posted by: ChrisU at March 30, 2006 08:47 AM

She is an honest, yet realistic character who actually believes in morals. I think that we actually have a character to understands the realistic society, but yet instills some critical thinking. Having a character who actually possesses some positive thinking which not only teaches the reader a lesson, but also seems to give the reader a more positive look on life.

Posted by: Jason Pugh at May 3, 2006 10:11 PM

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