Description of Relationship between Children and Parents

The Relationship Between Children and Parents in Novels


The essay shall discuss how novelists use description to portray the relationship condition between children and parent to efficiently communicates the kind of relationship between parents and children. The essay shall probe Arm wrestling with my father by Manning - Shooting dad by Sarah Vowell stories, compare the two articles, then offer a conclusion.


Arm Wrestling with My Father


The purpose of Manning is to express his love for his dad and to show how that even though might have had a strange and competitive relationship, they still care for each other just like any other family. Manning explained how they were not much loving towards each other, however instead showed their feelings via physical expressions like ‘we never communicated in writing or speech as in a strong hug, fighting, to make other gasps for breath (Manning 247). Even though it was difficult for his dad converse with Manning, he tried very hard to demonstrate his love by being seriously included in his game such as arm wrestling as well as lacrosse. Manning also described how his daddy always ‘sheltered plus provided for him throughout his life that showed appreciation as well as the gratitude of Manning for every hard work of his dad. Moreover, when Manning recognized that his daddy tried to express his affection for his lad at the airstrip, he wrote ‘I sought to keep him for a longer time to silently speak to him, voicing him every feeling in that linguistic shared. The father together with the son (Manning) did not behave like distinctive family; nonetheless, the son and the father shared an exceptional, physical communiqué which conveyed their care as well as the love for each other. Besides, the contradictory feelings of Manning displayed his internal conflicts of whether to finally realize his dream by thrashing his dad in arm tussling or to lose than allow his dad retain his pride (Manning 148). Manning illustrated how the arm of his father symbolized safety as well as protection for the whole family when he wrote ‘every time I am near the dad, I am not afraid, knowing his missiles are prepared to catch me also keep me safe.’ Instead of defeating his dad, he felt that he must ‘retain the fairytale alive, and enable his dad to carry on signifying the power of the family (Windybank, and Michael 167). He Consequently, he had always dreamed about beating his dad in arm wrestling also the actuality of his hope of becoming realized as well as is too enticing for Manning to disregard. Manning explained how he ought to have allowed his daddy win, ‘however, it’s so fast fascinating. This depicted how his rising wish to triumph got the better part of him and couldn’t counterattack the terrifying thrill of triumphing (Windybank, and Michael 167).


Shooting dad by Sarah Vowell


The student learned via clear clue that Vowell’s dad is Republican while Vowell is a Democratic. The collective group provides entirely different views on numerous topics; hence Vowell had a difficult time to get along with the dad. Vowell does support gun; nonetheless, her daddy had magazine subscription devoted to gun possession, owns numerous weapons, also belonged to associations for firearm fanatics (Vowell 147) Every group had their regions dedicated toward their favorite applicants also used the living room as well as a kitchen as neutral areas. Vowell together with her dad both shared the traits of disordered work areas, however an individual way. The work area of the Vowell’s dad, the shop, comprised of a ‘museum of loss’ that showed antlered from bullets that cover the surface of the floors. Vowell expended her free time within the music chamber that had melodic instruments as well as staff papers that covered her available surface. She resolved her views on the gun when she’s six years old. After firing it once, Vowell knew that firearms were not made for her use. Vowell hated the gun so much that she alleged to it the gun as if was ownership of Satan immediately it went off. Several days later, her dad accomplished a copy of the Big Horn Firearm.it was a gun that white merchants used.


In these dualistic stories, both novelists depicted the situation of the relationship between parents and their children in a spatial term also their view of steady alterations by conveying the adversity of comprehending love from all of the dads throughout their babyhood. Even though these twofold are linked, every novelist has diverse situations concerning relationships with their fathers as well as the manner of defining to portray their stories. After studying the two stories, I trust that Brad Manning’s ‘Gun tussled with my dad’ won over Sarah Vowell’s ‘Shooting Dad’ regarding sharing more intensely with the students about the relationship with his dad. Manning eventually realized what he had continuously desired for; defeating his father in their arm wrestling activity when he grew older. Even though it might have been what he had desired for long, the attainment of Manning was just a pyrrhic triumph. He told students that he felt remorseful for triumphing rather embracing his conquest since he realized that all through the entire occasion, some part of him rot on his father to triumph. Having the motive to ‘keep the myth alive,’ he felt apologetic after seeing his daddy losing. The event put their relationships into turns, having the father of Manning being kinder towards him the day he left for the airstrip. That day, Manning understood that he had taken over the place of his dad. Undoubtedly, Manning did great jobs regarding efficiently sharing his emotional knowledge that grabbed the heart of readers. ‘Shooting Dad’ of Sarah Vowell is of Vowell’s difference amid her plus dad who happened to be a gunsmith (Vowell 237). In her introductory scene, Vowell illustrated to her dynasty as a ‘dynasty divided’ where it’s divided into sides that where one part was Republican and the other Democratic. Vowel similarly illustrated how her dynasty is the ‘United States of Guns’ also how they were untidy people,’ with areas full of firearms also hers full of the instrument. From this, Vowell depicted the dissimilarities (Bourelle 65) again


In summary, the authors of these twofold stories portrayed the conditions of he/she and father in a spatial manner and the authors’ viewpoint of gradual changes by displaying the difficulty to understand the affection between the dads and the children. The stories had discussed the Sarah Vowel’s shooting dad where they had different views about the gun possession, Sarah was against the gun while the dad was more like gunsmith. Also, the essay had discussed Manning having a competition with the father on arm wrestling, and Manning hated himself for winning the activity of arm wrestling

Works Cited


Bourelle, Andrew. "Creative Nonfiction in the Composition Classroom: Rethinking Antithetical Pedagogies." Journal of Teaching Writing 27.1 (2012): 37-65.


Manning, Bernard L. The hymns of Wesley and Watts: five informal papers. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2009.


Vowell, Sarah. "Shooting Dad." Seeing and Writing 2: 231-237.


Windybank, Susan, and Michael Manning. Papua New Guinea on the brink. Sydney: Centre for Independent Studies, 2003.

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