https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7 en-us 2020-10-23 15:21:22 UTC 2024-08-16 04:22:11 UTC hello@padlet.com batti070 https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856200551 "A Prayer" is about a solder's mother who says a long prayer for her son to come home to her safely, without having been shot or killed in the war.]]> 2020-10-23 15:28:28 UTC https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856200551 batti070 https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856215719 The story that comes before "A Prayer" is about another mother who is talking with the spirits about her son, who is missing in action in the war. The spirit reassures her that her son will be home in her arms soon. This story is connected to "A Prayer" because each story is about a mother who is worried about her son in a war. They both turn to a higher power to reassure them that their sons are okay.
The story that comes after "A Prayer" is about people who are potentially being contracted in Utah for work. This story is also connected to "A Prayer" in a few different ways. One of the characters mentions, "I'll tell you, we don't trust the man that's contracting people to go to work in - how do you say it?" (Rivera 82). I think that statement is connected to the Korean War, in which the son from "A Prayer" is serving, because many people during the Korean War did not trust or approve of the United States' role in the Korean War, and thus they wanted nothing to do with it, much like these people not wanting to be contracted in Utah. The story also ends with, "Well, we've never been there but I hear it's somewhere close to Japan" (RIvera 82), which I also believe is a connection to "A Prayer" since the Korean War took place "somewhere close to Japan", in Korea.]]> 2020-10-23 15:32:10 UTC https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856215719 batti070 https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856255459 One symbol I found was when the mother states, "I still keep his toys from when he was a child, his little cars, little trucks, even a kite that I found the other day in the closet" (Rivera 80). I think the toys in this statement are symbolic of the soldier's youth and innocence, and point out how the son should not have to take part in this war. I also think it may be a metaphor for how the mother is trying to keep her son in his youth, ignoring the fact that he has to grow up.
Another metaphor that I found in "A Prayer" is the repeated imagery of "that no bullet may pierce his heart" (Rivera 80). The mother repeats this idea several times in her prayer, not wanting a bullet to pierce her son's heart. I think this emphasizes the brutality of the war, and how parents think when their children are away in dangerous situations.]]> 2020-10-23 15:41:18 UTC https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856255459 batti070 https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856306028 "A Prayer" makes me think about how difficult it would be to see your child be taken from you and put into a war, not knowing the whereabouts of your child, if they have been killed or injured, or even if they have killed other innocent people. The story gives me more of an appreciation for not only soldiers, but for their families who grieve for them even when they may still be alive.]]> 2020-10-23 15:52:59 UTC https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856306028 batti070 https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856311080 I think "A Prayer" fits into Rivera's set of stories because it shows suffering, hardships, and the dangerous situations brought onto people who may have no other choice. Many of the stories are about migrant workers, and children who have no choice other than to work in dangerous conditions to help support their family. In "A Prayer" the mother mentions "He was very afraid to go, he told me so. The day they took him, when he said goodbye he embraced me and he cried for a while" (Rivera 80), showing that this son was also placed into a dangerous situation, given no other choice. If the soldier in this story, or the migrant workers in the other stories, were given an actual choice, I do not believe they would have chosen the lives they were given in regards to the conditions they suffer through, or the outcomes they may face.]]> 2020-10-23 15:54:12 UTC https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856311080 batti070 https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856317552 The following image is a child in the war. I think this image represents the metaphors presented in "A Prayer" because the mother still sees her son as an innocent child who doesn't deserve to be in the war. The following image emphasizes how painful it would be to see a child (specifically your child) in the war
image address: https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f38de33cd1432840293609c256d2475ace89f9ea/0_0_1648_988/master/1648.jpg?width=1200&height=900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&s=f816aa2fe7224e4266a623a7c24d3db9]]> 2020-10-23 15:55:44 UTC https://padlet.com/batti070/af3povxuocnmc7p7/wish/856317552