Dillard's Mother example essay topic

Personal qualities are the characteristics that make a person unique. Obviously, not all personal qualities are admirable. Personal qualities can be quirky or even annoying, which neither makes them admirable or not admirable. An admirable quality is not necessarily one that one would like to imitate; it can simply be a quality that one finds interesting or appealing. In Dillard's story, she identifies many qualities her mother possesses that she admires. Dillard's mother has a fascination for words and speech patterns.

The phrase "Terwilliger Bunts One" particularly intrigued her, and she made it her own. She would cut clips from reels of talk and play them back at leisure. It delighted her to find a different regionalism. Dillard admires this trait. She reminisces positively about this aspect of her mother's personality, remembering only the humorous moments. Dillard's mother is a wise guy who delights in the interchange whether or not people fall for her conversational gambit.

"Anyone who met her verbal challenges she adored (p. 150)". When she had eye surgery, she asked her doctor if she would be able to play the piano, and was thrilled when the doctor rose to the occasion by replying, "You won't pull that old one on me (p. 150)". Dillard clearly appreciates this quality in her mother; it almost seems she would want to be like this herself. Her light tone in relating the stories combine with a total absence of anything approaching disapproval convey this message.

Dillard's mother is a practical joker who loves schemes. When a phone call turned out to be a wrong number, she would have one of her daughters pretend to be the person called and make every attempt to confuse the party on the other end of the line (p. 151). Dillard found this a useful training both in quick thinking and in ethical decision. "But did you want to perform well as Cecile, or did you want to take pity on the wretched caller? (p. 151) " Dillard's mother takes claims to authority lightly and tries to inculcate the same spirit in her children. She loved to fluster people by abandoning a game's rules.

She moved checkers around on the board if her opponent was not looking. In card games she would play out of turn, show her hand, or at times simply toss her cards behind her back. This would absolutely drive people crazy (pp. 151-152). This particular practice of hers seems to be one which Dillard does not wish to possess but finds amusing nonetheless. Some things are funny once. This is one of them.

There is another side to her mother's disregard for authority; a side which Dillard finds admirable. She was willing to espouse unpopular opinions simply because she believed that they were right and good. "She was scathingly sarcastic about the McCarthy hearings while they took place... she frequently opposed Father's wait-and-see calm. 'We don't know enough about it,' he said. 'I do,' she said. 'I know all I need to know'".

Dillard's mother taught her daughters that they should take a stand against injustices and madness. Dillard very much admires this particular quality. She writes about this with a great deal of respect in her tone. Dillard admires many of her mother's personal qualities. Some of these she herself would like to possess. Dillard seems at times to be slightly ambivalent as to whether her mother's qualities are admirable, but overall, there is nothing but respect and admiration present in her tone.