my critique paper

SADNESS COLLECTOR
by Merlinda Bobis

(CRITIQUE PAPER)
Presented by: Jhea Angelica P. Manguilimotan





 

Merlinda Bobis is a trilingual Filipino- Australian writer, performer, and scholar. She published 4 novels 6 poetry books, a collectiom of short stories and had a dramatic work. One of her literary work was the short story Sadness Collector.The  short story, The Sadness Collector is about a girl named Rica who has problems while growing up with her father because her mother works overseas as a domestic helper. After her mother left for Paris she’s use to send different gifts to Rica just to show her love and her presence. To divert Rica's attention, her father told her a story about a big lady who eats sadness away from houses at night. Her dad told her that if the big lady eats all of their mess, the big lady might grow too fast and burst, so Rica has to be a good girl and save the big lady by not being sad. Ever since her mother left, Rica would be so eager listen to all of the sounds at the kitchen and waiting for the big lady to show up. One night, Rica heard noises again and because of the story that her father made about the lady who eats sadness, she became nervous and afraid that the big lady might burst but unfortunately it wasn’t even the big lady at all, not even her aunties. But it was only her drunk dad. Rica told her dad about her hesitations and her thoughts about the noise she heard and argued with her dad that it was really the Big lady. But maybe, because of her dad’s guilt about making a story and about his wreckless actions, he said sorry and assured Rica that big lady can’t and won’t ever get her away from him, and to top it off she assured Rica that he really loves her. But due to her young mind Rica tends to wait patiently for Big Lady to appear.  In the  story The Sadness Collector, Merlinda Bobis as the author use the characterization of parents as the cause of Rica's sadness.

A child need to be mentally and physically strong, parents provide everything that is helpful in our development, but base on what the author state in the story, "But Rica  was not philosophical at four years old, when she had to be cajoled, tricked, ordered, then scolded severely before she finished her meal, if she touch it at all." It seems that parents are the one who are making that child (Rica) lack of mental and physical development. Base on the phrase presented the parents are not acting as what they should. True parents you won't scold your child just because they touch their meal, maybe it's unpleasant but the right thing to do is to clear them everything and advice them to do the right thing to do to have a right etiquette. knowing that when you scold the person it is a act where you gave them a harsh words that affect someone's emotion that lead to undeveloped physical and emotional self or worst depression.

There is another phrase in the story that " She keeps screaming as she runs out the room, down to the kitchen", this is the phrase where big lady is described as burst because she is too full from Rica's sadness. Knowing that big lady eat Rica's sadness. Meaning to say Rica was in the point where in she is in depression or in the state where she can't find her happiness. She is too sad or having these kind of parents , A father who nearly abandoned him and a mother who work outside the country even if Rica is in the state where guidance , care, and love of parents is needed . Just like what Dalton Miller-Jones, Ph.D recommends “ One of the most important things a parent can do is notice her child. Is he a talker or is he shy? Find out what interests him and help him explore it. Let your child show you the way he likes to learn," . Instead of doing those thing Rica's father do the opposite.

 One thing must not practiced to teach their child a false hope, fake story or a bluff. knowing that childhood is the stage where children is about to open their mind to develop their mind. Going back to the story the father teach Rica about the tale of big lady who eats her sadness, from time that tale spoken.Rica is in the stage where she is about attention and about to believe the tale even if it's not true. Knowing that believing in fake things are sign of foolishness.

 In the  story The Sadness Collector, Merlinda Bobis as the author use the characterization of parents as the cause of Rica's sadness. As a reader it is obvious and has been readed that the parents in the story is the source of Rica's sadness, From attetion to norms and norms to responsibility.