By: Skeeter Kaye Gibbons, the author of the novel Ellen Foster, believes that a quote from the Emerson’s “Self Reliance” is connected with Ellen’s struggle to survive and find her way in the world. The first line of this quote says, “Cast the bantling on the rocks” is related to Ellen herself. A bantling is an abandoned child. Ellen is a bantling even though she was not abandoned, she was deprived of a normal childhood. Her life as a child was extremely hard, physically and emotionally. She never had a mother or father take care of her through her entire youth.
You could say that her childhood was “cast on the rocks.” The last line reads, “Power and speed be hands and feet.” This reminds me of how Ellen ran from her problems at home and stayed away from her house as much as possible. The line also represents strength and Ellen was a strong person. She dealt with losing a mother, father and grandmother within one year. She never even had a good relationship with her father or grandmother. The short inscription to “Self Reliance” is almost a short summary of Ellen’s character.
In it, a child without parents is raised by someone that is a lot different than she is. After Ellen’s mother died, she is unwillingly left with her alcoholic father who mistreats her. Ellen spent a lot of time at her friend, Starletta’s house and at the house of her grandmother. Life with her grandmother was no better than life with her father. She did not want to be in either situation. After living with her grandmother, Ellen’s struggle to find a suitable, comforting home comes to an end.
The Essay on Malcolm X Father Family Life
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. At the time of his birth, Malcolm's father was a Baptist Minister. His mom was a writer of Marcus Garvey. Before he was born, his father had 3 children with his previous marriage and 3 before him with his mom. Malcolm's father played a big role in scripting his life from early childhood by the beliefs that ...
For the second time in her life, a family member has died right next to her, basically in her arms. Ellen is able to overcome this, even as a young child, by finding a foster home that gives her everything that she wanted in a family. What Emerson said basically means that a person who is brought up lacking a true loving mother and father, can be strong and find his or her life with other people regardless of their differences. Ellen is a perfect example of “the bantling” in Emerson’s “Self Reliance.” Word Count: 374.
