So to me this story is not very uplifting it is quite depressing. I am not sure why Lee Smith decided to write this as a story and I am not sure what he is trying to get across to his readers. I did enjoy though the relationship that was presented between Jennifer’s dad and Jennifer’s grandfather. There are not many fathers to son relationships that are this strong. I think it is interesting though that the father went to get his dad a past girlfriend and that his father was married to someone else. These are situations that happen today and did not happen in the olden days, showing that this is a somewhat recent story.
Jennifer’s grandmother was big into art and encouraged Jennifer to continue with her art and to work hard at it. As Jennifer’s grandmother aged and lost her memory she replied to Jennifer one afternoon while they were watching television and it was a car race. When Jennifer asked her grandmother what she was watching she replied, “it is art my daring Jennifer”. I think this shows a very good taste of how art can be expressed in many different ways and it is not just something that is made.
This story was not an uplifting story like what you would expect something with the title Artists. I was expecting something that had a magical part, but I guess that’s a prime of don’t judge a book by its cover and instead open the book up and read it so that you get the full affect that the author wanted to show their readers. This story was rather something that is shared down through generations and told to grandchildren, I am not sure that I would have written as a story to share with readers, but I guess if it is special to you then you feel that it is important to let others hear.
"Anything worth doing, is worth doing well." I really like this quote from Jennifer's grandmother that is in the second paragraph on page 146. It can be pushed and pulled into any life situation and I think can be used to teach young adults that pushing to become something is very important so that everything you do is done for a reason. I interrupt that quote by saying that if you are willing to take your time to do something then you should do it the best you can so you have no way of failing.
I agree with you that this is not an uplifting story, but I don't think that Smith intended for it to be that way. I think that Smith was trying to convey Jennifer's love and appreciation for her grandmother and the effect that it had on other aspects of her life. I think this is a story about growing up, which is not often a happy story, but it is still a good story because Jennifer finds her true self in the end.
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