Reading journal: a piece of cake

CHAPTER 3 Question but make sure you do. I didn’t drive all this way for nothing, and I don’t keep nobody’s bratty kids for nothing.”
Question 2
In this Chapter, Cupcake Brown and Larry are being taken to a care home. Mr. Burns hands them over to a woman who probably is going to take responsibility over them. Mr. Burns promises the two little ones that he would come back for them. These little ones have nothing to do despite being handed over to a total stranger. This quote paints out Mrs. Dobson’s character as a ruthless woman.
Question 3
I had once been in a similar scenario. My parents broke up, and I had to go away with my mother. Because she was working and could not go to work with me the next day, she called someone to come pick me up from the hotel room where we slept. I did not know what was happening. I was just ordered to get into that woman’s car as my mother talked to her outside. My mother then gave her some notes and promised to come back for me.
Question 4
Children are quite sensitive to bad treatment. Cupcake brown was able to notice Mr. Burn’s attitude just from the way he threw their bags like trash into Mrs. Dobson’s car. Moreover, the above quote implies a ruthless woman who would take no nonsense. These little ones could have objected to the move or even raised alarm. Moving from the frying pan into the fire is the worst thing they ever did. All the same, these are children, and they should not be blamed for that.
CHAPTER 4
Question 1
“ I am the real kid. Don’t forget it. If you piss me off, I’ll make your lives hell.”
Question 2
This chapter is an introduction to the foster conditions and treatment. It is more of an orientation process. Cupcake Brown and Larry are being set on the right trail. In short, the reading prepares us of what to expect in the coming chapters. This quote portrays discrimination in the foster home. The speaker draws the line between real kids and foster kids – a very thick line that no one should dare cross.
Question 3
Well, during my childhood we used to go over our uncle’s place over the holidays. My mum and dad apparently flew abroad for some religious studies. At my uncle’s place, the kids were quite discriminative, fueled by my aunt’s attitude toward us. We were treated badly and enjoyed less privileges like the others. My uncle’s kids could pick up fights with us intentionally only to be praised by their mum as we are rebuked.
Question 4
Discrimination in the foster home is a common occurrence. However, the writer and her colleague were so naïve to fall into the dangerous traps of the homeowners. This naivety went overboard when the writer stares as she is defiled, yet she could have screamed for help. Most of the misfortunes are due to their mistakes and naivety.
TOPIC – Family Influence
Main Idea
The foster home was a completely new transformation stage where Cupcake Brown and Larry would adopt new and odd ways of life, including alcoholism through the influence the likes of Pete.
Supporting Details
i. The writer was swayed into drinking alcohol
ii. The writer and Larry had to adapt to the hard work require of them especially in cleanliness.
iii. The writer and Larry had to endure discrimination in all aspects of their lives while in the home, including access to certain rooms in the main house.
Pattern
Cause/effect pattern – the choices made by the writer through influence affect her in many ways. For instance, alcoholism leads to her defilement and her relation with Candy led her to prostitution.
Critical Thinking
i. Do foster homes really transform positively or spoil children?
ii. Does the silence about Larry’s misfortunes imply girls are more mistreated than boys in the foster home are?
Works Cited
Brown, Cupcake. A Piece of Cake: A Memoir. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007. Print.