Content
Prediction
It goes without
saying that the title of a story shows its content. It is like this short story
by Eugenia Collier, Sweet Potato Pie. Like its title, this story tells
us about sweet potato pie. Sweet potato pie is a traditional side dish
in the Southern United States. It is often served
during the American holiday season, especially at Thanksgiving. From the definition of sweet potato pie,
we’ll see that sweet potato pie is family dish. I can predict that there are
some conflicts about family life in this story. Those can be the relation
between parents and their children or problems from each family member.
The history of
sweet potato pie goes back a long way (to the African slave trade since yams
were a produce in Africa). Sweet potato pie is especially popular in
African-American homes. A stereotype that it reflects poverty may be the
content of this story. Therefore, I can predict that this story also contains
social status problem/conflict.
Commented
Sentences
I loved school with
a desperate passion, which became more intense when I began to realize what a
monumental struggle it was for my parents and brothers and sisters to keep me
there. The cramped, dingy classroom became a battleground where I was
victorious. I stayed on top of my class. With glee I out-read,
out-figured, and out-spelled the country boys who mocked my poverty, calling me
“the boy with eyes in the back of his head”—the “eyes” being the perpetual
holes in my hand-me-down pants.
Not every poor
family can send their children to school, but this is the greatest thing when a
poor family still has a will to see one of their children educated as well as
the others. Buddy’s older brother thinks that education will break the chain of
poverty. His sacrifice to send his younger brother to school can motivate Buddy
to do his best in his school although he loves school with a desperate passion
because he is the only poor student in his class. He feels more desperate when
he realizes that it is too hard for his family to keep him in the school. They
must work hard to it. But finally, he realizes that he must study hard to show
to his family, to his parents and Charley that their hard-work is not useless.
So, he can be the best in his class. He does not care about his friends who
laugh at his poverty.
That is true that
poverty can be break by education. However, reaching a best education must
follow by a high-intention. There are many barriers to reach our purpose.
Everyone can easily pass it when their hearts are strong. We should go on our
own way, no matter what people say.
Charley’s
Character Sketch
Charley is the
oldest children of Buddy’s family. He is a hard-worker because he doesn’t have
his childhood since he has to work. He is the oldest children, who ride herd on
Buddy while Pa and Mama toil in fields not their own. So, he is a responsible
and wise man.
Charley is the
tallest man in his family. He has slender dark hands, his face thin and
intense, brown as the loaves Lil baked when there was flour, quick fingers. His
voice is low and terrible in the dark.
Questions and
Answers
Q: What does Buddy
think of his family?
A: In this story,
Buddy feels he is the luckiest of all his family. This is because all the other
members of the family watch out for him and take care of him. They may be mean
to him at times but it is for his own good or he believes this is so.
Q: What is the tone
of this story?
A: The tone is
compassion and sympathy.
Q: Is there
any symbols in this story? If there is a symbol, what does it mean?
A: The sweet
potato pie is a symbol in this story, a symbol of love between Buddy and his
brother, and a symbol of his former life.
Q: Why do you think
Charley brought Buddy the pie?
A: Because “a man”
must not carry a brown back on hotel’s lobby. Charley thinks that Buddy is
somebody now, and he does not want anybody look at Buddy because he brings a
brown bag paper that usually brought by poor people.
Q: Where is the
complication of the story?
A: From paragraph 3
especially when Buddy begins to remain his childhood with Charley, to paragraph
30. In this part, the writer presented flashback story.
The Missing
Information
I predict that
there is missing information in this story.
What did the family
do to pay Buddy’s tuition pay?
It is not clearly
stated in the story how they get money for Buddy. In the story, Charley told
Buddy to go to school because education can break poverty, but Collier does not
show us. It will be a question for us, what did the family do to pay
Buddy’s tuition pay? The cost to study high is not cheap, but Buddy can be
a college student until his graduation without any problems with the cost.
“There’s nothing in
this world I like better than Bea’s sweet potato pie!” It shows that Buddy
likes Bea’s potato pie so much, but in this story, never told before about
sweet potato pie in their family, about Buddy’s excitement about sweet potato
pie.
Letter to a
Friend
Dear Mavy,
Do you still like reading stories? Three days ago, I read a short story
titled Sweet Potato Pie written by Eugenia Collier. I am surprised to
read this story because the story is so great! Honestly, I have never read a
story about family that is as heart-warming as this.
It is about a poor family. The oldest in that family has no childhood because
he must work and look after his younger brothers and sisters while their
parents worked out of the town. He has a great thought that Buddy, the younger,
must go to school. He had an opinion that education can break poverty. It is so
cool, isn’t it?
In the end of the story, when Buddy had become somebody, he still remembered
Charley, who had supported his life until he got his success. There is a part
that makes me almost cry. Buddy got a bag of sweet potato pie from Charley’s
wife. When Charley, who worked as a taxi driver, saw Buddy bringing his pie
bag, he asked Buddy not to bring it inside. Can you guess what happen next?
Charley brought it for Buddy! Oh, it is really a nice story.
Are you interested
in reading it? I will be happy if you don’t mind reading this one. I will be
waiting for your comment about this story. See you!
If I Were the
Director
If I were the
director of Sweet Potato Pie, I will adopt the whole text and add
extra story as the ending.
The Ending
We stopped a bit
down the street from my hotel. I invited him in, but he said he had to
get on with his evening run. But as I opened the door to get out, he
commanded in the old familiar voice, “Buddy, you wait!”
For a moment I
thought my fly was open or something. “What’s wrong?”
“What you go
there?”
I was
bewildered. “That? You mean this bag? That’s a piece of sweet
potato pie Bea fixed for me.”
“You ain’t going through
the lobby of no big hotel carrying no brown paper bag.”
“Man, you
crazy! Of course, I’m going—Look, Bea fixed it for me— That’s my pie—”
Charley’s eyes were
miserable. “Folks in that hotel don’t go through the lobby carrying no
brown paper bags. That’s country. And you can’t neither. You somebody,
Buddy. You got to be right.
Now, gimme that
bag.”
“I want that pie,
Charley. I’ve got nothing to prove to anybody—“
I couldn’t believe
it. But there was no point in arguing. Foolish as it seemed to me,
it was important to him.
“You got to look
right, Buddy. Can’t nobody look dignified carrying a brown paper bag.”
So, finally,
thinking how tasty it would have been and how seldom I got a chance to eat
anything that good, I handed over my bag of sweet potato pie. If it was
that important to him— I tried not to show my irritation. “Okay, man—take
care now.” I slammed the door harder than I had intended, walked rapidly
to the hotel, and entered the brilliant, crowded lobby.
“That Charley!” I
thought. Walking slower now, I crossed the carpeted lobby toward the
elevator, still thinking of my lost snack. I had to admit that of all the
herd of people who jostled each other in the lobby, not one was carrying a
brown paper bag. Or anything but expensive attaché cases or slick
packages from exclusive shops. I suppose we all operate according to the
symbols that are meaningful to us, and to Charley a brown paper bag symbolizes
the humble life he thought I had left. I was somebody.
I don’t know what
made me glance back, but I did. And suddenly the tears and laughter, toil
and love of a lifetime burst around me like fireworks in a night sky.
For there,
following a few steps behind, came Charley, proudly carrying a brown paper bag
full of sweet potato pie.
I stopped for a
while, waiting for Charley. It seemed that Charley was taken aback. “Why do you
bring it to me? I think that you will bring it back home and I get nothing.”
Charley answered
with his low voice, “I know that Bea’s is your favourite. But I won’t let you
bring it with your own hands on this lobby.”
From the front door,
suddenly a boy ran fast until bumped Charley. Charley looked at the boy’s face.
It was the boy whom he had ever picked before.
“You are…”
“I'm so sorry,
Sir.” He looked at Buddy than. “Sir, do you stay here?”
“Yes, good boy. Do
you remember him?” Buddy smiled, looking at Charley. “He has ever picked you up
with his taxi. Remember?”
“Yes, Sir. He asked
about you.” Charley smiled. He thought that the boy still remembered him.
“He is my best
brother,” Buddy smiled and took the brown paper bag from Charley’s hand. The
boy was shocked, so did Charley. But then Charley smiled. He huddled up Buddy.
Recommendation
This story is very
interesting and gives us many lessons about life. It teaches us to have more
appreciation to our family. Moreover, this story depicts the crucial point that
love can be shown greater than words can. Charley took the pie and did not mind
being a “nobody” for his brother Buddy and followed him; it was really touching
and showed caring. Therefore, it is possible for English teachers to use this
story as a material, but the language should be simplified so that the students
understand.
The Cultural
Aspects
There are some
cultural aspects that can be found in this story such as;
- A family of sharecroppers that has many children usually order the oldest to look after his/her younger sisters or brothers while the parents are working.
- Children of a poor family usually can't go to school.
- A brown paper bag reflects poverty so “somebody” or rich people would better not bring it in a big place such as hotel.
- Bringing a brown paper bag is the taxi driver job.
- Sweet potato pie is a symbol of love between family members.
Thanks for reading.
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