Contending Forces Sample Essay - A Mothers Warning Against Hating Life

Contending Forces Sample Essay - A Mother's Warning Against Hating LifeThe Contending Forces Sample Essay is a compelling argument, an almost very easy, sample essay for a Contending Forces essay. The theme of the essay is about taking charge of one's own life. The mother of daughter Jonathan, a teenager who was abducted in November 2020 and murdered in her home town of Derry, is concerned for the safety of her two daughters, now both 16. She, in addition to working as a waitress, as well as caring for her terminally ill mother, now has to maintain a full-time relationship with her sister Jonelle, herself, who has not been able to see her since the time she was a young girl.The mother has seen her daughter's struggle with their family life, partly due to the change in the siblings as well as the hurtful remarks directed towards them by Jonathan's childhood friend and school mate, Derek. Jonathan says he cannot stand the bullying heaped upon his best friend, even when it is directed t owards him by others. He says, however, that he does not like Derek. 'He can be a child.'Jonelle, who was left alone in Derry when her parents were killed in a road accident, explains her relationship with her mother. 'I am happy that she gave me my life back, but I do not feel that she is the mother that I had always hoped for. I have not heard her sing, or I talk as I used to. I feel I have lost my mother forever, or at least I will until I find her.' At one point in the essay, Jonelle says she did not know her father, Gerry, is dead.As well as describing the stresses of maintaining a household, Jonelle offers a personal account. She has been forced to look for work in the nearby town, in part due to the changing social and economic trends. Because of the difficulty in finding a job there, she does not feel that she has gained any self confidence. She says that she sometimes wonders if there is no place for her in the world, as she is not content with the status of her being.In th e family, Diane knows that it is her husband Michael who cares about her most. After his death, she feels less certain of the strength of their relationship. Despite knowing that she is not ready to let go of her life, as she was told it would forever be theirs, she is just relieved that she is finally getting older and leaving behind her four year marriage. She feels that it was not what she wanted or expected. 'I just hate marriage, marriage is something that we accept as a reality, something that is done.'Diane describes feeling trapped in a home where the rules are set and no one is allowed to break them. She feels that because she is considered to be a woman, it is only fair that she be considered a mom. She says, however, that her husband did not have to die, 'but because of his work, he was not able to see us or talk to us.' A statement that brings to mind the quote by the poet.As they tried to hold on to their little lives together, Diane finds herself unable to do so. She s ays, 'I cannot do without my children, but I wish I could do without them.' Even if her husband had been there for her, she feels that he has never understood the way she feels. 'My husband doesn't understand my feelings. I just feel as if my children mean nothing to me.'At one point in the essay, Diane gives a summary of how her life has changed since her husband's death. 'I am a different person, with a very different taste, a very different mood, with a very different lifestyle. And I can only call it a new beginning.'