Essay #2 Draft

My relationship with my father and Sarah’s relationship with her father in “Shooting Dad” are particularly similar. We both grew up not appreciating our fathers for the wonderful role models they were yet thankfully we both recognized our critical error before it was too late.

Sarah’s relationship with her father became strained after her first experience with his enthusiasm for guns.  Her lack of appreciation for his love of guns eventually developed into a dislike for his political beliefs. Similarly, my relationship became strained with my father when I started developing my own views on life and religious ideals that were opposite of what my father believed. Sarah’s father embraced the concept of his daughter developing her own ideas, theories, and political beliefs. My father was horrified at the idea of his first-born daughter not following each principle he taught her.

When I realized it was time for me to explore the world and investigate different types of  beliefs, it caused my father to fear for my future. I wanted to investigate if what my father had taught me was in fact the truth or if I would be able to find something else that was a better fit for me. On my sixteenth birthday our relationship reached the boiling point, my father outlined his distaste for my interests, style, and beliefs. He had an image of an ideal daughter trapped in his head and was unwilling to expand his concept to include the reality of what I had become. He started trying to enforce rules to squash my individualism that he viewed as rebellion. I reacted in a way a teenager would, by creating a persona reeking of hatred for authority.

Sarah and I reacted to our fathers in a similar way, we both chose to participate in a lifestyle that was completely opposite of what our parental figures lived. Sarah chased music, art, and liberal politics. I chased loud music, cigarettes, and general rebelliousness.

Both Sarah and I realized later in life how important it is to have a good relationship with your father. I finally saw my father as a human being, a person with thoughts, feelings, and emotions. I realized he is allowed to make mistakes. Just like Sarah was able to finally see how similar her and her father were, I was able to see the similarities between my father and I. My father and I both felt strong about our ideals and were willing to stand up for what we believe in. We are both quick to voice our opinion and stand firm regardless of outside influences. In fact I now believe I gained my character by watching my father. We may not see eye to eye on every issue but we have respect and love for each other.

Sarah and I tried desperately to be entirely different from our fathers and in retrospect we instead both possessed multiple similarities and convictions.