The title “Shooting Dad” at first glance reflects Sarah's distaste for her father’s choice of hobby, occupation, and political beliefs. When Sarah was six her father introduced her to the power of a gun. She extremely detested the encounter and it created dissidence for her father’s political beliefs. Instead of spending time with her family she spent her time appreciating music, art, and reading.
As Sarah grew older she desired a better relationship with her father. She contacted him and asked to participate in his most recent project . He had recently finished a cannon she called the “tool of death”. (pg 21) They hiked to a secluded area lugging the cannon with them. She was thrilled by the loud noise when her father fired the cannon for the first time. During the excitement she realized her father was truly artistic and they were not so different after all.
Sarah promised her father when he passed away, her and the family would head to the mountains and shoot his ashes out of the boisterous cannon. Sarah said “But I will not cover my ears. Because when I blow what used to be my dad into the earth, I want it to hurt.” (pg 23) The true significance is that Sarah wants to hear the blast of the cannon as the reminder of the day she realized her and her father were not so different after all.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI agree how you described your last paragraph about Sarah not covering her ears because she wants it to hurt. I think it was an intention for her to be reminded of how not so different they are. Her whole story tells of her struggle with her father and she had come to realize in the end of the story that she was liking the idea her and her father sharing similarities and differences alike.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you descibed their relationship when she relized to just spend time with him and that they related in a artistic way. I think all your points about this story are dead on. Its sad that it just took them that long to be able to grow up and set everything aside to be able to talk.
-samantha J
Hello Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how you acknowledged Sarah's longing to establish a relationship with her father after all the years of conflict between them. But even more than that, I really like the way you tied the moment that they did connect and the moment of her shooting her dad from his own handmade cannon together. I had not though about how the loud noise of the cannon would bring back the memory of them connecting.
Good job.
Mandy Ericson
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteHer desire for a better relationship is key. When she was younger, working on her relationship with her dad wasn't important, and perhaps didn't cross her mind. It wasn't until she wanted a good relationship that she and her dad were able to find common ground.
I like your final point. She reflects on her memories in this reading, and then at the end, she anticipates one final memory she'll have of her father.
Thanks for your insights.
Take care,
Lauren
I really like your description where you mentioned that author’s father being an artist in his own fields and author being admirer of art appreciate her father’s artistic skill at last. And your last paragraph is also a good attention grabber. This is really beautiful paragraph where author presents her grief for her loss. She loved her father and started to respect him since the time she found out that they were both same and has got same type of passion for their interests. I think she wanted to giver her father proper tribute for which she might have thought that blowing through his own invention would be perfect tribute one can have.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah-
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to start off with that I think you are a great writer, I totally agree with you statements, and I like your first paragraph, you could not of said it better, I think that as a child she was disgusted with her fathers beliefs and hated the fact that he is was not interested in her own personal beliefs. When she matured and realized that her and her father share a nerdy hobby, she soon gained respect for her father and seen him in a new light and I think that at the end it gave them that bond that they secretly both yearned for when she was small.
Emily
Hi Sarah
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that she said “But I will not cover my ears. Because when I blow what used to be my dad into the earth, I want it to hurt.” It also show that even though she was able to have such a distaste for her fathers political views, occupation, and hobby’s she still deeply loved her father.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteYou are so right. At the end where you said that she wanted it to hurt because it would remind her of the day she realized her and her father weren't so different after all. I think that they both had things in common except that since it wasn't related it it wasn't easily known. They both did art except different types of art.
Xochilt