Exploration 3 Haleigh Stacy

Hi, my name is Haleigh, and I am from Prospect. I attended River Valley High School, and I am majoring in mathematics and minoring in economics. I like to play tennis and softball in my free time, and hope to play softball on campus if there is a team this coming spring. In this class I hope to gain confidence in my writing skills.
“When Father was drinking, the house, too, became a minefield. The least bump could set off either parent.” This quote from page 195 was a very powerful metaphor showing what the author had to deal with as a child. Parents are supposed to be protection for children, and with this statement, readers can clearly see that his home life was not a safe environment. I believe he writes this story because he wants to show people the damage alcohol can cause. He has been so afraid to talk about what he has gone through for so long that he must write about it to help himself cope. Writing about what happened to him seems to be the only way for him to get rid of the burden he feels over himself. His honesty is what struck me most. He expresses exactly what he feels about everything he puts in this piece. Usually people take the same ideas as his mother about any type of abuse; if you don’t talk about it, it doesn’t seem to exist. I think it is good that he opens up and tells everything so others can see the effects just one person's alcohol abuse can effect so many others.