Free Essays on My Mother Pieced Quilts

A Tapestry of Memories The poem, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts,† by Teresa Palomo Acosta, focuses on the mother’s talent for weaving memories out of old fabric that is otherwise useless. The cloth has come from many different sources, each with it’s own nostalgic significance-communion dresses, wedding gowns, nightclothes, and â€Å"dime store velvets† (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poetry, Explanation). Each loose strip of fabric reminds the narrator of her childhood memories-the good ones and the bad. â€Å"They were just meant as covers†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (line 1) says the narrator. However, the â€Å"October ripened canvases† (line 6) that the narrator awoke to each morning meant much more than a simple blanket to ward off chill, but instead, a scrapbook of the past. The speaker watches as the mother compiles this scrapbook of fabrics that have outlived their usefulness. By recalling how the loose edges of cloth were tucked in by the mother’s needle, the speaker also remembers how the mother would tuck in the kids at bedtime (lines 21-22). Each scrap seems to tell its own story, from curtains in a house in Michigan to a â€Å"Santa Fe workshirt† (line 25). All of the pieces remind the speaker of a time, place or season in which they were used. By relating these associations, the speaker is commenting on how memory itself is pieced together like ragged scraps (â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Explanation). The poem continues to identify the good memories that the mother causes by shaping together the pieces of fabric until it speaks of the black funeral dress (lines 35-36). The mother wore this somber black silk to her mother’s funeral and includes a star-shaped scrap of it in one of her quilts. By mentioning the good memories as well as the painful, the speaker is reminding us that all memories and experiences are combined of lights and darks, good times and bad (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poe... Free Essays on My Mother Pieced Quilts Free Essays on My Mother Pieced Quilts A Tapestry of Memories The poem, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts,† by Teresa Palomo Acosta, focuses on the mother’s talent for weaving memories out of old fabric that is otherwise useless. The cloth has come from many different sources, each with it’s own nostalgic significance-communion dresses, wedding gowns, nightclothes, and â€Å"dime store velvets† (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poetry, Explanation). Each loose strip of fabric reminds the narrator of her childhood memories-the good ones and the bad. â€Å"They were just meant as covers†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (line 1) says the narrator. However, the â€Å"October ripened canvases† (line 6) that the narrator awoke to each morning meant much more than a simple blanket to ward off chill, but instead, a scrapbook of the past. The speaker watches as the mother compiles this scrapbook of fabrics that have outlived their usefulness. By recalling how the loose edges of cloth were tucked in by the mother’s needle, the speaker also remembers how the mother would tuck in the kids at bedtime (lines 21-22). Each scrap seems to tell its own story, from curtains in a house in Michigan to a â€Å"Santa Fe workshirt† (line 25). All of the pieces remind the speaker of a time, place or season in which they were used. By relating these associations, the speaker is commenting on how memory itself is pieced together like ragged scraps (â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Explanation). The poem continues to identify the good memories that the mother causes by shaping together the pieces of fabric until it speaks of the black funeral dress (lines 35-36). The mother wore this somber black silk to her mother’s funeral and includes a star-shaped scrap of it in one of her quilts. By mentioning the good memories as well as the painful, the speaker is reminding us that all memories and experiences are combined of lights and darks, good times and bad (Acosta, â€Å"My Mother Pieced Quilts†, Exploring Poe...

14 Quotes for a Funny Wedding Toast

14 Quotes for a Funny Wedding Toast If youve been asked to give a wedding toast, chances are youre taking your  role seriously. Perhaps too seriously! Often, the best wedding toasts start with a joke, even if they wind up with a sincere wish for the couples future happiness. Why Give a Funny Wedding Toast? Weddings  bring up complicated emotions. For the bride and groom, theres joy along with (in many cases) tremendous anxiety. Sometimes the anxiety is related to the very idea of a permanent commitment; other times its related to aspects of the wedding itself. Will the caterer show up? Will my divorced parents  get into a fight? Will Aunt Jane get drunk and fall into the wedding cake? Similarly, complex emotions come up for parents who are both thrilled and saddened as their child steps into a new role and a new stage of life. Siblings may be delighted, jealous, or even angry about some aspect of the wedding. Best friends may feel left behind. Humor is almost always the best way to break the ice, lower anxiety, and just have fun at a wedding. If youve been asked to give a  wedding toast, chances are you have a close relationship with either the bride, the groom, or both. That means you know which kinds of humor are likely to get a big laugh, and which wont. Funny Wedding Quotes to Choose From Not all of these famous quotes will be right for you, but youll almost certainly find one or two that connect with your particular wedding party! Henny YoungmanThe secret of a happy marriage remains a secret. John MiltonBiochemically, love is just like eating large amounts of chocolate. Henry KissingerNobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. There€s too much fraternizing with the enemy. Cathy CarlyleLove is an electric blanket with somebody else in control of the switch.​ SocratesBy all means, marry; if you get a good wife, youll be happy. If you get a bad one, youll become a philosopher. Rita RudnerI love being married. Its so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. Mickey RooneyAlways get married early in the morning. That way, if it doesnt work out, you havent wasted a whole day. Henny YoungmanI take my wife everywhere I go. She always finds her way back. Ralph Waldo EmersonA mans wife has more power over him than the state has. Honore de BalzacThe majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to play the violin. Anne Bancroft The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps theyre too old to do it. Erma Bombeck Marriage has no guarantees. If thats what youre looking for, go live with a car battery! Anonymous A good marriage is one where each partner secretly suspects they got the better deal. Winston  Churchill My most brilliant achievement was my ability to persuade my wife to marry me.