Regina Eugenio

3/22/19

All the Living : Prose Passage #2

An eleven-year-old girl named Aloma has had to adjust to her changing

environment due to the fact that she had to go out of the area in which her extended
family resides by. This is definitely a really hard experience to get used to since she is
so young and being that independent at such a young age is impressive. It is seen in
this passage that there is a certain reflection period that Aloma goes through to get the
hang of things. Her experience with these new changes are exemplified through the use
of literary elements and implementing figurative language into the midst of it. The author
uses characterization, repetition, and metaphor to make Aloma’s transition and
experience to stand out.
It is not easy to go through quick transitions as to what Aloma has experienced
during this whole event. Being able to have this much independency to yourself gives
one a time to reflect and work on yourself. Also, it provides some growth that an
individual will need in their lifetime. Aloma knew that sooner or later, she would be able
to feel this sense of freedom. The sense that “... someday adulthood would come with
its great and shuddering release and she would be free.” Aloma would feel the sense of
being on her own and not having to rely on her extended family for everything she
needs.
The author uses repetition to emphasize how Aloma felt as she was sent to
mission school and how she felt a sense of “darkness” everywhere she went. It felt as if
she was alone in her own world with no happiness and reassurance that everything is
fine with her mentally. This was when she came to the realization that some day she will
be able to feel the freedom from this “dark place...dark state...” that she is in at the
moment. Her aunt and uncle would always check up on Aloma every week to make
sure everything is fine and that their family bond never broke. She liked to play the
piano and this was a way in which she can escape reality, reflecting on how it would feel
to be put in someone else’s shoes.
The implementation of metaphors in this passage gives it life and makes the
reader get an imaginative glimpse of what the author is trying to get at. The passage
states, “When they told her of the school, they were gentle as doctors…” This points out
the fact that her aunt and uncle knew that Aloma would not take this news in a very
accepting way at first, so they wanted to make her feel calm and collected as they broke
the news to her. But her first night was rough on her shoulders, causing her to break
down. This is not surprising due to the fact that she is still young, and it is not common
for kids her age to be sent to a mission school on her own.
 Another factor that played a major role in her experience of the changing
environment was that she was not able to feel the freedom that kids typically experience
around this age. The passage states, “That was what she wanted. That more than
family… friendship… than love.” Aloma wanted to feel this feeling of being free and
independent, having the ability to roam on her own. This is something that individuals
around her age want to experience and break away from the dependency of her aunt
and uncle.
In summarization, Aloma has experienced many things and learned more about
herself as a cause of her changing environment. It took a toll on her at first. But as time
went on, she got the hang of everything. She saw many events at a different
perspective and grew from that. Aloma learned many lessons at such a young age that
she will apply to her future experiences as an independent twelve-year-old girl.