Glass Roses
Personal Response Assignment
Short Story – The Glass Rose by Alden Nowlan
BY LIIBAN SABRIE
Essential Question: What does a child have to go through to have the courage to live his life for himself?
"The Glass Roses" by Alden Nowlan highlights the conflicts within the main character, Stephen, a fifteen-year-old scrawny teenager working with his father in the woods. He has been brought up in an environment where there is a predetermined set idea of what it means to be a man. The protagonist either has to follow in the footsteps of his father or pursue his desires to embrace others and show compassion. The friendships he develops and the ideas he grasps from his so called ‘outcast’ partner named Leka teach him more about growing up then his father ever did. But what really troubles Stephen is mustering up enough courage to change what the preconceived notion of what being a man really means and if those around him are willing to accept what being a man means to him.
A glass rose can be seen as a fragile replica of what a real rose actually is. Glass needs to be handled with care, it is weak and is not given the same admiration and appreciation as the ones we find in nature. Although this is completely up to the person, it’s safe to say that I speak for the majority of people. Earlier in the story Leka has nightmares and twists and turns in bed as the night goes on and Stephen always is there to wake him up. Stephen is the only one to do so among all the men. This shows that he is undoubtedly the most caring of the group, and showing any kind of emotion isn’t something his father would approve of. I believe that he truly cares for others but must only do so openly when he feels the need or else his coworkers and family will think of him as less than a man.
There’s a part in the story where Leka and Stephen are getting along and begin to regularly speak softly to one another at bed time. As they bond closer and closer
Short Story – The Glass Rose by Alden Nowlan
BY LIIBAN SABRIE
Essential Question: What does a child have to go through to have the courage to live his life for himself?
"The Glass Roses" by Alden Nowlan highlights the conflicts within the main character, Stephen, a fifteen-year-old scrawny teenager working with his father in the woods. He has been brought up in an environment where there is a predetermined set idea of what it means to be a man. The protagonist either has to follow in the footsteps of his father or pursue his desires to embrace others and show compassion. The friendships he develops and the ideas he grasps from his so called ‘outcast’ partner named Leka teach him more about growing up then his father ever did. But what really troubles Stephen is mustering up enough courage to change what the preconceived notion of what being a man really means and if those around him are willing to accept what being a man means to him.
A glass rose can be seen as a fragile replica of what a real rose actually is. Glass needs to be handled with care, it is weak and is not given the same admiration and appreciation as the ones we find in nature. Although this is completely up to the person, it’s safe to say that I speak for the majority of people. Earlier in the story Leka has nightmares and twists and turns in bed as the night goes on and Stephen always is there to wake him up. Stephen is the only one to do so among all the men. This shows that he is undoubtedly the most caring of the group, and showing any kind of emotion isn’t something his father would approve of. I believe that he truly cares for others but must only do so openly when he feels the need or else his coworkers and family will think of him as less than a man.
There’s a part in the story where Leka and Stephen are getting along and begin to regularly speak softly to one another at bed time. As they bond closer and closer