Sister Flowers by Maya Angelou

Thesis statement
“Then I met, or rather got to know, the lady who threw me my first life line.”

Summary
This story is about a young lady named Marguerite Johnson, and her relationship to Mrs. Bertha Flowers. Marguerite was an intelligent girl who liked to read books and did well in school. The only problem she had was that she was not a very outspoken person, and kept quiet in class. There was a woman, named Mrs. Flowers, who Marguerite looked up to and admired. It was brought to Mrs. Flowers attention that Marguerite had looked up to her, and that she shared a common interest in reading. Mrs. Flowers invited Marguerite back to her house for cookies and lemonade, and made an attempt to get to know the young lady. Mrs. Flowers read to Marguerite and gave her a reading assignment to help her out. It was the beginning of one of her life lessons and encouraged her to gain more wisdom form Mrs. Flowers.

Quote
“She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit. That in those homely sayings was couched the collective wisdom of generations.”

Response
This story has so many topics to touch on yet it’s only five pages in my textbook. And not only were the topics intertwined with one another, they all came together to help out Marguerite with one of her many life lessons, confidence. Not everyone would agree with me that this reading had to do with confidence, but it’s what I related to with the writer. It’s like she wrote a small passage of my life from my younger years. That feeling of being scared in front of others, when one is put on the spot. The thought of rejection from someone, who peaks your interest. The little hints you look for from others to get a sense of acceptance. As a kid, these were things I struggled with as well. These are subjects that were not taught plainly at school. We have to learn some things, through ordinary life lessons, that don’t come with a book. That’s where you learn things that aren’t taught by teachers or professors, but from people that you would least expect. Look for the knowledge in those experiences. Just because someone might not be the most educated person doesn’t mean they are not filled with life lessons. Mrs. Flowers gave Marguerite that extra boost of confidence that we all seek for. It’s that collective wisdom of generations.