Academic Writing ENG-122
January 20, 2013
Understanding creates Acceptance
In all of these stories, they talk about whom they are and where they came from. What they have been through and whom they have become. With listening and finding understanding, they come to an acceptance of something they previously did not accept.
Within "The Foundations of the Earth" I found the knowledge of understanding and individual power to find the acceptance of what she does not understand. How could Edward keep this secret from her, not giving her the chance to prove the love she has for him as her grandson. She invited Gabriel for a visit so they could talk. With one on one time she is able to listen to him, and finds out that her grandson was scared of her reaction, possibly being disowned by his grandmother or possibly losing her love. If only he took the risk and confided in her giving her the chance to prove her love to him, showing him her love was unconditional. Then again if she showed him that she was openminded, maybe he would have confided in her the secret he kept so long about being gay. In raising her grandson to be a strong man, as she was a strong woman, for him to grow up and be a man she is proud of, she forgot to teach him toleration of the differences in people. I pity both Maggie and Edward because he was not able to confide in her so instead he hid his life from her making her feel as if she did something wrong.
The only thing she did wrong was not being openminded while her grandson was around, so he knew that he could come to her with anything and she would not judge him. The evidence is in Gabriel statement that Edward did not confide in his grandmother Maggie because he was scared of being disowned or she would stop loving him. I think by inviting Gabriel to visit, talking and taking the time to listen, she was able to come to terms about the news of her grandson's secret life of being gay that had been hid from her for so long just too late. I disagree with Edward's decision to keep his secret from grandmother, just look at all the time wasted. Now he is gone, and they missed all that precious time they could have spent together.
Within "Cathedral", I found the knowledge of understanding and the individual power of acceptance. I pity that he does not understand his wife's friendship with the blind man, Robert. The husband is thrown by the relationship his wife holds with this other man, not knowing of his past. The blind man comes for a visit after his wife passes away. The husband and the blind man staying up and talking, getting to know one another the husband gains an understanding of the friendship between his wife and the blind man. During the visit, the husband get the chance to know him, not just a man that his wife has built a lifelong relationship with, someone she confides in, someone who knows all the details of her life and her with his life. That night the husband begins to build a friendship with Robert, the blind man. The evidence is when the husband takes the lead from Robert and helps him to see in his mind's eye what a cathedral looks like. The husband drawing the cathedral with Robert's hand following his, closing his own eyes getting the full