Velma Smith
English 98
Dr. Van Blaricom
Composition #3
Connected
Word count : 382
The love that a family gives their children will determine their children’s future outcomes. The memoir “Picking Cotton” is an unlikely story of Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton. The two of them were twenty-two when Jennifer was rapped and identified Ronald as her rapist during a police lineup. Ronald, as well as his family, knew that he was innocent of the crimes against him, but that did not matter. Jennifer and Ronald’s parents were in the courtroom by their child’s side throughout the court hearings that proceeded after the assault on Jennifer. Jennifer’s testimony put Ronald in jail, and it would take almost eleven years to prove his innocence. Both Jennifer’s and Ronald’s parents were supportive of their children during the trials; however, the way each of the parents showed their love differed like in all families. For example, some parents have difficulty talking with their children. This was seen with Jennifer’s family, who could hardly listen yet talk to their daughter about her rape. When Jennifer went to stay at her mothers, her mother was not there to greet her, but her mother did leave a bouquet of flowers and a get well soon card for her. On the other hand, Ronald’s family did as much as they could to talk to Ronald. Although Ronald was in jail, throughout the trials his family went to go see him, talk with him and give him necessities when they could. Subsequently, the difficulty