Womanhood and Failures through the Burden of Self Esteem...

For a young and passionate college student, expectations from peers, teachers, and parents can be intimidating and emotionally draining. For most parents, having their child succeed is a top priority, and children want to exceed parents’ expectations by achieving good grades and a high standard in school. In the poem â€Å"Suicide Note,† by Janice Mirikitani, a female Asian American college student is struggling to live up to her parents expectations. She does not receive a perfect grade point average that her parents are expecting, and she does not have the strength to face them in person. For this young college student, her strengths are not strong enough, and her will and determination are overcome by insecurities and discontent. The speaker†¦show more content†¦She feels if she was a man she would be worthy of the acceptance and â€Å"comfort† in her parent’s eyes (16). The speaker is motivated to apologize to her parents because she is consum ed by the thought that she is not good enough, and lacks confidence because she is a daughter. The speaker in the poem uses repetition to illustrate her frustrations with self esteem and confidence. Because the speaker was unable to receive a high grade point average, she is afraid to face her parents; she is disappointed in herself and repeats that she is â€Å"not good enough, [and] not smart enough† (3-4). In the speaker’s mind, her disappointment is the last straw; she knows her parents will only criticize her, but she wants them to be proud. She says, â€Å"I apologize/ for disappointing you/ I’ve worked very hard/ not good enough† (5-8). The speaker believes she is a failure in life, and she does not believe that her life is worth living in the end if she cannot achieve her goals, whether they are her goals, or her parent’s goals. The intruding repetition throughout the poem shows how the speaker truly believes in her own mind and in the minds of her parent’s, : that she is not good or strong enough to live up to her own expect ations for herself, or her parent’s expectations. She is just a sparrow in a life of failure, and her â€Å"fragile wings† are â€Å"not strong enough† to soar above the disappointment (34-35).Show MoreRelatedEssay on Ambiguous Women: The Power of the Female Narrative3068 Words   |  13 Pagesat these works raises critical questions: From where have women come? Have women liberated themselves over the past century and through what means? What has it taken for women to turn their world right-side up? 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