The Challenge-Expository essay
Myana T. Welch
8/29/06
#30
Expository Essay
As a young girl Ana liked to go out into the rain and catch toads, hurl saliva covered balls over fences in a friendly game of toss with her neighbors dogs, and she especially liked to collect caterpillars off the short lemon tree that grew right outside her church. Ana loved doing all of those things, but when playtime was over, she went to the next best thing: sucking her thumb. It was a terribly strong habit. The hardest habit she would someday have to break.
Ana’s mother would cringe every time she popped that thumb into her mouth.. “That is disgusting honey. Your hands are filthy!” Her mother would scold. “You’re going to be a big girl soon, and big girls don’t suck their thumbs” her father would always add. Ana didn’t see why it was so important not to suck her thumb. She wasn’t hurting anybody. “I want to quit, so I can be a big girl.” Ana usually replied.
One day Ana followed her mother to visit a friend’s house. Bored as usual, sucking on her thumb without a care in the world, Ana glanced into the backyard and to her surprise, she saw a litter of puppies tumbling around in the grass. She ran towards the puppies and immediately began to play with them. She played long enough with the puppies to fall in love with an almond coated, brown-eyed puppy. “Time to go.” Her mother said. Ana grabbed the puppy and shoved it into her mother’s face, hoping she would be dazzled by it’s brown eyes. “Can I keep her?” Ana pleaded. Ana gave her mother a wide, gap toothed smile. Her mother’s friend walked out and saw the puppy in Ana’s hands. “You can keep her.” Her mother’s friend said, chuckling at Ana’s enthusiasm. A wonderful feeling fluttered in Ana’s chest, but the feeling deteriorated when her mother replied with a sharp no. “But why!?” Ana cried in the car on their way home. “Because you need to stop sucking your thumb first,” Her mother said. “That’s easy!” Ana yelled. She folded her arms and swore never to suck on her thumb again. It was much harder than she thought.
Ana went through great physical and mental torment to get herself to stop sucking her thumb. She asked her aunt ,who at the time was a young playful adult, to help her stop. First her Aunt painted Ana's nails and convinced her it was poison, but during a movie, Ana habitually stuck her thumb into her mouth and after realizing what she had done; she burst into tears. Ana’s aunt spent over an hour trying to convince this hysterical little girl that she was not going to die. Ana’s aunt tried something different and put hot sauce on her thumb, and again Ana burst into tears. Ana’s parents and her aunt used to tell her little stories of how little girls who sucked their thumb would suck the bone right out. Ana suffered and cried and promised never to do it again, but by the end of the day, before going to bed, the thumb would be right back in her mouth.
“They’re going to give your puppy away.” Ana’s mother said one day after getting off the phone with her friend. “WHY!?” Ana cried. “The puppies are getting too old to stay.” Her mom replied. “But they can’t!” Ana argued. Her mother just pointed out that she hadn’t broken the habit of sucking her thumb and that there was no way she could keep a puppy. “We can go and say goodbye.” Ana’s mother said reassuringly. Ana hopped into the car feeling both excited and sad.
When they arrived at her mother’s friend’s house, Ana ran straight into the back yard and lifted up her brown-eyed puppy. “I’m going to name you rose.” she said. After a while Ana’s mother pulled her back into the car and drove home. She pretended not to hear Ana’s loud sobs.
That night before Ana went to bed, she said a prayer for God to help her stop sucking her thumb. She looked at her thumb, and then shoved it under her pillow. For the next three days she didn’t touch her thumb. Ana’s parents noticed her determination, and on the third day Ana woke up to hear a puppy yelping in her backyard. She ran outside with excitement. “Rose!” she screamed as she gave her puppy a large bear hug.
For Ana, to stop sucking her thumb took time, effort, and a lot of determination. Ana learned that when something meant a lot to her, she could accomplish things once thought impossible. There are many things or habits today that people might feel are too hard to break, but in retrospect, they are no harder than many other habits that have been broken. Sometimes the benefits are more rewarding than the journey it takes to get there.
8/29/06
#30
Expository Essay
As a young girl Ana liked to go out into the rain and catch toads, hurl saliva covered balls over fences in a friendly game of toss with her neighbors dogs, and she especially liked to collect caterpillars off the short lemon tree that grew right outside her church. Ana loved doing all of those things, but when playtime was over, she went to the next best thing: sucking her thumb. It was a terribly strong habit. The hardest habit she would someday have to break.
Ana’s mother would cringe every time she popped that thumb into her mouth.. “That is disgusting honey. Your hands are filthy!” Her mother would scold. “You’re going to be a big girl soon, and big girls don’t suck their thumbs” her father would always add. Ana didn’t see why it was so important not to suck her thumb. She wasn’t hurting anybody. “I want to quit, so I can be a big girl.” Ana usually replied.
One day Ana followed her mother to visit a friend’s house. Bored as usual, sucking on her thumb without a care in the world, Ana glanced into the backyard and to her surprise, she saw a litter of puppies tumbling around in the grass. She ran towards the puppies and immediately began to play with them. She played long enough with the puppies to fall in love with an almond coated, brown-eyed puppy. “Time to go.” Her mother said. Ana grabbed the puppy and shoved it into her mother’s face, hoping she would be dazzled by it’s brown eyes. “Can I keep her?” Ana pleaded. Ana gave her mother a wide, gap toothed smile. Her mother’s friend walked out and saw the puppy in Ana’s hands. “You can keep her.” Her mother’s friend said, chuckling at Ana’s enthusiasm. A wonderful feeling fluttered in Ana’s chest, but the feeling deteriorated when her mother replied with a sharp no. “But why!?” Ana cried in the car on their way home. “Because you need to stop sucking your thumb first,” Her mother said. “That’s easy!” Ana yelled. She folded her arms and swore never to suck on her thumb again. It was much harder than she thought.
Ana went through great physical and mental torment to get herself to stop sucking her thumb. She asked her aunt ,who at the time was a young playful adult, to help her stop. First her Aunt painted Ana's nails and convinced her it was poison, but during a movie, Ana habitually stuck her thumb into her mouth and after realizing what she had done; she burst into tears. Ana’s aunt spent over an hour trying to convince this hysterical little girl that she was not going to die. Ana’s aunt tried something different and put hot sauce on her thumb, and again Ana burst into tears. Ana’s parents and her aunt used to tell her little stories of how little girls who sucked their thumb would suck the bone right out. Ana suffered and cried and promised never to do it again, but by the end of the day, before going to bed, the thumb would be right back in her mouth.
“They’re going to give your puppy away.” Ana’s mother said one day after getting off the phone with her friend. “WHY!?” Ana cried. “The puppies are getting too old to stay.” Her mom replied. “But they can’t!” Ana argued. Her mother just pointed out that she hadn’t broken the habit of sucking her thumb and that there was no way she could keep a puppy. “We can go and say goodbye.” Ana’s mother said reassuringly. Ana hopped into the car feeling both excited and sad.
When they arrived at her mother’s friend’s house, Ana ran straight into the back yard and lifted up her brown-eyed puppy. “I’m going to name you rose.” she said. After a while Ana’s mother pulled her back into the car and drove home. She pretended not to hear Ana’s loud sobs.
That night before Ana went to bed, she said a prayer for God to help her stop sucking her thumb. She looked at her thumb, and then shoved it under her pillow. For the next three days she didn’t touch her thumb. Ana’s parents noticed her determination, and on the third day Ana woke up to hear a puppy yelping in her backyard. She ran outside with excitement. “Rose!” she screamed as she gave her puppy a large bear hug.
For Ana, to stop sucking her thumb took time, effort, and a lot of determination. Ana learned that when something meant a lot to her, she could accomplish things once thought impossible. There are many things or habits today that people might feel are too hard to break, but in retrospect, they are no harder than many other habits that have been broken. Sometimes the benefits are more rewarding than the journey it takes to get there.
