All I Asking For Is My Body
Who is Makot? Do you feel sorry for him? What are your thoughts about him and the way he copes with his parents?
Makot is a teenage boy living in Pepelau, Hawaii with his parents they are a traditional Japanese family who migrated to the sugar plantation; he is also the main character of the story. Makot finds himself always hanging out with kids much younger than him, like Kiyosh. Makot comes from a wealthy family and seems to like to spend money on his group of friends and because of this I believe is the reason no one his age will hang out with him, they make fun of him and his family. There seems to be an oddity about Makot, he is always having his group of friends over for dinner. This is when Kiyoshi acquired the feeling that Makot’s parents act very strange and told his folks and they responded by saying that Makot’s parents are bad people and live a questionable life.
Makot appears to me to be somewhat childish, this could possibly be because his parents do not spend a lot of time with him as well as check up on what is doing, he seems to run free a lot. This could also be why his behavior toward his parents is arrogant and angered. I believe that Makot learned this behavior from his parents they are not a good role model and therefore the way they act or treat him affects the way Makot treats them. I also think this is why no one Makot’s age wants to be friends with him, which I find very sad.
Kiyoshi’s mother feels Makot is a bad influence and knows that he is getting caught up in the ideas that Makot introduced him to and they are not traditional ways she feels. Eventually, Kiyoshi has to tell Makot he cannot play with him anymore.
I think that Makot is losing his friends either because he is trying to buy them or because his parents are not approved of either way it seems there is always separation because of social -economic status.
Hi Daye,
ReplyDeleteMakot is definitely in a higher socio-economic status than the other children, which provides him with a much easier life, as you'll read, than Kiyoshi and the other children. What's interesting about this text is the way Makot's parents make money--his mother is a prostitute--and what that says about class and one's ability to move into a higher "class." In this case, Makot's family will not have to endure the pain of poverty, but they suffer from public censure and their family structure is weakened as the result of their choices.
Thanks for your insights.
Take care,
Lauren
Hi Daye,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it's very sad the Makot has lost all his friends over the years. Makot's mom makes the money by prostituting and I most definitely wouldn't let my boys around a family like that as well. Makot has a lot of money because his mom makes all the money prostituting. It's so sad. Makot definitely has no respect for his mother. He tells her to shut up and go back into the house. She laughs at Kiyoshi for thanking him for food. Definitely a sad sitution for him. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the story.
Dina
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI also chose to write about the same topic and I also found to understand that the only reason why Kiyoshi's parents would not allow him to hang out with Makot is because of him being a bad influence. It was a little difficult to find out who Makot really is since you have yet to find out who his parents are in order for us as the reader to get a better understanding as to why he is the way he is. We shall see...
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this topic. It is sad that Makot loses all of his friends. I agree with you on the reason why Makot can't seem to keep any of his friends. It also really does seem like Makot is really childish and as Kiyo's mom said he's a bad influence. It's sad, but true and it could simply be because of the way that Makot was raised, but it's hard to tell without getting to know Makot and his family better.
Hello !
ReplyDeleteI had a feeling that Makot's mother was a prostitute, and after reading Lauren's post in your wall I was able to confirm my thoughts. It must be really hard to have a job like that in a very small community like Pepelau. It seems like most of the people from this town know each other and get in each-others business. I grew up on a small town like this at I know the feeling of being criticized and being stereotyped for your parents mistakes. I do feel very sorry for Makot because he is not the one to blame for and the way he treats his mother shows the lack of respect he has for her and her job,
Thanks for sharing,
Natalia
Class is a very interesting subject. Its very hard when someone from a different class comes in contact with someone of a lower class. jealousy is usually always there. Makots mother being a prostitute is a very legit reason for a parent to not want there child to be around Mokot. I think that class is always a touchy subject. I think its sad that Mokot has to be isolated because of his mother. I remember being a young child and being the one that was left out and it was one of the worst feelings in the world. Thank you!
ReplyDelete-Callie
HI Daye-
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response, I think that Makot is a bit childish, although I believe that is his parents fault, they are never around him. He therefore has to fin for himself and buy friendship with money, that seems to not be an issue in his household, funny because you would think that all of the older children would want to be his friend as well because he has money. Yet its all of the younger kids that want Makot as a friend. I think that you are right about Makot's mother, I think that she has a huge impact on Makot and it will be interesting to find out what she really does for a living. I feel for Makot.
Emily