The book, April Raintree, by Beatrice Culleton Mosionier, is a very touching story. It is based on two Métis girls who grew up in the foster system. One sister, April, had always struggled with finding her identity and meaning to her life, while her younger sister, Cheryl, never went through that struggle. She was proud of whom she was, and wanted other Métis people to be the same way. Cheryl was a very happy, positive person, filled with love and compassion for others. Cheryl never let a person’s opinion get the best of her, she always stood up for who she was, and was very proud of it. When she didn’t agree with what her teacher had to say about Indians in class one day, Cheryl stood her ground and argued with her teacher, saying:
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How come their food supplies were wiped out? Lies! Lies! Lies! Your history books don’t say how the white people destroyed the Indian way of life. That’s all you white people can do is teach a bunch of lies to cover your own tracks!” (p. 54)
Cheryl’s life was very meaningful, she had been a role model for lots of young women, had family and friends that she loved, and she was very positive and pushed herself to accomplish her goals. Having ones you love, friends and family, is a big part of having a meaningful life. Without having those relationships, a person can feel lost. April and Cheryl were very close when they were younger, they spent all of their time together before they got taken from their parents.
“That summer, Cheryl and I spent whole days at the park. I would make us sandwiches of bread and lard so we wouldn’t have to walk back home in the middle of the day. That’s when it seemed the hottest. We played on the wings and slides and in the sandbox as long as they weren’t being used by the other children” …show more content…
At first I was patient, but then I started losing my patience with her and my sympathy. Sometimes I’d come home from a date with Roger and she’d go upstairs, leaving me in mid-sentence. Sometimes she’d come home, drunk. That really upset me. Then she’d say all kinds of nasty things about me that weren’t true or were only half-true” (p. 174).
April will be a great role model for Henry Liberty Raintree (Cheryl’s son), because she is strong and determined to not be a failure. After her sister’s death, she began to see why her sister was so proud of their heritage and decided that she needed to stop being so biased about it. Because of everything April had gone through in life, growing up in foster homes, being married into a racist family, being raped, and her sister committing suicide, it will all make her a stronger person and a better role model for her
How come their food supplies were wiped out? Lies! Lies! Lies! Your history books don’t say how the white people destroyed the Indian way of life. That’s all you white people can do is teach a bunch of lies to cover your own tracks!” (p. 54)
Cheryl’s life was very meaningful, she had been a role model for lots of young women, had family and friends that she loved, and she was very positive and pushed herself to accomplish her goals. Having ones you love, friends and family, is a big part of having a meaningful life. Without having those relationships, a person can feel lost. April and Cheryl were very close when they were younger, they spent all of their time together before they got taken from their parents.
“That summer, Cheryl and I spent whole days at the park. I would make us sandwiches of bread and lard so we wouldn’t have to walk back home in the middle of the day. That’s when it seemed the hottest. We played on the wings and slides and in the sandbox as long as they weren’t being used by the other children” …show more content…
At first I was patient, but then I started losing my patience with her and my sympathy. Sometimes I’d come home from a date with Roger and she’d go upstairs, leaving me in mid-sentence. Sometimes she’d come home, drunk. That really upset me. Then she’d say all kinds of nasty things about me that weren’t true or were only half-true” (p. 174).
April will be a great role model for Henry Liberty Raintree (Cheryl’s son), because she is strong and determined to not be a failure. After her sister’s death, she began to see why her sister was so proud of their heritage and decided that she needed to stop being so biased about it. Because of everything April had gone through in life, growing up in foster homes, being married into a racist family, being raped, and her sister committing suicide, it will all make her a stronger person and a better role model for her