Outside Reading Final Post#2

Even through the pain and suffering the author of this memoir was faced with in her lifetime, she did not lose all hope and she manages to turn her life around. The memoir, A Piece of Cake written by Cupcake Brown, demonstrates how someone should never give up on life no matter how many obstacles they face. Cup's message is to inspire readers to have hope when they have hit rock bottom and to know they are capable of changing their life around is expressed through passionate tone, key passages, and emotional loaded words. The passionate tone demonstrated throughout the memoir is the only true reason for the reader to emotionally connect to the author and the book. "Should I take the easy way out or, for once in my life, try to actually learn something, earn something, finish something ." (183) This quote shows how Cup chooses the easier way out of difficult situations but now realizes she should maybe work her way through them. During Cup's lifetime she would try to avoid any obstacles she was faced with by turning tricks, downing hard liquor, and ingesting every drug she could find. These bad habits eventually caused her to stumble into worse ways like gang banging, drug dealing, hustling, prostitution and theft. This shows how Cup chooses the irresponsible way out to earn money instead of working hard to be hired for a respectable job. This quote also shows how Cup is willing to admit she has been making poor decisions and in order for her to make changes in her life she knows she needs to work hard. The author is telling the reader through passionate tone that she realizes she has made many mistakes and knows in order for her to live a life of dignity and hope she needs to change. The key passages throughout the memoir are ideal to connect the reader to Cup's emotions. " I was confused. How could Mr.Burns be my daddy? So what if we had the same last name? I never saw him before in my life. He wasn't there when I had to go to the hospital to get my tonsils out. He wasn't in the front row for my first violin recital. He didn't build my fancy red stove. My daddy did ." (16) This quote is significant because it was during the time when the judge was deciding who would have custody over Cup and her brother Larry. Their biological father, Mr.Burns, technically had the rights to have custody even though he had never been apart of their lives. He wanted them for the money and could care less about them. The man who they considered "daddy" had been a part of their lives, paid child support, and could still not have custody. This quote shows how confused Cup is and how unfare the situation is. Cup and her brother Larry are heartbroken. The author is showing the reader through this key passage how she was faced with such difficult situations. This is also the whole basis of her life because I believe if the judge would have gone against the California law and allowed their "daddy" to have custody, Cup's life would have been a whole lot different. Cup's emotional loaded words has a huge impact on the story and the reader. These words help create intense moods throughout the memoir so the reader felt as though they knew Cup personally and were experiencing the traumatic times in her life right along with her. "What was surprising was that suddenly I was so horribly despondent and dismayed that that I didn't want to bargain. I just needed help-anyway I could get it and from whomever I could get it. " (332) Cupcake Brown is showing the reader by using loaded words such as despondent, dismayed and bargain how desperate she really was. Cup had no other choice but to talk to God, she knew if God couldn't help her then no one could. This quote demonstrates how Cup is ready to turn her life around. She took a drastic step in the right direction by talking to God and is ready to begin a new lifestyle. This simple decision would shape the rest of her life in many positive ways. Even though Cup had faced endless amounts of terrible situatons, she was able to overcome obstacles and in the end live a happy life. This is inspirational for readers to see how Cupcake Brown had been at such a low point in her life and see that today she is successful and fulfilling her dreams. The passionate tone, key passsages and emotional loaded words were demonstrated throughout the entire memoir and were ideal to express to readers how to they should never lose hope when faced with difficult situations and to always have faith in yourself to be able to overcome obstacles. Life is a gift, don't waste your time by making poor decisions and live it to the highest potential.