Blog # 4: Schwartz

Often we hear the infamous lines " I told you so" "Mom is always right" and more, but what about our fathers? Don't they have a say too? Well they do now and according to Schwartz, her "Father always said...."

"My Father Always Said" by Mimi Schwartzis an essay about Schwartz when she was a little girl and what it is like to come from a Jewish family. This essay begins with Schwartz, as a young girl, talking about her father. Readers learn they are a Jewish family who live in Queens, New York. Her father had fled Germany to get away from everyone becuase he could not take it anymore. Her father always had two favorite lines, " In Rindhiem, you didnt do such things, and I dont care about everybody".

The second paragraph talks about Schwartz and the trip back to her father's village to visit the graves. The forest remoinded Schwartz of Hansel and Gretel country, filled with foreboding evergreens that leaned over the narrow winding roads of the Schwarzwald. However the name Schwarzwald meant Black Forest. Her father takes her and her mother to his old house. Together they walked around the town and her father would point out certain places such as the gray building with stone columns in the doorway, the typical friday night hangout. As Schwartz was walking around observing the place she would also learn about her Jewish backfround.

In the third paragraph, Schwartz's father is loosening his tie and wiping the sweat off his forehead. He begins by talking about going to the synagogue by sundown on a Friday, and all day Saturday, and couldn't go home until three stars shone in the evening sky before the Sabbath was over. Schwartz compares this to wanting to go bowling on a Saturday at Foxy's alley. Schwartz questions the synogogue and begins to learn more about them. It looks like she is finally understanding her family history,her father, and why he says the things he says.

As readers begin the fourth paragraph, they come across Schwartz and her family wandering about some other places. This time they stopped at her father's old school. Again readers see Schwartz comparing her school experiences to her fathers.

The fiften paragraph the family is going to the Jewish cemetery. Here Schwartz was able to see the tombstones of some of her relatives. Her father was able to show Schwartz how terrible living in Germany was, hence all the stones. Among those people were some of her relatives. She was unable to picture these people, and the only people she knew were her grandparents especially Omi and Opa. Schwartz left tribute to these stones.

The last paragraph of this essay is the most meaningful to Schwartz. This is where she realizes what her father meant by " In Rindheim, we didnt do such things!" Schwartz realized that she is lucky to be in America.

Throughout the essay Schwartz's father would talk about his life and Schwartz would relate the same experience to her life such as attending the synagogue versus bowling and school.

Also found in this essay throughout is gaps between the sections. The reason for these gaps to to seperate the thoughts and views. Schwartz saw each place, explored them,took them into her mind, relfected on them, and then moved on. She needed time for each place to sink in. As she went on the trip she learned about the life her father had and was lucky to get away from. It wasn't easy for Schwartz because she didnt experience it herself but she was able to compare some instances to her own life. Through her father's eyes she was able to see why he was so happy to get away and be in America. The most important idea Schwartz took from this experience was that she is a lucky girl to be here.