Monday, July 30, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Large Breed Dogs That Make Great Family Pets
There are many breeds of large loveable dogs that make wonderful family pets. They are not well suited for small homes, apartment or condominiums, as they require more space to roam and exercise. A large home with a big backyard or country living is ideal. Large dogs are often very social and great with older children. These loveable monsters can knock over smaller children accidentally. Make sure that whatever breed of large dog you might consider, always learn as much about the breed as possible. Anybody that chooses a large dog should be prepared to train it well, to prevent injury to others, teach them manners and socialize there pet. When a small dog jumps up to greet you, it is far different from a sixty-pound dog. Also, remember that dogs are social animals and want to live with the family, not outside by themselves. Your dog will need a lot of exercise so if you are a couch potato, you may find a toy breed of dog more suitable for your lifestyle. Bored dogs can develop some bad habits and destructive behavior so exercise, long walks and playing are a necessity.
Large dogs eat more so cost more to feed. You must supply your dog with a high quality food, balanced specifically for larger breed dogs and the same for large breed puppies. Large breed dogs are usually much rougher on their toys, so make sure any you purchase are durable, big and sturdy.
Home And Family
Fashion To Go Fashion To Go Buy Elite Buying Ideas Buying Tags Cheap Sales Custom Items Daily Corner Daily Item Daily Tags Easy at Home Easy Purchase Ed-Buy Online Elite Market Elite Zone E-Shopping Mall Gift Shopping I-Shopping New Prices New Price Tags Online Grocery Shop for Online Shop In Style Shopping Cart Shopping Day AZ Shopping Cart Brand Sales 24 Hours For GiftsSome people have referred to Afghan Hounds temperament as cat like because they love to be petted and then go and lay down for a nap. Terrific with children of all ages, they love to clown around and show off. These loyal, gentle and kind dogs are extremely loyal to their human family. Afghan hounds have a wonderful, long, luxurious coat but do require frequent grooming. Approximately 27 inches high, their average lifespan is around thirteen years.
Large Breed Dogs That Make Great Family Pets
The intelligent German shepherds are great with older children when raised with them. Training and early socialization is necessary, along with a large fenced yard for exercise. Extremely intelligent, these large dogs are very loyal.
English setters make wonderful family pets that are great with children. They are very gentle but let you know when a stranger knocks on the door. Be prepared to spend time brushing them a few times a week and trimming every six or eight weeks. They require well-fenced, large yard.
Saint Bernard's are great big loveable family dogs. Although they have a deep bark, they are not good watchdogs. They require a large yard to exercise. There are two varieties, which are the shorthaired and longhaired. Both require weekly grooming to control their shedding. Because of their weight and large size, Saint Bernhard's are prone to hip dysplasia. Their life expectancy is around eight or nine years.
The Newfoundland is a great big cuddly bear of a dog, good with children and very protective. Because of their calm, tolerant nature, they made wonderful family pets. As with most of the large breed of dog, a secure fenced yard is necessary. Because they do shed, brush them a couple times a week.
Large Breed Dogs That Make Great Family Pets
Large breed dogs are harder to shop for. Since large breed products usually take up more space, retailers carry less of them. To find a great online selection of Large Breed dog beds, dog feeders, and more supplies for your big dog, check out Oh My Dog Supplies
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Tuesday, July 17, 2012
3 Best Recipes for Potlucks, Church Dinners, and Family Reunions
Do you remember church basement dinners? Mother-daughter brunches? How about family reunions in the park? In my Midwestern Scandinavian community we had many events that focused around food, family, and fun. These gatherings bring back great memories for us and can even start our mouths watering for those old favorites of our past.
Here's a favorite hotdish recipe that was a staple at our church basement festivities. It's easy to make, a real crowd-pleaser, and uses everyday ingredients. This casserole contains healthy food groups so you can feel good about serving this all-in-one dish piping hot to your friends and family.
Home And Family
Add a favorite sweet salad that was all the rage in the 1960's in my North Dakota hometown. It was served as a salad, but it could easily pass for desert with its light, fluffy, fruity base. Try it out and see what you think.
3 Best Recipes for Potlucks, Church Dinners, and Family Reunions
Favorite recipe #3 is for dessert. We always had dessert at our family reunions and church dinners! Rhubarb is a must for a great dessert in our Scandinavian homes. Rhubarb Crunch can be served warm or cold with whipped topping or ice cream. Or delicious all on its own!
Six Layer Dinner
Serves 8.
2 lb. hamburger
4 potatoes
4 full-size carrots
1/2 c. dry rice--white or brown
4 onions
1 lg. can tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 c. water
Fry hamburger in skillet. Set aside. Spray large casserole with oil. Add the following items in layers and in the order given:
Peel and slice 4 raw potatoes. Place in casserole in Layer #1.
Clean and slice 4 raw carrots and place on top of potatoes as Layer #2.
Rinse rice and sprinkle over carrots. Layer #3.
Add fried hamburger on top of rice. Layer #4.
Clean, peel, and slice 4 onions. Place over hamburger. Layer #5.
In small bowl, mix tomatoes, tomato soup, salt, pepper, sugar, and 1/2 c. water. Pour over onions. Layer #6.
Cover and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 1.5 hours.
Cherry Berry Salad
1 can cherry pie mix
1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. lemon juice
1 tsp. almond flavoring
2 c. whipped topping
Gently mix all ingredients together and chill overnight or for several hours. Delicious as a salad or desert. A drop of food coloring gives it a pleasant coloring for the plate.
Rhubarb Crunch
2 c. diced, cleaned rhubarb
6 T. flour
1/4 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter or margarine
Arrange rhubarb in greased 8x8 baking dish. Mix other ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture over rhubarb. Bake 40 min. at 325 degrees F. Cut into 9 pieces and serve warm or cold.
3 Best Recipes for Potlucks, Church Dinners, and Family Reunions
Visit http://www.LefseStore.com to learn more ways to share your Scandinavian heritage cooking skills. Learn how to make lefse, lutefisk, krumkake, ableskiver, fattigmand, rosettes, kransekake and more. Denise Peterson has many years of experience making and serving delicious Scandinavian heritage foods to friends and family over the years. Share her love of passing on heritage cooking skills to new generations--before those pleasures are just memories. Children love to be involved in making traditional foods! These Grandma's Swedish Sugar Cookies are sure to be a hit both in the baking and in the eating. Try more recipes at http://www.LefseStore.com
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Saturday, July 14, 2012
10 Simple Coping Strategies When a Family Member Has Clinical Depression
1.Remember that it is an illness:
Clinical depression often requires medical supervision as well as professional treatment. Clinical depression is treatable and requires commitment, understanding and patience from all those involved.
Home And Family
2.It is not your fault:
10 Simple Coping Strategies When a Family Member Has Clinical Depression
Clinical depression is usually a combination of chemical imbalance and learned behaviors. There may be times when the depressed individual is extremely sensitive, argumentative and/or blaming towards you, the children, the in-laws, the boss and even the world. All the above mentioned are not the cause. What you are responsible for is how you choose to take on the outward symptoms and how they affect you, your home and your relationships.
3.Be well informed:
Educate yourself on what type of depression is present and if there is a dual diagnosis
IE: chemical dependency and depression or personality disorders and depression. Know what the symptoms, treatments and follow-ups are. There are suggested guidelines for communication and setting boundaries. Though the illness is not your fault; it benefits you and your family to remain open minded and willing to learn new ways of doing things.
4.Make sure to have a support network:
Depression and dual diagnosis affects the whole family. There are many ranges of emotions from anger and fear to hopefulness and hopelessness. Having others that have experienced it before can help eliminate unhealthy coping mechanisms such as isolation, shame, control and low self-esteem. There are many national and local support groups available on line. For more information check with your favorite search engines or call a local and/or national mental health hotline.
5.Make time for yourself and your children:
Don't fall into the trap of not taking care of yourselves. Misery and fear love company. Living with and loving someone who is clinically depressed can be incredibly draining. Do not become a hostage or enabler. Remember your flight instructions: "For those traveling with small children; place the oxygen mask on yourself first and then assist the children."
6.Be a victor not a victim:
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional:
We are all going to feel pain in life never mind a home with mental illness. Surround yourselves with knowledge, self-care, experienced support and nurturing. There are no such things as victims only volunteers.
7.Recognize that clinical depression is episodic
Clinical depression comes in waves. People with clinical depression do get better!
8.Understand that medication takes time to work:
In most cases, improvement takes as long as 6-8 weeks. Even early responders require about 3-4 weeks before they notice mood improvement. Even after a person with clinical depression feels better, she or he needs to stay on medication at least six months. People should never stop taking medication on their own; medical supervision is a must. There can be serious physical and emotional complications from sudden withdrawal such as increased depression and suicidal tendencies.
9.Medication alone is fairly ineffective:
Research shows that medication in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than medication alone. Combined with therapy, the person who is clinically depressed may need to make lifestyle changes, including dietary and exercise changes. The family needs to find ways to reduce stressors by simplifying their lives.
10.Get a written relapse prevention plan:
Make a list of early symptoms such as sleep, appetite and mood changes. Early intervention is the key to stopping a downward spiral. Determine what worked in the past to get the person with clinical depression back on track and do the things that worked before.
10 Simple Coping Strategies When a Family Member Has Clinical Depression
Elizabeth Tull is a Professional Excellence coach who partners with people in crafting and designing Legacies of Excellence. Her focus is on bridging the recovery community to professional coaching as well as support for families dealing with clinical depression in the home. Visit her on the web [http://www.agapelegacycoach.com]
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Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Camping Meals - 4-Day Family Menu Plan
A family camping menu should be: Easy and quick to prepare.Requires only a few ingredients and Those ingredients are easy to store at camp (not prone to spilling, spoiling, space-hogging).
Here is our family's 4-Day Camping menu plan. We have tweaked it over the years and I'm sure you will tweak it some more for your family's style and needs.
4-Day Camping Food Menu Plan
1st Night: Lloyds BBQ Ribs, corn, coleslaw and potato salad
Wrap ribs in heavy-duty foil, heat, open a can of corn and serve with ready-made coleslaw and potato salad. First night is celebration night. You've put up the tent, you've build a campfire, you've unpacked your gear. So kick back and relax. By the way, Costco is my favorite place to get a big tub of potato salad and coleslaw.
DAY 1 ==========
Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes, sausage and eggs
Lunch: Chili dog and leftover coleslaw/potato salad
Dinner: Grilled marinated steak tips, baked potatoes & camping onions. If no grill: Easy Pork Chops and bread rolls
Dessert: S'mores
DAY 2 ==========
Breakfast: Cereal and fruit, corny cakes
Lunch: Tortellini and tomato sauce
Dinner: Meat loaf sandwich & Italian Wedding Soup (canned)
Dessert: Mini Camping Pies
DAY 3 ==========
Breakfast: French Toast, sausage and eggs
Lunch: Chowder in bread bowl or grill burgers and hot dogs
Dinner: Ham, beans and baked sweet potatoes
Dessert: Peach Mallows
DAY 4 ==========
Breakfast: Pancakes, sausage and eggs
Lunch: Foil-wrapped Surprise (Whatever's left in camp kitchen)
Do we stick religiously to this menu plan? Of course not. But being prepared gives me the freedom to be more creative and flexible.
The recipes are pretty easy to guess. If you need the camping recipes, tips and shortcuts for this 4-day family camping menu, email us at camping_menu@aweber.com and it will be sent out to you automatically.
Home And Family
The menu does require a camping stove. If you don't own a camping stove, watch our video on the 4 criteria to look for in a camping stove [http://www.joyofcamping.com/camping-gear/camping-stoves/camping-stove-criteria/].
Camping Meals - 4-Day Family Menu Plan
Camping Meals - 4-Day Family Menu Plan
Watch VIDEOS of Camping how-to, tips, recipes, gear reviews at http://www.JoyofCamping.TV.
For a free 28-page Campfire Recipe book, email camping_recipes@aweber.com
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Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Job Juggling and the Home Educating Family
As lifestyle challenges go, combining earning a living whilst at the same time home educating your children, has to be one of the toughest. I'm assuming, for the purposes of this article, that you're not one of the few home educating families where the parents can afford to go out to work and employ someone to supervise and home educate their children for them. For most families these days, school provides a large chunk of free child-care and this is what many parents exploit in order for them to be able to earn a living whilst raising children. So, what do you do when you do not have access to hours of child-free work time each day? What can you do if you are a single parent and/or home educating very young or disabled children? Tough challenges indeed, but certainly not impossible judging by the number of families I've come across who are, apparently successfully and happily, doing just that. There are many different ways in which families achieve this, although the process of changing their lifestyle has often taken place over several years. How do they manage it?
Balancing income and costs.
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In absolute terms, of course, it doesn't matter how much income we have so long as it is equal to or greater than our costs. Most of us can decide, to a large extent, what our costs will be and therefore how much of an income we need, but if our income drops, then it follows that our costs must decrease too.
Job Juggling and the Home Educating Family
When I decided to take my two boys out of school in 1998, I was already running a small business from home, but it quickly became apparent that I would not be able to continue with this. My job, though home-based and part-time, took up around 30 hours per week, some of it spent away from home. I wasn't happy spending that amount of time working or being away from my children while they were young (age 8 and 6). So, I quit my job in order to home educate. My doing that left us with one income (I was married at the time and my husband was working) which was not sufficient to cover our bills as they stood. So, we decided to downshift to a part of the country where it was less expensive to live, buy a much less expensive home and lower our sights in materialistic terms.
During the months and weeks that followed, I read many books and websites on home education and, just as importantly as it turned out, I started learning about something called "Voluntary Simplicity". The tenets of Voluntary Simplicity are frugal consumption, ecological awareness and personal growth. However, this change in life path and priorities i.e. my children's education now rated above my quest for material possessions, felt like deprivation or even poverty sometimes. I realised there were seeds of resentment threatening to germinate as a result of our decision to home educate. I needed to stop feeding them. I needed a change of perspective.
It was a revelation for me to discover that taking the path of voluntary simplicity was not about poverty at all, but about unearthing a simpler, freer way of living that gave us more time together. I quickly realised that this was really an opportunity for us to lead a much richer, more meaningful life emotionally, physically and spiritually.
What are your options for cutting costs?
When we take our children out of school (or decide not to start sending them) and home educate, it can appear that we have lost the time necessary to earn a living. So one of the things we need to do is re-gain that time some other way. How do we do that? One option is to view our time spent with the children as a time to practice frugality. At the same time we can be educating our children. Here are some examples of the sort of activities I mean:
1. Home education eliminates the need for the school run. This reduces the number of miles travelled and therefore the cost of transport (although some of these miles will be made up by families travelling to events and social gatherings). Perhaps you can find a way to reduce your car use further by walking, cycling or using public transport. This can be much more interesting for the children and lead to many questions and discussions about what you all observe during your journey.
2. By being at home more, all the family have the opportunity to take part in daily cost saving activities such as recycling, composting, growing and cooking their own food, maintaining the house and garden, learning how to reuse and repair items rather than just throw them away. (Thus learning about how things work and about the materials from which they are made.) You can learn how to make necessary everyday items, from sweaters, skirts and scarves to soap, plant pots, bird-tables, garden tools and even computers. There are further savings to be had by buying your food locally and through farmers' markets and by forming a food co-op with other local home educating families. All of these are much richer in interesting experiences, human interactions and problem solving opportunities than a quick trip round your local supermarket.
3. If you decide to cut your costs by minimising your expenditure on "educational materials" you can actually find yourself presenting information to your children in a way that promotes a more holistic perspective. For example, using real money instead of plastic money, real items to weigh instead of artificial weights and measures, items from your kitchen or garden for science experiments rather than science kits. Many materials used in schools are produced with the assumption that consumerism is the norm. Some are sponsored by private enterprises that have a vested interest in encouraging children to start using their products from an early age e.g. worksheets on dental hygiene produced by a leading manufacturer of toothpaste who promote the use of fluoride. At home, parents may point out all the alternatives of which they are aware. E.g. the pros and cons of using fluoride as a means of protecting teeth.
There are many other ideas on the internet if you search on "frugal living". For single parents and for those with very young or disabled children, using more than a few of the above examples is likely to present more of a challenge. In this case, it can be beneficial to get involved with other home educating families or to engage other members of the extended family for mutual support.
Many cost-saving measures are healthier for us as well as providing our children with interesting educational opportunities. Maintaining good health, after all, is also a cost saving exercise.
What are your options for generating an income?
I find it uplifting to hear of the many resourceful and imaginative ways in which home educating parents choose to earn money. During my time as a "stay at home mum" when my boys were young, I watched the freedom with which they chose what to learn and how to spend their days. I decided to emulate them and choose a vocation that my heart was in and that I absolutely enjoyed. Also, having felt the twinge of resentment at the thought of reducing our income and our buying power at the outset, I was determined not to head down that route again. Rather than take any job that would earn us a decent income, my aim was to use the situation as an opportunity to re-train in something I loved. For me that job was life coaching. Here are some examples of what others have done. These are taken from the experiences related to me by friends and acquaintances or else by parents I've coached:
A married couple with 4 children who both teach musical instruments. When their children were too young to be left unsupervised at all, they took it in turns to teach. As they got older, they increased their teaching hours.
A single mum who, in return for food and accommodation for her and her two children, carries out voluntary work for a charity in several different countries.
A married couple where the mother is a journalist and technical author and the father looks after the children.
A married couple with 3 young children where both partners are business consultants and take it in turns to work. When they occasionally have to work away from home together for a day or two, the children's grandparents provide childcare.
A single mum who re-trained as an herbalist and sees clients at her home.
Other jobs that I've know home-educating parents to do, either as a couple or alone, are:
Running a franchise business selling clothes or books in people's homes or running an after school club.
Making and selling specialist foods, home-made clothes, soap, and jewellery.
Providing accommodation for foreign students who are in the UK on school trips.
Childminding
Bed and breakfast accommodation
Travelling with the children and being employed in a variety of casual or temporary jobs.
Writing
Performing (e.g. music, circus skills).
The Benefit Dilemma
Something that I've had considerable trouble facing since starting home education is the idea of being dependent on someone else for my income, whether it was my ex-husband or the state. The latest efforts by the Government to get single parents "back to work" under the mistaken impression that all single parents of over 7 year olds must have nothing constructive to do with their time, has not helped to quash this social stigma.
Time again for a change in perspective, I think. By home educating each child, we are saving the state several thousand pounds per year and yet we receive nothing from the state to fund our home education. We can view social security benefits as a way in which the state (i.e. society at large) is supporting us for fulfilling this vital role. This is especially true, I believe, for those of us who home educate young or disabled children, since they require a large degree of supervision, commitment and specialised care. To expect a single, home educating parent to work at some other job too in these circumstances is beyond belief and yet this expectation is a situation we are going to have to accept and deal with until such time as the Government sees reason.
The benefit that home educated children (and therefore society as a whole as they grow up) receive from being nurtured in this way is something that the rest of society finds it hard to acknowledge and value at the moment. In the meantime, if you're in the situation where you're reliant on benefits, my suggestion from personal experience and from talking with others is to do everything you can to acknowledge to yourself the value of the "unpaid work" that you do. Also remember that as your children grow up so your life and work situation will change. Being at home with your children is a wonderful opportunity to learn new skills and broaden your horizons before returning to work or re-training if that's what you choose to do.
My experience during my 9 years of home educating so far is that home educators are a feisty bunch and not people to be too daunted by a challenge or two. Combining earning an income with home education requires above all an open and creative mind, capable of thinking outside the box. If parents don't have those perspectives when they first start home educating, many learn to cultivate them as a result! This puts them in the perfect frame of mind to create a means of income generation at the right time, that meets their needs and that they enjoy.
Job Juggling and the Home Educating Family
© Sally Lever 2007.
Sally Lever is a long-term and committed home educator. Since home educating, she has been both married and a single parent, a "stay-at-home mum" and part-time self-employed. Her two sons, one of whom is disabled, are now 18 and 15. Her website http://www.sallylever.co.uk offers many useful resources for the home educating, self-employed or working-from-home family, including free subscription to her monthly newsletter, "Fruitful".
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Sunday, July 1, 2012
Family Saga in Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks and Buchi Emechita's The Family
Buddenbrooks
The family
Home And Family
1. Setting: Leubeck, north Germany 1835-1878
Family Saga in Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks and Buchi Emechita's The Family
1. Jamaica & London, England
2. Characters: bourgeois/ merchant class/ middle class
2. Poor/servants/ laborers/ working class
3. Story of 4 generations of Buddenbrooks a. Johann Buddenbrook b. Johann Buddenbrook c. Consul Johann Buddenbrook d. Thomas Buddenbrook e. Little Johann Buddenbrook
3. Story of 3 generation a. Granny Naomi b. Mammy Sonia c. Gwendolen
4. Patriarchal family
4. Matriarchal family
5. Patrician/ luxurious lifestyle
5. Simple/ poor taste
6. Tension between music (arts) and business
6. Tension between education and survival
7. Intertwined beliefs on Protestantism and Catholicism
7. Intertwined beliefs on African religion and protestantism
8. Legacy of prestige on keeping and staying in the homeland
8. Prestige on departure the homeland
9. Culture shock on departure from the homeland
9. Culture shock on staying in the homeland and departure from the homeland
10. Trauma caused by physical diseases, divorce, mental problems.
10. Trauma caused by betrayal of trust, rape/ incest
11. Inability of characters to adapt future shocks on social, political and economic change of the times.
11. Inability of characters to adapt future shocks on economic change
12. Downfall of characters was caused by extravagance and inability to adapt to changes
12. Downfall of characters was caused by extravagance and jealousy
13. Death/ diseases in the family: senility, stroke, pneumonia, mental disorder typhoid, tooth decay
13. Death/ diseases in the family: fall from the ladder, mental disorder
14. Concept of clannishness: clannish
14. Divided/ nuclear family
15. Disintegration of family:caused by deaths, selfishness, fraudulence, individual differences of chracters: a. Thomas b. Tony c. Christian d. Gerda e. Little Johann
15. Disintegration of the family: death of the father Winston and selfishness of the mother Sonia
16. Enlightenment/ salvation/ redemption of characters comes by acceptance of fate and faith
16. Enlightenment/ salvation/ redemption of characters comes by acceptance of fate and hope
17. Style/ language of the author: lofty or exquisite language, descriptive details of events and characters, use of actual places and historical allusions to germany's politician change, suspenseful narration, used third person omniscient narrator
17. Realistic description, used first person narrator "Gwendolen"
Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks is a novel that testifies to the glorious, beautiful and luxurious Germany in the 19th century when she undergoes abrupt, fast and offensive political, social and economic change. The story is set from 1835 to 1878 that even dates back from 1778 from the time the Buddenbrook patriarch established the granary firm passed on different generation only to be sold and liquidated after the third generation, Thomas Buddenbrook's untimely death. The main period of time considered covers 1835 to 1877, and thus includes some of the most dramatic episodes of 19th-century German history: the Revolutions of 1848, the Austro-Prussian War, the North German Confederation, and the establishment of the German Empire). All these historical events were alluded in many extravagant and lavish dinners in the Buddenbrooks' ancestral house by their business and political foes and allies.
Buchi Emechita's tragic bildungsroman of the main character Gwendolen reflects African-Jamaican diaspora to London, England in the late 19th century as she (England) moves fast to industrialization, hence, needing more workers from the marginalized, colonized Africa. Her parents moved to London for a better life or even greener pasture.
While the main characters in Buddenbrooks are mainly the bourgeoisie class, the merchants, the businessmen with the like of the 4 Buddenbrook patriarchs, affecting the economy and society of Germany, The Family has poor, uneducated African laborers and servants as moral or immoral agents. Johann Buddenbrook amassed wealth from his hardwork, shared the biggest stock in the firm and was able to bequeath it to his son, another Johann Buddenbrook. The second generation married Elizabeth Kroger, from a wealthy business clan of the Krogers. The family wished to expand the family by marrying only the rich business families to continue the legacy of affluence and prestige of the Buddenbrooks. They were blessed with four children Antonie or Tony, Thomas, Christian and Clara as third generation Buddenbrooks. With Krogers and Buddenbrooks, there can only be beautiful, luxurious, lavish food on the table every day. And because they are revered, if not envied by their neighbors, more visitors are welcome to the never-ending sumptuous and aromatic table of the family. Pastors, nuns, businessmen and politicians dined together on a patrician ambience daily. The patriarch Consul Buddenbrook delights on welcoming important people. The family keeps a diary of their daily successes and happy moments. When Consul died one rainy night, Thomas was given the authority to lead the family and become the head of the firm. The legacy was carried on. Tony was married; Christian went to Valparaiso, Chile to enjoy himself while Clara was growing up. Thomas made life better for the Buddenbrooks. She got married to the most beautiful woman, Gerda Arnoldesen, former schoolmate of Tony, who was inclined to music, played the violin and played duet with her father, Consul Arnoldsen, also a millionaire. Things got rough along the way as Tony fell in love and got divorced from the fraud Grunlich who pretended to be rich but a real bankrupt. Her divorce led to another divorce, this time with another fraud Permaneder whom she met in the romantic city of Munich while mending a broken heart cause by her first husband... Tony became a talk of the town with her failed marriages.
On the other hand, way back in Jamaica, Granny Naomi, Sonia and Gwendolen needed to work in the Bee farm, dug yams early in the morning to bring food on their table. Life was poor and hard in their rich land. Sonia helped hard her mother Naomi while Gwendolen played around. Her grandmother was feisty in calling her to help. The matriarch is always followed. Sonia could not resist her mother lest they get hungry. Uncle Johnny, her mother's best friend would help sometimes in the farm or when the crop was not good would dole out food and money on Naomi. And because life was poor in Jamaica, even at Gwendolens young age, her father Winston went to England, as they called it the 'Moder Kountry". Eventually he got his wife Sonia to England. Gwendolen and Granny Naomi were left in Jamaica to suffer for seven years. This abandonment caused Gwendolen's lifetime trauma. Her trusted Uncle Johnny, for many nights raped her when she was only eight years old... She wished she could leave Jamaica to forget the shameful repetitive nights. When she told Granny Naomi, she confronted Uncle Johnny who gradually distanced from them. Until she was also invited by her parents to live in England. A relief indeed for the precocious and beleaguered Gwendolen. Her departure Jamaica led to series of unfortunate events. Her color, her hair, her language were totally different. She was estranged, alienated. She felt only solace with her mother. Her new brothers Ronald and Marcus made fun of her African accent. She was forced to study as the British Law required of the parents. Sonia's primary idea was to get Gwendolen as "pikney" or as a helper to her so she could work as well part time. She had to give in. Life was likewise difficult in London. They paid for everything, for the house rent, food and utilities. Gwendolen had to skip school to take care of her siblings. With her Granny's death way back in Jamaica, her mother Sonia rushed to her mother. Gwendolen was left to be responsible for her family. Her father who became a protestant charismatic preacher longed for his wife Sonia. Until one night, he raped Gwendolen, his own daughter who he never had paternal closeness due to his long absence before. He discovered she was not a virgin anymore and she revealed how she was raped at an early age by Uncle Johnny. This incestuous affair continued for two years in the absence of Sonia who lamented her mother's demise. She felt, paradoxically for the first time, to be free. Without her husbanded, her children, she felt a new woman without responsibilities. She squandered her mother's money to buy new clothes and travelled everywhere until she grew weary and missed her family. Her return to England was totally different. Her husband was passive; Gwendolen was caught sleeping with a Greek boy James. She protested on the impossibility of incidents. Her intuition summoned her to discover that there was something wrong with her husband. In the congregation, nobody told the truth. Gwendolen became pregnant with James as the suspected unwanted father. The truth, it was her father who impregnated her. She kept it to herself. Winston decided to die as fell from a ladder while fixing a gas tank. Gwendolen escaped her family on the fear of spilling the truth who would like to protect her father. She was place in a mental asylum where she delivered small baby whom she named Iyamide which means Mommy will always be here. Sonia's attitude and behavior towards her daughter changed. She hated her more especially when the last will of her husband was read. She would only get 10% of the total while the children divided the inheritance. The maternal love was replaced by hate. She decided to kill Sonia in her new apartment, but when she saw her "grandchild" Iyamide, whose features were like that of her husband, she was taken aback and weakly threw the knife in the trash bin. Gwendolen could only hope for the best where she would give the best for her child.
Noteworthy to say was the Buddenbrooks dislike or disinclination to music. When Gerda, the violin player married the merchant Thomas, people thought it was a perfect match. But within their marriage, Thomas could not understand his wife who always had a headache, never liked socialization, rubbing elbows with the businessmen. She would always go back to her room and play her violin. Her friend, Herr Pful provided her only joy. Playing duet together, Herr Pful would play the piano while she would play her violin. Thomas only child, Little Johannn to his dismay had no inclination for numbers and business, rather he was more alive in listening to music until he learned to play the piano. He got his mother's skills and gift for music. This rift for business and music gave him more distance to his wife and child.
In terms of education, Sonia was comfortable in maintaining Gwendolen, her daughter, ignorant. She only wanted her to be of help in the house. Granny Naomi never went to school and yet they survived. Hence, she also wanted her daughter to survive. Education was not important for their survival. She wanted to work, work and work like her husband Winston. This conflict between education and survival was Sonia's problem except that the law required her to send Gwendolen to school. She became helpless.
Both the Buddenbrooks and Gwendolens family had the affinity to tolerate different religions. Elizabeth Buddenbrooks would entertain Christian, Catholics. And other religious people to lead them to prayer. They were Protestant merchants who were working so hard and they see that they can continue to hold the farmers, the poor and others whom they can be compassionate. The children who were confused with their Catholic Catechism and Protestant practice could only laugh at their parents. And yet on each character's death, Elizabeth, Consul Buddenbrook and even Thomas' death, each turned to believe on the human creator.
Gwendolen and her Granny enjoyed going to the Pentecostal Sunday church and yet believed on the chi, the spirits, and the egwugwu.
The patriarchs of the Buddenbrooks from the first Johann to the fourth generation never wanted to leave their homeland, Luebech. Their prestige, legacy and honor were rested on their business. To maintain, to keep and to die in the homeland is to glorify the past. Even Tony was almost at fault with her too much pride for the family's legacy. She never wanted to sell the ancestral house for that would destroy the name her grandparents left for them, as what her knowledge of the diary was concerned. Only Christian, the third in the family wanted to leave the house and lived a prodigal sons' life of drinking, womanizing and talking nonsense. Van at the hour of his death, he was proud and arrogant.
In contrary, Granny wanted to leave Jamaica but could not because she had to till the land. Sonia left for London with her husband but failed. Gwendolen the third generation left for England failed but hoped in the end.
The culture shock in the Buddenbrook family was tremendous when their business was gradually declining. Thomas could no longer succeed within the changes of time. With wars, political unrest, revolution of the working class and the change on the economic trend (from the usual agricultural to industrial) from mercantilism to capitalism, Thomas felt defeated. With his eccentric wife and child, with ton's divorces, Christian's indifference to family business and his mother's death, he could only wish to die. The future shock was unbearable for he was not ready for change. Future change. He wanted to salvage the ancestral business but things were changing. Even if he became a senator, his brilliance for business was lost. His self concept of firmness and dignity were gone. After tooth extraction, he hell on the ground and died.
Gwendolen's departure from Jamaica and her arrival to England was painful and traumatic. She left the trauma of rape in Jamaica but was raped by her father in England. There was no safe place for her. There were no trustworthy males around her. Even her maligning brothers and neighbors, landlords were all obnoxious. James, the outsider, different also from Londoners was the only one who loved and understood her. She wanted to keep his friendship in the end.
The diseases and causes of deaths in the family were series of misfortunes. From the senility of the dignified first generation Buddenbrook, to the peaceful death of Johann Buddenbrook, pneumonia of Elizabeth, tooth decay that led to stroke of Thomas and typhoid of the 4th generation Little Johann were history of their decadence, decline to poverty. Their inability to adapt to change left them in the quagmire of desolation and indifference to a fast changing world caused by Western Industrial revolution.
Their gradual disintegration as Buddenbrook family, aside from diseases and deaths were also caused by too much rationalism. Thomas calculated everything from a business point of view, losing emotion and reason for everything. She could not understand his mother why she would consent to give Christian too much money, he despised Christian's prodigious ways, he abhorred Toni's divorces and he lamented his wife's eerie and strange character. He was disappointed with his son who was not like him, smart, witty and a businessman. His true and paternal sight for his family was blurred by his all-business attitude and rationalization.
In the end, we see characters fell apart. Thomas died, Johann died, and Christian was in the asylum while Tony, together with her daughter Erika and grandchild Elizabeth was living in a flat outside their ancestral home which was bought by their family rival the Hagenstrom.
Max Weber studied the German behavior, economy and religion. He found out that because of Industrial revolution, men suffered a lot, becoming like machines, dehumanized and felt dejected, alienated from their society and suffered the "iron cage". Thomas. The third Buddenbrook became a victim of this social and economic change which he was not able to fit in and surpass. He hated the advent of a new economy. He resisted the rise of a new class. Yet all around him were change. He only found solace, peace on the idea of death.
The concept of trust vs. mistrust was very obvious in the life of Gwendolen. At her young age, she was betrayed by her unsuspicious uncle and was even raped by her most trusted person, her father.
The family, the basic unit of society, whose main role is to provide food, shelter, to nurture the basic emotions of love and trust is an important element. Other institutions like school and religion play a secondary significant development of a person.
The Buddenbrooks were well nurtured people with their strong g family ties except for their blinding quest for business. Gwendolen's family eroded the pure concept of a family.
Family Saga in Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks and Buchi Emechita's The Family
Wilfredo M. Valois
Assistant Professor Department of Humanities Conservatory of Music University of Sto. Tomas(UST)
Manila, Philippines
Ph. D. in Literature (in progress) PNU Manila
Municipal Councilor Famy, Laguna Philippines
willy_valois@yahoo.com
mobile numbers: +639215995613/ +639152559222
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