A Child’s Love:

An Essay on A Tale of Two Cities and “Shoulders” by Naomi Shiab Nye

English Class

1/19/12

Exam Essay

Cassie Seidel

           The innocence in a child is so baffling. How could a child be completely oblivious of the world around her/himself? In A Tale of Two Cities, when Lucie Manette was just a small child, she was taken away from her father. Also, in the poem “Shoulders” by Naomi Shihab Nye, she describes a little boy and a father who cares about him. The purity of a child differs from the purity of a grown adult, but what I don’t understand, is why?

           We never find out what happens to the man in the little boy in Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem. However, because the possibilities are endless, I can only state what I know. I know the father’s love for his son is ever enduring, a love that will never fail. The father doesn’t want anything to happen to his son, and we all know the son would do the same for his dad. What’s ironic is even though the boy is asleep on a rainy night while crossing the street, he is dreaming, dreaming a happy dream. The second thing I know is that Naomi Shihab Nye hopes the entire world would learn to live this way. We all know that the entire world doesn’t go around carrying their sons on their shoulders, but we need to learn to care. We need to care about the lady making a random remark at the grocery store because the reason she is talking to you is probably because there is no one she else she can talk to. We need to care about that homeless man on the street that carries a sign because he is less fortunate and needs help. We need to care about our friends and family, who work so hard to make us happy. That is the ultimate goal.

           Although Lucy Manette’s story is different, she still shares the same basic lesson. When Lucy Manette was just a baby, she was taken away from her father, who had been sent to jail. She couldn’t talk and she couldn’t walk, so her only option was to be taken away to an orphanage. Lucy Manette grew up thinking her father didn’t care about her when the truth was, he cared about her more than anything, and he just couldn’t do anything about it. Dr. Manette, we all know now, would do anything for his daughter Lucy. She finds her father not until much later in her life, but when she finds him, her excitement cannot be contained. Now a shoemaker, Dr. Mannette could sustain the family, and show Lucy how much he really did care. Dr. Manette loves Lucy like a father who loves his son. He loves her so, and now we know she loves him back.

           The reason for children’s innocence is love. For an adult, it takes a lot longer to trust someone enough to love them, but a child doesn’t need trust. All they need are people who love them, and they will love back no matter what. As we get older, the love we have fades and our caring grows weak. However, when you are feeling down, think like a child, a child with innocence beyond compare.