Marquise Nurse-Williams For Shame
English
10-12-10
In Amy Tan’s article, Fish Cheeks, She wrote of an embarrassing moment in her life that she felt ashamed about. It was Christmas time at her families house among friends and relatives. Her family invited the minister of their church and his family over for dinner. Tan had a crush on the son of the minister, and felt she would be humiliated at dinner over the food her family had chosen to serve for this occasion since the minister and his son were of a different background. She was also demoralized on the differences of her families customs and courtesies at the dinner table as her dad let’s out a large belch at the end of the meal to show the cook he is satisfied. In the end her mother lets her know that she shouldn’t be ashamed of her background and it’s customs and courtesies. Tan eventually learns her lesson from this situation as she matures. I do not have any similar experiences such as this, but I have been embarrassed even though I know I shouldn’t have. My embarrassing moments started when I bought my first car.
First thing that embarrassed me about my car was that it was one of the smallest cars I’ve ever seen on the road, the 1996 Chevy Metro. There was only room for two people at the most, and it was still cramped inside to sit in. It didn’t even look like a full vehicle, kind of like the car Steve Urkel drove on Family Matters. When I’d park it in the parking lots outside a store I would have the hardest time just trying find it again because it was so small it could hide behind just about any other car.
Next, I was embarrassed of my cars unique deficiencies it came with. For example, it had a large crack in the front window that stretched as far as the eye could see. The radio was ripped out of socket, and the back seat had a big black stain that looked like blood. I’m still not sure what that stain was. It looked as though a robbery or murder had taken place before this car was up for sale in the lot.
Lastly, what bugged me about my car at the time was the simple fact that I compared my car to my sister and brother in-law’s vehicles. My sister had a sleek champagne colored Mercedes Benz at the time, and my brother in-law had bought a Lexus SC 430 convertible with ridiculously shiny, clean, cream colored exterior and leather interior. At family occasions they would pull up next to me and make my ride look like a toy.
At the time, I was a bit immature or possibly a little materialistic. When I look back and think about the idiosyncrasies I had toward my first car, it makes me laugh. I had no reason to be ashamed of that car. The insurance was dirt cheap, and it never gave me any mechanical problems. It got me where I needed to go for three years, and filling up at the pump was only a third in cost of any other car. After I fixed the window and radio it was an excellent car for me. I would have been smart to have kept it in the recession now that I think about it.
Good post. First cars in most cases never really do impress but it's better to have one that works properly than to have a fancy outside and a crappy inside. Great to hear what you realized form having that car.
ReplyDeleteOh My Goodness, This was too funny! I love it! I can't stop laughing, especially when you would pull up at family functions in a car from the movie, "Toy Story," and then about the cracked windshield, the radio, and the blood stain in the back seat. If I had a car like that today, I would probably be happy due to the economical use I would get out of it. It sounds like you had a good deal at the time. Great story.
ReplyDeleteGreat story, I once drove a geo metro over the altamontpass with four people in it and the wind was blowing so hard I thought the car was going to tip over the other people in the car were freaking out. By the way my first car was a mustang and he engine was ing the trunk, in pieces.
ReplyDeleteGreat story, I think a lot of people first car was in bad shape. My first car was a mustang and the engine was in the trunk. It took me almost two years to get the car running, two weeks after that the brakes went out and I hit a wall.
ReplyDeletegreat story reminds me of my first car, a 1987 chevy camaro z28. it too was a car only a mother would love. lol
ReplyDeleteVery descriptive and also a very interesting twist on shame for such a topic, nonetheless I myself enjoyed it. I wouldn't know how to feel the same way you probably have felt because I myself have never had a car....I'm still too new here haha. It does show that you have understood the feeling of being ashamed so you got it right on the money! It's only natural human behavior to try and compare the things you have with other people I wont deny you there but the important thing is that you understood just how immature you had been and you just laugh at that now. If I ever get a car I would like to use this story as an example that even though I might not have the best looking car, at least it'll take me where I need to go.
ReplyDeleteI think you really related to the prompt. It was very interesting to read, and I liked it a lot. I personally believe you had a cool car that just needed an ego boost
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