Rough Draft "All I asking for is my body"

Myra Alvarez

English 100

Mrs. Servais

Rough Draft

December 9, 2010

      Freedom

            Growing up now-a-days we have a choice with our lives, some of us choose to go to school and get a education, while others choose the lazy life of dropping out of school and working a job that only pays minimum-wage. We all have to thank our parents, there our motivators in our life’s, they push to get an education so we can get far in life and not have to worry about income. Parents want us to live a better life, than they did. What some of us don’t realize is that we take our life’s for granted. There’s kids around the world who re either missing a body part, or they already have a life chosen for them before there born.  We should be thankful that we wake up every morning knowing we have every body part there and also that we have the freedom to choose what life we want to live.

            For those who have there life chosen, some cant break out of the cycle. It’s almost like a religion for them, it reminds me of 2 boys named Tosho and Kyisho from the book, “All I asking for is my body.” These two boys live in a plantation in Hawaii, where they have to work to pay off there parents debt of $6,000. For them to pay that debt off, would mean they would have to give up school and work for the rest of there lives. Well you would ask how is that fair? To them there live is already chosen for them, they have to work since there parents don’t work as much anymore and there was not enough money coming in for the boys to get and education. To this family dropping out of school was like a religion “Tosh was to quit High School and work in the cane fields to help support the family. It was what every number one son was expected to do. Father had done it for twelve years, turning over his entire pay to grandfather every month.” (27)

            Kyisho is the youngest son. He’s very smart in school like his bother, but later he finds himself dropping out of school after graduation and becoming a irrigation man just like his parents wished. Before he graduated he had a teacher named Snooky, everyone found Snooki a little weird, because he wouldn’t teach the kids what they were suppose to know, instead he would give them advice. “”Freedom means not being a part of a pecking order. Freedom means being your own boss.” Kyisho didn’t know what Mr. Snooki was trying to say, but as he got older he finally knew what those words meant. Kyisho even admitted to being like his mother, believing in superstition when it never really existed. Kyisho didn’t want to disappoint his parents by turning out like Tosho. He wanted to help his parents out, meaning he’d be there by there side working until he was dead.

            On the other hand Tosh was very different from his bother Kyisho. His parents found him to be very rude and disobedient. Don’t get him wrong he was a very smart student and had a lot of knowledge but Tosh didn’t believe in paying the debts that his parents got into. He didn’t believe it was his fault his parents got in a big debt. He would always tell his parents “ Boy you Japanese are really blind. It’s there in front of your eyes and you say, it’s a lie! You just cant see! You don’t see what’s out there, you only see what’s inside your head. Like grandfather. he takes your money, you say you gave it to him…. Black is white and white is black. Inside your head he’s like a god. But by his actions, he’s a thief.”(44) Tosh wasn’t fond of the idea as being the number one son. He got that name taken away when he saw the real truth, that he didn’t have to work for them, that he had a choice too, just like his parents did, except he didn’t want to be like them, he wanted to go to school and become something of himself but he couldn’t. His life was already chosen for him, but he wasn’t going to let the cycle keep happening.

            I believe it’s not the kids responsibility to pay there parents debts. If you got yourself in a debt, then you can get yourself out of it. In the book they kept having kids knowing that there was barely enough income just to feed them. Tosh wasn’t blind and he wasn’t dumb either. He knew if he really put his mind to it, he could go far in life but with his parents tradition it made it a bit harder. I was  on Tosh’s side the whole time. I didn’t believe that it was fair for them to have that big responsibility of paying off someone’s else’s debt.

            Sometimes I sit and think what my life would have been if I didn’t have any freedom. It’s sad in this case to see someone so young have to suffer from other people’s mistake, its not fair but like they said it was a tradition to them. Sometimes parents guide us the right way, while other guide them a different way. Reading this book taught me to appreciate life and appreciate having freedom to choose what kind of life I want to live.  Like Tosh said” All I asking for is my body. I not even asking them to send me to high school. Hell I can work my way.” (55)