Your Place Is Empty by Anne Tyler

Irlanda Cisneros

May 17, 2011

"Your Place is Empty" was written by Anne Tyler. This story talks about how cultures from different countries can create conflicts between families. It also shows how different generations have different ideas and customs. For example, Mrs. Ardavi came to America from Iran to visit her son and his wife. She brings with her two little medals for their baby, saying that it will keep the baby safe and that she doesn't feel right seeing babies with out medals. She also tries to unconsciously guide Elizabeth on how to raise the baby, which later becomes a problem between the two women and between Elizabeth and her husband.

Another story that also deals with conflicts between generations is "The Leader of the People" by John Steinbeck. In this story, Grandfather talks a lot about the time when he was pioneer and all the battles he was involved in. He tells these stories all the time and doesn't see that those times are over and that people are interested in other things instead of listening to stories from the past. Grandfather's son in law is annoyed that he is always talking about his past and repeating the stories over and over, so he begins to make it clear that he doesn't want to listen to them anymore. By doing this, his wife gets upset about him being rude and asks him to be more patient with Grandfather and to try to understand where he is coming from.

"The Rules of the Game" was written by Amy Tan and it deals with ambition. In this story, the author talks about a little girl who likes playing chess. Once her mother discovers that she has a talent for playing chess, she pushes her to take things to the next level. She has her participate in chess tournaments and competitions. The little girl soon gets tired of being pressured by her mother and no longer enjoys playing chess, but her mother insists in continuing. She feels like her mother is pressuring her to play chess only to have attention and to show her off. This soon becomes a problem between them and the rest of the family. The mother treats her two other children different and she has a preference for the little girl. For example, she has the little boys give up their room so that the little girl has her own room to play chess and practice for future competitions. This creates some tension and discomfort between the little girl and her brothers.

My family has had several conflicts just like any other family. Some of those problems are due to my siblings and I not understanding my parents or grandparents. This happens because their generations and ideas are completely different to our generation and our points of view. Sometimes I believe my parents think that things are still the same way they used to be when they were younger and that that's why we don't agree