Shoulders By Naomi Shihab Nye: A Literary Analysis

When it comes to parents and their children, protection is the most important thing to them. Literature can do many things and one of them is describing different topics that can be expressed in a way that cannot be said anyway else. Sometimes literature can be a way to reach people differently than just by telling them straight forward. In life and in literature, protecting children is very important, but sometimes there can be a downside in too much over the top parenting. Some parents will go above and beyond to try and protect their children and a lot of the time that is a necessity, but in some cases they can be harmful, by never allowing them to learn, live, or fail.

Sometimes parents can take it too far, and this can end up being harmful.

They are usually not allowed to go to friends' houses, gatherings or they have strict restrictions. In “Good Bones” by Maggie Smith, she explains that she wants to keep her children from the world. The thing is, the world is not all bad and has many positive attributes. The world is where we live life, make friends, learn from failure, and experience countless opportunities. The good will most likely outweigh the bad, and that is why parents should not shelter their children from experiencing life. In “Shoulders” by Naomi Shihab Nye, it does not show a toxic type of protection. It simply shows a man trying to protect his son and in the end it shows that he understands that he cannot protect his son forever. It is a healthy type of protection that this father portrays in the poem. Instead of keeping his son sheltered he knows he will have to let him

Parents may not realize that they are keeping their kids from having fun, and it is even worse when they do. Again they may think it is best for them, and that is okay, they just need to understand that it may not be the best for them and quite the opposite. Being a parent brings on a sense of responsibility. At least one study shows that parents start spending more time at the office after having a child, working more, hoping for a raise. Another group of studies show that stress increases significantly for new parents, and some even suggest that, because of the added stress, parents are not much happier than their childless counterparts (Loewen). This is a big factor as to why people may think they need to protect their child. On the other side are the legions of hovering parents who literally think it’s too dangerous to let their children play outside, or surf the internet unattended for fear that the children will be whisked away by a predator (Allen). This is a valid reason for “helicopter parenting”. It is crucial to keep kids safe from the bad in the world, but not keep them from the good. It is hard to balance but it is possible. Protecting children from these events is more likely to increase their vulnerability than promote resilience. When adults remove failure so children do not have to experience it, they become more vulnerable to future experiences of failure (Shean).