ipl-logo

Water By The Spoonful Analysis

859 Words4 Pages

Drug addiction is a constant war. It is a battle being fought between oneself, possibly family, friends but always, the drug. Yet for anyone that is struggling, there is hope. Despite our differences, there will always be a path to recovery. In “Water by the Spoonful”, Quiara Alegría Hudes incorporates several strategies and tactics through various character’s agencies and symbolism to ultimately create a piece that centers recuperation. Drugs do not define an individual, they only limit one’s potential.
Unlike any other work, “Water by the Spoonful” uses the online world to establish the central theme of redemption. The online chatroom for addicts and substance abusers, such as Odessa and Fountainhead, is a strategy placed within the play …show more content…

The names serve as symbolic strategies that resemble each character. Merriam-Webster defines the term “fountainhead” as a spring that is the source of a stream or the principal source. Ironically, his username seems to fit within the symbol of water. Water throughout the piece is also another strategic symbol of life. From Eliot and his sister’s dependency on water to live, the bathing scene between John and Odessa and the waterfall in Puerto Rico, the central idea remains that water brings vitality. As the prime source of wealth in the play, he is later seen as the source of life for Odessa. Haikumom represents her motherly attributes that she has never shown in real-life. The usernames used define what the character is failing to be in the outer world until they redeem themselves.
As humans, we all cope with our problems in various ways. Even though an audience member may not have a drug addiction, they are still able to feel the pain and suffering of those fighting the difficult war in “Water by the Spoonful”. Quiara Alegría Hudes wrote an exquisite piece that incorporates strategically placed symbols and characters to show that every human struggle and recovery is different. Whatever way we find peace, whether that be in an online chatroom or family, there will always be an open path to

Show More
Related
280 Words | 2 Pages

This is a summary taken from “Saying Yes” by Jacob Sullum; Chapter 8; “Body and Soul”. An ever-present theme in Sullum’s book is what he calls “voodoo pharmacology”—the idea, promoted in large part by the government, that certain drugs have the power to hijack people and enslave them in an inescapable prison of craving and compulsion. Sullum seeks to show that this idea is a myth, that only a tiny percentage of illegal-drug users become addicts, whereas the vast majority of people who use illegal drugs live normal, productive, loving lives. The book is filled with valuable insights derived from deconstructing government statistics about drugs and drug use. Sullum shows how even the most vilified drugs, such as heroin and crack cocaine, are

Read More
143 Words | 1 Pages

The poem begins with the writer using the first stanza to describe the many words people all around the world use for the money. ”Cash,stash,rhino jack or just plain dough” by the writer listing the many names for money,he shows that money is so important among people that it takes on several different Names. Also by the writer mentioning the many names people use for money,he shows that

Read More
412 Words | 2 Pages

In the Elegiac Addict Angela Garcia argues that far from inducing recovery, medical and juridical understandings and approaches to addiction trap addicts into the painful past and moral dilemma, perpetuating the addiction and making relapse inevitable. Present medical definition treats addiction as a “Chronic health problem, not a moral failing or a social problem”, liberating the addicts from self-guilt and the social judgments based on morality. On the other hand, by emphasizing the chronicity, it produces the sense of hopelessness among the addicts and the belief that addiction is inevitably repetitive and endless. According to Alma, the woman author followed for part of her life, illustrates this point by pointing out that “the clinic didn’t

Read More
695 Words | 3 Pages

He is “drawn to the addicts” as he can relate to them about their own dilemmas. As a drug addict himself, Jun understands others with similar issues due to him enduring his own

Read More
855 Words | 4 Pages

“The Man Into Whose Yard You Should Not Hit Your Ball,” Serves as a powerful representation of the nature and impacts of addiction on those close to and even peripheral to the addict. Lux uses the characters states and actions to show this. The narrative of this poem tells how a man mows his yard despite the season, the events happening, or what’s in his yard. The tone that overwhelms this poem compares the mans need to cut his grass is to addiction and the consequences that are a cause of it.

Read More
668 Words | 3 Pages

Tweak: Growing up on methamphetamines is a novel regarding the reasoning behind why a young boy by the name Nic Sheff, who seems to have a bright future, but falls into drug usage. In the story, we will explore Nic passage through treatment, relapse and trying to get clean for one final time. As well as why Nic's troubled childhood, failed relationship among his family member and past lovers led him to falling deeper and deeper to drugs. This novel allows the reader to glance at certain situations that could lead to drug use and relapses.

Read More
1019 Words | 5 Pages

Nathalie Diaz’s poems “How to Go to Dinner with a Brother on Drug” and “ My Brother at 3 A.M” point out how drug and alcohol abuse cause stress and problems over a family. Diaz explains the struggle that her family has to be through because of her brother addiction. Diaz’s poems show her life and the struggle she needs to experience such as drug addiction, violence, and poverty. The brother addiction to the Meth causes the family fall in part.

Read More
1820 Words | 8 Pages

Each part explains something different about the drugs and how it has influenced millions of people. The first part is “The Confluence of Psychoactive Resources” and this section helps to explain what was products were part of this new revolution. The second section of the book is called “Drugs and Commerce” and here we get to read about the medicinal value, but also the psychoactive revolution. Then the third part of the book is called “Drugs and Power” and here it explains to us the power of alcohol and drugs.

Read More
736 Words | 3 Pages

A Long Walk To Water Linda Sue Park’s book entitled A Long Walk To Water is about two people on different paths that eventually meet. One character named Nya is a girl who walks 12 hours a day to get water for her family. While the other character Salva is a boy who is left in a country surrounded by war. In Salva’s story, his survival became possible through three main factors:his uncle, food and water; the memory of his family.

Read More
480 Words | 2 Pages

This question is addressed in the third section of the article. For that reason, the author writes with a rhetoric of pathos to encourage the reader to persevere and also purchase Naloxone, a drug which can alter the effects of opioids in case of emergency. Since addiction is an emotional subject, this section of the article contains much pathos rhetoric

Read More
442 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the story, alcohol is depicted as a destructive force that has a negative impact on Anna May's life and relationships. Her addiction to alcohol is shown to be a major factor in the loss of her son and her difficulties in maintaining stable relationships. At the same time, alcohol represents a form of escape and coping, highlighting the ways in which addiction can serve as a response to trauma and difficulty. Water is used as a multi-layered symbol in the story, representing life and growth, as well as danger and uncertainty. Water is depicted as a source of vitality and renewal, essential for survival.

Read More
670 Words | 3 Pages

After reading the novel, Righteous Dopefiend, I have a different lens in which I can view substance abuse and individuals who suffer from substance abuse disorders. All of the characters in the novel offered a unique perspective to different aspects of substance abuse disorders and the challenges associated with substance abuse and homelessness. However, despite all of the interesting aspects of each individual in the novel, the character Tina stuck out most to me and had the greatest impact on how I will view and engage with individuals who may suffer from substance abuse disorders. Initially what caught my attention about Tina was the chapters that described how she lived as a female on the streets, which was often considered “a man’s place”.

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

This is because of her escapades of the day that ended up with her crushing a stolen wedding limo into a house (Thomas). The film explores substance use disorder through the eyes and life of Cummings and the people she meets in the rehab. It also explores the challenges they go through in trying to get clean. This essay will show how substance abuse and its related disorder is being portrayed in the film.

Read More
960 Words | 4 Pages

The point of this addition is to demonstrate how drugs control contemporary society. Despite being relatively well off everyone looks for a chance to escape into their own personal world and the higher ups provide the technology needed for this escapism. “The remedy was to make the holiday continues. Greedily she clamoured for ever larger, ever more frequent doses. Dr. Shaw at first demurred; then let her have what she wanted.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

In doing so, the writing is given a feeling of importance due to the rise in the "..pomp and pleasure.." (line 3) as well as the "..pride and plenty.." (line 3) with the help of the alliteration present in the stanza. As the poem goes on, the money and its use increasingly grow questionable but are later rejected as it "..shows the spirit of an heir.." (line 12) in the making. Johnson even tries to add a bit of humor is worth by mentioning the names of several females as a way of enjoying his wealth. However, there seems to be an underlying meaning involving dark implications, which sound ironic.

Read More

More about Water By The Spoonful Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document