The significant moment of this part is when Sophie arrivals to New York and her mother tell her “You are going to work hard here— no one is going to break your heart because you cannot read or write. You have a chance to become the kind of woman Atie and I have always wanted to be. If you make something of yourself in life, we will all succeed. You can raise our heads.”This words for me are very emotional for me because his mother is telling her daughter that she has come to a place where she could perform as the person she wants to be. Where her dreams and ideas will be not frustrated. She will be who defends them from the injustices that society commits.

One quote that really stands out to me was ” Around us were dozens of other people trying to squeeze all their love into small packets to send back home”. This scene reminds me of me and my family as well because when it comes to sending things back home, we all ways try to send as much as possible because we know they do not have the same income like we do in the U.S.

As I continued to read the novel Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat I began to admire the relationship with Tante Atie and Sophie. I found it interesting that although Tante Atie was Sophie’s aunt, they had a connection like a mother and daughter. It quickly went from Tante Atie having Sophie, to Sophie’s mother now having her. It was weird to me, the transition because Tante Atie has been rasing Sophie since she was a little baby until her now, and all of a sudden the mother is ready for her. I found it odd, because although Sophie’s mom is in fact her mother, I considered Tante Atie to have much more value. Then as I further thought about Sophie finally leaving Tante Atie in Hati to live with her mother in Port Au Prince then NYC it was for Sophies own good in a way. And then I further realized that things like happens  all of the time. For example, many of my uncles and aunts were still in Guyana when they were little kids while my Grandma was in NY trying to make a living for them so when they finally do come to America they won’t suffer. And I really only thought about how something like that can be depicted onto someone.

Sophie arrive in the USA to live with her mother who is basically a stranger to her. Sophie does not feel the same connection she has with Tante Atie for her mother. The next day, Martine took Sophie shopping to introduce her to the Haiti culture that exist in her neighborhood. However, what was so sad in this moment was Sophie thought when Martine when to the Haiti Express to mail the cassette for Tante Artie.  Her desire was if she could  shrink herself small enough to fit into the box her mother was mailing off to Artie, she would be in that box. I realized that the abrupt change in Sophie’s life is one that she is not prepared for. Martine on the other hand, is too caught up in the moment to realize that a red flag was erected between mother and daughter. True feelings are not being shown in these chapters of the book and it started when Martine asks Sophie if she was the mother  that Sophie imagined. Sophie replies, that she could not asks for better. Question to be ask, will Sophie concept of her mother change when Martine will always want to know. ” You’re a  good girl, aren’t you?”

I found this part of the reading a bit sad. Sophie had grown and has lived with her mom for years. An important moment that I found in the beginning would have to be when Sophie speaks about the school she attended. I feel like this part gives a great insight to the people in Sophie’s life for the the past few years. We learn that she attended a special school for Haitian students where she was kept in her language but also learned english. I feel that this shows Sophie’s mother being maternal because instead of sending her to a public school where Sophie could get lost in a sea of students her mother found a place that could cater to her daughter and still keep her in her culture. I also feel that culture is very inporrant.

We also see that Sophie does not want to be engulfed in her culture but wants to fit in. This is shown when she says about the other kids in the public school discriminating against her.

These chapters were interesting to me because I got to see what Sophie’s reactions were to meeting her mom for the first time. I felt as shocked as Sophie did when she saw her mom, by when she said “she looked different….” This was showing that Sophie expected to see her mom looking like the photo her aunt Atie had of her but when she saw her finally, she looked different. Sophie’s mom appeared to be looking not to healthy but she still seemed caring so it didnt matter for example she realized she forgot to bring sophie a jacket to keep warm when they go home from the air port,  so she takes her own coat off to give to sophie. that was a good moment i read because i felt like Sophie was about to be treated nicely despite leaving her aunt atie that she felt safe with.

Reading Chapters 5 though 8 what stuck out to me was in chapter 6 when Sophie  arrives to New York. Sophie says that when she gets to the lobby there are tons o people there holding balloons and flowers. it was awkward for Sophie because she wants to hug her mother but she doesn’t really know her & she sort of didn’t know what she looked like. she feels like its the right thing to do because she sees other children doing it. Sophie’s mother Martine comes up to her and grabs her up and sins her so she can look at her (that’s how she knew it was her mother). Also, what stood out to me was when Sophie talked about how her mother looked. she said she was scrawny, wobbled holding her suitcase and she had dark circles under her eyes. That stood out because later we find out she works two jobs and hardly gets sleep. Later, you can see that there is a mother daughter relationship growing here because, Sophie sees how hard Martine works and even says I wish I can help you work one of your jobs for you. Sophie is giving her a chance.

The part that stood out to me the most was when sophies mom tells her that she is going to become a doctor and not a secretary. her mother took didn’t really care for what Sophie wanted (in my opinion)but i could understand why. her mother also tells her to stay in school. Sophie mom is just looking out for her, she wants her daughter to be the best she possible could be. just like any other parent would want. my parents always pushed me and wanted me to gets A’s to them anything under a 90 was unacceptable. Sophie may feel like her mom is being unfair but someday she will see why her mother is as hard on her as she is. being a secretary is okay but her mom wanted more from her she wanted Sophie to be on top and not just like everyone else in the world.