Notes

What strives someone to undertake a mission? What drove Rikki-tikki to become brave, what drove Annie to make money? Missions may sometimes be dangerous and sometimes mandatory. When someone undertakes a mission, they are doing trying to do a task or find something. Let’s find out the missions of these stories.

In the short story called, “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” by Rudyard Kipling, the author tries to tell the reader that the theme is that bravery takes courage. One of the examples the author gives the reader is when Rikki-tikki gained confidence from dodging a blow from Nagaina, “Rikki-tikki knew he was a young mongoose, and it made him all the more pleased to think that he had managed to escape a blow from behind. It gave him confidence in himself,” (Kipling, para. 33). This conveys to the reader that Rikki-tikki is getting braver and gaining more confidence in himself. It also shows how good Rikki-tikki is since he was able to dodge a blow from Nagaina. Another example the author gives the reader is when Rikki-tikki was attacking Nag, “As he held he closed his jaws tighter and tighter, for he made sure he would be banged to death, and, for the honor of his family, he preferred to be found with his teeth locked,” (Kipling, para. 61). This shows that Rikki-tikki was so brave that he would sacrifice his life for his family. It also shows that Rikki-tikki does not fear death and would die for his family anytime. In the end, Rikki-tikki is very brave and courageous, he would even sacrifice his life for his family.

In the biographical essay called, “New Directions” by Maya Angelou, Mrs. Annie Johnson made money by selling fresh pies to workers. But why did Mrs. Annie Johnson need to make money anyways? One of the reasons the author conveys to us is when the essay states that Annie had two kids and not a lot of money, “Mrs. Annie Johnson of Arkansas found herself with two toddling sons, very little money, a slight ability to read and add simple numbers.” (Maya, para. 1). This shows that Mrs. Annie needed to get a job because she needs to feed her kids. It would be hard for her too considering that she can only add simple numbers and read a little bit. Another example the author gives us is when Annie’s husband left her to learn religion in Oklahoma, “...he conceded that he too found it to be less than he expected, and had been secretly hoping to leave and study religion.” (Maya, para. 2). This shows that Annie is all alone now because her husband left her. Now she has to feed her kids and take care of them too since her husband left her. In the end, this shows that the reason Mrs. Annie Johnson needs to make money is because she has 2 kids and she needs to feed them and take care of them!

In the memoir called, “The Other Side of the Sky” by Farah Ahmedi, Farah and her mother tries to escape to Pakistan with a family, but what drove Farah and her mother to flee in the first place? One of the reasons they fled to Pakistan is when Ahmedi said that they couldn’t make any money in Afghanistan, “We did not have any money to pay them. What little we had we would need to get from Peshawar to Quetta,” (Ahmedi, Ansary, para. 6). This shows that Ahmedi and her mom couldn’t make any money unless they are able to get to Pakistan. It also shows that Afghanistan is bad in general if you couldn’t even make any money and the only way they could get into Pakistan is by paying. Another reason why is when Ahmedi states that she was surprised because she wasn’t able to walk well with her prosthetic leg but she could on the day they fled, “Perhaps desperation gave me energy and made me forget the rigor of the climb.” (Ahmedi, Ansary, Para. 12). This shows that Ahmedi really wanted to get out of Afghanistan very badly since she was desperate. It doesn’t show the reason why but it’s probably a big problem. In the end, the reason Ahmedi and her mother wanted to flee Afghanistan is because of money issues and problems.

In the end, the characters all had similar missions. Rikki-tikki’s mission was to protect his family, Ahmedi’s mission was to protect her mother and try to find a better life, and Annie’s mission was trying to make money for her children. Each one of these character’s mission were to protect their loved ones, trying to find a better life for them. With hard work and dedication, they accomplished their goals.