Getting acquainted with “Turmeric and Sugar” by Vangala Jones allowed me to find peace and bright happiness in the depths of my soul. With this text, I traveled years back to my childhood, when the perception of the world was more magical and even heartwarming. The latter word can be used to describe the identified short story as a whole. Although it does not have an outstanding and evident plot, it gives hope and reminds readers about the need to taste the bitter in order to enjoy the sweet (Crawley). Therefore, I view this text as an island of calm and light, warm sadness, and it is especially nice to stay on during such turbulent times as now.
Several key topics can be identified in the short story, and all of them are revealed with the help of literary devices and techniques. First, Vangala Jones points to the essence of parents’ role in raising their children. The author highlights how important it is to support one’s kids, instill moral and right attitudes in them, and avoid paying increased attention to meaningless matters. For example, instead of critiquing their son for being too active during lessons, the father says very wise words: “The problem is with her. Don’t let her bother you” (Vangala Jones 126). Such a comment does not harm but strengthens the boy’s self-confidence or self-value.
Second, Vangala Jones also underlines the value of adding some magical or other pleasant rituals. They help children feel safer, happier, and even protected, as well as develop their own imagination (Mitchard and Hurwitz). For instance, Bhavi’s mother not only promotes the magic of the mixture, saying that “today’s difficulties will be lessened and overcome by its beauties” (Vangala Jones 125). She can also use this metaphoric idea and ritual to explain the need to control the amount of sugar: “If I use too much, you’ll get a toothache, and grow to take it for granted or even dislike it” (Vangala Jones 126). Therefore, this short story is a great guide for parents who want to add imagination and creativity to their everyday lives with kids.
Finally, the author also aims to show the nature of childhood, and numerous similarities, metaphors, and imageries make it possible for the reader to become kids themselves while reading the text. Thus, imageries like “a comforting, invisible crown,” “the guilty spice causing his misfortunes,” and “a gleaming curtain to conceal her face” are effective instruments to show that the world and every simple action are filled with magic for kids (Vangala Jones 125-126). Additionally, metaphors like thoughts that “briefly flitted between his oversized ears” make the story simultaneously childish and heartwarming, allowing to portray this naïve and fantastic ‘vision’ that many grownups lose (Zharikov and Gentner; Vangala Jones 126). As a result, all three topics become revealed more effectively because the author uses poetic language and does not leave a single sentence without a literary device.
I can spot some personal connections with the identified story, which makes it more valuable to me. Thus, a number of interesting and magic rituals were also included in my childhood, which strengthened my relations with my parents. Further, I also remember experiencing uncertainty or hesitation at school, as well as wishing to find a special instrument that would eliminate all sadness or troubles in my life. Consequently, the author managed to emphasize many key moments of childhood in such a small story.
Works Cited
Crawley, Dan. “Turmeric & Sugar: Stories by Anna Vangala Jones.” Bending Genres. Web.
Mitchard, Jacquelyn., and Cassie Hurwitz. “How to Nurture Your Child’s Creativity and Imagination.” Parents. Web.
Vangala Jones, Anna. Turmeric and Sugar: Stories. Thirty West Publishing House, 2021.
Zharikov, Sergey S., and Dedre Gentner. “Why Do Metaphors Seem Deeper than Similes?” Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society. Routledge, 2019.