Saving Sourdi free essay sample

The one thing that all people have in common when trying to reach whatever goals they may have in their lives is motivation. There are different types of motivation, but it is a needed element in order to reach a goal. The goal may be conscious or unconscious but in the end it remains the same, motivation is needed. Nea is driven in much of her life by the goal to save her older sister, Sourdi. She tried time after time to save her. Sourdi did not normally need saving though. Sourdi did not saving from the drunk man who was hitting on her. Nor did Sourdi need saving when her boyfriend, Duke, took her to the field and Nea thought she was panicking. Again, Sourdi did not need saving when she married a much older man, moved away, and started a family of her own. Nea was wrong when she thought her new husband was abusing her. We will write a custom essay sample on Saving Sourdi or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Nea was simply trying to keep things the same and to always have Sourdi remain with her. In the story, â€Å"Saving Sourdi†, Sourdi and Nea have always looked out for each other. Since their mother was a single mom in a new country, she couldn’t be there for them as much as she should have been at times. Both girls were brought to a new country at a young age and dreamed of a life in America that was better than what they had. Nea and Sourdi’s ma had a goal to give them a better life. Her motivation was her girls. The first time Nea tried to protect her sister was by stabbing a man who was drunk. She thought that Sourdi was in trouble and instead of getting an adult, she tried to become the adult. She became almost furious when her sister or her mom did not back her up in this decision. â€Å"I couldn’t believe it. I wanted to take the knife back and stab myself. † (Chai) Nea wanted Sourdi and Ma’s approval for the decisions she made in life. Nea wants to live in the â€Å"perfect† America and not live by the culture in which she was raised. She feels that this will only further tear her and her sister apart. She still wants to be the same little girls that were always there for each other. Nea tries to help her sister again by saving her from her new husband, who Nea wrongly believes is abusing Sourdi. Nea misunderstands phone calls that are way above her child-like mind. Instead of minding her own business, which she should have done, she tries yet again to save Sourdi. With the help of Duke, she sets out on a road trip mile away, only to find that everything is fine. Nea regresses back to the beginning of the story and feels the same way, like Sourdi isn’t backing her up. Nea simply wanted to save Sourdi from every conflict in her life. She recalls in the story of a time when Sourdi carried her on her back through a minefield. Nea ended the story with â€Å"I would walk on bones for my sister, I vowed. I would put my bare feet on rotting flesh. I would save Sourdi† (Chai). Nea wanted to be the savior. Nea’s motivation for much of the story is driven by her personality. Her goals in much of the story don’t seem to be conscious to her. E. A. Locke and G. P. Latham both take the stand that human action is directed by conscious goals and intentions, although not all human action is under fully conscious control (Pervin 163). Nea’s goal to save Sourdi is largely an unconscious one. She does not realize she is trying so hard to remain a child and keep Sourdi with her. She simply wants to do the right thing. Her motivation, or driving force, is for things to stay the same. She doesn’t want to grow up and face life. Nea sees, unconsciously, what her ma has went through and that Sourdi is taking the same path. She wants to save Sourdi from those mistakes and in turn give them both a better life. Nea is sometimes in her life motivated by behavior that is driven by the pursuit of goals (Negra). Even though her goals aren’t written down, they are still there- to save Sourdi no matter what it takes. Her goal first come in to play in the beginning when she attempts to help Sourdi with the drunken man. Again her goal is the same when she and Duke are in the field. And lastly, her goal is there when she travels overnight to rescue Sourdi from her husband, who Sourdi actually loves and is happy with. Nea motivation is her life is intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is within the person (Latham). Nea simply wants control of her life. She doesn’t want to grow up and want things to always be the same. Nea wants that choice in her life. She stabs the man who is drunk because she felt she was losing control of the situation. She tries to save her sister in the end because she didn’t want things to change for fear of losing control. Nea is very committed to her goal of trying to keep things the same. A goal is not a goal if the person is not committed (Pervin).