A home is a place that brings a child's endless colorful dreams, a place that offers hope and warmth to those who are lost , and a place where everyone wants to rest. However, every family has its own definition of home. In the texts "I'm here to iron", "Fences" and "Those winter Sundays", each writer explores the distinct history of a particular family, revealing the different themes of home and family with the help of controlled diction, symbolism, contrast. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To begin with, in the play Fences, the author uses the physical fence to represent the changing relationships between the three main family members, Troy, Rose and Cory, who deal with the theme of motherly love, betrayal and the turbulent relationship between father and son. Just like Bono says, "Some people build fences to keep people out... and other people build fences to keep them in. (Act 2: Scene 1)" In Troy's family, Rose is the one who tries to keep the members in. of his family. For a mother like Rose, family is everything to her and she wants her loved ones to live in a comfortable and loving home. She may already notice that her family is falling apart, so for her, building a fence in the yard is a way to re-establish the family bond and strengthen the relationship between family members. However, Troy considers the construction of the fence unnecessary and ultimately stays out of the fence. Just as he lacks commitment when Rose continually asks him to build the fence, Troy lacks commitment to his family and ends up having an illicit affair with Alberta. In Troy's perspective, home is built on responsibility rather than affection, so his relationship with Alberta will not conflict with his definition of home. However, it is his betrayal that ultimately destroys the family. Furthermore, Troy also builds a "fence" between himself and Cory, pushing his son away while hiding his true feelings towards his son within himself and preventing his son from living the life he wants. Furthermore, using vivid word choices and symbolism, Tillie Olsen, the author of the novel “I Stand Here Ironing,” reveals that instead of the ideal and glamorous motherhood that many expect from American family life, for poor mothers living in the 50s, excessive domestic responsibilities would prevent them from achieving self-realization and from carefully nurturing their children. Throughout the story, Olsen chooses various intimidating dictions, which contradict the normal perception of motherhood. In the opening sentence of the story, the narrator uses the word “tormented” to describe her ironing action, immediately establishing a sense of constraint resulting from the heavy domestic responsibilities she has. The narrator also describes his daughter Emily as "a child of depression, of war, of fear." Words like "depression, war, and fear" express the mother's awareness of her daughter's problem, yet she can do nothing to help her daughter's needs. current situation. The author also uses the symbol of ironing to represent the various chores that prevent the mother from better understanding and educating Emily on her journey to adulthood. The mother is so often hampered by all kinds of chores or duties that she does not have the time and energy to participate more in building an emotional bond with her daughter. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get an essay.