Project 3

Logan Huntze

8 May 2019

English 205

Ms. H

Project #3

For the third and final project, I have decided to choose the project topic that talks about theme and how it compares to the story and my life in general. I will be discussing and comparing the book called “About the House Girl” to a theme I relate to in my life. Patipir and Ifapi both use dedication in this story to better their lives as well as reach each other in the end. If it wasn't for this dedication, their lives would have been completely different. My life relates to this because the dedication and hard work I put into each day of my life is to reach a bigger goal and without this dedication my life and end goal would be different than what it is now. Without dedication in each individual's life, their goals and dreams for the future will not be accomplished.

Based on the topic I have chosen and the thesis I have stated about themes, I have decided to discuss dedication as the theme for “About the House Girl” as well as my life. In the beginning of this story, we were introduced to Patipir as a young man who lived alongside the river, and on his free time he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and playing his flute on the side of the river. However, when we were introduced to him it was clear that he was a responsible young boy who worked hard for the things he had. Some of the first words we learned about Patipir were, “He hunted and fished, he cut down trees and adzed and split the wood for the sweat house or other building, he carved and burned out his own canoe and made the long storage boxes to hold his accumulating treasure, he cut and carried ceremonial wood for sweat house fires, and he sweated himself and prayed.” This quote discusses all the hard work and dedication Patipir put into each day of his life, and how he not only did things for himself but others around him as well. This dedication continued throughout the story and Patipir continued to be a successful young man.

Patipir was never around woman, but a short way into the story he was introduced to a girl who was special to him from day 1. He never actually met this girl until a few times after encountering her, but she was all he wanted and her name was Ifapi. Ifapi was a young girl who was also very responsible, but her life consisted of things very different than Patipir’s. She was never outside, and she was held inside her Aunt’s house most of her life. Patipir first encountered Ifapi when he went to the “old ladies” house (Ifapi’s Aunt) to get fresh seaweed. He saw Ifapi there in the house, and he fell in love at first sight.

Days went on where all Patipir could think about was Ifapi. He was determined and dedicated to meet her and take her away to fall in love. Throughout the story, Patipir did everything he could to get to her, and it finally paid off. After the night Patipir and Ifapi saw each other at the dance party on the beach, Patipir rushed back to the Aunt’s house to find Ifapi and take her away. He refused to follow the Aunt’s orders to leave Ifapi alone, and as he explained his situation and what he was going to do with her the Aunt accepted it and let him take Ifapi away. All the hard work and dedication that Patipir had put into finding and taking Ifapi away had finally come true, and he wasted no time to marry her. That same day they went off and told Ifapi’s parents the situation and then the two of them left on a canoe out to the sea to go off and start their lives somewhere different with each other.

This sounds cheesy, but Patipir truly was dedicated to get to Ifapi. When he was in her Aunt’s house, he said “I am taking this little one with me, aunty.” These were his last words to show that his goal and dream were accomplished and he had finally reached Ifapi and had the opportunity to take her with him. I’ve talked a lot about how Patipir was dedicated to find Ifapi, but in the end Ifapi was very dedicated as well. She was at a point in her life where she felt comfortable to go off with a man she had just met to start a new life. This takes courage for a young woman, and also dedication. She was dedicated to go off and start a life with a man she had fallen in love with and she was happy to make her father proud. Both of these characters not only had dedication throughout the story, but they continued it when they sailed off to the ocean to start their new lives.

I can relate this theme to my life because I have been dedicated in everything I have done up until now in my life. It all started with sports and me being dedicated to be the best player I could be. This dedication carried into my schooling and future career choices that I have worked for to this day. My dedication with sports paid off a ton in high school with baseball, and I ended my senior year feeling like I was the best player I could have been. During high school, I made my decision that I wanted to be a firefighter like my father, and my dedication to get there started when I was 14 years old. I have continued that hard work and dedication to achieve my career dream up until this day, and it has all paid off. I recently was just offered a job as a firefighter at my dream Fire Department which humbled me and made me understand that hard work and dedication truly does pay off for whatever you are working towards.

My dedication and end goal was very different than Patipir and Ifapi, but it ultimatlely proves the same point. With hard work and dedication towards something you want, it can always be achieved. Patipir’s dedication to get to Ifapi and marry her came true, and Ifapi’s dedication to find the right man and live a good life also came true. My hard work and dedication paid off for me as well, so in the end the main point I took away from this was no matter what the situation is or the goal is you want to accomplish, it can always happen with dedication.