My Own Response to Fisher's Essay

Parents often ponder if physical punishment will actually benefit their child, and where does

punishment transform into abuse. In Fisher's essay “The broken chain”, she views views punishment as

something that she deserves and a responsibility and a burden that her father must attend to whenever

she misbehaves. M.F.K Fisher sees spanking as a cruel and harsh necessity that she brings upon herself.

Her words and her actions do not support each other. Even though she regrets her actions, she still

misbehaves unconsciously. In my point of view, parents, rather than physically punishing their children

they should negotiate with them and take their privileges away.

Fisher starts off her essay by stating that she hears about people talking about how much they

are being abused. Rather than just diving in her essay, she explains why she is writing the essay, and

raises questions about how the chain of violence can be broken. Even though she never has been

beaten, she says “...empathy is my only weapon”, she expresses that her understanding of the subject is

her only weapon against the ugliness( beating). When she refers to empathy, I believe that she is talking

about the understanding of her father's promise, and her foolishness that led her to continue the chain of

violence. “I resented having to take undeserved blows”(14), she is against being punished. Her tone

makes it seem that in some instances she took the spanking to punish herself for being stupid.

Fisher's use of words seem to suggest that she is intimidated by her younger and more clever

sister, and that she abhors being spanked but agrees is aware that conditions could be worse. Fisher's

feelings portray her as a strong-willed individual that is stubborn but very quick to notice her mistakes.

In the essay, she often puts herself down and it seems that she struggles in her situation. “...steel my

emotions...I often cried a little”(pg...