Sumaiya Sadmin

Prof. Dr. Smith

Eng 101

February 8th, 2019

Two Sides of One Coin

We all have a special family history or story that we want to share. For some of us it brings out a

sense of joy while for others it gives us perspective. Usually when we write about our family, we

want to shed the light on the good. There is always that one person within our families that

stands out and because they do, they tend to become a beacon of hope and someone who we

want to be as we grow older. My grandmother is that person in our family. She is my paternal

grandmother and she is that one person in our family who never could give up on what she

wanted. I could speak hours on the stories of her life or I could speak on hours of how much she

would annoy me. Sometimes when I think about her, she reminds me of what an amazing person

she truly was and a hard life she had to achieve all her success.

My grandmother made a choice at a very early age. She was 12 years old when she was being

forced to marry someone twice her age. Her obvious response was an emphatic, No. She ran

away eventually to live with her uncle. She had a passion for education. Eventually she finished

her elementary and secondary education and was about to start her higher studies. Again, this

time due to extreme societal pressure, she was forced to marry. Her condition was laid out and

she told her would-be husband, that she must be allowed to finish her studies or she will not

marry him. My grandfather came from a rich family and although his family members were

against it, he allowed her to. Eventually my grandmother finished her education and naturally she
went into teaching. In the process she had given birth to 6 children. It was after her last child,

that my grandfather had fallen ill and was paralyzed. My grandmother luckily managed to get

promoted and she ended up as principal of the school she was teaching in. It was not the fact that

she managed to finish her education, but the fact that she never gave up on her passion. In the

end, she also had to take care of an entire family.

When I think of her, I could not be more annoyed. You see, there is two sides to every coin, and

just like that, there was two sides to this woman who you may seem as a trailblazer. While she

was alive, it was a torture for many of us within the household as we all lived in a joint family.

With her constant nagging and her attitude, she was a woman who could very well be called a

diva. There was a time when my grandmother was craving something to eat and she had asked

my dad to bring that for her, however my dad had forgotten to bring it that day. It was late, about

11in the evening and the local store had closed, but that didn’t stop her from getting angry and

causing my father to go out and get it for her. My father did all he could to appease my

grandmother. She would do the same thing with my mom too. She used to make my mom cook

different dishes and always would critique negatively in front of guests, even though my mom is

a great cook. Once no one of significance was there, my grandma would praise my mom and all

my mother would do. She used to drive my mom crazy for no reason but still, my grandmother

meant well. Her stubborn personality would have no limit to its absurdities as she would force us

to take her to random places for no reason. To say “No” to my grandmother, meant suicide, not

literally, but metaphorically. Patience was not her friend and she definitely made sure of it to us

all whenever she could.

She also was brave and willing to break social barriers at a time when women were told what to

do and how to live. Her attitude and her stubborn personality, something I realize that I share a
lot of tendencies with her, was unique in nature. She had her fair share of accomplishments and

success, but equally, she was a woman who was too headstrong at times for her own good. As

she is no longer in this world, I realize now, how much the life she lived has paved a way for

women in our family. In fact, trying to fill her shoes is not something one should take lightly. I

am proud, she is my grandmother. I can only hope that in the times we live in now, I can

accomplish half of what she is, minus her absurd behavior.