Name: Sherona Sharma

Class: 3I

ENGLISH B COURSEWORK TERM 1

Instructions:
“Growing up happens when you start having things you look back on and wish you could change”.
Write an essay in which you describe the situation in the poems “Ana” by Mark Mcwatt and “Baking
Day” by Rosemary Joseph. In this essay, you must also discuss the theme of growing up and examine
two (2) similarities and one (1) difference in “Ana” by Mark Mcwatt and “Baking Day” by Rosemary
Joseph used to highlight the theme.
 This thesis explains the love parents have for their children and the childhood
experiences in the poems, “Ana” by Mark Mcwatt and “Baking Day” by Rosemary Joseph.
While reading this essay, I want you to think of everything your parents has done for you and
accepted you for who you are.

“Ana” is about a father who has high expectations for his daughter, but experiences
disappointment when she turns out to be the opposite of what he pictured. He visualised her
as an angel who was delicate and feminine, however, she became a tomboy with wild
behaviour. He was deeply shocked and upset but he loved her and hoped that with time she
would change her ways. He allowed her freedom to express herself and develop at her own
pace. This poem highlights how parental expectations can be let down by a strong-willed
child. It describes a period of innocence and unrestrained freedom. Ana represents the child
who is high-spirited and indulged by her father. She seems to be a happy and loving child
who shows her love in a way her father recognizes. “Baking Day” however, was not quite
different from “Ana”. This poem was about a mother who baked to provide the necessary
needs for her family. She was patient and intelligent even though she did not attend school.
She had ambitions and dreams for her children and did not want them to have the same future
she did, instead she wanted a better life for them. “Baking Day” highlights the love and
admiration the poet had for her mother in terms of baking and life in general and experiences
of growing up with her mother and siblings. The difference between “Ana” and “Baking
Day” is that “Ana” was based on discipline whereas “Baking Day” was based on indulgence.
Two similarities in these poems were the challenges faced by parenting in bring up a child
and the parents had hope.

“Baking Day” ends on a note of determination and hope as the poet realizes what is
really important in life whereas “Ana” ends with the hope of a father as he holds on to his
dreams to someday see his daughter as the refined personality he wishes her to be. As some
people say, “Growing up happens when you start having things you look back on and wish
you could change”.