Comprehension (B)
You may object, "All of this is well enough in theory, but unfortunately in fact, for many people the family was vicious trap and a cruel destiny. The place that should have been a sanctuary was often torture house. The arms that should have helped us often pushed us away. Many flee the family because it was the place of injury, captivity, disappointment, abuse. The children of alcoholics and abusive parents fear marriage and family and find their solace in becoming solitary. There are so many bad marriages and dysfunctional families, it sometimes seems only reasonable to junk the institution or invent a replacement. True enough, but hopes of replacing the family with some more perfect institution, like hi-tech pipe dreams of creating space colonies into which we can escape when we have polluted the earth, have proven to be both dangerous and deluded. It is within the bonds of what is familial that we must live or perish.
Fortunately, the profusion of dysfunctional families does not necessarily predict a grim future for the family. One of the standard themes in mythology is the promise of the wounded healer. In our hurt lies the source of our healing. The bird with the broken and mended wings soar the highest. Where you stumble and fall, there you find the treasure. One of man's greatest resources for change is our wound and our longing for the missing father. We can heal ourselves by becoming the kind of fathers we wanted but did not have. Create out of the void, out of the absence. Our best map for parenting is outlined like a photographic negative in the shadow side of our psyches. Get in touch with your disappointment, your rage, your grief, your loneliness for the father, the intimate touching family you did not have, and you will find a blueprint for parenting. Become the father you longed for. We heal ourselves by learning to give to our children what we did not receive.
Questions:
i. What titles could be given to each paragraph in the passage to summarize its content?
ii. Explain the meaning of the expressions "hi-tech pipe dreams" and "the bird with the broken and mended wings" in the context of the passage.
iii. Analyze the author's perspective on dysfunctional families and the potential for healing within familial bonds.
iv. What thematic insights can be gathered from the discussion on wounded healers and the promise of the missing father in mythology?
v. How does the passage suggest that personal wounds and longings can be resources for positive change and transformation in parenting?
vi. In real-life situations, how can individuals apply the idea of healing themselves by becoming the kind of parents they wished they had, and what impact might this have on future generations?
