Angels and Beetles

Brand of tattoos (because you can't remove your family) Parenting is always hard, especially when it comes to deciding what is best for their kids. In the book Beetles and Angels, Mawi’s parents had to make difficult decisions for the future of the family. Most people from their homeland would probably call them crazy and bad parents for packing up and going to a foreign country, which they know nothing about. However, others would probably call them brave and smart parents for trying to make a better life for their family and getting out of the war-ravaged lands. Mawi’s parents were good parents because they disciplined their children, encouraged them to get good grades and brought them to America to ensure a better life. By disciplining their children, the Asgedom kids always thought about their father’s threat when participating in wrongful crimes. Mawi’s father always used the phrase, “I will make you lost” (59). This phrase scared them into doing that he said because they knew that he was not a man to be played with. He meant business. Following his father's advice to "treat all people — even the most unsightly beetles — as though they were angels sent from heaven" (back). As kids they couldn’t understand the meaning behind it, but as they got older, they realized what being nice to others could do for. Mawi overcomes racial prejudice, language barriers, and financial disadvantage, eventually realizing his dream of a full-tuition scholarship to Harvard University. Getting an education was encouraged in the family because in America you needed a degree in order to make a good life for yourself. His family was very, very poor and Mawi knew that the only way to better himself was through his education. In high school, Mawi struggled to bring home perfect grades, especially after his brother passed away. He believed that his brother would have wanted him to go on and do his best. Mawi recognized his father as a hero, albeit a 'tragic and flawed' one. He reads 'thousands of pages a week', and doesn't give up because he believes that what his parents did for him would be in vain if he didn’t try his hardest to succeed. Coming to America had to be one of the hardest decisions the Asgedom family had to make because it meant leaving all their family, friends, and possessions. They were coming to a world they had no idea about. One of their friends told them something before they left that was very important and the Asgedom family wouldn’t understand until they got there. “America seems sweet on top, like fresh honey straight from the comb. But what's sweet on the surface is often rotten underneath. So beware” (12). This paper argued that Mawi’s parents were good parents because they did their best to give their children better a life. They encouraged good grades in order to get scholarships to college, they disciplined their children, and they brought their family to America so that they could have a chance to excel and have the life they deserve.