The Parallel to The Play "Every Man" from My Life

The play “Everyman” is about a self-satisfied smug man who is told by death that he is to die soon. The man then begins to feel hopelessness, desperation and distress and is afraid to die. The man turns to his friends and family and church looking for someone to care to be with him on his journey, but every time they find out what the destination is they come up with excuses not to help him and not to go with him. He reminds them of all the things that he has done for them and how he has never hurt them or let them down and that he would be there for them if the role was reversed. Then they lash out at him and tell him that he has never been there to help them or done anything for them so why should they be there for him now, and leave him all alone. So the man decides that he will take the things that make him happiest in this world, but as he begins his journey his material possessions goods tells him that he cannot take these things with him, so he is once again left alone. He then thinks about his Good deeds and is once again told that even though they want to go on the journey with him they are un able to go at the moment and tell the man to speak to knowledge. So finally he has something to take with him Knowledge. So Knowledge goes with him and they head out on the journey, he needs to repent of his sins and once he has done this he is given back his good deeds. Acting out on his own authority and judgement and strength he walks on towards his destination with his wits about him, but as he comes closer to his grave his strength and wits and knowledge and even beauty all run away so as he dies and goes back into the ground the only thing he has with him is his good Deeds. 

This poem reminds me of my mom and the things that she has been going through in her life. She has always been there to help her family and friends and even people that she doesn’t know, but when she started getting sick five years ago she was treated just like this. She went to our church and told them that she was having symptoms of different kinds of cancer and that she needed their prayers. She was going to college at the time and trying to take care of me and she began having a hard time so she turned to the church again and asked if they could please help make meals for us and possible help with firewood for the winter and some other requests that were not that much to ask. They helped out for a little bit but then they stopped and said that they had others to help not just her so my mother and I struggled and got the wood done and things ready for winter along with her going to school and being sick. Then family problems started and my mom was there to help with my nieces and nephews as was I and got behind in my school work in the process. But then my mom took a turn for the worse and had other health issues come up and she needed to ask for him from her friends to drive her to doctor appointments as I could not drive as of yet, her friends all told her that they had other things going on and they could not help her. So she turned to my sister and she told her that she didn’t want to be dragged into her problems that she wouldn’t help, so we figured out a way to do it which meant we had to drive down a day early stay in a motel have a taxi take us to the appointment and pick us up again afterward and had pizza delivered to our motel afterward when she was able to eat. 

Every time my mom turns around someone needs her to do something, to drive somewhere (usually far away) to take a grandchild to an appointment or to do this or do that and she does it every time. I have never heard her tell a friend or family or stranger no. Now she has Glaucoma and other issues going on and the only person that she has to help her is me. It has been hard on me to help her with our farm and animals and my nieces and nephews and to cook and clean and do my homework, she helps me as much as she can and I know she is doing her best, and I won’t stop helping her I won’t let her down and I won’t abandon her like everyone else has. 

Now we are fighting against CPS over the kids and she just found out that she has a swollen lymph node in her throat causing her to cough and gag and wheeze and she needs to go have blood work done and go to other appointments but she has to keep putting them off for the kids, and does anyone appreciate it or care? No that just keep taking and taking from her and I’m tired of it.  That is my comparison to the poem and in the bible it says you are supposed to give until it hurts, she has and does every day. It says to love your neighbor, it says to help others, but she gets nothing back in return. If anything it just keeps getting worse and it’s not fair.