STEP BY WICKED STEP CHAPTER 4 COLINS STORY The Bluebird of Happiness

STEP BY WICKED STEPCHAPTER 4 COLINS STORY The Bluebird of HappinessSyahmy Alim bin MustazaWan Ahmad Afif bin Wan Mud ShardihanMuhammad Amir Faris bin AdzharMohd Harith Akmal bin Zulfaizal FadillahColin describes his stepfather whom he calls dad. He has thought of him as his biological father all the while. His dad looks like him. His dad has dark hair with some grey patches around his ears. His dad used to roll his own cigarettes out of tobacco in a tin. His dad calls him by many nick names- Col, Collie, Sonny- boy, Buster, Mr Bluebird. Colins mum works in a shop. His dad walks him to school and back. His dad got him his tea and took him to the park.

Synopsis2At the park, he used to swing as high as the bar, he swings back in such a way that his dad would call him The Bluebird of Happiness. Then, Colins mum took him and moved away. It happened when Colins father had gone to spend a daywith his sister. Two friends of his mum came with a van and packed everything. Then they went off. At first, he thought his dad will join them later. Colin was not happy- school mates would snigger when he did not understand things. Mum found a job at a canteen. She would be busy doing household chores when she came home. Mum was too busy to listen to him. He compared her with his dad- his dad used to talk to him and remembered names of his friends and teachers. Colin asked his mother many times about his dad. He wanted to know when his dad will come home.

His mother did give him a hint about his father not having a proper job. He realized later that his mother did not leave any clues for his dad to follow. He then wrote a letter to his dad. But there was no reply. Every night, Colin would take the tobacco tin out of the toe of his boot and put it under his pillow. Then, he would hum his favourite song, which was also his dads favourite. He would stay awake for hours talking to his dad. He pretended that his dad was there. Colin said that it was as if his mother thought that whatever is happening is actually happening only to her.

Then one day when he returned home from school, he realized that his mum had thrown away his boots. The boots were too small for him but she did not know that there was a tobacco tin hidden in there. He did not bother to tell her because she wouldnt have liked it. It has been five years, eight months and seven days and Colin still remembers his dad. He secretly writes his dads name and his old address on the forms at school. Colin also tries to save money- he does three paper rounds. He will not try to look for his dad now- perhaps someday when he has enough money. Colin hums slowly and when asked to sing, he says that he is saving the words till he finds his dad. It was his favourite song; The Bluebird of Happiness. His friend Ralph consoled him by saying that someday Colin will find his dad.

Place: a) Colins home where he lived with his mum and Jackb) Colins present home

Time: Spanning over 5 years after Colin and his Mum left JackSettingsColinA sad boy who yearns for his stepfather, (sorry Colin,I mean your dad!). Loves him so much, that to him, he is Dad. The sadness is over powering and creates emotional problems for him. He is unable to confront his mother since he loves his mother too (who doesnt love their mum!). Obviously the separation causes a deep emotional problem in Colin. Observant , thoughtful and understanding. Loyal to his Dad.

Characters and CharacteristicsColins MumShe is emotionally affected too. She has a defense system for problems with men, she leaves them. Thus when she found Colins Dad inadequate, she left him. However, to Colin she had to hide certain things which she felt he is too young to handle. She is also a hardworking woman. Being able to support Colin by working at a canteen. Impulsive.

JackKind honest man. Loves Colin like his own son. Does everything for him. His weakness is he is jobless.Fatherly, honest.Irresponsible

Children have opinions too.Colin does not have a say at all when her mother decides to move to another place to stay safe from his father. Colin has to start all over in a new school and make new friends. His opinion is never sought. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and as a fellow respected human being you should respect them and supposedly take them into consideration. While Colins mum never sought his take on the issue, Colin himself never really stand up for his words. He just stands there and let everything go with the flow.Themes10Wisdom of making an important decision.Running away from the cause of a problem is never the solution. Nor is running away to make another understand the pain or as a lesson to the other as it only creates more problems, especially when it is among family members. Colins mum made her own decision without hearing anyones say, not even her own son. As a grown up and even more, a matured parent, it should be obvious that you should consult with your children about making a decision that will highly affect your childrens well beings and feelings.

Lack of responsibility.Once you made a decision on being a parent, one thing you should ask in your mind is that are you ready to be responsible of your family? Responsibility is a big word covering a broad meaning in many aspects. No one is arguing the fact that Jack is a caring and kind-hearted fellow and also has this fatherly vibe which Colin really needs. But the fact that he is jobless makes him look irresponsible. Whilst Colins mum is a very hardworking lady, she didnt really have that much of a time to spent with her young growing boy in his age of in need of attention and great care from his parents.

Dont give up on hope. supermanHope is pivotal in life. While theres life, theres hope. Hope is what keeps on people from doing it all the way instead of giving up in the middle of the road. The idea of hope is to give something for someone to put all their hearts and souls into doing something. Colins story is the saddest of all. He does not give up hope of one day finding Jack whom he accepts as his own father. He saves all his money and plans to look for his dad when the time is right. Colin is a very determined person despite his young age. He knows what he wants. LoveLove is a crucial thing to have in a family. Without love, theres really no real bond between the family members. Colin loves Jack like his own father. He insisted on calling Jack his Dad even though technically, Jack is not even his stepdad. Colin and Jack have been spending quality time together for a long time. Jack even gave Colin nicknames and one of it is Mr. Bluebird. They even have a favourite song which both of them really like. Thats why when Colin is separated from Jack, he was upset about it because its like losing his dad, the one man he looks upon to. Despite being away from each other, Colin still loves his father and he has a decision on finding Jack once hes grown up. Truly, love transcends time and space Interstellar,2014.Lessons and Moral ValuesOptimismColin is very optimistic in finding Jack. He is saving practically every penny he gets in order to, one day, find his Dad. He even rather take the money instead of having a gift during his birthday or Christmas. Colin also keeps Jacks tobacco tin and hums their favourite song while waiting for him, every night. Colins loyalty and love for Jack are basically the essence for his unusual optimism at such a young age.

ResponsibilityWith great power comes great responsibility and being a parent even greater. You have the power to make a path for your children, be it good be it bad, its your choice. But I believe that there is no way on Earth or anywhere, where a parent wants bad thing for their children. God forbid. As a young kid, Colin of course sees the only better side of Jack, where Jack is this caring and loving father figure he is bound to look upon. Colin doesnt know the fact that Jack is jobless which is the reason why Colins mum makes the decision to leave Jack. While Colin still loves his mum (who doesnt?), he is a bit upset since his busy mom has little to no time for him.Dealing with adversities.In times of adversity, the only thing you must not do is quit. You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity. Colins mum ran away from the first husband, to avoid the problems associated with him. She ran away from Jack too. Her character is as if she runs away from problems. The problems for her never reduced in fact it increased. She was too tired with work, Colin was not taken care of. In fact Colins character had deteriorated. Perhaps if she had compromised on Jack, he may have handled Colin well, Colin could have become a better person, she could have persuaded him to work.

RepetitionThe simple repeating of a word, within a sentence or a poetical line, with no particular placement of the words, in order to secure emphasis.There isnt a story is repeated countless of times to emphasise Colins opinion.Literary DevicesBut this is not a story.#2deep4meIs this the end of the story?