Characters: Beatrice, her mother, the goat Mugisa, baby goats Surprise and Expected, and the boy Bunane.
Setting: A small African village of Kisinga in the rolling Western Uganda
Plot: Beatrice’s family is poor and Beatrice cannot go to school. One day they get a goat from some kind hearted people.
Perspective: Third-person viewpoint
Genre: Narrative Nonfiction
The story, “Beatrice’s Goat”, written by Page McBrier, talks about a girl named Beatrice taking care of a goat and making money to go to school. Beatrice’s family receives a goat from some kind hearted people. Beatrice cannot wait to see the goat but mom says “Good things take time”. Before the goat arrives, Beatrice’s family builds a shed and plants elephant grass. Very soon, they get the goat, Mugisa. Two weeks later, Mugisa gives birth to two babies. Surprise and Expected. Beatrice makes sure the babies drink enough milk until they can eat grass. Beatrice tastes the milk and finds it is sweet so she sells the milk. Everyday she sells the milk to Bunane and she earns a coin from him. One day, mom counts the money and says that she has saved enough money for school. Beatrice hugs her mom and is very happy. School is what Beatrice wants most. The next day, she wears the uniform and gets ready to go to school.
While it is a kind act to provide temporary financial assistance to help people who are in poverty, it would be even better to empower them in becoming self-sufficient to take good care of themselves. This could be achieved through providing some training, developing necessary skills, or giving some useful resources that the poor could depend on in order to get a job and make money. Beatrice’s family is poor, but some kind-hearted family gives them a goat Mugisa rather than money. Beatrice’s family takes very good care of Mugisa. The goat in return helps them make money by producing milk for Beatrice to sell.Providing financial support could release their hunger or meet their needs, but it is just temporary. Maybe after 2 meals or 2 weeks, the money would be gone. They would be trapped in financial difficulties again and they would depend on the help from others again. The best way to help the poor or the homeless people is to teach them some skills or knowledge that they need in order to get a job or furnish them with some items or resources that they can make money out of. In this way, they become independent and they would have continuous income. To help the poor, the most effective method is to promote their self-reliance and financial independence, rather than just giving financial support.
The power of education could transform people, especially for people who are in poverty, the quality of their life, and even their next generations. Education equips individuals with necessary knowledge and develops valuable skills, which opens the door to better job opportunities and higher incomes, and even to break the cycle of their current status. When Beatrice’s mother thinks that there is enough money to make some changes, she chooses to let Beatrice go to school first, instead of making changes on their houses. Through education, individuals learn foundational knowledge and skills needed for the future, empowering them to build the ability of critical thinking, problem solving, efficient communications, and decision making. Also, education provides individuals direct influence on job opportunities. It increases the possibility of getting a job and receiving high income. Education brings not only numerous benefits but also a transformative impact on individuals to change their life for the better.
By combining hard work and patience, individuals would be able to conquer all obstacles and challenges, increasing their chances of achieving desired success. Hard work is intertwined with patience and they often go hand in hand. When Beatrice learns they will get a goat soon, Beatrice can’t wait to see the goat. But Beatrice’s mom tells her that “Good things take time”. Before the goat arrives, they work hard to build a shed for the goat to live in and plant food for the goat. When the goat arrives, Beatrice’s family works hard to take good care of the goat. Hard work is the vital key for individuals to reach their goals, requiring individuals putting strong perseverance, dedication, and a strong ethic. But hard work itself cannot see the desired results. Maybe it would take several attempts to make it work. This is where patience comes into play. Individuals should be patient and maintain a positive mindset during the work, especially when facing challenges or delays. Individuals should understand that success may take some time and it requires them to put in consistent and diligent effort.
Beatrice’s Goat, is an inspiring narrative nonfiction story, talking about three main ideas: poverty, education, and hard working with patience. The story helps me realize that although doing charity via money would help the poor release the temporary financial situations, the best act of helping is to promote their self-reliance and financial independence through providing training or some resources. To break the cycle of being poor, education is the most powerful tool to empower the poor with the needed skills and knowledge for the future job and high income. Moreover, if people want to succeed in their dreams, not only they need to work hard but also they need to wait patiently. It rarely happens that people succeed at their first try or without putting much effort.
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