ripper paper
Troy Cunningham
Professor Carenen
English 113G
October 9, 2014
Abbie’s Courage
The beginning of Amy Carol Reeves story “Ripper” presents Abbie, a
seventeen-year-old girl that shows an amazing amount of courage through terrible
situations that come in contact with her . A situation that she was faced with, was
once her mother died, she had to basically become the head of the household and by
doing so she was left to deal with her grandmother that made her volunteer at a
local hospital. “ I remember facing Mother’s grave after her burial service,
contemplating where I would go next. But then, in that Dublin graveyard, I had
suddenly felt Grandmother’s hand, claw like, upon my shoulder. Though I had never
met Lady Charlotte Westfield, I instantly surmised her identity even under her full-
mourning attire. Her aquiline nose protruded from under the dark crêpe veil; her
poise remained undaunted by the falling rains. This woman was the stepmother in
the fairy tales mother told me, the Fury in every myth. And I left that very day with
her, for my new life in London”(Reeves 13). As said in this quote by Abbie, she had
to embrace the fact that she had to start over from scratch. The courage that was
shown by her, played a huge part in her being able to be caring and compassionate
to women and children who had a hard life, through circumstances they couldn’t
control themselves. “Courage” which was best told by Ralph Waldo Emerson, was
that courage is nothing more than self-trust. It is the right or healthy state of every
man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do (Dilworth). So in other
words, a man knows right from wrong and trusting that in the long runs you’ll make the best
decision is possible. Another big situation that is based off of this is that she would go to
any extent to find who the ripper really is, even though the visions that she is having are
terrifying she
Professor Carenen
English 113G
October 9, 2014
Abbie’s Courage
The beginning of Amy Carol Reeves story “Ripper” presents Abbie, a
seventeen-year-old girl that shows an amazing amount of courage through terrible
situations that come in contact with her . A situation that she was faced with, was
once her mother died, she had to basically become the head of the household and by
doing so she was left to deal with her grandmother that made her volunteer at a
local hospital. “ I remember facing Mother’s grave after her burial service,
contemplating where I would go next. But then, in that Dublin graveyard, I had
suddenly felt Grandmother’s hand, claw like, upon my shoulder. Though I had never
met Lady Charlotte Westfield, I instantly surmised her identity even under her full-
mourning attire. Her aquiline nose protruded from under the dark crêpe veil; her
poise remained undaunted by the falling rains. This woman was the stepmother in
the fairy tales mother told me, the Fury in every myth. And I left that very day with
her, for my new life in London”(Reeves 13). As said in this quote by Abbie, she had
to embrace the fact that she had to start over from scratch. The courage that was
shown by her, played a huge part in her being able to be caring and compassionate
to women and children who had a hard life, through circumstances they couldn’t
control themselves. “Courage” which was best told by Ralph Waldo Emerson, was
that courage is nothing more than self-trust. It is the right or healthy state of every
man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do (Dilworth). So in other
words, a man knows right from wrong and trusting that in the long runs you’ll make the best
decision is possible. Another big situation that is based off of this is that she would go to
any extent to find who the ripper really is, even though the visions that she is having are
terrifying she