What is the declamation piece entitled I stowed away?

Answer 1

--- Here is one version (there is a substitution for "daughter", and "Landa"):

I Stowed Away

You say I'm disobedient,ungrateful. You laugh at me, despise me, pity me,

ridicule me. You say I'm a rejected child. Say what you want against me. But do you really know why I became this way? Do you? It's not because I'm disobedient, ungrateful. No, no, no! I repeat, a hundred times,no!

I ran away from home. How could a child of my age run away from home? Yes,it robbed me of my right to do good in this society. My potential to do good has been wasted...a waste of talent, a waste of intelligence...but believe me, I'm not ungrateful. Neither am I disobedient. I am what I am today because...No, listen to my story first:

Mother passed away when I was five. I was her only child. It didn't take a year when father brought home a woman who later turned out to be my stepmother. A few months later, Father fell seriously ill. He had been bedridden for years without end. He used up all the family savings for hospitalization and medicine. It was my stepmother's turn to feed and clothe us. She was the boss in the house.

Everytime I made a petty mistake, Stepmother would make a big fuss out of it. She would shout at me. She would berate me. Oftentimes, she abused me.

I know father was not happy about the whole thing, but he could not do anything.

Most of the time, I was left to do the dirty work at home, while my two half-brothers could play as conveniently as they wished. Everytime they had their meals, Stepmother would ask me to wait on them. It was only when they had their fill that she would allow me to feed my father. I was the last one to eat of whatever leftover they had.

My father was aware of what was happening but could not say anything for me. My stepmother deprived me of joys, comfort, and love which my half-brothers enjoyed very lavishly.

I tried to excel at school. It was in school where I felt I belonged. My teacher gave the warmth which I never felt from my stepmother. My classmates were all good to me. I was their leader. I thought mother's indifference would turn to love if I brought her honor. But it wasn't so. The more she hated me because my half-brothers didn't fare well in school.

Now I have finished my elementary school and I'm on top of my class. We were told to bring our parents to attend our graduation day. Father couldn't go, of course! That morning, I heard my father talking to my stepmother.

"Laura, your (son) is graduating tonight. Please attend the graduation for me. Let us just this once make (him) happy." Stepmother shouted "I'm not going! I have no step-(son)! None, do you hear me? Didn't I tell you that before, didn't I?"

Then I heard a big thud! And my stepmother frantically shouted, "(Lando, Lando!) Water! Get some water, hurry!" I ran to the room with a glass of water and I saw her clutching Father's face. I felt his pulse. It wasn't beating any more. I knew he had left us forever. More than any time before, I felt all alone.

Throughout the wake, nothing bothered me. I was sad but no tears rolled down my cheeks. When Father was finally laid to rest, I made my decision. With just a bundle of clothes, I'm really at a loss as to where my feet would lead me.

But I know that for every step I take, God will always be with me. For haven't I suffered enough?

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