The Good with the Bad
by Takara Bunn
Franklin K. Lane High School (click
here for fklane.org)
Violet Tucci (left) with Takara Bunn (right) |
“Even though I experienced several depressing moments in my life,” Violet Tucci explained, “there are still such pleasant memories of when we were young, these memories will stay with me forever”.
Violet Tucci was born in Poland. At the age of eight months old she and her family moved to America. She doesn’t remember anything about Poland, due to her being so young when she moved. Traveling was a part of her childhood. When her mother became pregnant with one of Violets’ younger siblings, her family moved to Europe. While they resided in Europe a war broke out. This resulted in them moving back here yet again.
Violet has many memories of her childhood. Some of her memories were pleasant; others were not so pleasant. She especially remembers the bond that she and her siblings had with one another. Their parents gave them chores, and they each would abide by their responsibilities. They would separate their chores fairly. For example, one of them would sweep while the other vacuumed the carpet. Due to their cooperation they were rewarded with a quarter every week. “Back then a quarter was a lot of money,” Violet Tucci explained. They would buy lots of candy with their allowance and other things they enjoyed. Violet also remembers how she and her siblings enjoyed visiting their friends. Their friends’ mother would have cookies and candy waiting for the children. Their mother would do the same when their friends visited them. “Everyone loved to bake,” Violet Tucci explains.
“What I mostly admire about the past is the lack of jealousy,” Violet Tucci recalls. She remembers how appearance wasn’t always a big issue. No one went to the beauty parlor or bought expensive clothing. They admired their natural look and their mother sewed their dresses. “That’s the total opposite of today,” she said. Violet explains how now everyone has the “I’m better than you” attitude. Everyone has become so materialistic, and they lack the caring for things that really matter.
Though Violet has expressed how pleasant her past has been, she still remembers moments that weren’t as pleasant. Violet remembers the Great Depression. It was tough for her and family during this time. Her father worked for a low wages, with which he had to support eight children. “This time was terrible,” she explains “but it didn’t mess up the bond that my siblings and I cherished”. She and her sister would buy several things and sell them for more than they paid for it. They did this in order to make a profit and help out her family. This shows that even through the hardest times they were still there for one another.
The Great Depression wasn’t the only traumatic time that Violet experienced. A more recent disaster was when Violets’ younger sister was diagnosed with lung cancer. This was a great ordeal for her and her family. A while after she passed away from this deadly disease. “I was devastated,” she recalls. Her sisters’ death has had a great impact on Violets’ life, but she is grateful that her sister left her with such beautiful memories of the past. She recalls her sister being such a wonderful person. Now Violet is left with six sisters and one brother. She feels that she is blessed that each of them are still alive and in touch with each other. She also hopes that this blessing can last long enough to create even more pleasant memories with one another.