English, Written Text Essay
In the short text “A game of cards” written by Witi Ihimeara, Nani Miro loved to play cards. All kinds of card games she enjoyed. She would gather with her friends as they all played competitive card games. Nani Miro was always at the high table playing against both her best friend and worst enemy Mrs. Heta. After one competitive and cheat game of cards Mrs. Heta and Nani Miro were laughing while calling out to each other “You the cheat, not me!” the women squabbled, “I saw you maka tiko bum, I saw you sneaking that card from under the blanket.” Nani Miro began to laugh. Her eyes streamed with tears while she was laughing she died. A memorable idea in the story is that we shouldn't take life too seriously. This idea was memorable to me because it reminded me of the things I should be grateful for in my own life, to never take things for granted, and how important it is to spend time with friends and family.
This story reminded me of all the things I have to be grateful for in my own life. Everyone has different people and things to be thankful for but some also have none. An example of this happening in the story is when Nani Miro continued to hold onto her past treasures and Taonga even when she was old and sick. “Nani Miro lived down the road from us next to Rongopai meeting house in the old homestead which everybody is Waituhi called “Miro’s museum” because it housed the prized possessions of the whanau - the feather cloaks, greenstone ornaments and the shields and trophies which waituhi had won in sports and cultural tournaments”. You can also see this happening in the story with Nani Miro and Mrs. Heta’s friendship when they were enemies when playing cards but best friends any other time.
Another strong factor in this story is to never take things in life for granted. Nani Miro expressed this in the story when talking about how her children and mokopuna would take advantage of her for money even though she is old and sick. Yet Nani Miro would still help them with whatever they needed. You can also see this in the story when Nani Miro would still love and talk about her children and mokopuna even though she was the person they would go to for money when they were broke or needed someone to look after their kids.
This story expresses how important it is to spend time with friends and family and to make the most of the time you have with them. We see this in the story when the narrator does not go and visit Nani Miro often, instead, he waited until she was sick and ill to make the most of the time he had left with her, but also when Nani Miro still cared for all her family even when they would only come to her when they needed something. “What with all my haddit kids and their haddit kids and all this haddit whanau being broke all the time and asking me for money, what have I got left to buy a house with”. Nani Miro said. This reminded me to make the most of the time you have with your friends and family as you never know how long you have left, but also to cherish and hold onto those memories and moments you have.
An important idea in this story to me is that we shouldn’t take life too seriously. This was important to me for many reasons, the most important being to make the most of the time you have with friends and family. This was important to me because you never know how much time you have with the people you love as shown in the story when Nani Miro died while laughing after playing her last game of cards. This story also expresses and reminds me to not take things in life for granted and to be grateful for everything I have. Make the most of your life and live it to the fullest.
