My Sister's Keeper Persuasive Essay

... They also explained that they chose little embryonic me, specifically, because I could save my sister, Kate… See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn’t get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist, Because once it’s gone so are you. (Picoult 7-8)

In Jodi Picoult's book, My Sister’s Keeper, she shows readers the thin line that is between independence and family. A young teenage girl named Anna Fitzgerald has never had control over her body or what happens to it. From the day she was born she has been poked and prodded for the benefit of her older sister, Kate. Kate has acute promyelocytic leukemia. Anna and Kate’s parents decided to conceive a baby based on if it’s genetic code matches Kate’s. This mesh of chromosomes and genes they

“Well, you know what Anna, neither do I. In fact neither does Kate. But it’s not something we have a choice about… My mother moves so fast I do not even see it coming. But she slaps my face hard enough to make my head snap backwards… Just so you know; shame is five fingered. (Picoult 54)

When trying to be independent as a teenager, things could go very wrong. Parents can get enraged, like Anna’s mom. Some may even ‘shun’ or punish their child. Compare it to when a child wants to stay out past their curfew but their parents won’t let them. In that moment they wish they made their own rules and set their own curfews. Since teenagers think being independent is the best thing that could happen to them, they tend to forget the importance of family and the sacrifices they make for us everyday. Every family has it’s problems. Some may have a troubled past, or not a great bond in general. Presumably not everyone has problems like the Fitzgeralds do. Before Kate’s diagnosis and the conception and birth of Anna, their family was normal. One Fitzgerald family member does not feel as appreciated as the rest of the family may