My Perspective: My Daughter Smokes by Alice Walker

Like in the essay, we see the effects of smoking in society. People still don't take note of the repercussions of smoking or drinking. Many individuals follow a trend and take part in the activities by will or force. Like smoking, alcohol could have lethal effects on an individual's life and, people around them. This autobiographical essay discusses the authors' experience and knowledge of smoking. She also talks about the cigarette addiction of her daughter, father, and older sister. 

" Not every art of the heritage a family passes from one generation to another is necessarily a positive inheritance." The author starts by telling us, "my daughter smokes." As she continues, we see that her daughter is addicted, and she feels terrible about that fact. Moreover, she introduced her father as an addict who smoked the same 'Camels' as her daughter. The dark brown, pungent, and slightly bitter tobacco her father used to roll was something he smoked since a young boy. She mentioned that by the early fifties, tobacco was in demand in her hometown. Of course, her father was in full support. However, tobacco was not in full support of his health; as it began deteriorating. Due to his bad habits, she witnessed him not being able to "climb stairs without resting" and "cough for an hour." Sadly, her father died from "pneumonia one hard winter." Walker talks about her sister's introduction to smoking - their dad. Her sister started smoking in high school and regularly tries to quit. However, the author in eleventh grade began smoking like her sister. Thankfully, she gave up the habit because she developed a "chronic sore throat" due to her body's inability to handle smoking.

In closing, the author wants individuals to realize smoking has a binding effect. And unlike the thousands of years when Native Americans used tobacco as sacred medicine. Today the plant is being highly abused; that is why "one must feel empathy for the tobacco plant itself." The narrator informs us that her daughter quit smoking three months after reading the essay. Also, she notes that the "rich white men who own tobacco companies" would be unsuccessful in taking any more of her family members. One is enough.