"The Cord"

In “The Cord,” Leanne O’Sullivan sets a regretful and appreciative tone as she uses description and metaphor to show that however distant we teenagers may seem, we are always within the grasp of our parents. She paints the classic teenager attitude: my parents just don’t “get” me. As such, she retreats to her room to enjoy the rush of speaking with her friends about meaningless topics like boys and hair dye. O’Sullivan uses the phone cord as a metaphor for her relationship with her mother, regretfully understanding that it was likely difficult for her mom to watch “the cord stretching its muscle away from her” as O’Sullivan became increasingly distant. She was ungrateful and didn’t understand or appreciate everything her mother did for her. O’Sullivan speaks to the classic cycle, as the teen strays from their family for newer, more adventurous buddies. However, like the phone cord, their relationship may stretch, but it will always bounce back.