Wendell's Post

Wendell Frink
Mr. Salsich
9English
27 April 2009

Kindness in Our Lives:
An Essay on a Poem, a Short Story, and My Own Life

1. What types of kindness are there? 2. Do they vary in size and shape? 3. Do they play a large part in society or are they transient [FAST]? 4. In the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye, the short story “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and in my own life, kindness is ever present as a throbbing source of wonder.

T.S. First off, the title of the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye indicates that we will be divulging in kindness. After reading, we are enlightened with several ways in which to become kind. S.D. First, we need to “lose things” that cause us to be distracted. C.M. Let go of the pressing work you need to do, let go of the crises in your life, everything bothering you, let go of all that is not needed at the moment [Tetracolon climax]. C.M. Make yourself a “desolate” island among a stormy sea. S.D. Secondly, “you must see [...] travel” far and wide. C.M. Seeing “the Indian in a white poncho, lie[ing] dead by the side of the road” causes you to feel pity and sorrow in your heart. C.M. Remember, that “he too was someone;” he had a family, friends, and a life, all of which was taken away on the side of the road. S.D. Lastly, you must find deep sorrow. C.M. “You must know sorrow as the [...] deepest thing,” compared to kindness. C.M. Without first feeling sorrowful, you wouldn’t be able to act on your emotions. You would just be sympathizing with someone rather than empathizing. C.S. Sorrow is the key to the door of kindness.

T.S. How can someone with such a hard life become kind? S.D. In the short story “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dexter Green, the willing worker who encounters prosperity [FAST], the dreamy lover, and the entrepreneur, becomes kind in his heart [Loose sentence]. C.M. The love of his life, “Judy Jones,” forces him to take “a new direction in life.” C.M. The couple “start right,” and tell each other about themselves as they get to know each other. S.D. Also, when told of the terrible news concerning Judy, he was kind with his responses to Devlin, the bearer of the bad news. C.M. He didn’t go off on a rage, he was kind to keep his mean thoughts about Devlin, “some private malice” that Devlin might have against Dexter. C.M. But these thoughts are swept away with an explanation as to why Devlin had visited Dexter with the news. C.S. Even a story with a character that shows no initial kindness, we are able to discover some end result of good moral.


T.S. Lastly, kindness is an ever present force in my life, especially from my parents and friends. S.D. First of all, my parents are the kindest people in my life. C.M. They are always there to lead me in the right direction when I get off track. They help me when I need advice, and even bring me places so I can spend time with my friends. C.M. All these actions require them to have kindness in their hearts. S.D. Secondly, my exemplary [FAST] friends, a small but loud group are kind, but in a different way than my parents [Appositive]. C.M. They are kind in ways that no one will ever be able to replicate. C.M. They are my brothers and sisters, people who make my day better, everyday. C.S. Overall, my Parents and friends have impacted my life with kindness to the extent that words can’t even describe.

1. The act of kindness is ever present. 2. In a foreign country, in a story that shows no kindness, and in my own life, it’s significance is revealed. 3. Each in is its own distinct way, but all relating. 4. Try and discover your own kindness, through helping people, being there for someone, or for just listening to what someone has to say.

Self Assessment:
I am continuing to work on making my writing make sense. I am trying to have the reader understand it better. Some strong points I see are my special tools. I think I did well using them in my essay. Some weak points I see is my concluding paragraph. I think I could have done a little bit better on it. I would give my self an 80.

Shad's Essay

Rashad Young

English 9

Mr. Salsich

29 April 2009

Kindness:

An Essay about a Poem, Story and My Life

1 It is lingering around every corner waiting to infect someone. 2 Kindness is like a virus spreading jubilation (SAT) from person to person and injecting happiness into their lives. 3 There are many moments of happiness in these exceptional pieces of literature: Winter’s Dreams, Kindness and even my own life. 4 Kindness can take any shape or malformation and when you finally meet it, it’s a smack in the face.

TS There are many moments in my life when I have experienced kindness. SD These moments have not lasted forever but were very worthwhile and had me wanting more. CM These moments are -like Tim from FCD told us- a natural high for me and make me feel like I'm on top of the world (Appositive). CM These short periods of time are like comic strips, short but sweet. SD I, while around friends, continue to feel kindness. (Loose Sentence) CM Even when something has gone horribly wrong their kindness kicks in and brightens up my whole day. CM Whenever I am not feeling happy my friends are there to help make me smile and look for a way to brighten things up. CS Kindness is like a virus constantly infecting different people as it passes through on its ongoing voyage.

TS The kindness has passed by many including even Naomi Shihab Nye. SD In the poem "Kindness" Mrs. Nye states that,"[It is] only kindness that ties your shoes. CM "Tying your shoes is one of the simplest acts that people do in everyday life and by implementing kindness into this means that it could accumulate into more serious decisions in life. CM She could also mean that using kindness could help someone else get up and tie his or her own shoes. SD "How desolate the landscape can be between the regions of kindness. CM "When we are not showing our kindness towards it is also lacking the happiness that comes from kindness and therefore brings out the emptiness of our lives. CM Without kindness the world would be empty, it would be barren, it would be boring and it would be grey. CS Kindness drives people to commit into other wonderful things in life as Mrs. Nye has stated.

SD In the book "The Garden Party" there are a few signs of kindness, which are mainly shown in Dexter. CM Dexter says, "There was something in me," here he seems to be talking about the kindness that was once part of his everyday life but was now gone since he had become mature. CM He had now lost the kindness that he had shown to not only Judy but also even shown Irene. SD Though he never says it out loud Dexter also empathized (SAT) his kindness towards Irene when describing her. CM "Irene was long haired, sweet and honorable." CM Though he may not have noticed it at the time he was in love with this woman and would say all of the kind words to her that she wanted to hear. CS Though Dexter lost this sense of feeling he seems to have maybe even a tiny bit of it in the end of the book; therefore showing that kindness can come and go.

1 Kindness is as contagious as the common cold but it can also be spread through things such as books and even poems. 2 Naomi Shihab Nye and F. Scott Fitzgerald show this as they pass on their own kindness with their own words. 3 As this virus travels around it can leave a permanent effect on people that causes them to spread it even after it leaves. 4 The kindness in Dexter’s heart continues, the kindness in Mrs. Nye’s Heart continues, the kindness in my heart continues and the kindness in your heart should continue. (Tetracolon Climax)

Self-Assessment

Something that I am continuing to work on is removing unnecessary words. I have improved on this by taking some words out when writing and also while reading my friends’ essays. Some strong points I see in this essay are the general flow of it. It flows together nicely and also my opening and closing paragraphs all point back to each other. One thing I could have spent a little more time on is my special tools. Instead of adding them during the polishing night, I could have had my friends comment on them. I think my grade would be around a b-.

gabe's post

Gabriel Campbell

Mr. Salsich

English B

April 27, 2009

 

            (1) Kindness lurks everywhere. (2) It can be discovered in books or it can be in one’s life. (3) It is a universal emotion, considering the majority of the population has done something kind to another (loose sentence). Overall, kindness is apparent in the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye,  in “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and in my own life.

            (TS) In the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye, the theme of kindness is depicted as a subtle emotion to discover. (SD) Firstly, Ms. Nye wrote “but kindness is the deepest thing inside” to state that kindness is a hidden emotion inside us all. (CM) It is deeply embedded inside us all and will require effort to have. (CM) For example, when you see a person begging for change on the side of a road, it takes the kindness that is so far down to take a step out of your busy life to help some one else. (SD) Similarly, you have to experience kindness to truly posses it. (CM) When Ms. Nye wrote “kindness that ties your shoes”, she was implying that once you first encounter kindness, it becomes evident in you. (CM) You know the euphoric feeling of being helped and how much joy it could potentially bring and now are willing to help bestow this feeling upon others. (TS) When reading between the lines, the true meaning of kindness unravels in the poem “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye.

            (TS) In “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, kindness is found in a less conventional way. (SD) Firstly,  Dexter Green had essentially been robbed of his kindness. (CM) When Fitzgerald wrote, “long ago there was something in me, but now that thing is gone. […] I cannot care” to state that Dexter Green, an assiduous (SAT) hard working man (appositive), could no longer feel compassion. (SAT) (CM) One of the main components to kindness is sympathy and when this is absent so is kindness. (SD) Finally, he tries to show Judy Jones kindness. (CM) Dexter always had strong feelings for Judy and was willing to drop his engagement to Irene to be with her. While this might not be kind to Irene, it was Dexter’s way of showing that he cared immensely for her. (CS) Overall, while Dexter Green didn’t escape the inevitable (SAT) fate of having his kindness robbed by Judy Jones, there were a few examples of benevolence towards her.

            (TS) In nearly 15 years, I have experienced both giving and receiving kindness. (SD) My parents are some of the kindest people I know. (CM) They have surprised me with no reason or warning on many occasions with things they knew I would enjoy, whether it may be a home cooked meal or a new iPod. (loose sentence) (CM) They have taught, showed, helped, and ushered (tetracolon climax) me through finding the kindness in my heart with their own kindness. (SD) These teachings have led to me volunteering at the W.A.R.M. Shelter in Westerly. (CM) I have come in early on weekend mornings or late on weekday nights to help serve food to the homeless. (CM) This is an example of the having kindness shown to you to be able to posses it because if it wasn’t for my parents, I probably wouldn’t have volunteered in the first place. (CS) Overall, kindness has been shown to me many ways and has in turn helped me become a caring person.

            (1) Kindness is a universal emotion. (2) You could experience it, have it given to you, or have it stolen from you. (3) We will all encounter kindness. (4) Similarly, kindness has continually been present in “Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye,  in “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and in my own life.

Shad's Essay

Rashad Young

English 9

Mr. Salsich

21 April 2009

Using Your Heart:

Three pieces of literature and one word

When making decisions do you use your mind or your heart? When using sentiment people are usually very carful and sometimes they are not. In these short pieces of literature – “The Garden Party,” “I’m Nobody,” and “The Traveling Onion” – there are examples of people using sentiment carefully. All three of the passages express feeling that could only come from the heart.

Using words with meaning only expressed from the heart is something that us humans do in everyday life. In “The Traveling Onion” by Emily Dickenson, she expresses her feelings of “somebody’s and “nobody’s”. To be a “somebody” means that you have many people who admire you. When it comes down to it everyone is the same on the inside and should not be treated differently because of what they can do or what they look like. It is the sentimental value that gives the people their sense of publicity. Therefore people use their mind to express the status of an individual. Emily Dickenson is trying to say that you should look past the value of what we think and focus on what we feel.

Fame and admiration do not matter when someone has sentiment for someone. “There lay a young man, fast asleep – sleeping so soundly, so deeply, that he was far, far away from them both;” even though this man was deceased, he still had some sort of value that Laura – a stranger to him – could feel. Laura even thought he was “[…] wonderful, beautiful,” though they could not speak to each other he felt for her and she did the same for him. Laura could feel many different emotions, from being content to crying all at once. As Laura met her brother later, she began to realize another sense of sentimental value. She said to Laurie, “Isn’t life-.“ Though she did not complete her thoughts Laurie immediately felt what she was going to say, Laurie replied, “Isn’t it, darling?” The two of them were almost in sync during this moment and it was because they felt for one-another. Both Laura and her brother showed sentiment, from watching a man in a deep sleep to having an emotional conversation.

Depending how you look at it, having sentiment for an object can be similar or even identical to having feeling for a living thing. Naomi Shihab Nye uses her heart when talking about onions. She states, “I could kneel and praise all small forgotten miracles” the feeling here is her praise. The onion has been around for so long it has almost been forgotten as a whole but, Mrs. Nye remembers and expresses the importance of the layered wonder. She later continues, “And I would never scold the onion for causing tears.” Here she states that thought the onion may cause tears, it deserves the privilege because of all the years it has been scolded. She feels for the onion here because it has done so much for us, been in stews, fried into crunchy rings, and even thrown at actors in resentment. Though the onion has been abused all of these years it still honors us with its taste that will satisfy many.

From status, to each other, and even onions, sentiment has been a large part of human life and will continue to be. Though it may not be good to over use your heart, as you can see it benefits in certain situations. Living things, other people and objects of affection are all things that these three passages talk about, and they have all showed much heart and sentiment. Using your heart or your mind are decisions we face in everyday life, it is just a matter of what you choose which will determine your outcome.

Wendell's Post

The definition of sentiment is described by one dictionary as “an attitude toward something; a mental feeling; emotion.” We experience these exact feelings toward something numerous times a day. However, we need to remember that sentimentality is a two-way definition; it can be viewed as a negative or a positive. We notice these opposing views when comparing the “Garden Party” by Katharine Mansfield, in Emily Dickinson's poem “I’m Nobody” and in Naomi Shihab Nye’s poem “The Traveling Onion.”

The short story “Garden Party” by Katharine Mansfield has abundant sentimentality. First of all, Laura, a kind girl [APPOSITIVE], is sentiment in two ways. After hearing the tragic news about the “workman,” she becomes increasingly convinced that “the band would sound poor to that poor woman (his wife).” She wanted to stop the whole party, just because a man died near their house. Secondly, she’s sentiment at the dead man’s house. She feels increasingly sentiment as she moves closer to “[the] young man, fast asleep.” She becomes choked up with the many emotions rushing through her body and starts to cry. Lastly, her sister had no sentimentality. She felt bad for the family, but to her, it was no big deal. She even went on to scrutinize [SAT] and say to Laura “You’ll lead a very strenuous life” if you “stop a band playing every time someone has an accident.” Leading a rich life is tough, especially when there are the poorest of the poor at your back doorstop. These people have affected Laura’s sentimentality.

Unlike Laura in the “Garden Party,” Emily Dickinson’s idea of sentimentality is the opposite. She sees the “somebody’[s]” as being “dreary” and superficial [SAT] She is willing to be a “nobody” just because she doesn’t want to be “public like a frog.” For Dickinson, not being public is just as great as being the scum, the low, the “nobodies.” Knowing that there are two “nobodies” is a nice feeling for Dickinson. Walking along the streets, she doesn’t have worry about being “advertis[ed]” for becoming friends with another person [PARTICIPLE]. There aren’t any gossip hounds worrying about her every move and no one staring at her as she walked the streets. Different people, from different parts of society, have different ideas.

The poet Naomi Shihab Nye expresses sentimentality in the poem “The Traveling Onion.” The first type of sentiment is toward the onion. She feels compassion for the onion, “or causing tears” to fall from “something small and forgotten.” Also, never is the onion commented on for its “transulcenc[y],” for our mouths taste only the “texture of the meat or [the] herbal aroma.” On the other hand, there is sentimentality on the negative side. She reveals the “history” of the sacred onion, but then likes “the way [a] knife enters [the] onion.” Cutting up the onion, slicing through its core [APPOSITIVE], seems to be enjoyable to her. Also, to see the “history,” the “pearly layers,” the “crackly paper” is too. The pain is deep to Ms. Nye; the onion makes her cry, for she has sentiment for the onion.

Sentimentality, whether it’s negative or positive, is everywhere. From the innocent words of kindness spoken by a child, to the “smallness” of a person, and the significance and insignificance of an onion. Each sentimental thing, maybe negative, holds some value. They are opposites, they are the same.

gabe's essay

Gabriel Campbell

Mr. Salsich

English B

April 20, 2009

 

                                                Sentimental Value:

                                           A Comparison of Poems

 

            Sentimental is defined as “resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought”. This definition can be proved true if compared to almost anything. One of these places is in poems. In conclusion, the poems “the Traveling Onion” by Naomi Shihab Nye, “I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickenson, and the story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield can be related to the definition of “sentimental”.

            In the poem “the Traveling Onion”, Naomi Shihab Nye can be described as sentimental. First, she is praising this onion. She feels sentiment from her heart as opposed to her mind. She appreciates the onion nourishing her. In addition, she appreciates the onion’s complex design - many paper-thin layers all condensed into one big plant (appositive). The fact that something so complicated could be so easily penetrated by a knife intrigues her. Once again, this feeling of sentiment is resulting from her thoughts about the onion. Overall, while the poem may be short there were plenty examples of sentimental feelings in the poem “the Traveling Onion” by Naomi Shihab Nye.

            In the poem “I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickinson, sentiment seems to blanket her writing. Firstly, Ms. Dickinson feels sentimental because she is prompted by the fact that she is “nobody”. Instead of being provoked (FAST) by feelings of sadness, she is ecstatic (FAST) about this. She feels that being well known would make you “public like a frog”. Similarly, the idea of being well known produces sentiment, but in this case disgust induces it. She would rather be meek (SAT) than being a haughty hedonist (x2 SAT and alliteration) who draws attention to themselves. She feels that if you were “public” you would be stuck in the same place, or a “bog”, as opposed to being free to wander if you’re nobody. Overall, the feeling of sentiment recurs frequently in the eight-line poem “I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickinson.

            In the short story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, sentiment seems to set the tone. Trying to organize the perfect party (participle), Laura’s mother Jose felt sentiment. She had ideas, or emotional idealism, of the perfect party. She was bent on making this become reality. In addition, this meant not stopping for anything. She was so focused on this happening that she had the party continue even though on of the servant’s husband just died. She had such a perfect picture in her mind of what this party would be like that she carried on anyways, not caring how anyone felt (participle). Overall, the story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield displayed sentiment not in the way that we would expect.

            Sentiment can be interpreted different ways. The definitions range from “marked or governed from feeling rather than thought” to “emotional idealism”. These definitions can be found anywhere – each one different with the same meaning (appositive). In conclusion, while the poems “the Traveling Onion” by Naomi Shihab Nye, “I’m Nobody” by Emily Dickenson, and the story “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield are each individual, they are connected through the feeling of sentiment.

Shad's Essay

Rashad Young

Mr. Salsich

English 9

4.15.2009

Naomi Shihab Nye uses different examples of figurative language to express her feelings about her brother. Nye wrote, “You're Wall Street and I'm the local fruit market"which implies that she is simple and her brother is complicated. Her brother could have become a business leader or even moved to Wall Street. Meanwhile, she is just a fruit market on the street corner. Ms. Nye was feeling in need of her little brother so she confessed to him, “ I’ll take differences over things that match.” She is referring to having things being unique rather than having everything identical (FAST). She needs the differences of her brother to return. Finally, Ms. Nye uses figurative language in the last stanza,” Trying to put them back in some kind of shape so you’ll be able to find everything later.” Here she is referring to all the good times she has had with her brother. Ms. Nye hopes he remembers them.

The passages in “Sonny’s Blues” have relationships with this poem. When Baldwin wrote, “we would certainly have called the doctor, but the fever dropped, she seemed to be all right.”, i was reminded of a passage by Ms. Shihab Nye. When she wrote “ [you] disappeared […] and I realized you’d been serious” she faced similar circumstances as the narrator because she was unaware of his brothers pain. They were in-obvious conflicts at first, but eventually developed into larger ones. Nye’s brother ended up leaving and little Grace ended up dying from polio. The next passage relates to Nye’s brother acting “Small[er], [and] younger.” In “Sonny’s Blues” Sonny was thinking of “only Mama and Daddy.” Sonny was performing his music during this situation and he had only been focused on his music. Therefore when Mrs. Nye was talking to her brother he was focused on the question he had asked her.

Wendell's Essay

Love towards a brother is that one feeling that will never leave your body. You can sometimes not be happy with your brother, but you will still love, cherish, hold [asyndeton] them close to you. The love is undying towards him. In “The Little Brother Poem” by Naomi Shihab Nye and “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin, love is shown to their brothers like a shining light.

In “The Little Brother Poem,” figurative language is used to show Ms. Nyes love towards her brother. In the first stanza she writes “I keep seeing your car in the streets, but it never turns at our corner.” Its as if she knows he is out there, waiting for her to find him, but he won’t come back to them. They haven’t spoken for a year, but too her it seems like forever. Secondly, she uses figurative speech to show she regrets being terrible to him. He has “some strange bruise that [he] still carried under the skin,” a bruise that she possibly gave to him, from all the years of being mean. Lastly, she uses figurative language to show how they are different, for “[he is] Wall Street and [she’s] the local fruit market.” She doesn’t care that they are different though, she will “take differences over things that match.” He is a worker, she is like a mother “answering the mail.” In conclusion, Ms. Nye uses a vast [FAST] amount of figurative language to make her point.

There are several ways that Ms. Nye’s poem can be related to “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin. The first reason is that they both lost a family member, even if one ended more tragically [FAST] than the other. For Sonny, “little Grace died in the fall,” and “she suffered” from fever and then polio. But for Ms. Nye, her brother just “disappeared into the streets of Dallas.” The second reason they can be related is their relationships with their siblings. Ms. Nyes relationship was troubled by years of meanness and hatefulness. On the other hand, Sonny and his brother finally made up for Sonny “looked at [him], and nodded” as if it was a quick “I love you.” Lastly, both Ms. Nye and Sonny contained the realization of life. Sonny thought about past lives, “the moonlit rode where [his] father’s brother died” and his precious daughter Grace. Indifferently, Ms. Nye is worried about her brothers for “[he] is on the edge of [his] today.” To summarize, both Ms. Nye and Sonny have faced many terrible and lovely events that can be related to each other.

Why we get angry at our siblings is a mystery to me. Yes they can annoy and berate [FAST] us, but life is too short for petty remarks thrown from each person’s mouth. As you can see in these two works, things happen that can effect your live in seconds. Both Ms. Nye and Sonny now see that your family is the most important aspect of your life.

Gabe's Essay

Gabriel Campbell

Mr. Salsich

English B

April 14, 2009

 

            There are certain people that we love no matter what. We love them whether we’re mad, depressed, happy, excited (asyndeton). Regardless, there is just an undying love for them. Naomi Shihab Nye and the narrator from “Sonny’s Blues” have this kind of love for their brother.

            In “the Little Brother” poem, Naomi Shihab Nye uses figurative language to express the main theme that she loves, misses, and seeks forgiveness from her brother. Firstly, she uses imagery to describe the items that were particular to her brother. When she wrote, “I keep finding little pieces of  old junk you saved, an old packing box, a white rag” she the imagery to state possession. If she had said “an old box” or “a rag”, the reader would not comprehend (FAST) that those were the only part of her brother that she has let. In addition, she used imagery when talking about how she didn’t mind that they were different. She wrote, “You’re Pierre Cardin and I’m a used bandana. That’s fine, I’ll take differences over things that match” to say that she cared about him so much that she couldn’t care less that they were different. She loved him no matter what. Finally, she used imagery to seek forgiveness from her brother. When she wrote “fingering receipts and stubs, trying to put them back into some kind of shape” to say that she is trying to piece their relationship back together. She was proving to him that she would do anything, no matter how tedious (FAST) it may be, to get their relationship back on track. Overall, Naomi Shihab Nye articulates figurative language in her poem to stress loving, missing, and wanting to be forgiven by her brother.

            There were a few ways that the story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin related to “the Little Brother Poem”. First of all, when the narrator wrote “My trouble made his real”, he was finally realizing the problems his brother had. Once he finally experienced sorrow, the sorrow of his brother had become clear. This was like when Naomi Shihab Nye realized her brother’s problems when he “Disappeared into the streets of Dallas”. In addition, the phrase, “that life contained so many others” related to the poem. The life of Ms. Shihab Nye’s brother holds a part Ms. Shihab Nye’s life because he holds the memories of everything she has done to him. Similarly, Sonny’s life contains that of the people who have hurt him. Finally, the two poems relate because the poets love their brothers dearly. They have done nearly everything to try and help them out.  They were also willing to do anything to repair broken relationships. Overall, the story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and “the Little Brother” poem by Naomi Shihab Nye are very similar in relationships.

            Siblings can have a certain impact on us, getting us out of trouble, teaching us life lessons, and loving us (participle phrase).  No matter how annoying or bothersome they can be, we will love them no matter what (periodic sentence). After all, they are our siblings. Overall, this can be applied to the story “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin and “the Little Brother” poem by Naomi Shihab Nye.

Shad's Essay

Wendell's Essay

Wendell Frink
Mr. Salsich
9English
7 April 2009

Journeys, Smallness, and Love;
An Essay on a Poem

There are many unknown themes in the process we call life. Some are more crucial [FAST] than others, but they all fit under the umbrella of life, for they are all necessary for life. Each theme has its own place, whether that place is small or large. The poem "Courage," by Anne Sexton contains themes that occur in my life.

After carefully reading this poem for several days, I have noticed three themes. The first theme is journey’s. Throughout the poem, the life of the said person is a long and arduous [FAST] journey. The person starts out as a child, becomes a young person, reaches middle age, and then old age and death, and along this journey the person faces discovery, death and definite enlightenment. The second theme I noticed is smallness but largeness [Antithesis]. People “call[ing] you crybaby or poor or fatty or crazy” makes you feel small, and insignificant. Courage is “a small coal” and is sometimes not even noticed in times of great despair even if you feel your pride swelling. The third, final and most important theme I noticed is love. “Your buddy,” when he saved your life in battle, did it because it was love. The love he contained was “as simple as shaving soap.” These three themes, as small as they may be, make up the poem “Courage,” by Anne Sexton.

This poem can be related to my life in through journeys, insignificance, and love. I have journeyed to many places in my lifetime. I have gone from the mountains of New Hampshire and the museums of London and from the beaches of Florida and to the snowy mountains in Massachusetts [Polysyndeton]. I go to many different places in my head also through reading books. Secondly, there have been people in my life that have made me feel small and insignificant. Making me feel very small in the world, they put me down, called me names and made life not fun at times [Loose Sentence]. But after a while, I would ignore it and be the better person and walk away from their insults. Finally, I have loved many people and things. I love my family, especially my loud and sometimes irritating [FAST] brother. I love the things that I do and have in life, from friends, to sports and to living. Surprisingly, the themes from the poem “Courage” by Anne Sexton can relate to my life.

Themes in poems and in lives can intertwine, and I am no exception. Some of the themes are different from the poem to the person but they are generally close. Some of these are necessary for life. But some of them just may keep your life intact.

Gabe's Essay

Gabriel Campbell

Mr. Salsich

English B

April 7^th 2009

                                                She came, She saw, She conquered;

                                                            An Essay on Courage

                        Courage comes in many different forms. It’s as it can be molded and used and recycled (polysyndeton). For me, courage means rising from your sadness. This form of courage has not only been present in my life, but in my mother’s.

            Courage has many meanings, but to me its meaning is conquering your sadness. Depression is one of the hardest emotions to overcome because it can consume you so quickly. To emerge (FAST word) from something that makes you feel lesser then others takes a lot of courage. Also, depression causes many people to commit suicide, so it takes real courage to not take the easy way out. In addition, Anne Sexton wrote, “getting a transfusion from the fire, picking the scabs off your heart” it was as if she was saying courage comes from within. You need to face your sadness and “pick the scabs” that it left. For all this to occur, you need to have the courage deep inside your soul. Finally, courage leads to greater things. When you conquer depression, it induces a sense of pride. For example, when Sexton wrote, “when death opens up the door […] you’ll stride out” to say that once you grow old and you have conquered this depression, you will finally be at peace with like and will be proud to leave. Overall, the real meaning of courage to me is being able to  overcome your sadness rather then take the “easy way out”.

            The one person who has consistently proved to be courageous is my mom. Firstly, my mom has always had a “rocky” relationship with her family. She grew up in a family of 15 and her mom and a few of her brothers and sisters always made her feel awful for no reason. Despite this, she managed to ignore them and realize that she is a great person. In addition, my mom has always been courageous when my sisters and I leave for long periods of time. While this may not sound like a big deal, it is for my mom, considering she is a caring person who frets (FAST) being without her children for five minutes (loose sentence). Even still, she rises from her sadness because she knows she’ll see us again. Finally, she is courageous because she used to be a nurse. Everyday she encountered bloody victims who had taken the wrong turn in life and were about to pay the toll with their lives. To come in day after day to see these horrible things is a great example of courage. Overall, time and time again my mom has stared sadness in the face and simply looked past it.

            Courage is a magnificent force. It is so small, but it has such a big impact (antithesis). Although everyone has his or her own meaning, mine is being able to defeat your sadness. My mom has had several great example of this form of courage.