Its a Sunday afternoon, early fall, the sun is shinning in a sea of blue. I put on rollerblades and go for a spin around the neighborhood. I feel the gentle breeze on my face and I feel at peace. At last I am free, free from work, school, stress, the world, nothing can stop me now...
Since the age of the cavemen, we have become obsessed with wheels. They are our major source of transportion and recreation. Whether it be rollerblades, cars, biclycles, scooters, motorcycles, skateboards, whatever, we all tend to feel a sense of freedom and independence when used. Why is this?
Many times throughout our lives we associate milestones in our lives with one of objects with wheels. Your a big boy or girl once you have taken the training wheels off your bike, and your becomming an adult when it is time to get your liscense. These events and more give us a sense of excitement and make us happy. Is that why we feel free? When you finally get to drive, is it the thought that you can hop in the car and go anywhere you desire, but in reality your parents have total control over the use of your car.
So this makes me wonder if it isn't the wheels themselves that give you a sense of freedom. It is your feet really, for none of these things could operate without them. You can't ride a bike without using your feet to pedal, you can't even drive a car without the you pressing your foot on the gas. So the question is still, why do we associate this sense of freedom with wheels? Perhaps its not the wheel or your feet, maybe it truly is just a thought, a feeling that we have inside of us.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The Unchangeable of Me
It's now 1990. I'm forty-three years old, which would've seemed impossible to a fourth grader, and yet when I look at photographs of myself as I was in 1956, I realize that in the important ways I haven't changed at all. I was Timmy then; now I'm Tim. But the essence remains the same. I'm not fooled by the baggy pants or the crew cut or the happy smile—I know my own eyes—and there is no doubt that the Timmy smiling at the camera is the Tim I am now. Inside the body, or beyond the body, there is something absolute and unchanging. The human life is all one thing, like a blade tracing loops on ice: a little kid, a twenty-three-year-old infantry sergeant, a middle-aged writer knowing guilt and sorrow. (236)
When I look at my own life, I can see that I have changed. I have gotten taller, louder, smarter, wiser, but when I look deep into my eyes I still that shy little girl who hanged on mommy’s arm; a sweetheart who laughed at silly jokes made by her dad. A person may change, and change is most often needed, but the true essence of self remains through out a lifetime as O’Brien states. I know in my heart that some parts of me will never change. O’Brien says, “Inside the body, or beyond the body, there is something absolute and unchanging”. My morals and values will always be with me, because I believe that they are what shapes a child at a young age. I know I will always keep my faith in God, that I will always try to be that person who helps whenever they can, and I will always put my heart and soul into everything.
Change, I believe is essential for growth of a person. Change helps to determine who you will become. However, it your past that defines who you are and how that change will affect your life. My body, my likes and dislikes, my relationships may all change, but it my past and my memories and lessons learned will always be with. The are my unchangeable aspects of life. I will carry them for the rest of my life and pass them down to generations after mine.
When I look at my own life, I can see that I have changed. I have gotten taller, louder, smarter, wiser, but when I look deep into my eyes I still that shy little girl who hanged on mommy’s arm; a sweetheart who laughed at silly jokes made by her dad. A person may change, and change is most often needed, but the true essence of self remains through out a lifetime as O’Brien states. I know in my heart that some parts of me will never change. O’Brien says, “Inside the body, or beyond the body, there is something absolute and unchanging”. My morals and values will always be with me, because I believe that they are what shapes a child at a young age. I know I will always keep my faith in God, that I will always try to be that person who helps whenever they can, and I will always put my heart and soul into everything.
Change, I believe is essential for growth of a person. Change helps to determine who you will become. However, it your past that defines who you are and how that change will affect your life. My body, my likes and dislikes, my relationships may all change, but it my past and my memories and lessons learned will always be with. The are my unchangeable aspects of life. I will carry them for the rest of my life and pass them down to generations after mine.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Why I Write...Ishmael Beah
I have walked many roads during my life, some good, and some bad. I have always had a very photographic memory, ever since my grandfather gave me that medicine. My thoughts are carried with me everywhere like a heavy load on my back. I have seen horrible and tragic things, bloody and gruesome actions. The war took away my childhood that I so desperately wanted back. It makes furious that I allowed myself to be brainwashed and to fight and kill without an ounce of feeling. I feel shame for all the lives I took for the sake of “revenge”. Memories can not be erased and my memories seem as endless as the sand on the seashore. The sand reminds me of the time when the kind fisherman helped my friends and me after being set free from a hostile village.
I write because I remember and I want others to know what we boys went through. I do not write for others to feel sympathy. The things that happened in my life are in the past. Sympathy will get us nowhere, rather it is how you will respond and act to help prevent such tragic things to happen again. I would never wish it upon anyone to go through what I and many others did. I write for my culture. It is traditional in Mende culture to tell stories. I remember the many times that I heard the story of Bra Spider. I want to stray true to my heritage and carry on this tradition. But mostly I write for me and the people I love most. I want to share my story and answer the many questions that I have been asked. I have been blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that encourage and guide. I believe I owe it to them. I write because it’s the right thing to do.
I write because I remember and I want others to know what we boys went through. I do not write for others to feel sympathy. The things that happened in my life are in the past. Sympathy will get us nowhere, rather it is how you will respond and act to help prevent such tragic things to happen again. I would never wish it upon anyone to go through what I and many others did. I write for my culture. It is traditional in Mende culture to tell stories. I remember the many times that I heard the story of Bra Spider. I want to stray true to my heritage and carry on this tradition. But mostly I write for me and the people I love most. I want to share my story and answer the many questions that I have been asked. I have been blessed to be surrounded by friends and family that encourage and guide. I believe I owe it to them. I write because it’s the right thing to do.
Friday, September 26, 2008
A Long Way Gone
"You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it." Bill Cosby
Do you ever have those days when you just wish it was over? Everybody has, me including. This quote from Bill Cosby really struck me. It's so inspiring, but also challenging. In Ishmael Beah's memoir A Long Way Gone there are many examples of finding humor and happiness in bad situations. Ishmael Beah is telling his life story of being a young boy facing war, death, and loss everyday, but he doesn't forget to tell of the better times in his journey.
One of my favorite times in the book is shortly after Ishamael finds some old friends from school. They are walking along the road and here a strange noise and quickly hide, only to discover that what they had feared was the Atlantic Ocean. Ishamael writes, "My eyes widened, a smile forming on my face. Even in the middle of the madness there remained that true and natural beauty, and it took my mind away from my current situation as I marveled at this sight." (59) He goes on saying that he and the other boys played and laughed and sang songs from school. They boys were terrified of the unknown, but they found joy through it all and it allowed them to escape the horrible situation they were in. Many times Ishmael and his companions escape the wrath of angry villages. After being let go from one village the boys laughed at what they had gone through to keep themselves from crying. This embodies Bill Cosby's quote. Ishmael and the others found humor in their situation to survive everyday, day by day. It was so heartwarming that even through the chaos and war the people never lost the essence of their culture. In various villages, the boys would feast and dance with the people. They would celebrate, laugh, and tell stories. When the boys would leave they would carry their happiness with them on their journey.
Ishmael's struggle to find his way and to survive was worse than the average person could even imagine, but he showed strength through it all. Like in Cosby's quote it is those who can find happiness in any situation that will survive and be stronger.
Do you ever have those days when you just wish it was over? Everybody has, me including. This quote from Bill Cosby really struck me. It's so inspiring, but also challenging. In Ishmael Beah's memoir A Long Way Gone there are many examples of finding humor and happiness in bad situations. Ishmael Beah is telling his life story of being a young boy facing war, death, and loss everyday, but he doesn't forget to tell of the better times in his journey.
One of my favorite times in the book is shortly after Ishamael finds some old friends from school. They are walking along the road and here a strange noise and quickly hide, only to discover that what they had feared was the Atlantic Ocean. Ishamael writes, "My eyes widened, a smile forming on my face. Even in the middle of the madness there remained that true and natural beauty, and it took my mind away from my current situation as I marveled at this sight." (59) He goes on saying that he and the other boys played and laughed and sang songs from school. They boys were terrified of the unknown, but they found joy through it all and it allowed them to escape the horrible situation they were in. Many times Ishmael and his companions escape the wrath of angry villages. After being let go from one village the boys laughed at what they had gone through to keep themselves from crying. This embodies Bill Cosby's quote. Ishmael and the others found humor in their situation to survive everyday, day by day. It was so heartwarming that even through the chaos and war the people never lost the essence of their culture. In various villages, the boys would feast and dance with the people. They would celebrate, laugh, and tell stories. When the boys would leave they would carry their happiness with them on their journey.
Ishmael's struggle to find his way and to survive was worse than the average person could even imagine, but he showed strength through it all. Like in Cosby's quote it is those who can find happiness in any situation that will survive and be stronger.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Role of Inventing? Stories?
Do you ever find your mind wandering off to a sea of What Ifs? I know I do. Everyone at some point in time has dreamed up a new crazy idea or story to make life more interesting, exciting, or easier. Oskar invents all sorts of impractical ideas, but why does Foer have Oskar dreaming up inventions all hours of the night? Perhaps it is to help the reader to better understand the mind of a child. Reading all of Oskar's inventions helps you to better understand him and his character. Oskar is bright young boy and should be given credit for his wealth of knowledge and eagerness to learn. But what is the deeper meaning of these stories and inventions?
Oskar’s inventions and stories are logical in thought but impractical in the real world. In the beginning of the book Oskar has invented an extremely long limo. He tells the driver of the limo that he is currently in, “Actually, if limousines were extremely long, they wouldn’t need drivers.” (5) Oskar is true in saying that if there was a limo long enough to stretch from point A to point B then a driver would not be necessary. However, the impracticality of very long limousines overrides this thought, the passengers would essentially be walking to their destination, and where and how would these limos be put in place.
Oskar’s process of inventing also applies to his journey, one of the main themes in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He finds a key that he believes his father has left behind and goes searching over all New York City to find his answers. Thinking that he can find answers about his dad and his death is logical, but believing that a key has deeper meaning is impractical. Oskar is trying to put meaning into an inanimate object, very similar to how he tries to take every small detail and object in life and give it importance. Oskar doesn’t really know if he will find the answers to his questions or if his inventions could ever be useful or workable. His stories and inventions are nice to think about, but in reality you know that they could never happen.
Do you ever find your mind wandering off to a sea of What Ifs? I know I do. Everyone at some point in time has dreamed up a new crazy idea or story to make life more interesting, exciting, or easier. Oskar invents all sorts of impractical ideas, but why does Foer have Oskar dreaming up inventions all hours of the night? Perhaps it is to help the reader to better understand the mind of a child. Reading all of Oskar's inventions helps you to better understand him and his character. Oskar is bright young boy and should be given credit for his wealth of knowledge and eagerness to learn. But what is the deeper meaning of these stories and inventions?
Oskar’s inventions and stories are logical in thought but impractical in the real world. In the beginning of the book Oskar has invented an extremely long limo. He tells the driver of the limo that he is currently in, “Actually, if limousines were extremely long, they wouldn’t need drivers.” (5) Oskar is true in saying that if there was a limo long enough to stretch from point A to point B then a driver would not be necessary. However, the impracticality of very long limousines overrides this thought, the passengers would essentially be walking to their destination, and where and how would these limos be put in place.
Oskar’s process of inventing also applies to his journey, one of the main themes in Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. He finds a key that he believes his father has left behind and goes searching over all New York City to find his answers. Thinking that he can find answers about his dad and his death is logical, but believing that a key has deeper meaning is impractical. Oskar is trying to put meaning into an inanimate object, very similar to how he tries to take every small detail and object in life and give it importance. Oskar doesn’t really know if he will find the answers to his questions or if his inventions could ever be useful or workable. His stories and inventions are nice to think about, but in reality you know that they could never happen.
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