January 18

Polished Lit Exploration

The Future

An individual who faces adversity in their life can stumble over problems and be motivated to get back up and accomplish their dream. Jeannette Walls clearly states this in the novel, The Glass Castle, when Jeanette faces many hardships and adversities in her life and wishes for a fresh start so she moves to New York to start over. An individual who grew up in a childhood full of hardships will be more motivated to become a successful person in their future. In an individual’s life, adversities can affect the way you look at your future of your current situation. In the novel, The Glass Castle, Jeanette and her family faced a problem when the bill collectors would come after them because Rex, Jeanette’s father, would fail to pay because of financial problems. Instead of getting money and pay for their bills, Rex decided to do what they called the “skedaddle” and run from them. This showed Jeanette what kind of a person Rex was because he avoided all the situations in his life rather than coming to his senses and paying them. Jeanette hated doing the skedaddle because right when she was settled into their new place, they would have to leave after a short period of time. Jeanette wasn’t like her dad, she was the total opposite. Jeanette faced her problems unlike Rex who ran from them. The skedaddle was one of the adversities Jeanette faced in her childhood and changed her viewpoint of approaching problems like this.

Hope is the starting point of bringing change into an individual’s life who has dreams and aspirations of becoming something else. In the novel, Jeanette and her little brother Brian wish to move out of the Walls family house to New York. After facing all the problems they have had, the both wish to bring change to their life. Jeanette and Brian both start depositing money into their piggy bank that Jeanette bought from the store. The money they collect would go towards their expenses on their journey to New York. Rex is the main problem they face because when he had run out of money, he smashed the piggy bank on the ground and took all the money inside. Jeanette and Brian’s hope to move out of their house has taken a step back because of their father Rex. The adversities that they are facing are extreme because whenever Jeanette and Brian have a hope or a dream, it gets crushed by somebody. Falling down and getting back up is something that Jeanette and Brian do in order for their hopes and dreams to come true. Eventually, Rex pays them back and their hopes are back on track.

Everybody has a dream in their life whether it be to move somewhere, be something, or to do something. In the novel, Jeanette has finally taken a bus from the Walls family house to New York. She goes to school for a bit and ends up finding a job as a journalist. Eventually, all members of her family end up also moving to New York or somewhere close by. As time goes by, Rex passes away, Brian gets a job as a cop, and Jeanette finds a husband and lives with him on the countryside but still goes to her office once a week. Jeanette and the Walls family have been through a lot of hardships and adversities in their past but overcame them and now live without them. Jeanette has came from being a little girl who lived in poverty for most of her life to becoming self-sufficient and working hard to get to where she is today. The hops and dreams have come true for her due to her hard work and dedication to become something from nothing.

The Walls family has been through some rough patches and somehow been able to overcome them. The problems they faced had a big impact on how successful Jeanette is today because she realized how hard it was to live in poverty and she needed to hustle and grind in order to live a normal life. Dreams, hopes, and aspirations all do come true if an individual is dedicated enough and is willing to put in hard work to achieve it.

 

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January 18

Polished Visual Response

Visual Response

Kindness can play a big role in an individual’s life especially when that person is in a time of crisis. People often help others through their problems while they also have hardships in their life. For example the soldier is feeding a stray kitten during the Korean War. This type of kindness is very rare to find because people focus on themselves and don’t care about what’s going on around them. People who care for each other are the people who want to bring peace to this world and make society better. By doing so, people will realize the importance of kindness and how much it can affect other people’s lives.

 

The first time I was exposed to this type of kindness was when my family was going through some problems with my cousins who lived in Vancouver. At this time, I was struggling with some of my classes and needed serious help but with everybody’s lives occupied, I couldn’t find any. All of my family members were busy with the problems in their lives that they didn’t care about what other people were going through. I kept asking my parents to help me find a tutor or get them to help me but they eventually forgot I even asked them. As Spring break approached, I was fed up with my parents not helping me with something that was a bit more important than what was going on in their lives. I asked my older sister to help and she had agreed to because she knew how much of a hard time I have had with getting help. At the time, my sister was in her first year of university and had final exams coming up but still agreed to help me. This was when I noticed that my sister was one of the rare people who help others even when their lives are busy. I took advantage of this situation and got all the help I needed in order to do good in my classes before the year ended. Looking back at this, I couldn’t have done this without my sister by my side and the kindness that she shared with others. This characteristic can show how an individual truly feels about you and what kind of a person they are. My parents on the other hand are the opposite of my sister and focus on themselves more than they focus on other people’s lives.

 

Individuals often have a sense of kindness within them like the soldier feeding the kitten during the Korean War.While he has a more important thing in his hands, he still takes the time to feed a stray cat because he cares. Having this type of a person in your life can help you become more successful because they put their problems aside to resolve yours first.

 

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January 18

Lit Exploration- hope

What is your opinion on the idea that hope is an important quality?

Hope is an emotion that we hold onto during difficult times, it allows us to move and grow as people it makes people believe in something that is not really there sometimes it’s for the best and sometimes for the worse. The theme of hope is shown through Jeannette Walls when she is exposed to the idea of the glass castle by her dad, Rex Walls. She sees the best in him and in the idea which results in her to realize the truth. A innocent individual who is given something to hold onto during difficult times results in the reality of what is best for them.

As a innocent individual comes across hope, they will make it a intentional choice of recognizing and taking it as a feeling that will be mistake for reality. It allows them to see the good in everyone and everything. In the memoir of Jeannette Walls we see this when Jeannette is first shown the blueprints of the Glass Castle by her father. Having the blueprints shown to her has allowed her to see the best in her father in that he is trying to provide some sort of stability in there situation of not having a stable home.This means that her father is creating an ideal home so that Jeannette is able to hope for a better future. This is important it shows how Jeannette is innocent and vunrable and this allows herself and her father to be each others hope for a better more stable future. She believes her father is the light in dark times. As we see this we see that hope is something that individuals hold on to in order to help move on in our lives even at difficult times and also allows us to believe that there is always going to be someone or something that will be there for us. Sometimes this can lead to the beginning something new as an attachment to an emotion that helps us believe in all things.

When individuals are exposed to something new that could help them and try to do things in order for new changes it sometimes can be an influential aspect to realize what’s actually there which allows us to see hope as an escape into something that we want to believe will be there in the end of our stuggles. We see this through Jeannette when they move into a new house and start building the foundation for the Glass Castle but as they finish the foundation it is slowly filled with trash. This shows us for the hope we belive in is quickly brought back up and allows for her trust and belief in her fathers abilities to resurface again and see the best in him, but also be taken away because of the fact that it is something that she can see the truth in. This means that as quickly as hope is brought up by the foundation it can be broken by the truth of what the foundation turns out to be, a pile of trash. This is important to Jennette because it is when she first realizes the truth of her situation of homelessness but also that hope is something that for her is not ideal and she should move on from the idea of that hope that is going to save her from her difficult times. When an individual allows for the start of something new it can be finished by the reality and truth that hope brings. It allows us to see the truth of our situations and the things we thought would help us during these times.

As individual develop and grow, it can cause to see the reality what is actually there verses what is not. It allows us to see that hope is just a feeling we use as a defensive mechanism to help us to go through things that need actions that we are willing to take to be able to see change. This can result in the individual to take reality of there situation and change it it into something they know will benefit them in the future they see themselves. We can see this when Jeannette is leaving to go to New York and Rex brings up the idea of the the Glass Castle and Jeannette talks about how it was just a promise that has always been there but never fulfilled. When she talks to her dad she realized that she has let go of the hope she had kept the whole way through and is now realizing the potential she has of doing something that will help herself. This is important to Jeannette because is shows that she is developing the idea thof the truth that is best for her and this allows her to change her reality of the situation she is in. As individuals realize the truth they had not seen realized when they were younger, allowed them to take action for what they believe will help and be a new part of them.

When we hold onto hope for the betterment of the people and things around us can result in the realization of the truth that is right for ourselves. Hope can change an individual into seeing the good in everything else, but can also change that good into something that we can take for the benefit of ourselves. First we see how hope allows us to have as we are innocent but as we grow and mature we see the reality of hope and use that to our advantage and step up for ourselves.

January 11

Actions Through Hardships

 

  Often times, individuals who understand the idea of struggle, hardships, and pain, develop characteristics and qualities overtime to ensure that others around them do not suffer as well, through the use of helping others mentally, physically, or emotionally. The photo depicts a soldier feeding an orphaned kitten during the Korean War in 1952. Ironically enough, the soldier is seen to be on a battlefield as there are bags of sand to help shield incoming hazards–essentially, a danger zone for the man in uniform. Symbolizing a sacred bond between the two, as it incorporates the ideas of safety and protection as the man carefully feeds the defenceless kitten–closely observing and caring for the animal in front of him, the expression of the man in the photo brings to the realization that although the soldier may be struggling himself, he prioritizes to ensure that others are well taken care of and safe.

 

  The theme statement is evident in the setting and surrounding that the soldier presents itself in. Being in an area where riffles, cannons, and other harmful weapons are being actively shot, the soldier understands the difficulties that comes with his job. The consequences and risk that comes with being in an active shooting ground ranges from being striked by an incoming bullet, being injured in the process, to the ultimate distress that comes with seeing a lifeless members body lying on the open field for all to target at–for many, this is the reality that many deal with on a daily basis; tending to be more prominent in developing countries. With the struggles that a soldier must face, they also understand that the fight for freedom and patriot is a difficult idea that entails sacrificing themselves in order to create a country that reflects the will of the people–events that lead them to understand the concept of struggle and pain. When analyzing the image, it can be concluded that because the soldier faces many challenges and obstacles, internally and externally that they must hurdle over, they build certain characteristics and empathy towards those of the less fortunate and individuals that struggle. Which gives them the willingness to act upon the idea of care towards others that deem to be in trouble–the orphaned kitten; a symbolism to which the idea of prioritizing oneself in the battlefield for their own safety becomes obsolete. Rather than a soldier caring for themselves, they check on others around them to ensure that others are well-kept and looked after.

 

   This concept is evident amongst all parents. As a personal connection, this theme is present within my own family. Coming from a background of poverty in Jakarta, Indonesia during the 1950’s, my parents have struggled substantially. Often, this entails having to sacrifice their education, hobbies, and time to help their own parents who have also struggled to make ends meet. This has shaped both my mother and father in ways where they understand the reality of life and the difficulties that come with not being able to fend for oneself. Having two children, my little brother and I– they have both pushed us to achieve and pursue to the best of our abilities, often, pushing the both of us to not only study, but also make sure that we understand how to do daily tasks, so that, transitioning to adulthood becomes less difficult since we have tasked ourselves to do it numerously. My parents have pushed us because they do not want to see us go through the same things they had to in order to build a life. The pain and struggles that tie into their financial and happiness have not only shaped both my parents to become the person they are today, but it has also made them caring and selfless individuals who ensures that the people around them are looked after first before caring for their own well-being–a concept that is difficult to grasp for the majority.

 

  In conclusion, an individual who understands the significance of hardship through their experience, builds characteristics to ensure that they prioritize the well-being of others first before dealing with themselves, as the particular events have shaped them to become caring individuals since they have faced the struggles first-handedly–a concept that can only be grasped by the individuals that have dealt with substantial amounts struggles.

December 3

Who am I?

 

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I feel like I have established a solid identity now but it hasn’t always been so. Seeking an identity was a problem for me when I was younger. Growing up, I never felt as if I needed to fit in. I always used to ride my own wave, going along with the flow. I felt amazing.

 

I started to realize a shift in middle school when I started grade five with older cousins in grade eight. I began realizing that everyone was expecting me to act a certain way; knowing I was related to my cousins. It didn’t bother me much at all at first but I slowly started to develop a fear of how people started to perceive me. Teachers, older students and even some of my own friends started to act strangely. It wasn’t till then I fully understood the situation; people were expecting me to be rowdy due to the reputation my cousins had.

I saw myself slowly change my habits and work ethics. I succumbed to societal expectations and became a new person. I began to drop certain aspects that made me unique, like my desire to learn new things or the passion I have toward my education. I began to slack around during many of my classes. I saw myself become someone I didn’t like.

I finally chose to change my habits and become myself once again in grade ten. I surprised many people as some had not seen this side of me before. I changed from a kid who would take nothing less than an “A” to a person who would laugh and get fifty percent in class. I avoided putting work into anything. I started to create this bad image which I was unable to change from all due to becoming vulnerable to people’s opinion of me. I didn’t understand the importance of being unique and being yourself. Your life isn’t based on what others think of you, it’s all about what you think about yourself.

It was a hard process to change myself back into my old habits, but I now see myself returning to my old self. I’ve noticed that I have started to redevelop old passions like astronomy.

My journey to establish my identity was not easy. Seeing myself become a pompous individual was the hardest thing I have experienced; not being able to do anything about it at first made it twice as bad. I learned that when a vulnerable individual is faced with societal expectations, they tend to succumb to the pressures imposed onto them, altering their beliefs and values.

 

 

 

 

January 18

Lit Exploration edited (Lasting Impact)

June 2014: What is your opinion of the idea that the influence of others can have a lasting effect?

In life there is so much that can influence and shape us. When something is done or said towards you, the ideas will continue on and affect the future you and that makes you recall the significant things in life.The future you is based on the past you and how things fall together in life, you mainly have to learn to surround yourself with the good people. Something as small as someone stepping out of their way for you can cause a lasting impact and you hold onto that memory. A lasting impact is like a memory that you hold onto it and it can affect you, it is something that will maintain as time goes on. Having a lasting impact that is never forgotten is shown with Paul and Normans brotherhood in the film The River runs through it, The last Lecture by Randy Pousch who tells a story about his childhood and in my personal life with a friend who had his grandmother pass away.

 

Some actions are done to support others in a way to help them be happy. In the film, A River Runs Through It, we see that Norman and Paul grow up together and move apart but one thing they are connected through is fly fishing. This is one thing their dad taught them as kids and they grew up masturing it. When they get separated for school and life they eventually come back together and they go out fly fishing, this is a notable moment in the film because we see the fishing bringing their brotherhood back together as if no one ever left. The lasting impact this one activity they had learnt as kids has carried onto their adulthood. It has become something permanent that they both can hold onto and be brought back together by.

Even when someone makes a comment you could still have a lasting impact that u remember. In the Last Lecture, by Randy Pousch, he tells a story about his childhood. He was at a camp and they were watching the first man take a step on the moon but it was getting late. They told all the kids to go to bed, this made Randy mad so he argued against it because he wanted to watch the first step on the moon. Sometimes the actions of others aren’t always a happy memory, sometimes you have to remember sometimes that aren’t as pleasant and learn or grow from it. To him this was a significant event that he has remembered due to it affecting him. He sees this as a chance where the camp director gave him an opportunity to learn and grow from something not super big. Randy has been influenced in his present life by this once in a lifetime opportunity to see. He learned and grew around it, becoming who he is today.

 

When someone steps out of their way to care for you, that will be remembered and help shape you to be a better you in the future. Just recently my best friend, Devon, had something tragic happen; his grandmother passed away. He was absolutely devastated and there truly wasn’t much I could do to help him out. I tried a lot including, meaningful text messages and or phone calls, hanging out, and even talking to his mom. None of this worked until it hit me that I needed to surprise him. So that day I went out and got a nice hoodie, gum, gatorade, comfort food and candy then put it into a box with a handwritten note. I the drove to his house, without him knowing, and left it on his doorstep so he would find it and open it with surprise. It worked he loved it and it took his mind off things and made him smile, which was exactly what he needed. To this day he will mention this, “Remember that time u left that box on my doorstep…”. This shows that my actions towards others can influence those around me. Devon took what my actions were and remembered it and used it for himself to be a better person. He took into account that I can show empathy and consideration though my actions. My actions had a lasting effect that he now tells everyone what I did for him. It doesn’t just affect Devon in this case but it affected me in the sense that he appreciated all I did for him, makes me remember the situation and build a better me off of it.

 

In the end we all have actions that will affect one another. The positive actions we show are the ones that are most remembered. But action can always influence those around us. Good or bad they change us in a way we like, they make us better people and allow us to grow. We see how lasting memories can impact us as humans and strive for excellence.

January 3

Illusions

 

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       It is very important for an individual to recognize danger in people they surround themselves by in order to live a life they know they are worthy of.  Illusions represent what is recognized in a way that is different from the way it is in reality. Often times we get conflicted whether to believe words or the actions of others.The words of others are a symbol of who they want to be and how they want to act. Words can also be saying something someone desires to hear for the sake of keeping faith in you. Whereas actions, represent who they truly are. It is in our nature to keep the hope we have for one another because we know of their potential and their capability of goodness.This is strongly depicted in the novel, Glass Castle, where Jeanette’s development from childhood to adulthood slowly made her realize that the blueprints and the floor plan for the Glass Castle, that  her father constantly talked about was nothing more than a dream based on her own illusions about her father.  Throughout the book Jeanette thought of illusions as just illusions then, to see how thing really are and finally to disillusionment.

 

       On the constant move to finding home, Jeanette begins to hint signs of a ‘well caring family’ when she is brought to the hospital from catching on fire while making hot dogs at an early age. Rex takes her daughter out of the hospital against medical advice worrying about hospital bills and believing that he could take care of her. Jeanette’s father takes out the blueprint time to time, promising Jeanette and her siblings that he will one day make it for him. The glass castle is a representation of how Rex wants to live- self sufficiently. So when Rosemary and Rex are dependable anymore, Jeanette is left taking up the parent role for the younger siblings. Due to Jeanette being exposed to the action of skedalling and leaving a place when things tend to not make sense, Jeanette finds herself leaving her home in New York and leaving her husband because she did not feel comfortable with her environment- a reflection of her parents actions. Being caught up in the love she has for her father, Jeanette was put into vulnerable situations where she had to learn for herself when enough is enough.

       Jeanette’s illusion of the Glass Castle is broken when her father asks her to put the garbage in the lot they cut out for the Glass Castle. Keeping in mind, Jeanette  has a soft spot in her heart for her father. So, when Rex Walls- the father asks for money that Jeanette had been saving for food, she gives it to him knowing he will spend in on alcohol.  She does this because Rex told her to “always believe in her ol’ man”. Along with telling her that the hope she has for him to mend his ways will help him get better. Rex puts Jeanette in a vulnerable situation knowing she will pick him over and over again. Her father tried to keep the hope she had for him by pulling out the blueprint of the Glass Castle and promising to one day build it for her. That is when she realizes how things really are. He gave her false hope which slowly, made Jeanette realizes the difference between an individual’s  words and actions. Jeanette takes her siblings and moves to New York but her relationship with her parents remains ambivalent. Realization cannot be measured using time, an individual who was constantly fed lies and false hope, will, soon than later, realize the difference between the words and actions when actions become visible through constant disappointments.

 

       After building a life in New York for herself, Jeanette steps down when her university class questions what she knows about struggle. Also, when Jeanette was in a taxi driving to a party she sees her home going through the garbage, making Jeanette go back home because both of these signs remind her of her past. An individual’s past affects them because they in fear of their past haunting them, especially if that individual tried to escape it and is now, all of a sudden struck by it. Also, by this time, Jennette can appreciate the fire incident because she can think about it on a more intellect level. Also, after living in poverty to creating a new life for herself, she can proudly and confidently say that possession does not stop anyone from living a good quality life. The actions of her parents forced her to move away and look out for her own well being for personal security. After a meet up before Rex passes away from cancer, Jeanette is not filled with hate towards her parents. She remains calm, and still decides to help out. Maybe that is the reason why Rex always made sure the family felt connected by giving them something to look forward to and maybe that is the reason Jeanette turned out the way she did. Indirectly, Rex showed he, through the representation of the Glass Castle  that there is goodness waiting for her, which I believe was the most important factor in her running away.

 

       It is easily to be fooled between people’s actions and words, but by time we realize and learn from people’s actions. Sooner or later we realize and learn from giving people chances, from that we make the decision to hold on longer or leave. Jeanette would not have ended up the way she is if her parents did not act the way they did- without facing disbelif, Jeanette would not be able to handle her hardships in a sensible manner. Jeanette has great strength to have gone through her parents chaos, and turn all her problems into blessings- influencing her to take a stand for herself. 

 

 

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January 2

Literary Exploration: Hardships by Zaha

Hardships

A strong individual faces hardship such as hunger, violence, and bullying. In the book, The Glass Castle, the author, Jeannette Walls, writes about the adventures and problems she experienced in her life from her family and the environments she lived in. Jeannette Walls, the author of The Glass Castle develops the idea that strong individuals who face hardships such as hunger, violence, and bullying tend to overcome their hardships, take the lessons, and put them in their life so they don’t have to experience it again.

Jeannette Walls, the main character, experiences hunger many times throughout the novel, however, as the character progresses she learns that food is food no matter what it is and where it comes from. Once, in Phoenix, when the only food that was left was margarine and sugar Jeannette and her sister, Lori, mixed the two together and ate it. Then later on when Jeannette had nothing to eat in her new school in Welch, she would hide in the washroom waiting for someone to come and throw their food in the garbage then she would take it and either eat it or keep it for later. This shows that her parents don’t really do a good parenting job. They don’t cover the most important need, food. At least Jeannette and her siblings learned the importance of food and how not to waste it. Many individuals in the world live with eating only one meal or one thing, however, they always look at the next day with hope, hoping that the next day will be filled with food and happiness.

Jeannette and her siblings also witness violence from their dad’s mother, Erma, and their father, Rex. Erma is a tough character who wants everyone to only listen and follow her. If what she has ordered is not met then people get punished. For example, when Erma harassed Jeannettes brother, Brian, by grabbing him inappropriately Lori spoke out and they all got sent into the basement. Rex on the other hand is an alcoholic and when he gets drunk he becomes extremely violent, whether it is towards his children or to his wife. For example close to middle of the book, in Phoenix, Rex comes home drunk and puts the Christmas tree on fire. His kids calm him down and put the fire out while their mother hides herself away from Rex. This shows the courage the young kids who still are in need of parental support are courageous enough to deal with people who are aggressive in any form. They are able to stand up for themselves and protect someone who should really be protecting them. Individuals who are responsible enough to protect themselves and their elders are and should be respected and idealized.

When Jeannette and her siblings started to go to their new school things did not start off too well but it did not discourage Jeannette from being strong. In her new school a girl named Dinita Hewitt started to bully her and push her to the ground, however, Jeannette never said or did anything back. Until Jeannette helped a young boy home who ended up being Dinita’s neighbour. Ever since then Dinita treated Jeannette differently. She was a lot more respectful and kind. Jeannette’s personality is completely different from what she grew up with. The experiences she has witnessed allowed her to realize that violence isn’t everything, it doesn’t take you anywhere. Patience is an important aspect that individuals don’t understand. Patience can turn extreme situations around.

Strong individuals who face hardships such as hunger, violence, and bullying tend to overcome their hardships, take the lessons, and put them in their life so they don’t have to experience it again as shown in the book, The Glass Castle, written by, Jeannette Walls. In life individuals will go through similar situations over and over again. The only way to see if you have really learned is the way you deal with your situation.

December 31

Literary Exploration: Ability to face hardship is an essential human quality

Most people, when they come upon a hardship, become hesitant to face it therefore, leading to a persona which lacks an essential human quality that would have been originally gained by facing the hardship. However, when it comes upon realization that when one travels through the journey of that hardship, the main reason for such a occurrence is to help gather a quality which not only strengthens the personality of a person but also strengthens the human nature of that person. Once the person takes this idea into account, they are finally aware of the importance for the ability to face a hardship as in the end it is this hardship that leads one to gain a essential human quality that builds upon their persona. In The Glass Castle, author Jeannette Walls, explores this idea of when a person comes upon a situation that seems to be difficult, it is usually these situations that provide the person with their most strength; an essential human quality. this is explored through the character’s of Jeannette herself as well as her father, rex as they go through life facing many hardships while enabling themselves to conquer it. Most of the qualities that a human possesses is through them facing a hardship and as the novels continues, Jeannette is seen as a person who goes through many difficult times but comes out of them with strength. When an individual comes upon a situation where it deems itself to be very difficult, the individual is forced to believe that it is impossible to overcome it, however; once they realize that they have no other option but to face the difficult circumstance, they become enable to conquer the hardship and as a result gaining a essential human quality which in return will help them. Through this, one is able to pursue new interests, face their fears, and gain new skills.

Initially when a naïve and a inexperienced person comes upon a situation that is essentially new to them, they become fascinated creating a new curiosity that leads them to discover new ideas therefore, opening up a new circumstance that may be dangerous and harmful. once overcoming such a situation, their fascination only deepens resulting in a new pursuit of new interests. Jeannette demonstrates this idea through the character Jeannette when is cooking hotdog and caches on fire. Though she recovers, in a way that is deemed unnecessary by her parents, she becomes fascinated by fire and gains a new interest with it. This evidence shows the reader that when Jeannette, being an inexperienced young girl at the time, cam upon the situation of cooking with fire, she was fascinated at the very start. This lead to her not paying attention to her priorities and therefore, catching on fire. The fire was her fear at first, as at that time she was scared as she caught on fire, but when she recovered, that fear became her fascination. She was entranced by the fire. She overcame the hardship of being burnt, and turned that fear into a interest in which Jeannette never gave up her attention towards it. The fact that, after recovery Jeannette played with fire as if it were a new hobbies, proves the fact that when she had the ability to face the hardship of being burnt, allowed her to gain the essential human quality of new fascinations and interests. This indicates to the reader, that when an individual comes face to face with a hardship in which they have never experienced before, they may turn the fear into a fascination if the situation arises to be dangerous. Especially when an individual is inexperienced and has not been able to undergo what the world is offering them, it is prominent for them to be led into a situation that may be dangerous. It is from this point on, in which they decide to choose fear or bravery, therefore leading to a new developed persona. When they conquer the difficult hardship, they are allowing themselves to be open to new ideas, new inputs, and new perspectives leading to new interests.

Then, when an individual faces a circumstance where they must face their fear, it is possible that they do not want to face it, however; when they conquer the fear, they gain a new essential human quality that strengthens their personality. Jeannette demonstrates this idea through the character Jeannette when she becomes afraid of the demon under her bed, but then scares it away with the help of her dad. This evidence shows that when the demon became her hardship, she was afraid to face her fear at all. However, with the help of her father, she was able to overcome that fear. Her ability to face the hardship then led to her to gain an essential human quality of bravery as well as the ability to face her future hardships. the demon, also being a symbol of all the hardships that she later on faces, shows the reader that as Jeannette overcame her fear that day, she overcame her fear for the many hardships that she later on faces. This is an indication to the reader that when an individual is able to face their fear, the outcome will most likely result in the individual gaining a new quality of bravery, and confidence. It is a natural instinct of a human to back away from their fears, however; when the ability of facing the fear come to play, the quality of bravery and confidence starts to show; a quality that may have never been showed before. This then becomes a new essential quality that tends to stay with the individual throughout the many other hardships that they may face.

Finally, when an individual goes through a experience in which they have never gone through before or do not have the knowledge to go through the situation, they usually learn new skills that help them in that situation. This then becomes their new essential quality; a newfound skill. This is demonstrated throughout the novel when rex teaches Jeannette to swim. Jeannette is thrown into the pool constantly, failing each time to swim as it is something that she does not know how to do. This evidence demonstrates to the reader that Jeannette was constantly thrown into a situation that was entirely a hardship for her. Realizing that learning to swim would have to be achieved entirely on her own, she overcame her hardship by going against the current instead of letting the current control Jeannette. By conquering the water and learning how to swim, she was able to face her hardship and gained a new skill. A new essential human quality: swimming. This demonstrates to the reader that when an individual faces a hardship that is completely new to them, they may have difficulty overcoming the hardship. This then will lead to the individual realizing that the only way to overcome the situation is to face it. Once the overcoming is final, the individual comes to an awareness that not only have they overcome the situation and the hardship but they have also gained a new skill and an essential human quality.

New pursuits of new interests, overcoming of fears, and the capability to learn new skills are some of the many results that occur when an individual comes face to face with a situation that may be overbearingly difficult in which is proven to be strenuous to overcome. The ability to overcome this hardship dos not only show the determination and strength used, but also results in the many essential human qualities that come out of the conquering of hardships. This is seen all throughout the novel, The Glass Castle, as Jeannette goes through life enduring many hardships, however; overcoming them through her strength of bravery, acquiring many other human qualities. Most people refrain from trying to successfully overcome a hardship as it the human nature to back away when they are in fear. However, it is significantly essential to face the hardship, as in the end, it only strengthens the individual as well as their persona.

September 15

Live your life with no excuses.

Do not fear failure rather fear not trying

Failure is a lack of success and we usually fear failure because we are afraid that we are not going to reach our own goals. How are we suppose to reach our goals when we are even afraid to fail or keep trying until we reach that goal. I choose this life philosophies because pain is a strong deterrent. This means that we, ironically, feel most inclined to give up on areas that matter to us. The more important they are, the scarier and more painful they are to fail at.. Not giving up has resulted in the greatest successes of my life. We often quit because of lack of ownership, not willing to put the time, afraid to fail at something again and not willing to put the time.

Time is useless use it wisely.

We don’t know what is might happen to us in a minute, hour, a day, week, month or year. I chose this quote because l believe that we should use our time wisely before it’s too late for us do make a change. Things aren’t always going to be there in life they come and go so we should use our time wisely rather than wasting with unwanted things in life.l have three ways that l can use my time wisely which include ;

  1. you are how you spend your time

  2. schedule things that make you happy

  3. Church is your second home

Fortune favours the brave

Life is driven by destiny. You are the creator of your own destiny. To me this life philosophy means that people who encounter difficulties with courage can achieve massive success in life. A person who hesitate or afraid of venturing into new tasks can do no great deed. It suggests that as to take a risk now and then. People achieve success in life not because of their good luck alone. They achieve success because they are brave enough to remove the obstacles with courage. Things that come to us quite easily are rather lightly esteemed. Prizes won after hard fights are worth having. Favor here means to look favorably upon, or to reward. The brave, refers to anyone who is brave.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step at a time

You may plan and dream all you want about a long journey, but you have to begin somewhere. You may have a vision or agenda for change, but the first step is crucial getting started. So put that foot forward, and realize that this humble step will one day take you down the path to a destination that you may reach only years later. If you wait for things to happen, probably, nothing would happen. You have to take the initiative and act. You need to take the first step, and then the other steps would follow. Waiting, and doing nothing, do not create success, and do not help you achieve your goals, tasks or chores. You need to act. You need to move toward your goal and not wait for the right time, the right circumstances or the right mood.

In the end we only regret the changes we didn’t take.


We can’t turn back the clock of time. Good or bad, right or wrong, it is done. It’s over! One thing you don’t want to say before you die is. I should have done this or I should have said that or I should have loved more, or give more, or experience more. Don’t wait another day to take a risk toward your dreams, don’t wait another day to do an action toward what you feel is right. If you don’t take chances and actions toward your goals, if you play it safe, and feel secure where you are at. You will loose yourself, your dreams will fade away until you don’t believe in them anymore and you will never know what your life could have been, if you would have taken small risks and pushed hard to get to your dreams. When you see an opportunity, take it, cease it and never look back to where you were.

Narrative

Growing up l always loved playing tennis. It was always my escape from the outside world. When l was in grade four l was giving an opportunity to be trained by the Zimbabwean tennis player Byron Black and Cara Black. They gave me this opportunity hoping that l would have bettered my future. They were going to train me for for two to three years because they hoped l could be the next generation of tennis players of our country. I became more and more arrogant and overconfidence. I kept on telling myself that l did not need practice and that l know no matter what l was going to make it in the world of tennis. I started missing practice and lying that l was sick because l did not want to show up to practice. It got to the point where Cara had to call my mom and my mom would have to lie for me because she thought l was at practice too. One day l got home and saw Cara and Byron at my house and they told me that “life is hard but sometime in life we are going to regret passing a great opportunity”. This quote has always struck with me because everyday in life l always wonder how my life would have been if l had just shown up to practice. Maybe, just maybe l could have been the youngest tennis player of Zimbabwe. I wasted this opportunity because l listened to the outside world that was telling me that l am afraid of failure and that l should quit before l failed. From this life experience l have learnt that being afraid of failure has made me pass many changes in my life. In order for us to not regret the changed we passed we have to overcome our fear of failure or else we will never succeed in life so we should grab and hold on to those changes even though we might tend to think that change is negative rather than positive.