Essays

Where’s Wally

Juan José Gonzalez Sánchez

I did not need a striped shirt to pick me out from the sea of cottage cheese during assemblies. I was the curly fry dropped in, typically by accident. In my case, intentionally, from Brennan Woods to Murphy Elementary beginning first grade for reasons undisclosed. I used to see kids of different ethnicities, not many, but enough to feel like I fit in. The only kid with dark skin certainly took a toll on my social behavior. Sure, students talked to me, but only to ask about how to say the name of colors in Spanish. I felt as if I did not fit in, mentally or physically.

On the first day of school, they caged me in a separate room from the rest under the excuse of teaching me English. It made me think I was not normal. In the room, one adult, one child. I felt uneasy, shaky. At the time, I was able to understand as much as the average six-year-old. I spent around an hour or two practicing each school day and again with my brother after school. He corrected my pronunciation since he could already speak English well due to his six-year head start in life. Even with all the extra practice, I was still required to go to Speech. Some of my classmates asked me where I vanished for the first couple of hours. I would answer, “I’m learning English, just like you.” I improved each passing day. Eventually, it was enough to suspend my daily isolation, yet teachers still acted as though I could not understand nor speak the language. Teachers assimilated my tongue, but that still left the rest of me.

It took an additional year to get used to being different, coming to terms with not looking the same, speaking the same, or acting the same. My parents raised me to act like an adult at the age of six. My family talked to me like an adult and treated me like one. During the school day, I was the only kid who sat still, talked when spoken to, waited patiently, and did not try when someone told me “no.” Being told that I had to act like an adult at the age of six made it challenging to play the same way as the other kids. I also liked different things from other kids. While they liked to watch television and play in the mud, I, on the other hand, read and stayed clean. My parents permitted the viewing of more violence than the other parents would let their children watch too. Most of the other kids were not able to handle watching violent movies and television shows. I, on the other hand, was able to. I did not imitate what I watched like the other kids. So how I acted and how I took the things that I watched were different from what was normal for a kid my age.

I did not expect to be liked by everyone.

I knew my brown skin would garner negative attention, and some made fun of me—common insults not detailed due to the sensitive nature of such topics. Regardless, my brother provided me with the tools to cope with ignorance and to feel better about myself. He taught me it was okay to be different and accept who you are. It does not matter what other people think, only what you think of yourself. Even today, I still do no feel like I belong.

A Heroine’s Dramatic Change

Autumn Biego & Alec Cordes

A Doll’s House, written in 1879 by Henrik Ibsen, recounts the story of Torvald Helmer, Nora Helmer, Dr. Rank, Mrs. Linde, Krogstad, and a few other characters. The story follows the life of Nora Helmer who has been ruled by her father and her husband her whole life. Within the story, her marriage is put to the test as the story continues and the plot thickens. In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, Nora Helmer is initially thought of as carefree, is not as happy as she appears, and is a dynamic character.

Nora initially comes off as carefree. While Nora talks with Mrs. Linde, Mrs. Linde discusses how she knows “so little of the burdens and troubles of life” (Ibsen 220). Here Mrs. Linde implies that Nora has no burdens or troubles. She believes that Nora leads a carefree life while Torvald deals with the burdens. After that, Mrs. Linde explains her previous point by saying that she has “small household cares and that sort of thing” (Ibsen 220). In this quote, Mrs. Linde explains how Nora only has to deal with the household chores and some other small things. At this point, she does not believe that Nora has any huge issues to deal with, but that changes as the play continues. At the start of the play, Nora comes off as carefree, but at the end, she reveals her unhappiness.

Although Nora appears happy at the beginning of the play, later on she reveals her true unhappiness. Nora’s true unhappiness reveals itself towards the end of the third act. Torvald and Nora end up in a scuffle, and during this fight, Nora says, “I must try and educate myself- you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now” (Ibsen 264). In this quote, Nora expresses her dissatisfaction. She wants to educate herself and leave Torvald to do so. In leaving Torvald, this implies that Nora does not love him anymore. As the scuffle continues and Torvald continues to try and win her back, Nora goes on to say that she “can no longer content [herself] with what most people say, or with what is found in books. [She] must think over things for [herself] and get to understand them” (Ibsen 265). Nora cannot take another second of her life with Torvald. She can no longer follow the perfect example of a family that people and books set for her. In this example, she is a wife, a mother, and nothing else. At this point, she wants to be more than that. Mrs. Helmer wants to explore the world independently. Due to her change of heart, Nora comes off as a dynamic character.

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Nora Helmer is perceived as an exceptionally dynamic character. In the beginning of the story she has a passive personality and takes patronization from people, especially her husband Torvald. She has little personality of her own and has a life constructed as a societal norm. A related to the story word to portray her can transpire as a doll. As Torvald comes into the hall they talk about Nora's dress and she says “But don’t you think it was nice of me, too, to do as you wish.” (Ibsen 238) Nora seeks out approval from Torvald and wants him to recognize that she has done exactly what he wanted. She lives her life wanting to please her husband rather than pleasing herself first. Later on in the story Nora turns into a dynamic character who starts to think for herself. She explained to Torvald “When I was at home with papa, he told me his opinion about everything, and so I had the same opinions; and if I differed from him I concealed the fact, because he would not have liked it. He called me his doll-child” (Ibsen 264). She then says to him “You and papa have committed a great sin against me.” (Ibsen 264) Nora’s papa treated her like a doll the same as Torvald has. This means her whole life she has not lived how she has wanted to but instead lived to please the men in her life. She stands up for herself against Torvald and tells him she will no longer live as his doll or anyones doll. Nora makes her point in saying “I must stand quite alone, if I am to understand myself and everything about me. It is for that reason that I cannot remain with you any longer.” (Ibsen 264) She breaks out from this manipulative relationship she has with Torvald and says she will no longer stay with him. Going from living as Torvalds' doll wife to wanting to become her own person shows how truly dynamic Nora’s character portrays.

Nora Helmer is initially thought of as carefree, she is not as happy as she appears, and she is a dynamic character. Nora seems to be carefree in the beginning because she only has household chores to take care of and does not have a large amount of stress on her. Nora feels as if she cannot stand being with Torvald and she no longer wants to live as a perfect example of a stay at home wife and mother. An exceptionally dynamic character describes Nora. She went from having little personality of her own and living as Torvalds doll, to wanting to become her own person and move on from Torvald. In A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Nora is an important, dynamic character to analyze.

Carpe Diem

Meredith Spratt

An ordinary life consists of monotony: a regular nine-to-five, a finely tuned family regimen, or a daily excursion to school. Often, this life satisfies the mass population and leads people to complacencency; people accept their life at face value, instead of exploring the adventures that lie underneath. “The Story of an Hour,” written by Kate Chopin, and the classic film “Dead Poets Society,” directed by Peter Weir, both portray the idea that a passive life leads to a wasted life. Found in both pieces, the central themes state that to ‘become a person’, people must live to the fullest despite the potential repercussions of their actions.

In Dead Poets Society, the protagonist, Neil, embarks on a journey of self-discovery despite his parents constant opposition. Neil’s spark of inspiration came from Mr. Keating, the new English teacher whose quirky personality and unorthodox teachings cause the students to think freely and defy the wishes of their college preparatory school, Welton. Mr. Keating teaches the boys the phrase ‘carpe diem’ which translates from latin to ‘seize the day.’ The phrase impacts Neil deeply, and he takes action instead of continuing to live passively. Neil and the Dead Poets Society, a recently reborn secret club at school, often quote an excerpt from Henry David Thoreau which states, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Dead Poets Society). The tone of this passage inspires the boys to ponder the depths of their lives, and causes them to make bold choices to ‘live deliberately.’ To build, Neil puts these words into action by making a daring decision; he realizes that his life accounts for nothing if he continues to live on his parents’ path rather than his own. To defy his parents' wishes, Neil decides to pursue acting and explains to his roommate that, “For the first time in my whole life, I know what I wanna do! And for the first time, I'm gonna do it! Whether my father wants me to or not! Carpe diem!” (Dead Poets Society). As soon as Neil makes this decision, he ‘becomes a person’--he takes charge of his life rather than living as the product of his parents’ strict expectations. (6) Poet, actor, dreamer- all describe Neil after his transformation. People find it easy to fall victim to the wishes of others who wield a dominant force in their lives; similar to Neil’s situation, Mr. Mallard in ‘The Story of an Hour’ controls his wife Louise who ‘becomes a person’ as soon as she decides to live for herself.

Louise Mallard, the protagonist in ‘The Story of an Hour,’ has an epiphany moment when her husband allegedly passes away; she discovers that she can live for herself. Mrs. Mallard despises her marriage. This does not necessarily mean that she hated her husband because of a domestic conflict; rather, she hates the whole constitution of marriage. In the time period Kate Chopin wrote this story, society considered women as extensions of their husbands. Louise craved acceptance in society as her own person, despite the consequences she would face in society’s eyes. When she heard about her husband's death, Louise finally ‘became a person’ because she decided that “she would live for herself,” and find her own path and passions because “there would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence” (Chopin 1175). Louise shouts “Free! Body and soul free!” (1175). (15) Free endured Louise from her confinement. Free from her husband, free to find her own pleasure, and free to discover herself. Neil and Louise both had their lives laid out for them; they accepted that they no longer controlled their lives. (2) Neil's father controlled his life; Louises’ husband...hers. They only truly ‘became people’ when they took their lives in their own hands, and began to direct their own course. While their self discovery uplifted the spirits of Neil and Louise, they did not forget, however, that their actions would have consequences.

Often the choices that make a life extraordinary come with repercussions. However, Neil and Louise decide that living their life to the fullest outweighed the cost of the consequences. After Neil performs in the play despite his parents wishes, his father punishes him by withdrawing him from Welton and enrolling him into a military school. Similarly, Louise knows that society could label her as ‘insane’ and asylum her for daring to live independently. Nevertheless, both decide to pursue their freedom despite the consequences. Both characters understood that their lives did not last forever and that they could no longer waste their precious time on earth. In Dead Poets Society, Mr. Keating emphasizes to the boys to, “Seize the day. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold and die” (Dead Poets Society). He wants the boys to understand that they deserve the fullest of what life offers; however, the boys could never reap these benefits if they did not actively seek them. The only way to truly ‘become a person’ comes from a person taking their lives into their own hands despite the consequences. More often than not, the repercussions of people's actions matter little in the grand scheme of their life. (8) If Louise had accepted her confining marriage, if Neil had neglected his acting dream, if Mr. Keating played it safe and followed the schools curriculum, then their lives would have accounted for nothing. Only once people decide to live for themselves, do they ‘become a person.’

The actions of the characters in the works establish another common theme claiming that death can create a path to find life. For example, when Neil understands that he does not fully control his life, he makes the ultimate decision to find freedom; he takes his own life. This choice also makes Neil a ‘person.’ Similar to Neil, Louise Mallard also takes this path. While Louise did not take her own life, she instead accepts her death with gratitude. When the doctors arrive they claim Louise “had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills” (Chopin 1176). The arrival of Louises’ husband at the end of the narrative sends her into a severe shock, in the moments before she had discovered her freedom and a whole new perspective on the course of her life. However, as soon as he returns, this hope dies; as this hope dies, she does too. Instead returning to this life of imprisonment, she grants herself death. By making this choice she demonstrates that she has truly ‘become her own person’. If either of these characters had continued to live, they would once again find themselves trapped by the will of others and forced down a path they did not choose. (17) The reason they chose to die explained their lack of opportunity. The decision to die makes both of these characters ‘a person’, because they actively chose it.

People cannot live passively; without taking risks, people cannot know the pure joy that life can bring. Over time, people have developed a mindset that they do not deserve to ‘suck the marrow’ from life. However, Neil and Louise finally came to the conclusion that they do deserve this extraordinary life. Mr. Keating quotes, “Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary” (Dead Poets Society).

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Literature The Human Experience, edited by Richard Abcarian, Marvin Klotz, Samuel Cohen, Twelfth edition, Bedford St. Martins, 2016, pp. 1174-1176.

Dead Poets Society. Directed by Peter Weir, performances by Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, and James Waterston, Touchstone Pictures Silver Screen Partners, 1989.

The World's Only Living Heart Donor

Meredith Spratt

Sabrina, directed by Sydney Pollack, tells the story of a young woman, Sabrina, and her transformation from an ‘Ugly Duckling’ to a dazzling force of nature. Played by Julia Ormond, Sabrina embarks on a series of transformations that affect not only herself but those closest around her. Her initial love interest David Larabee, played by Greg Kinnear, finds himself infatuated with Sabrina upon her arrival home from Paris despite his prior engagement to Elizabeth Tyson (Lauren Holly). However, his brother Linus, played by Harrison Ford, keeps David on track and falls in love with Sabrina in the process. Linus’ transformation throughout the movie displays the profound effects love has on people, even on a person described as ‘the world’s only living heart donor.’

Before his meeting with post-Paris Sabrina, Linus possessed no concrete morals. Several people in the movie describe Linus as cold, harsh, and unforgiving. Before Sabrina, Linus sought only to build his family's company; he achieved these goals and built one of the most successful communications companies in the world. In turn, his search for financial success caused him to lack empathy. He did not donate to charities or share his wealth with those in need; instead he hoarded his money and craved more. However, once Sabrina came into his life, this began to change. In their trip to the cottage, Sabrina and Linus stumbled upon an old brick building. To impress Sabrina, Linus fabricated a story claiming he established it as a half-way house; later on in the movie, he fulfills this claim. Sabrina warms Linus’ cold demeanor and teaches him that his fulfillment would not come from financial gain, but through life experiences and the relationships he makes.

In the first portion of the movie, people find Linus rather boring. He lacks a zest for life that David, in comparison, flaunts. In the scene where Sabrina attends the Larabee’s party, Linus does not participate, and instead he works to sell to prospective investors. While Linus’ actions of hitting the tv with a fireplace poker makes people laugh, he still does not take the time to enjoy the party. Linus always works. He never experiences new things, takes spontaneous trips, or tries adventurous foods. However, after he meets Sabrina, this changes. He opens his mind to the concept of trying new things. For instance, he wanted to take Sabrina to a Broadway show. While they never went to the show, Sabrina took him on a different adventure. After Sabrina, Linus broke free from the strings tying him to his company and he fully understood what his life lacked: adventure. Sabrina taught Linus to break out of his comfort zone; this then causes him to have the confidence to run away to Paris with Sabrina.

Linus’ tendency to work nonstop stems from his fear of failing his family. In the movie, Linus quotes that he has “been walking in footsteps [his] whole life.” His father put a heavy burden on Linus’ shoulders and he feels a great pull to fulfill these expectations. Linus also feels that he needs to care for David; he thinks that David cannot care for himself and does not have the discipline to run the company. Even after Linus meets Sabrina and they plan to escape to Paris together, he calls it off to make sure David finds his happiness. Linus loves his family, and he would have given up Sabrina for his family’s sake. Linus’ deep care for his family did not change after he met Sabrina, rather, it heightened. In a way, Sabrina joined the Larabee family once she returned, and he took care of her by sending her back to Paris. Linus works nonstop in order to ensure that his family can live happily, even to the extent of putting his own happiness on hold.

Throughout the movie, Linus displays the strongest character arc. He transforms from a man trapped by his inner demons to an adventurous risk taker who leaves behind his company for his true love. Without Sabrina, Linus’ business would have kept him trapped in a life that lacked enjoyment; however, with Sabrina by his side, he finally saw the beauty of the world.