What would it feel like to you if you were drowning? Not being able to tell which direction was up and which was down, not being able to breathe. This is exactly how the main character in Deep Water feels when he is thrown into a pool without knowing how to swim. Even though he was thinking of what to do when he hit the bottom, it was too far for him to go down and not run out of air. It’s easy to relate to this character, since everyone usually feels this way when you are first learning how to swim. Deep Water, by William O. Douglas, writes a short story about an experience he had that is simple for me to relate to.
Swimming was basically second nature to me. Doing strokes like the butterfly came naturally to me, as did other strokes. Yet, there was one part of swimming that I was terrified to do: the diving board. This frightening object was positioned at the far end of the pool, down by the nine-foot section. Diving off the end of that plank was literally death to my eyes. One day for class, when I was only eight years old, every member of class had to jump off of it and into the water below. Of course, there would be someone to grab us after we jumped, but we were jumping alone. While I was waiting in line for my turn, I thought of no less than ten ways to get out of doing this. None was able to get put into action before it was my turn. All I remember was standing on the end of the board, not climbing up onto it. Looking down on the clear turquoise water below, it felt like death was looking me straight in the eyes. Knowing that everyone was staring at me, I took a deep breath and jump into the water below. It felt like the fall lasted forever, even though it was only for about three seconds. When I slammed into the water, the first thing I thought was, I’m never going to be able to come back up. I’ll be stuck here for the rest of my life. Before the hysteria could kick in, I was grabbed and pulled out of the water. Relief flooded my mind. William couldn’t remember when he was pulled out of the water, which is terrifying to me. Not knowing if I was out of the water, not knowing if I would ever be pulled out again.
Even though almost everyone can make connections with this story, no one can connect more with it than the author himself. William was only ten or eleven years old when he was thrown in the YMCA pool in Yakima. This one traumatic day of his life made him afraid of water for about three to four years before he could overcome this fear of water. Why did William O. Douglas share this story with the world? I believe that he wanted to show people that you can always overcome your fear of something, even though you’re terrified. Connection is easy to make with Deep Water, since once I was also afraid of swimming. Of course, like William, I overcame my fear eventually. The author is trying to tell us that everyone came overcome their fear. There is nothing to fear but fear itself.
William O. Douglas’s Deep Water is a great reflection piece that is simple to connect to. This short story shows us what happens when one horrible experience scares people out of overcoming fears. What would you do if what happened to William happened to you? Would you be able to get back in the water? Deep Water, by William O. Douglas, writes a beautiful story about overcoming fears and believing in yourself.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Pearl Essay
If you had the pearl, yet then you realized it wasn’t helping, but ruining, what would you do? Would you be able to give it up? Could you? Or would you be too attached to even think about letting it go? Kino wasn’t able to. He was falling in love with the pearl. The pearl changed him, made him greedy. An inanimate object changed his whole personality. It pushed out all of the greed that was in Kino’s heart. The Pearl, by John Steinbeck, shows that greed is a horrible act that destroys the life that people could have had.
In the beginning of The Pearl, Kino was just a poor man who desperately needed help for his son, Coyotito, after he was stung by a scorpion. When the doctor refused to help him, I knew that Kino would get mad, yet I didn’t expect him to punch the doctor’s door. Everyone, including me, gets angry sometimes, but most people won’t punch a door. Right then I predicted that if his family found a pearl, it will change him. Sadly, the change happened quite drastically. At the beginning of John Steinbeck’s novel, Kino was simply a poor man who had a lot of pride in him, which showed. Yet as the story goes on, he starts to become a monster. This man had no limits for what he would do to keep the pearl safe, even if it meant killing and injuring. If I had found the pearl, I would have made absolutely every effort I could to keep it safe, yet I wouldn’t even think of killing someone. This beautiful but inanimate piece of rock basically possessed him. It’s terrifying to know what an object can do to a person, even though it can’t think. The horrible idea is that the person can.
Even though the pearl changed Kino and gave him more greed, this object changed Juana in even more ways. Kino became greedy and willing to do anything to save his beloved pearl. Juana, his wife, at the beginning of the book, was kind, loving, cheerful, and went along with anything that Kino told her to do. While the story nears an end, she becomes more nervous and is more willing to stand up to her husband. When her family was heading up into the capitol, Kino wanted Juana to take their son and hide in a tiny cave that he discovered. Juana refused to leave him. At the beginning of the book, she would have gone, no questions asked. Kino finding the pearl changed her, in ways very different from her husband’s. Some ways helped her, and some ways hurt her and her family. Juana didn’t know which was which until the pearl was gone, and her life changed forever.
While Kino and Juana had greed in their hearts and let it control them, sometimes normal people have it even worse. Few people in life are so greedy where it literally controls them, yet people may have greed in their hearts that comes out when they desperately want something, or when the find an object that seems like it’s the turning point of their lives. This has never happened to me, yet I can connect with it. Whenever I desperately want something, I get a little greedy. Everyone does. Would I ever let it take over my life? No. Kino let the pearl take over his life. Even though I would never let it happen to me, connection is easy to make with Kino. If you find something that feels like the changing of your life for an amazing way, of course you’re going to take it. Greed is the main topic of The Pearl, which is not challenging to relate to.
John Steinbeck’s beautifully written piece of writing shows exactly what happens to people when greed takes over their lives. Greed wouldn’t take over my life. Would what happened to Kino ever happen to you? The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, shows what becomes of people whose lives have been taken by greed.
In the beginning of The Pearl, Kino was just a poor man who desperately needed help for his son, Coyotito, after he was stung by a scorpion. When the doctor refused to help him, I knew that Kino would get mad, yet I didn’t expect him to punch the doctor’s door. Everyone, including me, gets angry sometimes, but most people won’t punch a door. Right then I predicted that if his family found a pearl, it will change him. Sadly, the change happened quite drastically. At the beginning of John Steinbeck’s novel, Kino was simply a poor man who had a lot of pride in him, which showed. Yet as the story goes on, he starts to become a monster. This man had no limits for what he would do to keep the pearl safe, even if it meant killing and injuring. If I had found the pearl, I would have made absolutely every effort I could to keep it safe, yet I wouldn’t even think of killing someone. This beautiful but inanimate piece of rock basically possessed him. It’s terrifying to know what an object can do to a person, even though it can’t think. The horrible idea is that the person can.
Even though the pearl changed Kino and gave him more greed, this object changed Juana in even more ways. Kino became greedy and willing to do anything to save his beloved pearl. Juana, his wife, at the beginning of the book, was kind, loving, cheerful, and went along with anything that Kino told her to do. While the story nears an end, she becomes more nervous and is more willing to stand up to her husband. When her family was heading up into the capitol, Kino wanted Juana to take their son and hide in a tiny cave that he discovered. Juana refused to leave him. At the beginning of the book, she would have gone, no questions asked. Kino finding the pearl changed her, in ways very different from her husband’s. Some ways helped her, and some ways hurt her and her family. Juana didn’t know which was which until the pearl was gone, and her life changed forever.
While Kino and Juana had greed in their hearts and let it control them, sometimes normal people have it even worse. Few people in life are so greedy where it literally controls them, yet people may have greed in their hearts that comes out when they desperately want something, or when the find an object that seems like it’s the turning point of their lives. This has never happened to me, yet I can connect with it. Whenever I desperately want something, I get a little greedy. Everyone does. Would I ever let it take over my life? No. Kino let the pearl take over his life. Even though I would never let it happen to me, connection is easy to make with Kino. If you find something that feels like the changing of your life for an amazing way, of course you’re going to take it. Greed is the main topic of The Pearl, which is not challenging to relate to.
John Steinbeck’s beautifully written piece of writing shows exactly what happens to people when greed takes over their lives. Greed wouldn’t take over my life. Would what happened to Kino ever happen to you? The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, shows what becomes of people whose lives have been taken by greed.
Friday, January 14, 2011
The Lesson of The Pearl
Greed. It's a horrible word and act. Yet, everyone has just a little greed in them. It’s exactly what makes us human. That’s the main idea of The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Greed doesn’t help us, it can hurt us, and if you let your greed go too far, it can destroy your life. That's what happened to Kino. When he first found the pearl, he thought it meant joy, happiness, and hope for him and his family. Sadly, this pearl wasn't meant to do that. Kino did not realize that until he tried to sell it for money. The trader said that the pearl was a strange color, and it was far too large for anyone to buy. Kino then replied to him, "I am cheated. My pearl is not for sale here. I will go, perhaps even to the capitol." Journeys to the capitol were usually very dangerous. People don't come back. He never got to sell the pearl, since he finally realized what the pearl truly was until his son, Coyotito, was killed. After that, Kino threw it back into the Gulf. His greed killed his son. The lesson in this story is to never let your greed take control of you. Greed does not help you in a positive way. It helps destroy your life.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Will the pearl destroy the family?
Juana believes that the pearl will destroy her and Kino because in the middle of the night, someone came to their brush house and tried to steal their most prized possession. Everyone wants the pearl for themselves. The doctor, so far, wants it the most. The doctor asked Kino after he was done treating the baby, "Would you like me to keep the pearl in my safe?" When Kino declined to keep in his safe, the doctor then said, "It would be a shame if the pearl was stolen before you could sell it." It seems like the doctor is going to steal the pearl. I wouldn't be surprised if the doctor comes sneaking up to his brush house in the middle of the night, with a plan to get the pearl for himself.
The pearl, even though Kino thinks is a sign of hope and happiness, is probably the beginning of the destroying of their lives. There will be more people coming in the middle of the night to try to take it. What would happen if it gets stolen before Kino gets to sell it? Also, the longer Kino has it, the more at risk him and his family gets. Juana and Kino will always have to be on guard until the pearl is gone, and if Kino is "falling in love" with this object, how long will the family actually have the pearl? All of the stress will get to Kino and Juana, and the pearl will easily destroy their lives.
The pearl, even though Kino thinks is a sign of hope and happiness, is probably the beginning of the destroying of their lives. There will be more people coming in the middle of the night to try to take it. What would happen if it gets stolen before Kino gets to sell it? Also, the longer Kino has it, the more at risk him and his family gets. Juana and Kino will always have to be on guard until the pearl is gone, and if Kino is "falling in love" with this object, how long will the family actually have the pearl? All of the stress will get to Kino and Juana, and the pearl will easily destroy their lives.
Journal Reflection for The Pearl
The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, is not very interesting to me. It is a little too slow-paced for my liking. It doesn't seem like anything very exciting will happen anytime soon. Most or all of the characters are interesting, though. John Steinbeck made them very complex, so if you want to truly understand the characters, you will have to study them and look for traits that these characters have. My favorite character would probably have to be Juana. Juana is my favorite character because of how she was so determined after Coyotito was stung by the scorpion. Even though Kino said that the doctor would not help them, she told him and the whole town that she was bringing Coyotito to him. Also, she always has hope, even when it’s so challenging to hope for anything at all. Finally, she never complains that her and Kino are poor, and that's she's not comfortable where she is. Juana is very loving. Overall, I love her personality, and that's why she's my favorite character so far.
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