The Road

A father-son relationship is possibly one of the most important relationships anyone will ever have. As a young boy follows his dad around, watching his every move and listening to his every word.  The little boy of course then does his best to copy the dad in his best little-boy way.  This demonstrates how important it is for Dads to man up and be good role models.

In The Road the relationship between the boy and the father is not a perfect relationship. The dad is constantly making an effort to protect his son and make good decisions for both of them, but there are many moments where they do not see eye to eye.  These moments typically occurred because the boy felt sympathy for those they encountered on their journey. In The Road the world is in an apocalyptic state, one where evil in the worst form flourishes. There is little to enjoy or be thankful for, but the father-son duo still have each other and the hope that they can find others that are still good when they reach the sea.  The son, although very young, looks through a fairly mature lens. He learns to understand the reality of death and evil, and the father struggles with the constant balance between preparing his son for what he may encounter and sheltering him from it.

I really admire this dad. Although he is not perfect, he does his absolute best to be as good a father as he can be, and really this is all we can ask for as kids. With my own relationship with my dad, he is far from a perfect dad but at the end of the day I know that he loves me and that all the decisions he makes are with my   best interest in mind.

Chapter One

Pretend for a second that you're one of those weird people who reads books.  Could be a stretch, but bear with me for a moment.  Then go a step further and imagine yourself in a library, choosing out the next book you're going to lose yourself in.  Sadly, and I am guilty of this as well, we look at the physical appearance of the book.  We would judge the quality of the writing and the potential for us to enjoy the book based on the length of the book, the size of the font, and most importantly, the general appearance of the cover. For someone like me, packaging is everything, and so if it has an impressive-looking cover I will definitely be drawn to it.  This entire process, of course, is incredibly shallow.

But this is how we judge people, isn't it?  We look at the way they dress, and style their hair.  We observe the people that they hang out with, and how they carry themselves.  We judge their natural God-given beauty.  And when we're finished evaluating their worth, we treat them accordingly.  We could either be their   friend because we 'approve' or we could choose to not interact with them because they aren't good enough. Maybe we'll be jealous and keep our distance, choosing to gossip about them in an attempt to make ourselves feel a bit better.  This obsession with appearances our culture has is something that few people are not imprisoned by.  Like a bird in a cage, we're stuck, with eyes constantly watching and judging.  It's a frustrating thing. We're so busy judging the cover of the book that we forget to open it up and start the first chapter. 

So back to the library. you're still standing surrounded by shelves filled with hundreds of books and no idea which one to choose.  The cover-judging hasn't brought you to any decisions, so what do you do? Well maybe you'll ask the opinion of the person next to you.  They proceed to pour out an entire speech on all the books they've read over the last couple months.  Now this sounds okay, getting a second opinion, but what are you really doing? you're allowing opinions to be formed in your mind before you even read it yourself. How are you ever going to know your own reaction to a writing when you've tainted your attitude towards it?

The same can be said of when we judge people based on the opinions of others.  Gossip rarely holds truth in it, and those people have judged probably using the same judging-the-cover system we were fighting against before!

So the only way that we can get to know the real person who the world has trapped with labels is to be open-minded right from the start.  Erase all labels, get past the cover, and open to the first page.  Chapter one awaits!! You never know what work of art you may discover.

Novel Blog #1: In Fanny Price's Shoes

Fanny Price is my favorite of all the Jane Austen characters.  Born into a lower position than her cousins, she moves to Mansfield Park as a meek adolescent, hardly able to stand up for herself but possessing a keen desire to please.  Everyone is hard on her, with high expectations for her but no hope for her that she will achieve them. She lives for the love of her elder cousin, Edmund, the one person who pays her any positive attention at Mansfield Park.  He is kind and takes the time to share his wisdom with her, and she comes to look forward to those moments.  Fanny learns to find pleasure in the small things in life, enjoying the exciting lives of her cousins from the sidelines.

I am nothing like mild-mannered Fanny Price.  While she is quiet and would rather listen than speak, I am loud and cannot find the ability to keep words from exiting my mouth. When she is selfless and does the will of others out of the goodness of her heart, I find my own personal tendency to be what is most convenient for me.  When she is criticized unjustly she remains silent and bears it, where I would fight and not allow others to think they can walk all over me.  Fanny's lack of courage and gumption saddens me, but I also admire her quiet strength.  She endures incredible hardships, without offending anyone or making any rash actions that would require apology later.  She is very calculated in what she does; something we all could learn from instead of acting upon instinct. 

She watches the man she loves fall for someone who doesn't deserve him, but treats it with sad maturity.  She is completely loyal to her immediate family, although she is no longer with them, but learns to love her extended family as well despite their many flaws.  Fanny Price has a heart of gold, even through all that life has thrown at her.  Something I would wish for in a heartbeat.

The Monster Inside Me

Quiet noise.  It haunts me for hours. The silent breathing, the soft movements that threaten to transform to consciousness.  I wait in the darkness, aware of the inevitable ruckus that will wake my adversary.  Its blaring confirms my doom and the noise is no longer silent.  I hear it.  I can see it looming above me, its long form and protruding digits moving to violate my soft components that form my body, causing my laces to stretch and my sole to cry out in agony.  As if the physical intrusion was not enough, the organic stench disregards my musky leader scent and is set to torment me for the following unbearable hours.  The first level of distress comes when my lively underside is met with hard, abrasive concrete instead of the gentle surfaces of the house.  The wicked gray beast tears at my rubber, and I want to scream my anguish!  But I remain silent, knowing there will be no response to my distress.  The brisk wind is severe on my soft black skin, like a cruel master skillful with a sharp whip. I must endure swamps, muck-filled lakes, and parched deserts without complaint. Rubbery parasites attack, compromising my dignity.  Other prisoners are frequently forced on top of me, cutting into my flesh, but I cannot blame them, for they are simply helpless tools trapped in situations kin to my own.  The form continues to press, the pain a wretched reminder of my destitute bearings.  I daily submit, but I never cease to dream of escape.

Assignment 1: Superpower

If I were to possess any power not naturally available I would choose the power of mind-control.  This is an ability that I would not take on without realizing the responsibility that comes with it.  It would be a great temptation to use this for selfish reasons.  The greatest fantasy heros, those who placed others' needs above their own, were the ultimate examples.  Superman humbled himself and experienced pain and torture saving the population from Lex Luther's evil plan.  Batman allowed himself to be percieved as the villain in order for the city to recover as they needed to.  This list can go on.  If one holds the power to influence others' thought processes it must be used solely for the purpose of coming to the rescue of those who cannot help themselves or bettering our world in general.

With this talent I would aim to influence those who are in positions of importance. To fix an ailment you must treat the source of the symptoms, or it will never be solved.  In the same way I would want to impact individuals like Justin Bieber or Barack Obama in a way that they would develop a heart for important issues.  Issues like poverty, human trafficking, abuse, anything that puts people in positions of hopelessness and defeat.  My desire is that they would bring others on board and make a real difference in bringing about change in our world, that people would be less self-involved and learn to help others, not only in large extravagant ways, but in small meaningful ways throughout the daily routine we call life.  It would be a great task to succeed in, but it would be worth overcoming the trials to rescue those who are in unfortunate situations and cannot save themselves.