Courage Extended Metaphor

Courage is a balloon

it will float away

if you let it.

Some will see the balloon

and ignore it.

Recognize its existence,

and walk away.

Others will do the opposite.

They will see it

And jump for it

Jump

Not high enough.

Again,

Until they reach it

Once they reach it,

its their choice.

Let go or hold on.

Hopefully,

they will hold on

Tightly

Don’t be the one

to let it pass you by.

Jump.

You only get one balloon

You musnt let it get away

You only get one chance

to be courageous

In your moment

to change the world

do not be a bystander

Courage is a balloon

Don’t let it float away.

Fear Found Poem

FEAR

It can ruin a beautiful mind

with its uncontrollable control

Loud and real

Feeling all the darkest insecurities

When asked for a reason

it's power,

the circumstances

No common sense

and you realize

you fear love itself

The Bright Side of Loneliness, The Dark Side of Love

                Although I have only just completed part one, I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak is by far one of the most intriguing and exciting books I’ve ever read.  One part I find especially interesting is Ed’s first encounter with Milla, the old woman whose address is written on the ace of diamonds for him to visit.

                As Ed first enters Milla’s home, she says, “I knew you’d come, Jimmy”, and greets who she believes to be Jimmy with a warm hug (Zusak 50).  Ed’s reaction is different than expected.  I was anticipating that he would tell the old woman that she has made a mistake, identify himself, and they would proceed to chat and get to know each other, becoming nothing more than friends or mere acquaintances.  However, I was wrong.  Ed goes along with it, acting as if he is and always has been Milla’s late husband, Jimmy.

                I find this to be interesting because it feels so natural to Ed.  There are many times in the book where Zusak runs through the Ed’s thoughts and emotions in a situation, but this is not one of those times.  There is no mention of what he is thinking, there is only what happens. What he does.  The way he handles this situation tells me a lot about Ed’s life.  It tells me that he is lacking love in his life, and he craves a relationship so much that he puts himself in one for a short while.  The love he is denied from his family and friends is being offered to him by Milla, and in the heat of the moment he takes it because it’s what he’s been searching for his whole life.  In this moment, he falls in love with the idea of being loved, and takes the opportunity.

                Although Milla’s love temporarily fills the void in Ed’s life, the sad truth is that it’s not meant for him.  It’s meant for Jimmy, the real Jimmy, who is actually dead.  Primarily, this scene makes me feel happy because it seems to me as if Ed is finally getting his chance to be loved. That he is finally going to be happy.  That his life is finally complete.  That he doesn’t have to feel empty anymore.  But this scene also makes me feel sad because when I really look at the scene, I see a man who has nothing.  I see a man who has loved, and lost.  I see a man who gives more than he gets.  I see a man who is so desperate for love that he’ll take it from anybody, even if it’s not for him.  It really is a sad scene because although Milla’s love is making Ed feel better, it’s short-term relief; it will not last forever like having his own special someone would. 

                Despite the sad side to this relationship, it really does bring a lot to the book.  Milla’s loving attitude towards Ed gives him hope for himself.  He begins to think that if this old woman can care so much for a man who isn’t even alive anymore, someone can love him for who he is; he just hasn’t found them yet.

Body Biography of Charles Darnay

        

  In Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Darnay is a sensible, honest, and loving man.  Darnay says,"I would abandon it, and live otherwise and elsewhere. It is little to relinquish. What is is but a wilderness of misery and ruin?", which tells the audience that Darnay is a sensible man how does not care much about his family's wealth and aristocracy (Dickens 95).  He believes that money sullies one's character, and he would rather live his life with the pride of knowing he worked for his money.  This quote emphasizes his sensibility by highlighting his ability to see himself as just another man, who should work and live just the same as an average citizen.  I placed this quote on Darnay's brain because that is where we think, which he definitely does a lot of in order to be such a sensible person.  In addition, Darnay says,"I wish to tell you what that is, and why I am in England" to Dr. Manette, just as he is asking him for him daughter's hand in marriage (Dickens 104).  This quote discusses Darnay's honesty.  The fact that he is upfront with Dr. Manette and is willing to tell him the truth, even if it makes the doctor deny him as the right man for his daughter, shows that he is very truthful.  He clearly doesn't let himself weave webs of lies.  He would rather be honest even if it gets him into trouble, however in this situation it proved to be benevolent.  I placed this quote on his eye because the eyes are said to be the windows to the soul, and being the honest man he is, he has very clear windows to his soul, as he has no secrets.  Finally, he says," Dear Doctor Manette, I love your daughter fondly, dearly, disinterestedly, devotedly. If ever there were love in the world, I love her"(Dickens 101).  This evidence tells the reader that Darnay is a loving person.  He talks about Lucie in such a raw and fervent way, which leads one to believe that he is affectionate, and fully devotes himself to the people he holds dear to his heart.  I placed this quote on his heart because, although it's not biologically accurate, the heart is where one does their loving.  The flowers in his haand also represent how affectionate he is, as flowers are common symbols for love.  The traits of sensibility, honesty, and love evidently compose Darnay's moral character.

Light/Dark Analysis

          In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses light and dark to set a hopeful tone for Dr. Manette and his daughter Lucie's relationship.  Primarily, Dickens writes,"His cold white head mingled with her radiant hair, which warmed and lighted it as though it were the light of freedom shining on him", revealing to the audience that Lucie, represented by her hair, will be the light for her father (Dickens 34).  He has been imprisoned for almost 18 years, so to him, she means freedom.  He no longer has to lead a lonely life of darkness, which definitely puts some bit of hope in him.  In addition, Dickens writes,"The darkness deepened and deepened, as they both lay quiet, until a light gleamed through the chinks in the wall", where their darkness represents their lives before meeting and their light represents each other (Dickens 36).  The way the light appears in the shadowy room is similar to the way this father-daughter duo changes each other's lives in the sense that they both bring hope to a seemingly hopeless situation.  Finally, Dickens says,"Under the over-swinging lamps--swinging ever brighter in the better streets, and ever dimmer in the worse..."(Dickens 37).  This quote helps set the tone for their relationship because it discusses how there is more "light", or hope, in the better "streets", or times in their lives.  This means that they will probably experience bad times together, but the hope that they provide for each other will get them through it.  This supports the idea that they are both the light for one another, and they make each other's lives more hopeful.  The recurring idea of light and dark sets a hopeful tone for Lucie and Dr. Manette's relationship.

The Wine-Shop and Foreshadowing

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
"The Wine-shop"

          If you've read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, you will most likely recognize the scene illustrated above as "The Wine-shop" (Chapter 5).  My illustration of this famous scene is from the perspective of a citizen who is passing through the center of action.  The language, vocabulary, and detail used to depict the scene foreshadow what is to happen in later chapters of the book. "The Wine-shop" contains a great deal of foreshadowing about the French Revolution and the blood and violence that it entails.  Dickens states,"Some men kneeled down, made scoops of their two hands joined, and sipped...others made small mud embankments, to stem the wine as it ran"(Dickens 21), meaning some people drank and enjoyed the wine, while others made efforts to stop its flowing. This foreshadows that people will act in a similar manner during the Revolution. Some people will fight and support the violence, while others will attempt to cease it. In addition, Dickens writes,"Those who had been greedy with the staves of the cask, had acquired a tigerish smear about the mouth"(Dickens 21).  This quote foreshadows how citizens will be affected by the Revolution, based on their actions.  He who acts gluttonous with violence will be the one who tarnishes his reputation and leaves a permanent scar on his name.  Finally, Dickens says,"The time was to come, when that wine [blood] would too be spilled on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red upon the many there"(Dickens 22), foreshadowing how violence will soon break out in France.  The wine represents the blood and violence that will occur on this very street.  The ones with the "stains" of the blood will be those causing and encouraging the brutality.  Foreshadowing plays a strong role in this chapter.

The Importance of Family

          Family. What does it mean to you? If you ask me, I would say they are the group of people that love you the most and care about you so much that they never leave your side. The function of family is to be there when nobody else is. They are the people that know you so well that they will love you no matter what. A family is a circle of strength, love, and compassion. Your family is not limited to your parents and siblings, but extends far further than that. So many families have step-parents, half-siblings, adopted siblings, and much more, but they don’t love each other any less than the next family. This just goes to show how family doesn’t have to be limited to your blood relatives. It doesn’t have to be limited to the people you share DNA with, or even the people you share a home with. It just has to be the people that you love and that love you. Now, this may be the polar opposite of your definition, which is okay, but think we can all agree on one thing- family has importance. There’s a reason they stick together and that reason is love. There are two pieces of literature that really speak to me about family; Stone Soup by Barbara Kingsolver and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.

            In the essay Stone Soup, Kingsolver says, “Arguing about whether nontraditional families deserve pity or tolerance is a little like the medieval debate about left-handedness as a mark of the devil. Divorce, remarriage, single parenthood, gay parents and blended families simply are. They’re facts of our time” (Kingsolver 16). I agree with her view because these are things that aren't an opinion or a choice. They are bound to happen. There is no preventing it and there is no hiding it- these things happen. They should be tolerated for said reason. Whether a family is a "good" one or not is not determined upon who is in it, or what "type" of family it is. It depends on love. A family can be "broken" from society's perpective, but with love can be more wholesome than your so-called "ordinary" family.  Kingsolver also writes, “If there is a normal for humans, at all, I expect it looks like two or three Families of Dolls, connected variously by kinship and passion, shuffled like cards and strewn over several shoeboxes” (Kingsolver 24). Here, she references her paper doll family she used to play with when she was young. What she’s saying speaks to me. She perfectly explains the reason why a “normal” family doesn't exist. The idea that we all have in our heads of this cookie-cutter family of 4 is not very common. The truth is, many families have a twist, something that makes them different and special. It doesn't make the bond they have any less special, and it is so important to remember that. We shouldn't pity families different from our own because different doesn't mean broken- it means special. Each type of family can have just as much love as the next, and we need to recognize that.

            In the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Smith writes, “She [Sissy] listened to everybody’s troubles but no one listened to hers. But that was right because Sissy was a giver and never a taker” (Smith 101). This quote shows how people take different positions in family, and in this family, Sissy is the compassionate and selfless one who loves her family more than anything else in the world. Her family life hasn’t always been perfect, but nevertheless, she pours her unconditional love over her family. We also see an example of the importance of family when Neeley and Francie are discussing baby Laurie’s future. Neeley says, “Laurie’s going to have a mighty easy life all right.” Francie then responds, “Annie Laurie McShane! She’ll never have the hard times we had will she?” Neeley answers, “No. And she’ll never have the fun we had, either” (Smith 472). Francie and her brother have been through countless struggles together, including the poverty of their family and their father’s death, but the moments that they now remember the best are all of the good times they had growing up. They have had a good childhoods because they had their family with them. They do not have a typical family. Their father has passed away, and their mother remarried a man by the name of McShane. Although the children agree that no one will ever replace their father, they love and respect McShane. They trust him to help raise their little sister and provide for their family. Not to mention, a good portion of the time their Aunt Sissy was around to help them and almost act as a second mother to them. Their love spreads far beyond their immediate family. Even when something unfortunate happened, their loved ones were always there to guide and comfort them, which is the true function of family

            I suppose all I’m trying to say is that family is important. Their purpose is to love you, help you, and hopefully do it right so that you will grow up to do the same to your family. We must always remember the importance of family, because life without them would be very difficult and lonesome. In closing, be sure to always let your family know how much you love them. It's love that strengthens the bond.

          

This is dedicated to my family. I love you all.

XOXO -Amy