Four essays

Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner-Winter
10-09-07
Essay
In class today we were talking about the essay The Rake: A few scenes from my childhood. We talked about several things we saw in the essay and how they could relate to us. We were supposed to pick one topic and tell how it affected us or how we viewed it in the story. The topic I chose was blood.

When I think about blood, I think about bad times in my life or I think of pain. As in the story, you see blood when he hits his sister. She is bleeding all over everything from her the wound he caused her to have. Blood is not a good thing or having to give blood. Blood relates to me because my family has had quite a few health problems and the doctors always have to draw blood. When my sister was three she was diagnosed with JRA. It is a form of arthritis and because she has this disease they have had to draw blood from her every three months. I have been to almost every one of these appointments and to this day I cannot watch it. It was so bad one time I almost passed out.

My father has always been sick too. He has had to get his blood drawn quite a bit too. Blood just does not sit well with me. I cannot stand to see it much less watch someone have it drawn out of them or me. I go into panic mode when it is time for them to take blood from me. I try and do everything I can to avoid it at all cost. Some people may think my fear is silly, but if you could have seen what I saw my sister goes through you would understand.


DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner- Winter
10-09-07
Essay
Another assignment from the same essay was to choose a scene in which we had a certain response to from our own lives or from the story. I chose funerals. In the story, they are at the mother’s funeral. When I read about this section it made me sad for the family because I know how painful it is to lose people you love. As just about everyone would I imagine.

The first funeral I remember that really affected me was my great grandfather’s. I was close with him and I loved him very much. I remember I cried a lot. I was so sad for my loss, but also for my grandpa and my mom. I remember my Uncle Chuck saying this really long heartfelt prayer. That has stuck with me ever since.

About two years ago, I knew five people that died all in the same year. I went to so many funerals that year it was sickening. The first being my great aunt and the next to last being my good friend Amy. That one really hit me hard. She was only eighteen years old and had so much in front of her. I remember as time passed on I would think who is next. Is God trying to get me ready for someone in my immediate family to die? Is he testing me to see how far I can go till I break? These questions I still cannot answer. But all I do know is that by going to all those funerals it taught me that no matter what I have to live life to its fullest . You never know when your funeral someone you love’s will be.


DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner – Winter
10-09-07
Essay
From the story Hashish in Marseille, I chose the topic being hashish is like being in love. I found this very interesting how he compared the two. I cannot say for sure I know what he is talking about because I have never been high, but I am in love.

I can see how being in love makes you look at things differently. One would act one way and because of the “drug” he or she completely changes. I know that when I first fell in love with my boyfriend I looked at things completely different. You see the world differently as if you had a new pair of glasses on. I know that I definitely saw things with a new pair of glasses on.

One thinks of someone else before himself. You take their feelings and thoughts into consideration before you make certain judgment calls. In a way, you become a better person. You become more compassionate and more thoughtful. Even when that lovey dovey feeling goes away, the love is still there. Your actions may even change a bit more after that too. But no matter what you will always be changed by that experience. I know I was and still am. I have seen what love can do and how love can stand the test of time. My grandparents just celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary this year. Yes, love does change you and makes you see things differently, but it is so worth it.

DeFilippo 1
Christina DeFilippo
Wendy Sumner – Winter
10-09-07
Essay
I chose to talk about the dwarf and how appearances are good in some ways and bad in others. This comes from the story Street Haunting. Like the dwarf, we all have things we are self conscious about. She was about her height; I am about my weight and height. But when she took her shoes off and everyone could see the appearance of how beautiful her feet were she was like a different person.

Appearances about yourself and how other people view you are very important and very complex. A lot of people make assumptions based on appearance. Like by color, gender, weight, age, and etc. This really is not fair. No one can really know someone based on their appearance. You can get clues about that person but you can never really know that person. Like I am sure you would not think that I would be self conscious about my height, but I am. I feel short compared to a lot of people. It is especially hard for me, because I was always the tall person when I was in elementary school. It was like one day I just stopped growing. It has always been hard for me to accept that I am not tall anymore.

But like the dwarf, as soon as she went into the world again she went back to being a dwarf. Not to being the beautiful woman she was. Because she was short people made assumptions about her, as we all do. Just remember you do not like people basing their opinions on you based only on your appearance. Let’s try to do the same for others.