Jade
Mr. Salsich
English 9
4/25/11
Introduction
Dear reader,
This is a multi genre essay based on my thoughts on strength of spirit. Whether displayed in literature or found in real life, strength of spirit is omnipresent. In the book A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens, Sydney Carton displays strength of spirit throughout the entire novel. As we learned of what Carton believed in and cared about, his strength of spirit was revealed to us. In the end, Carton died for what he believed in, showing how much strength he really had. On the other hand, in the book Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, Caesar contradicts his strength of spirit. He made a point of remaining firm with his decision to stay home with his wife, much to her consolation. However, as soon as he heard news that appeased his power hungry thoughts, he changed his mind, regardless of his wife's dream. To me, however, strength of spirit depends on both what you believe in and what you do. Our spirit is what we stand for, what makes us unique. When I believe in something, I try to support it as much as I can. It is these beliefs and our involvement in them that make strength of spirit what it is, as well as how important it is to our development.
Sincerely,
Jade
~~~
I have eyes,
that can see the wrong you have done.
I have ears,
that can hear the sickness in your tone when you shout.
I have a voice,
that has stayed silent until today.
Forgive me if I falter,
if my words are weak from disuse.
But believe me,
they are just as strong as your shouts.
I have a brain,
that is smarter than yours.
I have a mind,
that is more intellectual than yours.
I have a spirit,
that is stronger than yours,
but hasn't been able to speak until today.
Every crushing blow to the heart,
every degrading name,
has only made me stronger,
has only made my spirit flare with anger.
And here you stand,
yelling like a banshee,
saying I have changed,
and I have.
And finally I stand,
having heard enough of your nonsense,
and speak quietly but clearly.
I tell you that I've had enough,
that I'm stronger than you seem to think.
And I give you one chance,
to change your ways,
but like the stubborn mule you are,
you tell me how wrong I am.
As if I am a child,
who doesn't know better.
And I smile sadly,
and turn my back,
and never look back.
~~~
Advertisement I am selling strength of spirit to the highest bidder! That's right, you heard me, the highest bidder. This has never been done before and it's a once and a life time chance. Before today strength of spirit was hard to acquire and hard to maintain, but now it's easy and virtually painless! Just drink a bottle of my potion and you'll be feeling integrity and courage rushing through your veins in no time. So come on down and buy a bottle of my strength of spirit today!
~~~
Recipe for Strength of Spirit Cake
Ingredients:
Two cups of integrity
One cup of courage
Two honesty eggs
One teaspoon of dignity (not too much!)
A pinch of anger
A dash of passion
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Take a large bowl and mix together your integrity and courage first. Make sure you mix these evenly, for they need to be in balance to work well together. Next, add your two honesty eggs and mix well. This will be the glue that holds your cake together. Without honesty, courage and integrity cannot hold themselves together. Now you can add a teaspoon of dignity. Though this is important to your cake, too much will spoil it. Your last two ingredients are the most important, but the most dangerous. Your passion will come first, you can choose how much you want, but the more passion you have the more anger you will have too. Once all of your ingredients are well mixed take a baking pan and poor your strength of spirit batter inside. Place this into the oven and let it bake for about half an hour. Once this is done cooking set it aside to cool. However remember this: the fresher your strength of spirit cake is, the more strong it will be. Each ingredient will be much more potent when fresh, especially the passion. On the other hand, if left out for too long your cake will be stale and weak flavored. Once your cake is the perfect temperature cut and enjoy with friends.
~~~
Short Story
This is the story of one family that lives in one house, in one neighborhood, in one city, in one state, in one county on this one Earth. Every day the mother of this family goes to work, and every day the son and daughter of this family go to school, and every day the cat and dog of this family roam the streets. And while these members of this family are busy with their suburban days, the last member is out fighting for their county. Every night the mother comes home with a smile on her face, though it is not true, and every night the children do the same. With lonely eyes and false laughter they talk over diner, talk about things they did and people they saw. And every night in bed they talk of the one who is not there. A lonely wife goes to work, lonely children play at school, lonely pets drag their feet, all waiting for the arrival for the one person who is missing. Half way across the world a lonely father fights for his family. Oh but how it makes them stronger, to know the extent of their love. For when the plane lands and the front door opens, this family is whole again. And the wife sings again, and the children dance again, and the dog wags his tale while the cat meows in glee again. And the wounds are healed until next time. This is the story of one family, like so many others, that live in one house, in one neighborhood, in one city, in one state, in one county, on this one Earth, who, like so many others, have strength beyond measure in their spirits.
