Anna Essay

December 4, 2008
Mr. Salsich
Anna Holt
English 9

The Life Task and a Light Chain
A Reflection to a Passage


When we enter the world, we are fresh and bright in the newness of existence. We are naive, oblivious to any rules that fate might hold. As we embark upon the journey of life, no one can inform us of real regulations, of instructions, of requirements that we must fulfill, (Purposeful Rep) however somewhere along the line, we are expected to discover certain things for ourselves. We are expected to interact, to mingle, to escape solitude, and we have but a few fleeting years to do so.

In the words of a ghost, “It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide.” Perhaps Marley’s visit is a warning to Scrooge. He is telling his partner that we all must “wear the chain[s] we [forge] in life,” that it is the same link which we will carry with us for all eternity. He is conveying the message that we must be proactive in life, and that true success can only come from kindness, from friends, from interactions with others. Perhaps the most difficult thing about completing this life assignment is realizing that it exists. As Scrooge sits locked away in his shop, he is like a newborn child, unaware of the task that awaits him. His mere being exudes ignorance to the things he must do. The ghost’s visit is something that Scrooge must heed, a final warning, a last chance, an advantage that the rest of us do not have; he must take action.

It is said that we are all born equal. We are each given the same chance to create a light chain, to be free in death. However some of us can not learn to be kind people without a helping hand. Marley’s visit should have been an alarm, setting off alerts in Scrooge’s heart that he does not have much time left to free himself of the weights he has created. Goodness will find Scrooge, but first, Scrooge must look within to find his own goodness. (Chiasmus)