Caroline Burlingham

Mr. Salsich

Honors English

April 20, 2009

Sentimental Feelings:

An Essay on the Sentiment of Two Poems and a Short Story

 

1) There are over 6,902,689,844 human beings living on this planet, and every single one is unique and different. 2) Some of us are heroes, some of us are villains, but we all care for something. 3) I have read three works of literature today, all of which are sentimental, but what does that mean? 4) Naomi Shihab Nye, Katherine Mansfield, and Emily Dickenson all write a message of sentimental feelings into their writings, but none of them agree on a constant definition.

TS) In Ms. Nye’s poem, “The Traveling Onion,” I found the definition of “sentimental” to be “Having an excess of sentiment or sensibility.” SD) Caring is one thing, but what Ms. Nye is writing is almost too much. CM) When describing her thoughts about onions, she said, “When I think how far the onion has traveled / just to enter my stew today, I could kneel and praise,” which, in real life, would never happen. CM) One thing Nye does is get her point across; from this poem, we have learned that, in her opinion, even the most unrecognized of things deserve compassion (SAT WORD). SD) Perhaps Ms. Nye uses the onion as a symbol or representation for something greater. CM) The thing about sentiment is that it isn’t limited, which may be why Nye chose an onion. CM) This vegetable may stand for a person, and idea, a journey, or even a memory or object and how it has traveled both figuratively and literally over the years. CS) Great things come in small packages, but much like a bomb they can explode when there is, “An excess of sentiment.”

TS) This being said, even the perfect amount of sensibility isn’t necessarily a good thing. SD) In “The Garden Party” by Katherine Mansfield, the characters seem to think that showing kindness to a different social group is a bad thing. CM) Laura, young and innocent, thought of nothing but the tragedy people faced during their garden party (Appositive), but it only got her in trouble. CM) I wouldn’t say her sister was being villainous by yelling at Laura, just inconsiderate. SD) In the end of this story, Laura begins to see sensibility in a negative way as well, but for a different reason. CM) Laura, standing over a man’s dead body, realized that death is almost aesthetic. (Participle and FAST) CM) All these years she had appreciated life, but only because she didn’t know the stress and baggage it carried. CS) Mansfield tells us that its ok to show that you care, but only if you are caring for the right reasons, and for the right thing.

TS) On the other hand, some people don’t know why they care for the things they do, such as Emily Dickinson wrote into her poem, “I’m Nobody.” SD) Another definition I found for the word “sentimental” that goes perfectly with Dickinson’s poem is, “Resulting from feeling rather than reason or thought.” CM) In this poem, Dickinson doesn’t seem to know whom she is talking to, yet she cares about their well-being. CM) She doesn’t seem to be thinking about what she is saying, but you can tell she is being sincere. SD) In the very first line she tells the reader how she feels, “I’m nobody.” CM) Of course, in real life, she was “somebody”, but this poem is about feelings, not fact. CM) This poem appeals to the reader in a way that they can relate to, because I know that I have felt the same way. CS) At some point in Dickinson’s life, she, feeling down and alone, was able to still cheer up another with a smile, which is a difficult task (Participle).

1) Like most heroes, these characters and writers didn’t know the people they were “saving” by being sentimental. 2) Nye had no idea that an onion could do so much, yet she acknowledged it, just like Laura in Mansfield’s story when she brought the unknown family a basket of food. 3) Similarly, Dickinson doesn’t know who she’s talking to, and still, she’s sentimental. 4) All of these writers, heroic and villainous, have created their own definition of being “sentimental,” and though they are all different, their writings have the same messages and morals (Appositive). 5) Whether you’re an onion, a low-income family, or if you are unsure of your own identity, everyone deserves to be cared for.