carolines essay

Caroline Burlingham

H. Salsich

English

April 27, 2009

Kindness:

An Essay on One Poem, One Story, and My Personal Life

1) All over the world, people speak of kindness. 2) Our everyday sayings use kindness to send a message, such as, “Kill them with Kindness,” or, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” 3) This being said, kindness is everywhere, in our minds, our hearts, our expressions, and our words (Tetracolon Climax). 4) When we cannot say how we feel, we write it down. 5) Kindness is found in both a fictional world, such as the story “Winter Dreams,” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as the real world, represented in the poem “Kindness,” by Naomi Shihab Nye and my life.

TS) “Before you know what kindness really is / you must loose things,” is the very first line of Nye’s poem, which states that kindness is a mystery. SD) When Nye wrote this poem, she was in Colombia, which is where she discovered that kindness is always there, even if you don’t know where “there” is. CM) Her poem tells us of the death, poverty, and most of all, emptiness that she saw, but what we dont know is the cause that he died for, or the love that the people felt inside. CM) Perhaps the kindness is located within, unable to be seen or heard, just felt. SD) Nye believes that “It is only kindness that makes sense anymore.” CM) Everyone has felt anonymous and censured (2 SAT WORDS) at least once in their life and knows how much it hurts, so why put others through the same? CM) Love, anger, confusion, and sadness are all complicated, but kindness is simple and direct. CS) No one knows kindness. CS2) It’s always hidden but whether it’s in the eye of a dying man, or the smile of a school girl in love, its always there by your side, “Like a shadow or a friend.”

TS) F. Scott Fitzgerald, however, cannot agree or disagree with Nye’s words of wisdom, considering his story, “Winter Dreams,” is different and similar to Nye’s poem in many ways (Loose Sentence). SD) One quote in her poem reminded me of the protagonist, Dexter Green, in Fitzgerald’s story, stating, “Feel the future dissolve in a moment.” CM) This simple quote reminded me of one of the theme in Dexter’s life; loss. CM) Dexter, throughout his life, suffered a lack of self-kindness; Dexter threw his promising future away. CM) His life “dissolved in a moment.” SD) Later in the story when he recognizes his situation, Dexter says, “Long ago, [] long ago, there was something in me, but now that thing is gone.” CM) I feel that Dexter would now agree with Ms. Nye about kindness being all that is good. CM) He has now felt loss and pain so incredibly deleterious (FAST) that it is all he has left. CM) Dexter Green has survived losing the love of his life, a marriage, job loss, the return of his love, and having to say no, but it is lack of kindness from a co-worker that puts him over the edge. CS) For Dexter, kindness is not a mystery, and he, unlike Nye, doesn’t look for it; he depends on it.

TS) My life, like any other teenager, is complicated and stressful; there isn't time to deal with uncaring people. SD) I can remember times in my life when I gave a lack of kindness, like Dexter Green, one of which took place in New York City. CM) When I think of the city, taxies, buildings, and shopping come to mind, but what I forget is the suffering. CM) Once, a homeless man, old and weak, yet strongly determined, asked me for a dollar (Appositive). CM) At the time, I was selfish and said no; I didn’t need that dollar as much as he did, and I fully regret my uncaring decision. SD) On the other hand, I have “found” kindness from this experience after looking, just like Nye. CM) Ever since that thoughtless decision, I have tried to help the less fortunate as much as possible. CM) That old man carried kindness within him even if he was unaware of it, for it was him that taught me the lesson of giving at no cost but his own. CS) I agree with Nye, kindness is a mystery, but I only know this through experiences like Dexter’s.

1) Kindness is everywhere. 2) It’s sometime hidden or not where you would expect it to be, but it is there. 3) For Nye, it was in “the deepest thing inside,” for F. Scott Fitzgerald, it’s hidden among the decisions we make, and for myself, it’s in our mistakes. 4) Kindness is often a tangible item, a feeling, or an action, which proves that it is not only everywhere, but also in everything.

Note: extra CM’s and CS’s were used purposefully

SELF ASSESMENT

What are your strengths in this essay?

Personally, I really like the theme I picked for the two writings and my life. I think the reason I like “kindness is everywhere” is because I believe it and never really thought about it until now.

What would you change?

I wish we didn’t have to do the formula for this essay. I had a lot to say and I couldn’t fit it into just two CMs. I wish we had the option of the formula.

What are problems you continue to have?

Again, I always have trouble with small errors and silly mistakes. For some reason I don’t see them when I read my essays through.

What grade would you give yourself?

B+