Anna Holt
9 English
Mr. Sasich
May 6th, 2009

Goodbye and Hello:
An Essay On Departure

There is nothing quite like goodbye. Its ambiguity is troubling, yet the finality that it carries seems straightforward. The interpretations of parting vary from the hazy (FAST) opinions of Emily Dickinson to the simple thoughts of Naomi Shihab Nye to the lost confusion of a teenage girl. However, it seems to be a universal belief that sometimes the power of absence is astounding. Parting leaves a lasting effect. It "glimmers."

Perhaps the greatest question is not what a goodbye is, but what it means. According to Emily Dickinson, a goodbye is both a blessing and a curse, a mystery that can be bundled up into a word as simple as "adios." The look in your eye as you say goodbye to a section of your life speaks volumes. However the text that this look creates is foreign, confusing. A goodbye is "all we know of heaven, and all we need of hell." It is a sour grape or a bittersweet apple, subjectively enjoyable and potentially unpleasant. Dickinson portrays this message by relating the parting we face in life to the ultimate goodbye of death itself. "My life closed twice before its close," she says, referring to previous endings she had encountered as miniature replicas of death. She does not try to predict any other closings she might experience in her life, or what these endings may mean, or even whether her past goodbyes have been heaven sent angels or hell driven monsters. Endings are a mystery too "hopeless to conceive." Parting is a riddle, and there are no answers for the questions it presents until it greets us like an unexpected storm or a long lost friend back for a summer time visit.

Naomi Shihab Nye's poem "Adios," speak about the benefits of such a puzzle. She describes parting as the most powerful means of appreciation and acknowledgement. The things that disappear are the things that warm our hands on cold autumn days, the things that "bring[] tears into [our] eyes;" tears that cascade beautifully down our faces as we remember a part of life that is now gone. She implies that perhaps, as difficult as it is to admit to ourselves, goodbye is the most beautiful word in the world. It is our goodbyes that transform the world into a place of freedom, a place we can test the unknown without a care, "letting everything, easily, go." By allowing us to say goodbye, parting lets us live.

My life thus far has had few endings, few goodbyes, and none grand enough to be related to death. My life has been steady; one strong family, one unchanging home, one consistent street, one small town. And (purposeful incorrect use of "and") one cherished (FAST), simple school nestled in between the pine trees and shrubbery of Barnes Road. My first goodbye is before me, looming closer with every passing moment. The ship of time that will carry me to the next chapter of my life becomes clearer each day as it sails towards me, emerging like a giant from a once-foggy landscape. The goodbye that I will soon face has, until very recently, looked distant and clouded. However now it follows me, an inevitable part of my near future. I will soon meet my dreaded close.

Sooner or later, for better or for worst, goodbye will come. (Periodic Sentence) We will be forced to let go of hand we once held, the fear we once fought, the song we once sung. (Loose Sentence) We will save these things away, folded memories kept in the back of our minds for a rainy day. We will have the strength to say goodnight to the past, to look at tomorrow with courage, with freedom, and with strength.

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Self Assessment

What I like about this essay is that it is personal. Everything I said was honest and true, particularly my paragraph about leaving Pine Point. One thing I'm concerned about is my vagueness. I think some of my ideas could have been a little more specific. I also hope my organization was okay. I hope my chunks were well developed and straightforward. In a way, i also wish this essay was a little bit longer. I feel like i have a lot to say on this topic and that maybe i crammed too much description into one essay. I would give myself an A- on this essay.