SaNaya's Poetry Blog

Dear Ms. Langley,

These second six weeks have definitely been a short and quick one. For choice reading, I have been reading The Incidents of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs. I have not been able to complete my choice reading book these six weeks, which is something I regret. I have really been enjoying reading Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine. I have been challenging myself to take detailed annotations as I read, using sticky notes to jot down ideas and thoughts within my book. On my sticky notes, I collect topics similar to those we have discussed in class, such as, emerging themes, writing styles, questions that I develop, and specific quotes that I find intriguing or thought-provoking. I feel that it would be better to prepare ahead of time in order to be set for when we write our essay on the book. In the area of writing, specifically my assertions, I felt strong and confident. When writing our assertion on the mentors, I chose Jason Reynolds and I loved his commencement speech. Having the option to choose someone we could connect to and found interest in, it allowed me to really feel comfortable and excited when writing about his speech. I enjoyed it and really felt passionate about it as it was my first time ever hearing him publicly speak. When writing the assertion, I truly spent time in my annotation to make specific connections and to have a thought out analysis already prepared to be able to create my assertion more effectively. Here is a link to my assertion and annotations: Jason Reynolds’s 2018 Lesley University Commencement Speech. As I am going through this semester, I am noticing that I am continuously growing as a better reader, writer, and student in general. Despite the circumstances, I am learning to adapt to the changes and still challenge myself to get my education and complete my assignments. The learning goals that I created at the beginning of the year, I believe that I have reached many and am still improving as well. In the area of reading, I have not increased or quite reached the reading goal that I want to be at yet. Next six weeks I want to truly reach my goal, and reach the overall class goal of reading two books per six weeks. In the area or witing, I think that I am doing well and I am truly continuing to grow as a writer. For critical thinking and being an effective student, I am constantly pushing myself to speak up within our cohort groups and in full class discussions. I have been a more efficient student with the work that I turned in. Next six weeks, I hope to work even harder and improve more.

Thank you, 

SaNaya White

Jason Reynolds, an American author of novels and poetry for young adults, delivered a commencement address for the graduates of Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 19, 2018. Although the speech was addressed directly to the graduates of Lesley University, the message is still relevant and applies to all individuals. Mr. Reynolds spoke on the importance of not achieving success on your own, but rather uplifting and empowering others so that everyone may succeed unitedly. To present this idea, Mr. Reynolds opened up his speech with traditional ideas and phrases that most people have been exposed to and can relate to, such as the common cliche, “Get out there, spread your wings, and change the world.” He uses this quote to summarize the messages of all commencement speeches that an individual has heard starting from elementary school. Mr. Reynolds reiterates that the speech he is going to give will also be based on that common cliche. What the audience does not yet know, is that this cliche will potentially be taken and transformed to represent an entirely alternate meaning. 

To provide the audience with a visual perspective on a situation that will later turn into a comparison, Mr. Reynolds uses an anecdote. The anecdote circulates a class fish, Confucius, that the students were specifically told by their teacher Mr. Williams, not to touch under any circumstances or suspension would be the punishment. Mr. Reynolds tells the audience, “But about a month into Confucius’s residency, just after its daily feeding, Mr. Williams casually walked over to the tank and, using a net, removed the fish and set it on the floor. It flipped and flopped and flapped, gasping, inflating, deflating, dying in front of us. We gathered around to watch it, mortified, afraid, confused, until finally two young ladies shuffled into the circle, scooped Confucius up like a live grenade, and tossed the fish back into the tank.” Mr. Reynolds’ use of detail and specific word choice when telling the story allows the audience to visually imagine the situation occurring. The class watches the fish die as he is set on the ground, gasping for water as the air fills his lungs. Two females within the class break the silence, and quickly rush to pick up and save the fish. In response to this, the teacher, Mr. Williams, tells the two students to pack their belongings as they are being suspended for breaking the rule about not touching the fish. The two female students are upset and their classmates become confused. Mr. Williams tells the girl, “Pick your heads up. You have no reason to hang them because you, in fact, did the right thing. But sometimes doing the right thing has consequences.” This idea opens the audience up to the true message as Mr. Reynolds begins to make connections. 

Later through his speech, he refers back to the common quote about spreading your wings. Mr. Reynolds addresses that not everyone is privileged enough to have wings and relates a less privileged person to the fish that struggled and needed help in order to carry on with life. The students who stood and watched as the fish was dying related to individuals with opportunity, and who have the privilege to sore and spread their wings. After these comparisons, Mr. Reynolds discourages using your wings to fly above the world, high enough to lose sight of those who are unable to fly in general. He stated, “…spread your wings, those broad wings you’ve been developing — the ones you’ve been fortunate enough to be reminded of over and over again — spread them as widely as possible, and in every direction, and ask if anyone else could use a feather or two. Maybe then, more of us might also have a moment to say, ​We made it.”  This quote is Mr. Reynolds’ final quote of his speech and nicely ties together his message. Mr. Reynolds wrote this speech to encourage the graduates to use their wings that they’ve been fortunate enough to have, such as their diplomas. Rather than go into the world focusing only on themselves and how high they can fly above it all, they should use their wings, their gifts, to make the world better by offering those who are less fortunate a feather, so that everyone may succeed together. 

The purpose of rapper Killer Mike’s speech was to encourage protesters to stay calm and advise them to take a more strategic approach to respond to racial injustice and police brutality than rioting. This message is presented as Mr. Mike states, “So, I’m duty bound to be here to simply say that it is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy. It is your duty to fortify your own house so that you may be a house of refuge in times of organization.” This statement demonstrates his advice to protesters to respond to the injustice of law enforcement by building up their homes to organize and support each other, rather than burning and tearing them down out of rage. He elaborates on this by stating that it is their duty, iterating that it is their obligation to resort to other ways of protest than rioting. Following in his speech, Mr. Mike expresses, “What I can tell you is that if you sit in your homes tonight instead of burning your home to the ground, you will have time to properly plot, plan, strategize, and organize and mobilize in an effective way.” Mr. Mike speaks to the protesters and informs them that burning their homes through rioting will not be as effective as staying home and taking the time to strategize a plan that is guaranteed to produce effectiveness. Mr. Mike uses assertiveness throughout his speech and expresses it within this quote to portray that he strongly believes that it is a better alternative. In conclusion, through his usage of a powerful tone, and continuous reiteration of advice on how to take a different approach to the police brutality, Mr. Mike demonstrates his purpose. Mr. Mike vocalized this speech, aiming it at the people of Atlanta during the time of the uprising, to provide them with a sense of hope, and an option to strategize and plan as opposed to rioting.

I am extremely excited about Halloween this year. I enjoy the holiday itself, and I adore the candy even more. I usually go out with friends or family; together we celebrate while examining the costumes of others. Although Covid leaves unsureness about this year, I still plan on trying to safely make the most out of it. I hope this year I am able to participate in the festivities as long as everyone practices safety procedures.

Dear Ms. Langley,

As an English student, these first few weeks have been engaging, informative, as well as progressive for me. The grade that I gave myself during our self-evaluation was 95. I am proud of myself as I believe that I have exemplified achievement as I have put meaningful thought and effort into the work that I have turned in these past few weeks. I feel that I have challenged myself more and am working harder to become a better reader and writer. 

As a reader, I feel that I have grown stronger, but I also feel that this is the area that I can improve on in the future. I believe that it is important to recognize my strongest points and my weakest both for you as well as myself, to identify how I can become a more advanced student in general. Before the start of the first six weeks, I was not strong in the area of reading as I only occasionally picked up a book. I found it difficult to find time to incorporate reading into my schedule. I also struggled with picking a book that I enjoyed and would keep my interest. During these six weeks, I chose a book that I found interesting. The book was Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodman, and I made personal connections to it as I read. I deeply thought about the book and analyzed the style of writing that the author used. I found more time to read as I truly tried to spend 15 minutes every day before school started on reading. This is why I gave myself a 95 rather than a 100 because although my goal was to read every day, I did not accomplish that but I did get further than I thought I would. I read in the mornings on the days that I did not have band class, and surprised myself as I found that I was enjoying and becoming more engaged in my book, leading to the formation of positive associations with reading.

As a writer, I felt very confident in this area and feel that my knowledge of writing has expanded. I believe that the pieces that I wrote, such as my assertion, were strong, and well constructed. When writing, I referred back to the rubric to make sure that my piece could be as powerful and supportive as I could possibly make it. I enjoy writing as I find it to be a way to express myself. When combining reading and writing, for example, in the text we were given to read and annotate, I read deeply and put precision into my analysis. My notes and annotations portrayed deep thinking and criticism of the text. In addition to this, I use my notebook to take notes on the in-class notes and discussions that we have. When I see examples of styles of writing that I find interesting, I place them within my notebook to refer back to in case I want to try them in a literary piece. Some challenges that I have faced in terms of writing include time management and learning to plan successfully before writing as well as keeping track of how long some pieces take me to write. I need to address this in order to prepare for timed pieces that we will have in the future. 

My learning reflects my growth positively in the areas that I set for myself within my Learning Goals and Behaviors sheet. My learning has allowed me to reach many of the goals I had set for myself on various topics. On the topic of critical thinking, my goal was set to contribute to discussions as well as address and build on the ideas of others. I believe that my learning positively reflected these goals as I reach them both during full class and breakout room discussions. In the area of being an effective student, my goals included being more organized with the scheduling and management of assignments. I improved in this area although it consisted of trial and error. In the beginning, to manage my schedule, I originally downloaded an app to plan and be more persistent with assignments, but I discovered that this did not work for me. In response to this, rather than give up and not have a plan at all, I discovered that physically writing out my schedule was most effective for me. I now write out and organize each of my classes along with the assignments due for them individually, and this contributed to me reaching my goal of becoming a more organized student and turning my assignments in on time.

My learning reflects how I have demonstrated original thinking about complex ideas positively as well, and with a sign of increase. I now take complex ideas and push myself to truly think about them and understand them. If I do not understand something, rather than keep it to myself, I project and announce my opinion by asking questions to either you or my peers in order to gain a better understanding of something that I am struggling with. These six weeks, I have challenged myself to use more elaborate analysis and apply it to complex ideas. I am proud of myself for the fact that my learning reflects that I do not give up when I come across a complex idea, instead, I acknowledge and think through it. This reflection of learning can be seen through my annotations on the mentor text that we are given as well as through the responsive contributions I make in-class to either a peer or to you when we are given a question to respond to or something to reflect and comment on.

As I develop and practice my habits as a student so far, I am gaining more understanding and improving within and outside of each class. I am becoming a more responsible student as not only myself but also my fellow cohort peers hold my accountable and responsible for the work that we must have completed and ready to share and discuss in class. I believe that relationship building has been going well, especially with my cohort. Between us, we each depend on each other and are able to rely on each other for support, no matter if it is on the understanding of a mentor text, or if it is to check over and share our work with each other for feedback. Amongst my class in general, I feel that an open relationship is formed as I do my best to present myself is an outgoing and open person that is willing to help. Through these first six weeks, some of my peers have contacted me for help or asked questions and we mutually help each other as we give and receive feedback to support and make our work stronger. I am glad that these relationships have been formed through this class. The last thing I want to focus on is my reflection. When reflecting, I have become better at more carefully analyzing my work, referring back to the provided rubrics (if applicable), and attempting to produce the best version of my work that there could be. When reflecting mentally wise on things such as discussions and topics, I do my best to listen to others, deeply reflect, and build off of what has been shared. I recognize the importance of reflecting and how it can make a difference in the work produced, as well as during the thought process.

I would like the next six weeks to be even better than these previous ones. I want to be able to become a better reader, writer, and English student in general. I will be sure to achieve this and build on to my previous goals by applying more pressure in finding the time to read and really being sure that I am doing my best to make time for it. I will also continue to find ways to better manage my time by asking peers about their strategies and seeing how I may be able to incorporate them into mine. Lastly, I would like to thank you, Ms. Langley, for teaching us and for working with us to better us as students. These six weeks have allowed me to exemplify and express my identity as what I believe is a strong English student that is an efficient writer and a student that can become an even better reader. I enjoy learning and realize that there are areas that I can definitely improve on and that there will always be room for improvement. 

Thank you,

SaNaya White

The story, Learning to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass conveys a relevant message to the reader that the more knowledge an individual obtains, the more power and responsibility comes with it. For example, Frederick Douglass states, “Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities. Under its influence, the tender heart became stone, and the lamb‐Iike disposition gave way to one of tiger‐like fierce‐ ness”. This quote portrays a shift in the treatment received from his mistress, as she obtains more understanding of slavery itself. In the beginning, she treated him with respect and as another human being, but once she began to accept and embrace the idea of slavery, she received more negative power and chose to use that against Mr. Douglass. Later he writes, “The reading of these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts, and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain slavery; but while they relieved me of one difficulty, they brought on another even more painful than the one of which I was relieved. The more I read, the more I was led to abhor and detest my enslavers”. After reading books that included dialog of abolition and emancipation, Mr. Douglass began to learn and take in this information. He portrays assertiveness with his choice of language as he states that an effect of him becoming more knowledgeable was that it brought him more pain rather than relief. He began to understand the situation he was in and develop new thoughts about slavery and the treatment of slaves from slave owners. In conclusion, Mr. Douglass presents the idea that more knowledge also brings more power and responsibility to the individual that receives it. He discusses specific situations in which knowledge transformed someone else, or himself throughout Learning to Read and Write.

The Pulitzer Prizes
Columbia University
709 Pulitzer Hall
2950 Broadway
New York, NY USA 10027
Email: pulitzer@pulitzer.org
Phone: (212) 854-3841
Fax: (212) 854-3342
August 28, 2020

Dear Pultizer Prize judging board, 

Colson Whitehead, the author of The Underground Railroad, wrote, “What did you get for that, for knowing the day you were born into the white man’s world? It didn’t seem like the thing to remember. More like to forget” (26). When skimmed through on the surface, these three sentences can be depicted as simple. Contrary to this, when analyzed with depth, these simple sentences transform into a well-constructed, meaningful, and powerful statement. This is what reading The Underground Railroad was like for me. When I initially decided to read this book, I was unsure how my experience would be. I was skeptical about the decision you all made on rewarding the book the Pulitzer Prize as I believed it was just another novel. Once I read The Underground Railroad, my perspective completely shifted. It is so much more than a novel, it speaks for itself. Whitehead’s use of relation to the period of the 1800s and style of writing support how well-deserving of the Pultizer Prize the book is.

To begin, The Underground Railroad is deserving of the Pulitzer Prize because of the storyline chosen by Whitehead and its similarities and differences to the actual time period. The narrative is told as a creative alternate history. It fictionally discusses the actuality of slavery including the violence and brutality, fears, lifestyle, as well as victories that were present during the 1800s. Although it was published in 2016, acknowledging the 1800s, the topics are still incredibly relevant to this day as slavery played a major role in getting us to where we are today. The novel tells the story of Cora, a female teen slave that lives on a plantation in Georgia. After no longer being mentally able to take the brutal beatings provided by the plantation owner, Cora decides to flee north alongside a fellow slave, Caesar. Whitehead writes, “White man trying to kill you slow every day, and sometimes trying to kill you fast. Why make it easy for him? That was one kind of work you could say no to” (27).  This portrays that Cora was reluctant to leave the plantation in the beginning when she was first presented the opportunity by Caesar. Cora did not want to leave the place she was born, and be hunted and killed therefore, she turned down the offer. Later in the story, Cora chooses to run, risking it all for the pursuit of freedom. Whitehead composes, “If you want to see what this nation is all about, I always say, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America” (71). This quote is mentioned the first time Cora boards the Underground Railroad. At that moment, the rails still represent freedom. This can be shown as irony as the rails later reveal false optimism as Cora’s journey brings violence and oppression. Cora and Caesar follow the Underground Railroad, which is illustrated as a rail transport system. It is unique that the author covers the actual system of black and white activists that helped enslaved people find freedom before the Civil War but in a creative way. Rather than write about the actual experience from the 19th century, Whitehead takes the metaphor and portrays it as an actual train that transports runaway slaves northward.

Although many aspects point to the fact that the novel deserves the prize, some may disagree, with valuable reasons. Some may argue that Whitehead’s writing style and character development are too detailed as they reveal the recurring theme of brutality and violation.  Whitehead writes, “She had seen men hung from trees and left for buzzards and crows. Women carved open to the bones with the cat-o’-nine-tails. Bodies alive and dead roasted on pyres. Feet cut off to prevent escape and hands cut off to stop theft. She had seen boys and girls younger than this beaten and had done nothing” (34). This exemplifies the theme of brutality and violation in-depth with detailed images of what Cora had witnessed. This may bring uneasy feelings to the audience, negatively affecting their belief on if the book deserves the award. I respectfully disagree with that perspective as the detail and precision allow the fictional story to seem strongly realistic as it is more similar to the true period of slavery in the 1800s. It is reasonable that a portion of readers may disagree with the rewarding of the prize due to the tone and mood of the book as well. Whitehead states, “If niggers were supposed to have their freedom, they wouldn’t be in chains. If the red man was supposed to keep hold of his land, it’d still be his. If the white man wasn’t destined to take this new world, he wouldn’t own it now” (82). This quote comes from Ridgeway, the slavecatcher, and portrays his conception of the “American imperative” or principle of the nation. This supports the idea that the mood is grim/distant as well as reflecting. The tone is mostly straightforward even when describing brutal violence and sensible challenges, such as the one quoted above. The audience must recognize that straightforwardness is necessary to fully grasp the meaning of this story. During the times of slavery in the US, the topic wasn’t sugar-coated, and it did happen. Whitehead elaborated and presented this sense of reality through fiction in his writing, something that an author well-deserving of the Pultizer Prize would do.

To conclude my letter, I want to reiterate that Colson Whitehead’s use of depth, comparison to the real world during the period of the 1800s, and writing style, in general, is what made The Underground Railroad as deserving as it is. To cover such a sensitive topic with the precision and thoughtfulness that Whitehead did is powerful. This novel influenced my perspective on the world and allowed me to be more grateful for the changes as well as sacrifices made to be where society is to this day. Pulitzer Prize judging board, I apologize for doubting your decision, to begin with. After reading The Underground Railroad for myself, I could not agree with your decision more. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is indubitably deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.

Sincerely, 

SaNaya White

SaNaya White
Ms. Sarah Walker
Pre-AP English II – 5th
March 13, 2020

The Poisonwood Bible: The Loss of Innocence in Children Produced by Societal Issues

The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver illustrates the journey and life of the Price family as an enthusiastic Baptist minister, Nathan Price, brings along his wife and their four children to the Congo with high hopes of enlightening the inhabitants. Nathan, his wife Orleanna, and their children, youngest being Ruth May, twins Adah and Leah, and the oldest Rachel, all living in the Congo, and managing their experience uniquely. Each individual takes something different away from their experience living in the Congo. Over time, they each grow mentally and develop new perspectives on life itself and how communities with various customs in contrast to their own are similar in ways that they did not recognize before. The Congolese people learn many new things from the Price family,  but in opposition, the Price family obtains more from the Congolese people. Specifically, the Price children are presented with many situations that alter and mature their mindsets and perspectives. In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver presents the idea that the loss of innocence can emerge in children as they are exposed to societal issues. 

During Leah’s youth, she is fond of her father Nathan, as she looks up to him as a positive, as well as an important role model and figure in her life. Leah depends on her father and wholeheartedly believes in his views. At the beginning of the narrative, Leah presents their garden, providing why it is so important to her and to her father. She allows the reader to understand that she often travels to the garden with Nathan and has biblical discussions (77). During their conversations, Leah never contradicted her father, but rather agreed and took his words to heart, altering her own thoughts and opinions because she had put so much trust into him. The garden itself represented multiple things including, the biblical state within the Price family, the tradition and culture that the family attempted to bring from their hometown, Georgia. It also represents the relationship between Leah and her father, as together, it forms a sense of “their” garden. Later, throughout the story, Leah begins to lose the admiration and faith in her father that she once had. After the death of Ruth May, Nathan responds to her passing by worrying about her unbaptized soul. Leah is appalled by her father’s reaction and she states, “My father was a simple, ugly man” (368).  Leah’s judgment of her father, a man she once idolized, has altered since the beginning of the story. Leah has developed a new perspective on her father as she now views him as, “narrow-witted and without particular dreams” (369). Due to the strong connection between her earthly father and Heavenly Father, now that she loses faith in Nathan, she also begins to lose faith in her religion. The presented issue of a lack of empathy causes Leah to lose respect for her father, enlighten her way of thinking, and shift away from her strong religious ties, differing from her character at the beginning of her journey.

Secondly, the loss of innocence developed through gratitude and gratefulness of sacrifices. When the Price family first arrived in the Congo, a celebration of their arrival took place within the village. The Congolese prepared a special meal to honor the Price family. Rachel reflects on the food by stating, “The food they’d set before us was a stew that tasted like pure nothing, just wet clumps stuffed in my mouth that I would have to chew into glue” (28). Racheal does not show any appreciation for the Congolese prepared meal, not taking into account the many circumstances and efforts put into it, such as that many individuals did not eat during that celebration. Rachel complains rather than expresses gratitude and acceptance of the food. In contrast, later in the novel as Leah and her father walk across the Congo field, Leah reflects on the welcoming feast with dread and remembrance. Leah confesses, “How strange and paltry it seemed at the time, and now, looking back, what an abundance of good protein had been sacrificed in our honor” (205). Leah herself understands and recognizes the lack of understanding that she and her sisters showed during the feast as it was foreign to them. Over time, they have grown to perceive the sacrifices of the Congolese villagers with a new mentality. This mentality has transformed into a sense of appreciation, recognition, and thankfulness. As the Price family lived in the Congo, their perspective on sacrifices and honor altered for the better, as they generate a better understanding and are able to show gratefulness.

In addition, at the opening of the novel, the Price sisters view the people of the Congo as less fortunate and undereducated people, in need of salvation as they are unable to help themselves. Throughout the book, as the Price girls grow and mature, they begin to have a better understanding of the villagers and see that they are just people attempting to live life with the resources that they have. This idea of the initial perspectives of the girls is presented as Ruth May states, “In Sunday school Rex Minton said we better not go to the Congo on account of the cannibal natives would boil us on a pot and eat us up. He said I can talk like a native, listen here: Ugga bugga bugga lugga” (21). With a sense of belief, Ruth May reflects on the ideas of another individual. This quote shows how the Congolese people were perceived in the eyes of the Price family and the negative views that were presented toward them. As the girls lived in the Congo alongside the occupying villagers, they began to accept the differences and understand the Congolese differently than they had before. Rachel states, “That is one part of living here. Being understanding of the differences” (148). They portray their shift in ideas and perspective as they are beginning to accept where they live and the differences as well as similarities. The societal issue of perspective and viewpoints, provide the Price girls with an opportunity to mature and carry new idealistic views.

In conclusion, The Poisonwood Bible suggests that societal issues can cause children to lose their innocence. Living in the Congo presented many situations that played a role in the perspective changes amongst Ruth May, Leah, Adah, and Rachel. Each individual child lived a unique experience in the Congo, but besides their differences, the issues: lack of empathy, gratitude, gratefulness for sacrifices, as well as various perspectives and viewpoints presented themselves to all four of them in an instance. Through their journies living in the Congo, their aspect changes are made obvious over time. As we follow the characters throughout their passage and the story, we are provided with a sense of change in their purity. In The Poisonwood Bible, the Price girls’ loss of innocence is created from the issues and experiences presented to them during their time spent in the Congo. This idea of a lack of innocence caused by societal issues in the environment amongst children not only presents itself within The Poisonwood Bible, but it can also be portrayed in society today. For example, today’s society focuses on the use of technology. Conceptions of ideal images of appearances are commonly portrayed across devices. When children grasp ahold of these devices and view the propaganda shown, they begin to focus on how to change themselves to fit the standards of society and fit into the category of the ideal looking individual. The Poisonwood Bible provides various lessons, and this particular one can be applied in life today.

SaNaya White
Ms. Walker
Pre-AP English ll – 7th
November 8th, 2019

Unimportance to Importance 

In Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince, the story is told from the perspective of the protagonist, “The Aviator” talking about his life as a young boy that comes across challenges causing him to grow up and mature as an adult, leading him to meet The Little Prince. In Mark Osborne’s film adaptation of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince, the protagonist is a young girl who lives a mature lifestyle and meets the Little Prince through her neighbor, the Aviator. In the film and in the book, the protagonists both perceive the Little Prince as a child and character of unimportance in the beginning, but by the end of their journies, the protagonists find the Little Prince as an extremely important part of their lives.

Near the beginning of the story, the Aviator in Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince portrays his perception of being distinct and having a different thought process of that of the Little Prince’s. The Aviator writes, “He thought, perhaps, that I was like himself. But I, alas, do not know how to see sheep through the walls of boxes. Perhaps I am a little like the grown-ups. I have had to grow old (Saint-Exupery 30).” The Aviator comes to a realization that maybe he is different from the Little Prince. There is a possibility that society has caused him to mature and develop into his ideal image of a “grown-up”. 

At the end of their experience, in the original allegory, the Aviator and the Little Prince’s connection evolves into a friendship of much importance. The Aviator writes, “I had let my tools drop from my hands. Of what moment now is my hammer, my bolt, or thirst, or death? On one star, one planet, my planet, the Earth, there was a little prince to be comforted. I took him in my arms, and rocked him” (Saint-Exupery 33). This friendship between the two characters allows the Aviator to become selfless as he puts the needs of the Little Prince before his own. When the Aviator notices how upset the Little Prince is, he immediately drops everything in his hands to hold and comfort him. The Aviator says that his hammer and bolt are of less importance than the Little Prince’s grief, but then he says that his grief is also more important than his own death and thirst. This portrays how deep of a connection the Aviator has with the Little Prince and how much he truly cares for him.

Similar to that of the Aviator, the protagonist (the Little Girl) in Mark Osborne’s film adaptation of Saint-Exupery’s The Little Prince, also finds it difficult to understand who the Little Prince is at the beginning of the film. When the Aviator initially introduces the Little Prince to the Little Girl, she doubts the Little Prince’s existence and finds the story unrealistic. The Little Girl says, “I took basic astronomy and there was no mention of life, or children, on any other planets. Unless it’s true that he came from a star. But that’s unlikely” (Osborne). The Little Girl has many questions after reading the story of the Little Prince written by the Aviator. She uses the knowledge that she has from what she has learned in life to attempt to support and comprehend the Little Prince. The Little Prince is viewed as a character of unimportance, no more than a fictional character in an unrealistic story according to the real world.

Conversely, near the closing of Osborne’s film, the Little Girl’s perspective on the Little Prince transforms into an idea of her having to rely on him. After returning home from the hospital, the Little Girl runs to her room and notices the figurines of the Little Prince behind one of her snow globes. To the figurine of the Little Prince, the Little Girl says that the Aviator needs him and that she will find him, before leaving through the window and boarding the Aviator’s plane to set off on her journey (Osborne). The Little Girl develops an idea of how she can save the Aviator and it consists of finding the Little Prince. It is portrayed that to the Little Girl, the Little Prince becomes extremely important as she cares so much for her friend, the Aviator, and becomes hopeful that finding the Little Prince will be the solution to her problem.

Throughout Saint-Exupery’s, The Little Prince, and Mark Osborne’s film adaptation, the perspectives of the protagonists on the Little Prince evolve as they become more acquainted with him. In both versions of the Little Prince the main protagonists, the Aviator and the Little Girl, both view the Little Prince as a unique character not fully believing in his existence. The more time spent with him or spent learning about him, the more they grow to believe in him and develop strong connections with him that portray his importance. 

SaNaya White
Ms. Walker
English ll 7th Period
27 September 2019

Longing for a Breath that Isn’t Available

       Within me emerges an aspect of my life that constantly attempts to hold me back from fulfilling my full potential. It wants me to be weak, limit what I can do, use it as an excuse, to feel powerless. Often it activates inside me, I do not have the ability to control or contain it on my own. The pressure gets more compact. It hugs me tightly, not wanting to loosen its grip. I gasp for air, but that seems to only make it worse. I feel as if I am drowning or suffocating from the oxygen that is in the air. It seems as if the oxygen that is supposed to help keep me alive, is what is hurting me the most. My chest begins to tighten, I can now hear and feel my heartbeat all over my body. My breaths are unstable, my heart rate continues to increase exponentially. 

       This has happened before, but the pain I experienced is never something I want to revisit or compare to the next. A tear falls from my eye. I hold my throat, only hoping that it would release some of the pressure. I wheeze, not cough, not gasp, not breathe, but wheeze. We arrive at the emergency room and a mask is placed over the perimeter of my nose, cheeks, and chin. I hear voices, telling me to “just breathe”, if only it was that easy. From this, I would conclude that asthma is nothing but a disadvantage, but that isn’t factual.

       There are always two sides to every story, and this is two sides of asthma. Over time I’ve grown to live with it and to come to a few realizations. Asthma is a respiratory condition that causes difficulty in breathing. When looking at the definition of asthma you will most likely read over a phrase very similar. This is a scientific definition, so let me give you my personal one. As someone who was diagnosed with asthma at a very young age, I will tell you that there is so much more to it. Indeed, asthma is a condition that can make tasks very difficult at times, and yes it can get severe. Including it all, asthma gives me life… even though it could possibly kill me. Asthma pushes me to work harder, to show those who believe I can’t, that I can. 

       Asthma is a never-ending brick wall from afar, but when you come up close, through the cracks, you can see so much more on the other side. Each day it calls my name, inspiring me to go above and beyond, and each day that wall begins to open up a little more than the previous time, providing me with a glimpse of something that I didn’t know before. According to the definition, asthma weakens my lungs. According to myself, asthma provides me with the opportunity to make them stronger than ever. In my perspective, asthma is truly inspiring. 

       Asthma has its limitations such as outdoor activity, daily activity, and physical activity. According to asthma statistics from AsthmaMD, each day in America, 40,000 people miss school or work due to asthma, 30,000 people have an asthma attack, 5,000 people visit the emergency room due to asthma, 1,000 people are admitted to the hospital due to asthma, and 11 people die from asthma. It is petrifying to know that at any given moment, I could be a contribution to these numbers. 

       Living with asthma is alarming, but there are people who have lived with it and done so much with their lives before me. I will not let asthma limit and decide the life that I choose to live.