The most important of the Tao is The Law of Mercy. People are not people without mercy. It is what sets us apart from animals. We can lie, cheat, and steal, but without mercy we are just evil and selfish. All other things are bad habits and mistakes, but mercy is something that makes a human, a human. If we were to take mercy out of ourselves, what would we be? We would lose all love and hope and faith in anything. Mercy, more than all other teachings of the Tao, mean the surviving of humanity. Even if we do not go extinct as a race, without mercy, we are extinct in our soul.
I would add The Law of Selflessness. This should be a low in the Tao because it would help create and shape a good person. People can be merciful, tell the truth, and have courage, but it is no good if those people do not put their talents to use. If people are selfless and give themselves or their time up for the sake of others, nothing will become accomplished. Selflessness gives people a sense of fulfillment, because it makes the person feel good about their contribution to others. One can do nothing without doing something for someone else.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
The Abolition of Man
"It might be going too far to say that the modern scientific movement was tainted from its birth:but I think it would be true to say that it was born in an unhealthy neighborhood and at an inauspicious hour" (78).
"The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it" (81).
What Lewis is getting at it that people can no go on seeing the truth forever, because then there would be no truth. While science is good, it is no the be all end all. There are things that even science can not prove, and that they should not try to prove, or else there will be nothing left and thus there will be nothing left in the world but a long series of understanding. One can not be fulfilled when they know the whole truth of each and every thing. Then everything is logically seen through like a piece of glass, and you can see nothing else but transparency.
"The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it" (81).
What Lewis is getting at it that people can no go on seeing the truth forever, because then there would be no truth. While science is good, it is no the be all end all. There are things that even science can not prove, and that they should not try to prove, or else there will be nothing left and thus there will be nothing left in the world but a long series of understanding. One can not be fulfilled when they know the whole truth of each and every thing. Then everything is logically seen through like a piece of glass, and you can see nothing else but transparency.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Way
"Whence comes the Innovator's authority to pick and choose?" (43).
"The rebellion of new ideaologies against the Tao is a rebellion of branches against the tree; if the rebels could succeed, they would find that they had destroyed themselves" (44).
The argument that Lewis makes throughout this chapter is about instinct and whether it is real or has any control over us. It sounds a lot like the argument he makes for conscience in that what makes you obey it can not be the instinct itself but something else, like a prejudgement. He is saying that people can not pick and choose values, like out of the Tao, because they are all together, and to pick and choose would either make them all valid or all wrong. He says that to debunk or reject traditional values would reject all values.
"The rebellion of new ideaologies against the Tao is a rebellion of branches against the tree; if the rebels could succeed, they would find that they had destroyed themselves" (44).
The argument that Lewis makes throughout this chapter is about instinct and whether it is real or has any control over us. It sounds a lot like the argument he makes for conscience in that what makes you obey it can not be the instinct itself but something else, like a prejudgement. He is saying that people can not pick and choose values, like out of the Tao, because they are all together, and to pick and choose would either make them all valid or all wrong. He says that to debunk or reject traditional values would reject all values.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Men Without Chests
"In filing their book with it they have been unjust to the parent or headmaster who buys it and who has got the work of amateur philosophers where he expected the work of professional grammarians" (12)
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst" (26)
Lewis is trying to say that society has bred people to be exactly as society wants them: stupid, gullible, and repetitive. He begins with one example out of a text book and twists that to make the reader see that society is trying to put people into a category, although that was not the anticipation of the writers of The Green Book whatsoever. Lewis wants the reader of his book to realize that without understanding the tricks that the media is trying to play on you to get you to do as they want, you will fall for even the most stupid tricks. Using the text book as an example, he is showing that the media has gotten to children (or, in his obviously sexist views, boys), and has begun to turn their young, influenced minds into a product of the media through their emotions. He shows the smart people versus the corrupt, where he says, "When the age for reflexive thought comes, the pupil who has been thus trained ... but to the corrupt man..." (16). His use of diction is very interesting, I think, because he uses intelligent words instead of simple language.
"We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst" (26)
Lewis is trying to say that society has bred people to be exactly as society wants them: stupid, gullible, and repetitive. He begins with one example out of a text book and twists that to make the reader see that society is trying to put people into a category, although that was not the anticipation of the writers of The Green Book whatsoever. Lewis wants the reader of his book to realize that without understanding the tricks that the media is trying to play on you to get you to do as they want, you will fall for even the most stupid tricks. Using the text book as an example, he is showing that the media has gotten to children (or, in his obviously sexist views, boys), and has begun to turn their young, influenced minds into a product of the media through their emotions. He shows the smart people versus the corrupt, where he says, "When the age for reflexive thought comes, the pupil who has been thus trained ... but to the corrupt man..." (16). His use of diction is very interesting, I think, because he uses intelligent words instead of simple language.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
MLK
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•12•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. makes an argument within his letter from his time in Birmingham jail to the white clergymen who objected against his actions of equality for his fellow oppressed blacks. King tells his story in a simple manner, making it easy for people to understand and sympathize with. Like the rebelling Americans in the Revolution, he has the cause on his side. While his letter would be naturally passionate, his brilliance enhanced it by his use of logic, character, emotion, syntax, and diction.
King used very little logic within his letter. He used it only when he was answering rhetorical questions. He says, “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 740-741). That is one of the only times King uses logic in his letter. What he is saying is that he wants to do something to force the white people to look at the problems and humiliation black people of America are forced to live with. He is saying that, through nonviolence, people he is opposing will not become defensive or stubborn, but they will be able to willingly see the other side because they are not being forced to do anything by a people they do not like or do not yet accept.
Character plays a part in the letter. Martin Luther King, Jr. shows his character within the first paragraph when he answers his fellow clergymens’ obviously offensive objection with maturity and respect. Instead, he says, “but since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely put forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms” (738). When the clergymen, people who should have agreed with him and backed him up; men of the white church who follow God and should act within His laws that all people are equal said that his actions were untimely, King refrains from becoming impatient with the word that he had heard so many times in the past from white people who were supposedly on his side. He instead writes a patient, calm letter explaining in reasonable terms why he can not wait.
Emotion plays the biggest part in King’s letter. It is the element with which he based everything around. Without grasping the emotions of the readers, he would make it no where with his plea; for the people did not like him or any of the blacks, and they were unwilling to give up their high social statuses to mingle with the blacks who had been below them for generations. The black community jumped from despised slave to acknowledged acquainance, and the whites of that era were unwilling to allow them to then jump to equal neighbor.
The emotions he intertwines with each word are at times subtle, such as when he says, “lukewarm acceptance is a much more bewildering than outright rejection” (745). He is not making a strong point here of social injustice, he is forcing the clergymen to look inside themselves. He is urging them to pick a side by saying that they have hurt them more than outspoken racist people. This makes the reader to choose where they want to be and what they want to do. Men of God do not want to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best. They work for God because they was happiness and equality and to spread the Word of God, which is exactly those things. Telling a man of God, or anyone on the fence about the issue of equality in America in the sixties that he has hurt black people more than the KKK is something that makes a person turn inward and choose a path.
King uses other subtle devices to allow you to peek at the injustice he experiences. He says things like, “I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit” (743). That is not outright terrible, but when one reads into it further, you realize that it was because he was black and because he was parading for equality. That was the reason he was arrested- not because he deserved it, but because the people simply did not like his dark color skin or his noble cause of equality.
There are a few emotionally strong arguments he uses against the readers to really grip their interest, pity, and empathy. He uses children, and how they must learn early that something very trivial keeps them from being able to do things that children should be able to do. King’s simple and heart-felt explanation of doing that makes parents think of their own children and how it would hurt them to have to tell their beloved children that they were social outcasts because of something that they had no control over- their skin color. The situation he writes out is one that parents can not ignore, because parents have a soft spot for children: “...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted... as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park... and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children, and see... clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky...” (742). King knows that whites and blacks have the same feelings, but whites are still ignorant of that, so he uses something that brings the two of them together: the love for their children.
When it comes to diction, King’s words are chosen with consideration to the tone of his letter and his letter and his audience. He uses words like injustice, bleakness, and most importantly, nonviolence. Nonviolence is a word he uses often to stress the way he is willing to go about his plans. He never once threatens to use violence. Instead, he warns that he must act, or violence will break out: “If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in ominous expressions of violence” (747). He is using the use of nonviolent to hammer it into the heads of the oppressors that he is not willing to put any lives or wellbeing at stake.
King uses parallelisms and juxtapositions to make his point more clear. The syntax he incorporates makes certain points stand out: “Was not Jesus an extremest for love?... Was not Paul an extremest for the gospel?... Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremest?” (747). Normally when one would think of the word extremest, they would think of a terrorist group, but here he twists it to give the infamous word a peaceful meaning. He criticizes the church before reassuring the audience that he is “a minister of the gospel, who loves the church” and criticizes it with love and not as an outside hater of religion.
King uses his knowledge of syntax and diction to make the people listen to him. He incorporates emotion, logic, and character to help the readers understand where he is coming from and how sincere he is with the cause. The way he makes the white community of the 1960s listen to him is not only a miracle, but proof that Martin Luther King, Jr. would stop at nothing to nonviolently sway the whites to believe in his cause of equality.
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•12•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. makes an argument within his letter from his time in Birmingham jail to the white clergymen who objected against his actions of equality for his fellow oppressed blacks. King tells his story in a simple manner, making it easy for people to understand and sympathize with. Like the rebelling Americans in the Revolution, he has the cause on his side. While his letter would be naturally passionate, his brilliance enhanced it by his use of logic, character, emotion, syntax, and diction.
King used very little logic within his letter. He used it only when he was answering rhetorical questions. He says, “nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue” (King 740-741). That is one of the only times King uses logic in his letter. What he is saying is that he wants to do something to force the white people to look at the problems and humiliation black people of America are forced to live with. He is saying that, through nonviolence, people he is opposing will not become defensive or stubborn, but they will be able to willingly see the other side because they are not being forced to do anything by a people they do not like or do not yet accept.
Character plays a part in the letter. Martin Luther King, Jr. shows his character within the first paragraph when he answers his fellow clergymens’ obviously offensive objection with maturity and respect. Instead, he says, “but since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and your criticisms are sincerely put forth, I would like to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms” (738). When the clergymen, people who should have agreed with him and backed him up; men of the white church who follow God and should act within His laws that all people are equal said that his actions were untimely, King refrains from becoming impatient with the word that he had heard so many times in the past from white people who were supposedly on his side. He instead writes a patient, calm letter explaining in reasonable terms why he can not wait.
Emotion plays the biggest part in King’s letter. It is the element with which he based everything around. Without grasping the emotions of the readers, he would make it no where with his plea; for the people did not like him or any of the blacks, and they were unwilling to give up their high social statuses to mingle with the blacks who had been below them for generations. The black community jumped from despised slave to acknowledged acquainance, and the whites of that era were unwilling to allow them to then jump to equal neighbor.
The emotions he intertwines with each word are at times subtle, such as when he says, “lukewarm acceptance is a much more bewildering than outright rejection” (745). He is not making a strong point here of social injustice, he is forcing the clergymen to look inside themselves. He is urging them to pick a side by saying that they have hurt them more than outspoken racist people. This makes the reader to choose where they want to be and what they want to do. Men of God do not want to sit on the sidelines and hope for the best. They work for God because they was happiness and equality and to spread the Word of God, which is exactly those things. Telling a man of God, or anyone on the fence about the issue of equality in America in the sixties that he has hurt black people more than the KKK is something that makes a person turn inward and choose a path.
King uses other subtle devices to allow you to peek at the injustice he experiences. He says things like, “I was arrested Friday on a charge of parading without a permit” (743). That is not outright terrible, but when one reads into it further, you realize that it was because he was black and because he was parading for equality. That was the reason he was arrested- not because he deserved it, but because the people simply did not like his dark color skin or his noble cause of equality.
There are a few emotionally strong arguments he uses against the readers to really grip their interest, pity, and empathy. He uses children, and how they must learn early that something very trivial keeps them from being able to do things that children should be able to do. King’s simple and heart-felt explanation of doing that makes parents think of their own children and how it would hurt them to have to tell their beloved children that they were social outcasts because of something that they had no control over- their skin color. The situation he writes out is one that parents can not ignore, because parents have a soft spot for children: “...when you suddenly find your tongue twisted... as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park... and see tears welling up in her little eyes when she is told Funtown is closed to colored children, and see... clouds of inferiority begin to form in her little mental sky...” (742). King knows that whites and blacks have the same feelings, but whites are still ignorant of that, so he uses something that brings the two of them together: the love for their children.
When it comes to diction, King’s words are chosen with consideration to the tone of his letter and his letter and his audience. He uses words like injustice, bleakness, and most importantly, nonviolence. Nonviolence is a word he uses often to stress the way he is willing to go about his plans. He never once threatens to use violence. Instead, he warns that he must act, or violence will break out: “If his repressed emotions do not come out in these nonviolent ways, they will come out in ominous expressions of violence” (747). He is using the use of nonviolent to hammer it into the heads of the oppressors that he is not willing to put any lives or wellbeing at stake.
King uses parallelisms and juxtapositions to make his point more clear. The syntax he incorporates makes certain points stand out: “Was not Jesus an extremest for love?... Was not Paul an extremest for the gospel?... Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremest?” (747). Normally when one would think of the word extremest, they would think of a terrorist group, but here he twists it to give the infamous word a peaceful meaning. He criticizes the church before reassuring the audience that he is “a minister of the gospel, who loves the church” and criticizes it with love and not as an outside hater of religion.
King uses his knowledge of syntax and diction to make the people listen to him. He incorporates emotion, logic, and character to help the readers understand where he is coming from and how sincere he is with the cause. The way he makes the white community of the 1960s listen to him is not only a miracle, but proof that Martin Luther King, Jr. would stop at nothing to nonviolently sway the whites to believe in his cause of equality.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Letter from Birmingham Jail
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
10•07•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. was trying to convey, within his letter, why whites should give up their high social monopoly and give he oppressed blacks their rights as humans. With his strong words and phrases, such as, "blasted hopes" (740), and "dark shadow" (740), he hopes to draw the readers emotions and attention to the cause he feels so strongly toward.
He uses words that would hit home for the readers. Everyone has felt blasted hopes. Everyone has felt suffocated in a dark shadow. When King uses these words, he hopes they will appeal to the emotions of even his hardest critics, because even the most racist people on earth are still people, and they have all felt despair at one point in their lives or another. If King could possibly arrouse sympathy in them, then a miracle would be preformed, and the Civil Rights Movement would be put to a favorable end.
King uses a tug-of-war between pathos and logos. He will slide gently into pathos and then pull tightly back into logos so as to not wear his reader down and criticize him more for wasting their time with his life’s story. The balance is just enough that he can show them glimpses of his life and his hardships, and by his hardships, he alludes to those of everyone of his race, by saying often, “... vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers... drown your sisters and brothers... kill your black brothers and sisters” (742). He goes into talking about the children, which would pull on the heartstrings of those who are not racist but have kept quiet, those in the “appaling silence of the good people” (745-746) catagory.
Right after talking about children and unrelated family, he goes into logos. He answers his own rhetorical questions by asking, “‘how can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is... that there are two types of laws. There are just laws and... unjust laws.” He hands you the answer to the question that was on the tip of your tongue, and he goes into further detail. He silences you with logic that he puts in an agressive way, and you find y6ourself unable to think of another question and simply agree with him because he has such an amazingly conveyed message that it just sounds right.
He forces you to see segregation from his point of view, from the point of view of the oppressed, instead of from the point of view of the oppressor. His words make it real, and he does this by showing you a small, dramatic snippet of his life and then pulling back into logic, but you are so caught up in his situation, such as with his children, that the logic just flows through you and settles itself in you.
He never comes out to attack white people or racist people. He never does anything to make himself sound angry or bitter or superior, even though he had all the right to do so. He was brilliant and angered by the pain the white community had inflicted on him. Instead, he spoke as if they were on good terms, never insulting them or even being passive agressive. He lets the reader know when he is disappointed, but he never even goes as far as to say that he was angry. He just sounds like a wise parent explaining a difficult situation to a child who can not quite grasp the concept of what he has done.
Mr. George- AP Eng 11
10•07•09
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Martin Luther King, Jr. was trying to convey, within his letter, why whites should give up their high social monopoly and give he oppressed blacks their rights as humans. With his strong words and phrases, such as, "blasted hopes" (740), and "dark shadow" (740), he hopes to draw the readers emotions and attention to the cause he feels so strongly toward.
He uses words that would hit home for the readers. Everyone has felt blasted hopes. Everyone has felt suffocated in a dark shadow. When King uses these words, he hopes they will appeal to the emotions of even his hardest critics, because even the most racist people on earth are still people, and they have all felt despair at one point in their lives or another. If King could possibly arrouse sympathy in them, then a miracle would be preformed, and the Civil Rights Movement would be put to a favorable end.
King uses a tug-of-war between pathos and logos. He will slide gently into pathos and then pull tightly back into logos so as to not wear his reader down and criticize him more for wasting their time with his life’s story. The balance is just enough that he can show them glimpses of his life and his hardships, and by his hardships, he alludes to those of everyone of his race, by saying often, “... vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers... drown your sisters and brothers... kill your black brothers and sisters” (742). He goes into talking about the children, which would pull on the heartstrings of those who are not racist but have kept quiet, those in the “appaling silence of the good people” (745-746) catagory.
Right after talking about children and unrelated family, he goes into logos. He answers his own rhetorical questions by asking, “‘how can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is... that there are two types of laws. There are just laws and... unjust laws.” He hands you the answer to the question that was on the tip of your tongue, and he goes into further detail. He silences you with logic that he puts in an agressive way, and you find y6ourself unable to think of another question and simply agree with him because he has such an amazingly conveyed message that it just sounds right.
He forces you to see segregation from his point of view, from the point of view of the oppressed, instead of from the point of view of the oppressor. His words make it real, and he does this by showing you a small, dramatic snippet of his life and then pulling back into logic, but you are so caught up in his situation, such as with his children, that the logic just flows through you and settles itself in you.
He never comes out to attack white people or racist people. He never does anything to make himself sound angry or bitter or superior, even though he had all the right to do so. He was brilliant and angered by the pain the white community had inflicted on him. Instead, he spoke as if they were on good terms, never insulting them or even being passive agressive. He lets the reader know when he is disappointed, but he never even goes as far as to say that he was angry. He just sounds like a wise parent explaining a difficult situation to a child who can not quite grasp the concept of what he has done.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Fallacies
Hasty Generalization:
Jane did not eat chicken today, so she must not like chicken.
Stereotype:
Everyone from the Middle East must be Muslim.
Cause and Effect:
Because I failed the test, the teacher did not teach well.
Only Cause:
If you start reading more, your grades will be better.
False Analogy:
The traveling band worked hard like each ant in a colony works.
Attacking the Person:
Even though he came up with a healthcare plan, Jack is a Republican, so he doesn't even care about the majority of the people.
Either-or:
If you don't stop acting up, you will get detention.
Non Sequitur:
Because you have been staying out so late on school nights, we will get rid of the computer.
Circular Reasoning:
I have always tried to get all my work done, so you should not fire me.
Begging the Question:
Nobody has ever liked her.
Jane did not eat chicken today, so she must not like chicken.
Stereotype:
Everyone from the Middle East must be Muslim.
Cause and Effect:
Because I failed the test, the teacher did not teach well.
Only Cause:
If you start reading more, your grades will be better.
False Analogy:
The traveling band worked hard like each ant in a colony works.
Attacking the Person:
Even though he came up with a healthcare plan, Jack is a Republican, so he doesn't even care about the majority of the people.
Either-or:
If you don't stop acting up, you will get detention.
Non Sequitur:
Because you have been staying out so late on school nights, we will get rid of the computer.
Circular Reasoning:
I have always tried to get all my work done, so you should not fire me.
Begging the Question:
Nobody has ever liked her.
Syllogisms
True:
Toys 'R' Us only sells toys.
Toys 'R' Us sells dolls.
Dolls are toys.
Dogs bark.
German Shepherds bark.
German Shepherds are dogs.
John wears blue.
John's room is blue.
John likes blue.
I have teachers.
I do schoolwork.
I am a student.
False:
Ants live in colonies.
Termites live in colonies
Termites are ants.
Pepsi is black.
Pepsi comes in a can.
Pepsi is Coca-Cola.
The rainbow is colorful.
The marker set is colorful.
The marker set is a rainbow.
My cell phone rang.
The school bell rang.
My cell phone is the school bell.
Toys 'R' Us only sells toys.
Toys 'R' Us sells dolls.
Dolls are toys.
Dogs bark.
German Shepherds bark.
German Shepherds are dogs.
John wears blue.
John's room is blue.
John likes blue.
I have teachers.
I do schoolwork.
I am a student.
False:
Ants live in colonies.
Termites live in colonies
Termites are ants.
Pepsi is black.
Pepsi comes in a can.
Pepsi is Coca-Cola.
The rainbow is colorful.
The marker set is colorful.
The marker set is a rainbow.
My cell phone rang.
The school bell rang.
My cell phone is the school bell.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Proposal 10•01
Christina DeSario
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•01•09
Proposal
Proposal
“I just want you to listen to me for a little while. I’m not the best person in the world, and I’m not the best person for you by far, but there’s something in me that’s stronger than my fear of being rejected or of sounding stupid. There’s something in me that’s stronger than all of that, and I don’t know why it’s there, and it scares me, but I want you to know exactly what I’m thinking, because if I don’t tell you, I think I’ll just spend the rest of my life wishing I had, and that would hurt more than any answer you give me now.
“This is not something I’m used to doing, or something I’ve ever wanted to do, but you make me almost hate myself and all that I’ve stood for. Every time I do something wrong or unfair, I cringe at the thought of how you’d react to it. All I want is to be the person you would want me to be; the person that you’d be proud of. The person you’d want to be around and associate yourself with. I’m always so scared that you’d be upset or disappointed in me that I’m constantly working on myself and improving myself in a way that I thought was silly for other love-struck idiots would do. (all this was bolded)
“You make me so happy. Every time I hear your voice or someone says your name, this really annoying feeling runs through me, and I feel like I’m going through a black tunnel on a roller coaster, straight down, with no seat belts. I just want to be able to make you feel the same way, because ever felt more complete than when that feeling zaps through me. I want you to be able to understand it, and I think I would die if you felt this way for another person.
“I don’t say this often, and I won’t ever say it again, so listen. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone. Ever. You’re not just a person I could picture spending my life with, you’re the person I need to spend my life with. I want to protect you. I want to make you laugh. I want to be the person to make you cry, make you mad, and every other emotion in between. I want to be the person to help you up and carry you when you aren’t strong enough to do it yourself. I want to stand by you when you think you’re standing alone. I want to stand up for you when you don’t even know where to stand! I want to know what’s on your mind. I want you to tell me the most vile thoughts in your head. Nothing about you is bad to me. I’m amazed by everything you say and do.
“We get along so well. We almost never fight, and we think so much alike, it’s almost scary. We like the same things and we can finish each other’s sentences. I look up to you for strength, and whether you know that or not. You’re my hero, and I want nothing more that to be yours. Even that would be so much more than I could have ever asked for.
“I know that I sound silly and pathetic, but I’d never leave you to be by yourself. I’m not the kind of person to do that. I’m just a person swallowing their pride and asking the most amazing person in the world to go through the rest of their life with me.” (this last part was bolded)
Mr. George- AP English 11
10•01•09
Proposal
Proposal
“I just want you to listen to me for a little while. I’m not the best person in the world, and I’m not the best person for you by far, but there’s something in me that’s stronger than my fear of being rejected or of sounding stupid. There’s something in me that’s stronger than all of that, and I don’t know why it’s there, and it scares me, but I want you to know exactly what I’m thinking, because if I don’t tell you, I think I’ll just spend the rest of my life wishing I had, and that would hurt more than any answer you give me now.
“This is not something I’m used to doing, or something I’ve ever wanted to do, but you make me almost hate myself and all that I’ve stood for. Every time I do something wrong or unfair, I cringe at the thought of how you’d react to it. All I want is to be the person you would want me to be; the person that you’d be proud of. The person you’d want to be around and associate yourself with. I’m always so scared that you’d be upset or disappointed in me that I’m constantly working on myself and improving myself in a way that I thought was silly for other love-struck idiots would do. (all this was bolded)
“You make me so happy. Every time I hear your voice or someone says your name, this really annoying feeling runs through me, and I feel like I’m going through a black tunnel on a roller coaster, straight down, with no seat belts. I just want to be able to make you feel the same way, because ever felt more complete than when that feeling zaps through me. I want you to be able to understand it, and I think I would die if you felt this way for another person.
“I don’t say this often, and I won’t ever say it again, so listen. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone. Ever. You’re not just a person I could picture spending my life with, you’re the person I need to spend my life with. I want to protect you. I want to make you laugh. I want to be the person to make you cry, make you mad, and every other emotion in between. I want to be the person to help you up and carry you when you aren’t strong enough to do it yourself. I want to stand by you when you think you’re standing alone. I want to stand up for you when you don’t even know where to stand! I want to know what’s on your mind. I want you to tell me the most vile thoughts in your head. Nothing about you is bad to me. I’m amazed by everything you say and do.
“We get along so well. We almost never fight, and we think so much alike, it’s almost scary. We like the same things and we can finish each other’s sentences. I look up to you for strength, and whether you know that or not. You’re my hero, and I want nothing more that to be yours. Even that would be so much more than I could have ever asked for.
“I know that I sound silly and pathetic, but I’d never leave you to be by yourself. I’m not the kind of person to do that. I’m just a person swallowing their pride and asking the most amazing person in the world to go through the rest of their life with me.” (this last part was bolded)
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