In the Great Gatsby, Nick moves out all alone, by himself. After his service in the military during the war, Nick is lost and without purpose. Someone knocks at his door, and asks for help with directions. Immediately, his loneliness melts and he adopts a new purpose. Taking purpose in being a pathfinder, and a navigator. In life, it is easy to fall directionless and to struggle to find purpose like Nick. I also wonder what my purpose is at times. This Saturday I took the SAT for the first time, however, the day before that is the one of significance to me. I was advised by my friends not to stress myself out too much the day before; I relaxed as much as I could for a day with two stressful tests. It was the moment I put my pencil down after my physics test, the one I was so worried about and spent so long studying for, that I felt lost. When it became evident that the labors of my preparation would bear fruit no longer, I had come to the realization that I had given myself no purpose other than to prepare. As I made it home I though of what I should do; I should relax after all, but as to how I was unsure. To try and spend the day for myself, I was directionless as to how one should go about this. I ended up deciding on sleep to spend my day, which was quite ironic. I spent the day for myself barely conscious at all, and yet it was all I could think to do for myself. After that I decided that it wouldn't hurt to do some light studying for my upcoming tests the following week. I never did do anything for myself, and I realized the lack of my own purpose. I had only been pursuing that which had been assigned to me. Even in that which I tell myself was of my own decision, violin, I still had this thought. Was I going to practice by my own choice, or was the only thing that made me practice the practice assignment due Sunday night. Despite this, I had gained an understanding: whether or not this purpose was assigned to me was not important, rather the choice was my own to accept this purpose. I had chosen to do this: study, do well in school, practice violin, take the SAT. No matter who suggested the idea, it is my purpose because I was the one who chose to follow it. I don't need an original purpose to be my own person, however I need only be the one to choose the purpose. The goals I pursue may not have been ones I myself made, yet they are the ones I decided on, so with that I feel satisfied to claim them to as my own.
I really liked your approach on this you used how Nick in the great Gatsby felt and connected it to your own life. I think that as highschoolers we often forget about ourselves because we never have enough time to even think about how we are doing. I think that this was a good reminder that even if we are in the midst of chaos we should never forget that we are still human beings.
ReplyDeleteI truly feel what you have felt the day before SAT, as I was advised the same by many of my friends to not stress myself too much on the day before. Guess what? I stayed up late till 2 am reviewing EVERYTHING that I already knew for gaining absoulte confidence. People might wonder: am I taking the SAT as a personal choice, am I taking it because I have to? My answer to them would be that, I chose to take the SAT not because I felt like it, but because I found it a necessity to get what I want in the future. Sometimes when I feel purposeless like you, I remind myself, that in order to make lemonade, I must squeeze lemons. So, SAT for me was like the lemon that I must squeeze to get into a good college and achieve my dream, however; sometimes life hands you oranges, and unwillingly you must squeeze them as well. Squeezing oranges, when you seek lemonande demonstrates the uncertain nature of life. Overall, love your authenticity and openness about your life, it gives the blog a candid voice. GOOD JOB!
ReplyDeleteI like how you made it connect Nick’s search for purpose in The Great Gatsby to your own personal reflection, showing deep self-awareness and growth, your realization that purpose comes from choice rather than originality is powerful and adds a meaningful, mature perspective to your writing.
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