I was twenty-three and working at American Eagle at the local mall. Every day it was the same thing. I would wake up, get ready, and pick up my friend who also worked at American Eagle. Every day was always the same thing, but little did I know that today when I turned the street things would be different.
"Beep, Beep, Beep." My alarm blairs. I'm off to pick up Stephanie. Stpehanie and I had been best friends since we were two. We've always told each other everything. But ever since Stephanie's and my mom died in a car crash together we have become even closer. It is like she is my sister, except not the kind of sister's that fight, the kind that totally get everything about each other and don't care how bad we look or how weird we act, we've just always been there for each other, and if she were ever gone from my life I'm not sure how I would live. It's 6:30 and still dark out, as I turn the corner onto her street I see an ambulance, firetruck, and 3 police cars parked outside of her house. "Oh well, I'm sure it's not Stephanie," I think to myself. We've been best friends since 3rd grade. Someone would have called me if something had happened...right? After all I was her boyfriend, and her best friend.
As I get closer I see that it is Stephanie's house that is in trouble. I try to stay positive and think, "Maybe it wasn't Stephanie that was injured maybe it was someone else." I pull up to the car and see that the whole house had been burned. A fire had started late in the night and had burned the house practically all the way to the ground. I run over and talk to the neighbor's about what had happened, just as I get over there and begin talking, I see Stephanie come out of the house all rapped up in a stretcher and looking almost as burnt as the turkey I tried cooking for her that thanksgiving. I immediately run over and make sure that she is still alive and conscious. She was alive, but she wasn't conscious. "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to leave unless you are a close relative." The EMT says as I walk next to Stephanie. "No sir, I say this is my girlfriend, and I was going to propose to her this morning." The EMT thinks about it but with resistance he let's me on the ambulance.
Slowly she starts to wake up and becomes conscious. As she wakes up a tear trickles down my face. This was my girlfriend that was lying here and even though she was burnt from head to toe she was looking as beautiful as ever. I couldn't' believe that I almsot lost her.I think to myself "wow I am so lucky to have this girl be my girlfriend and hopefully future fiancé." I couldn't find the words to say to her as she stared at me and I stared at her. So I said the first thing that popped in my head. "Stephanie, I love you."
I couldn't wait any longer, so I slowly got down on my knee and said "Stephanie sitting here with you made me realize that I never want to live without you, almost having you out of my life forever was the worst thought that ever came to my mind, so I'm asking you today Stephanie, will you marry me?"
Even though all she could get out of her mouth was a simple "yes" it was enough to bring both of us to tears."
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
"The Story of An Hour"
What all could happen in just an hour? Death, and life can happen in a matter of seconds; so much more could happen in an hour. This is seen in the short story “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chapin. In this story there are many symbols about tragedy, and other sad things that happen in this story. To most “normal” people the death of your husband would be incredibly sad, but to the main character Mrs. Mallard it is happy. Walking up the stairs into her room she is “mourning” but the distinct symbols around her hint that maybe she is actually happy.
The first symbol is when Mrs. Mallard walks up the stairs. Once she walks up the stairs “good” things start happening to her. Some of the things that happen are her husband dies. You wouldn’t think that Mrs. Mallard is happy because she is crying and doesn’t seem happy, but as you read further into the story and as you, look at the symbols that are hinted at it is looking as though she is happy. How could life seem happy when someone just died?
The second symbol that shows that she is happy is that it is springtime outside. Spring is a time of new life and the beginning of growth. Mrs. Mallard thought that since her husband was “dead” she could start a new life and have a new beginning. Often times in spring it rains. In this particular story it is raining out, but not a hard stormy rain, it is just a nice gentle springtime rain to water the plants. The rain symbolizes washing bad things from her past when her husband was alive away.
When Mrs. Mallard went upstairs into her room she opened a window. The opening of the window represents new opportunities. Now that Mrs. Mallard was a widow she would receive more attention, and was “free.” On page 553 this section shows how she was yelling free. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: Free, free, free!” This displays the freedom that she felt when her husband died and she was alone.
After opening the window the blue skies from outside are seen and let in a clean fresh feeling in Mrs. Mallards’ life. Think of a warm spring day. What is one of the things that first comes to mind? Green grass, flowers, a bright sun, and blue skies. When there is a blue sky outside things are usually happy, and warm.
When Mrs. Mallard found out that her husband “died” things were good, and happy, but now that he isn’t dead things get bad again. Mrs. Mallard starts going down the stairs. Going down the stairs usually symbolizes bad things, just the direction down is a sign of bad things. Maybe things would be different in this story though, maybe when she went down the stairs something good would happen, but no, she reaches the bottom of the stairs and collapses dead. When the doctors came “it was too late.” “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills.” That’s what the doctor’s thought, but could it be the opposite? For Mrs. Mallard it was.
The first symbol is when Mrs. Mallard walks up the stairs. Once she walks up the stairs “good” things start happening to her. Some of the things that happen are her husband dies. You wouldn’t think that Mrs. Mallard is happy because she is crying and doesn’t seem happy, but as you read further into the story and as you, look at the symbols that are hinted at it is looking as though she is happy. How could life seem happy when someone just died?
The second symbol that shows that she is happy is that it is springtime outside. Spring is a time of new life and the beginning of growth. Mrs. Mallard thought that since her husband was “dead” she could start a new life and have a new beginning. Often times in spring it rains. In this particular story it is raining out, but not a hard stormy rain, it is just a nice gentle springtime rain to water the plants. The rain symbolizes washing bad things from her past when her husband was alive away.
When Mrs. Mallard went upstairs into her room she opened a window. The opening of the window represents new opportunities. Now that Mrs. Mallard was a widow she would receive more attention, and was “free.” On page 553 this section shows how she was yelling free. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: Free, free, free!” This displays the freedom that she felt when her husband died and she was alone.
After opening the window the blue skies from outside are seen and let in a clean fresh feeling in Mrs. Mallards’ life. Think of a warm spring day. What is one of the things that first comes to mind? Green grass, flowers, a bright sun, and blue skies. When there is a blue sky outside things are usually happy, and warm.
When Mrs. Mallard found out that her husband “died” things were good, and happy, but now that he isn’t dead things get bad again. Mrs. Mallard starts going down the stairs. Going down the stairs usually symbolizes bad things, just the direction down is a sign of bad things. Maybe things would be different in this story though, maybe when she went down the stairs something good would happen, but no, she reaches the bottom of the stairs and collapses dead. When the doctors came “it was too late.” “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease-of joy that kills.” That’s what the doctor’s thought, but could it be the opposite? For Mrs. Mallard it was.
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