hlee106
Mar 29, 2013
Undergraduate / How do you get the hang of Thursdays? UofM LSA Honors [4]
Prompt: "This must be Thursday," said Arthur. "I could never get the hang of Thursdays." How do you get the hang of Thursdays?
Though I do need to add to the conclusion, I would really appreciate help with structure and punctuation. I would also like feedback on the flow of the essay. Does it seem too disorganized?
"Hoy es lunes. QuĂŠ hacemos los lunes?(Today is Monday, What do we do on Mondays?)" my Spanish teacher asks the class every Monday with a superficially chipper attitude that contains the slightest expectation of an unenthusiastic response.
As the class releases a collective sigh, we grumble "escribimos (we write)" and take out our planners to copy down the week's schedule, preparing our minds to endure the next five days until the weekend. For four years now, this exchange has defined that "Monday feeling."
It seems every day of the week has a distinctive characteristic, one that people can recognize as if they are referring to a close friend or a classmate. When someone remarks "Today feels like a Tuesday," everyone seems to understand exactly what that means. How can a Wednesday ever feel like a Friday? How can a day of the week be more than just a box on calendar? An unwritten, universal code that conveys the expectations for each day seems to exist among students. To properly illustrate its specific attributes, each day can be associated with a familiar family member.
Monday: The inherently lazy cousin who, with some ambition and an optimistic outlook, could finally submit his college applications.
Tuesday: The toddler of the family, trying desperately to cope with the mentally demanding environment around him but still unable to comprehend basic sentences.
Wednesday: The uncle, who seems ambivalent about his job, simply going through the daily motions of working life.
Thursday: The grandmother, who despite facing adversity in the past, can always cheerfully look forward to the possibilities future.
Friday: The reasonable mother, who allows for relaxation but only after the required homework and chores have been completed.
Saturday: The animated middle child, propped up by her motivated, academically involved older sister and her even-tempered younger brother.
Sunday: The dedicated father, who always appears calm and knows how to prioritize and plan for the future.
Each of these days evoke similar feelings in students as school weeks blur together and students establish a strict weekly routine.
The struggle with Thursdays is the unbearable suspense of knowing that the future is so close. Rather than enjoying the unexpected pleasures that Thursday can offer, people devote their day to watching the second hand on the clock. Us high school students seem to constantly obsess over the future. Once the future arrives, we quickly move on to the next event, neglecting to realize that the present is the future of the past. Thursdays could offer freedom to socialize with friends, read that new best-seller, or impulsively sign up for a salsa class but we remain foolishly preoccupied with Friday.
Moreover, Thursdays should not be something to become accustomed to or masterfully conquered because that would imply that all Thursdays are the same. Getting the hang of Thursdays would render all Thursdays identical as I would know what to expect and how to respond. There would be no opportunities for spontaneity, for a unique incident that would distinguish one Thursday from the next.
Thursdays should be approached as if they were Fridays or Saturdays, which are always considered to hold limitless opportunity.
Prompt: "This must be Thursday," said Arthur. "I could never get the hang of Thursdays." How do you get the hang of Thursdays?
Though I do need to add to the conclusion, I would really appreciate help with structure and punctuation. I would also like feedback on the flow of the essay. Does it seem too disorganized?
"Hoy es lunes. QuĂŠ hacemos los lunes?(Today is Monday, What do we do on Mondays?)" my Spanish teacher asks the class every Monday with a superficially chipper attitude that contains the slightest expectation of an unenthusiastic response.
As the class releases a collective sigh, we grumble "escribimos (we write)" and take out our planners to copy down the week's schedule, preparing our minds to endure the next five days until the weekend. For four years now, this exchange has defined that "Monday feeling."
It seems every day of the week has a distinctive characteristic, one that people can recognize as if they are referring to a close friend or a classmate. When someone remarks "Today feels like a Tuesday," everyone seems to understand exactly what that means. How can a Wednesday ever feel like a Friday? How can a day of the week be more than just a box on calendar? An unwritten, universal code that conveys the expectations for each day seems to exist among students. To properly illustrate its specific attributes, each day can be associated with a familiar family member.
Monday: The inherently lazy cousin who, with some ambition and an optimistic outlook, could finally submit his college applications.
Tuesday: The toddler of the family, trying desperately to cope with the mentally demanding environment around him but still unable to comprehend basic sentences.
Wednesday: The uncle, who seems ambivalent about his job, simply going through the daily motions of working life.
Thursday: The grandmother, who despite facing adversity in the past, can always cheerfully look forward to the possibilities future.
Friday: The reasonable mother, who allows for relaxation but only after the required homework and chores have been completed.
Saturday: The animated middle child, propped up by her motivated, academically involved older sister and her even-tempered younger brother.
Sunday: The dedicated father, who always appears calm and knows how to prioritize and plan for the future.
Each of these days evoke similar feelings in students as school weeks blur together and students establish a strict weekly routine.
The struggle with Thursdays is the unbearable suspense of knowing that the future is so close. Rather than enjoying the unexpected pleasures that Thursday can offer, people devote their day to watching the second hand on the clock. Us high school students seem to constantly obsess over the future. Once the future arrives, we quickly move on to the next event, neglecting to realize that the present is the future of the past. Thursdays could offer freedom to socialize with friends, read that new best-seller, or impulsively sign up for a salsa class but we remain foolishly preoccupied with Friday.
Moreover, Thursdays should not be something to become accustomed to or masterfully conquered because that would imply that all Thursdays are the same. Getting the hang of Thursdays would render all Thursdays identical as I would know what to expect and how to respond. There would be no opportunities for spontaneity, for a unique incident that would distinguish one Thursday from the next.
Thursdays should be approached as if they were Fridays or Saturdays, which are always considered to hold limitless opportunity.