GraceTaylorWei
Jan 21, 2012
Undergraduate / "I was 15 when I discovered that my mother read books" [2]
Tell us about an experience, in school or out, that caused you to rethink or change your perspective. What impact has this had on you? (maximum 200 words)
I was fifteen when I discovered that my mother read books. It happened in the springtime during my family's annual pilgrimage to our cottage. I sat in the backseat with my eyes glued to The Count of Monte Cristo, carefully positioned under the strip sunshine that slipped through the window. Just as I became engrossed, my mother turned around and told me to stop reading in the car.
"Fine, but you have no idea how incredible Alexandre Dumas is," I complained. It was only two weeks into my obsession with classic European literature, but I already felt like a refined woman of high culture.
"I finished the majority of European classics before I turned sixteen," she chuckled. I was awestruck by her revelation. For the duration of our drive, I sat in humble silence as my mother articulated the dramatic rivalries between 18th century romancers that I had no idea about. I made a mental note to be wary of overestimating myself and underestimating others. After all, I needed to recognize the greatness of others so I could learn from it; as Dumas would say, "one's work may be finished some day, but one's education never."
Tell us about an experience, in school or out, that caused you to rethink or change your perspective. What impact has this had on you? (maximum 200 words)
I was fifteen when I discovered that my mother read books. It happened in the springtime during my family's annual pilgrimage to our cottage. I sat in the backseat with my eyes glued to The Count of Monte Cristo, carefully positioned under the strip sunshine that slipped through the window. Just as I became engrossed, my mother turned around and told me to stop reading in the car.
"Fine, but you have no idea how incredible Alexandre Dumas is," I complained. It was only two weeks into my obsession with classic European literature, but I already felt like a refined woman of high culture.
"I finished the majority of European classics before I turned sixteen," she chuckled. I was awestruck by her revelation. For the duration of our drive, I sat in humble silence as my mother articulated the dramatic rivalries between 18th century romancers that I had no idea about. I made a mental note to be wary of overestimating myself and underestimating others. After all, I needed to recognize the greatness of others so I could learn from it; as Dumas would say, "one's work may be finished some day, but one's education never."