RISD PROMPT Is there something you love, have to do, can't stop thinking about? Write about a personal passion or obsession other than visual art or design.
THE BLIND BOY THAT TAUGHT ME HOW TO SEE
The cicadas' call echoed my room, disturbing my slumber, and I despised their lack of a snooze button. The sunlight created an uncomfortable glare, so I receded farther into my pillow fort, crossing into the dark side. The heat within my cave paired with the summer's 7-day forecast of sunny with a chance of sun, caused beads of sweat to roll down my back. It was only 8 A.M. and I had already explored my friends' Facebook pages, watched my YouTube subscription videos and dominated the noobs in COD. I didn't know how I would get through the next hour. And then Ben Underwood happened.
I crossed into the world people refer to as "the weird part of YouTube" and through the weirdness I found a series that occupied, and continues to occupy, my life in many different aspects. The video I found was about a 16-year old boy named Ben Underwood. He was a very independent individual that could ride his bike, play any sport, battle on his Gameboy, and do anything a "normal" kid his age could do, and more. Of course, Ben was not normal. He lost both of his eyes to cancer at 2 years old. However, through teaching himself a technique called "echo location," Ben was able to "see" objects through sound, like a bat would. I was in shock. I was inspired. I was hooked.
The British TV network FIVE originally broadcasted the show that featured Ben. It was called "Extraordinary People," however; I think the word "extraordinary" is an understatement. I've spent months watching this series, and it has shown me the strength of people deemed to be weak, the amazing intelligence of those regarded as retarded, and the beauty in a world filled with cruelty. This show led me to seek other compelling stories, and I added High Existence and RadioLab to my obsession. A girl without a face, a man with autism, a woman without half her body, a boy without part of his brain - they all overcame the injustice life handed them, and I, completely healthy, could not even overcome my own attitude.
I stepped out of my fort, into the sunlight whose rays caressed my skin. The cicadas congratulated me by singing. Today, I was going to do something productive. And tomorrow. And the day after. And through this productivity, I hope to discover the extraordinary person within myself.
(Word count: 400/400)
This is the link to the video if you're interesting. It is truly inspiring: youtube.com/watch?v=qLziFMF4DHA
Do you think I should include this link in my essay even though I'm at the maximum word count? I'm not sure the admissions office would even have time to look at it.
touchy subject, tear jerker..
Pretty good essay...
Is there anyway I can change it from pretty good to very good?
Is this topic too cliche?
Help! Please and thank you.
Hey :)
Great Essay! Your description is really good. I didn't find any grammatical errors. =)
Just a suggestion: maybe you could cut out one sentence and add the link that you mentioned at the end.
Good Luck!
Thank you so much!
I edited the essay; mostly the beginning and end.
THE BLIND BOY THAT TAUGHT ME HOW TO SEE
Documentaries. That was the name of the section I had to pass through to get from Comedy to Independent. I limbered up to prepare myself for the trip. As I looked down the aisle, it stretched and became longer and longer. I crossed in, and fastened my pace. "Don't look, don't look, don't look..." I told myself, in fear it's DVD cover would bore me to death. A few seconds later, I safely arrived at the other side, and grabbed several DVDs off the shelf in order to celebrate.
Most of my peers hated documentaries, so I was convinced that they'd be a waste of my time as well. However, boredom is at times a force stronger than conformity and I found myself watching a documentary about a 16-year old boy named Ben Underwood on YouTube. He was a very independent individual that could ride his bike, navigate on his own, and do -anything a "normal" kid his age could do, and more. Of course, Ben was not normal. He lost both of his eyes to cancer at 2 years old. However, through teaching himself a technique called "echo location," Ben was able to "see" objects through sound, like a bat would. I was in shock. I was inspired. I was hooked.
The British TV network FIVE originally broadcasted the show that featured Ben. It was called "Extraordinary People," however; I think the word "extraordinary" is an understatement. I've spent months watching this series, and it has shown me the strength of people deemed to be weak, the amazing intelligence of those regarded as retarded, and the beauty in a world filled with cruelty. That was just the beginning - there were literally millions of other documentaries focusing around the planet, culture, and essentially, a different view of the world we live in.
Before documentaries, I was aware of the hardships of the disabled, but I was never aware of their amazing capabilities. I was naïve and ignorant. I thought documentaries sucked. I was wrong. I thought those who were handicapped were extremely different from those that weren't. I was wrong. Many perspectives were revealed to me through this series, and from them, I learned to look at every aspect of my life through a different lens. This provided me with an open mind, and with it, I can discover the extraordinary without a TV and DVD player.
(Words: 397/400)
