Stanford students posess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
"Do it for the Fat Lady," my teacher declared with fervor in her voice and zealous hand gestures. We had just finished reading J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey, and it was class discussion time. I am a science fanatic, and English is not at the top of my favorite subject list. I love learning the concrete laws of physics and the minute structure of the cell. With science, there are no hidden meanings and obscure metaphors, just the facts of the universe. Despite my interests to the contrary, this particular Monday morning class left me pondering life's meaning.
As I read the novel, I was not entirely certain what point Salinger was attempting to convey. Franny is in a state of emotional anguish and her brother Zooey struggles to help her overcome her spiritual perplexities. Zooey tells her of a time when he refused to shine his shoes to make an impression on others in society. He considered them idiots because of their misplaced priorities on the superficial aspects of life. His brother, however, instructs him to shine them anyway, shine them for the Fat Lady, the everyday person. Franny finally comes to understand and find peace in her soul.
Life is not about the reward at the end of the task; it is about the people you touch and the lives in which you make a difference. While they might appear inferior, they are people, and they exist in this world and have their own stories to tell. To be alive means doing things for others, giving love and joy, just because; to be the best you can be no matter who the other person is, because you have been blessed with so much and have a yearning to share those blessings with others before your time is up on Earth.
Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!
i like the ending, it is different than the typical ending. however, the middle paragraph needs a little work i believe. maybe because i have never read the book i am a little confused on how franny found peace. but again, mayybe it is because i have never read teh book, i am sure AO will have read this book and would understand. as for grammar, i believe you are missing a couple of commas
"Franny is in a state of emotional anguish and her brother, Zooey, struggles to help her overcome her spiritual perplexities"
also, don't you mean "her brother" not "his brother" ?
hope this helped! if you could look over my stanford supps that would be great!!
