Hi I need help choosing between two endings or if i should rewrite the ending entirely.
Filling out college applications is time consuming and requires a lot of thought. Let's go back to a time when learning was a pure joy. Please tell us your favorite childhood book and why.
When I was a child every second Friday of each month my brother and I would find a gift on our pillows. My father would buy a book for each of us and leave it wrapped on our pillows. It was always a joy to unwrap and read the book. This is how I met one of my favorite books El Alchimista: Primera Edicion Ilustrada by Paulo Coelho. It is a book about Santiago, a young sheepherder, who in the process of fulfilling his dream of traveling learns about Historia Personal and the Universo.
It is one of my favorite books because it had an unexpected prologue and has lessons that I still try to apply to my life. The prologue is the story of Narcissus - a beautiful boy that looks at his reflection at a lake and one day falls in and drowns. The prologue continues the story where it would have normally ended. Water nymphs mourn Narcissus' death and tell the lake how fortunate it was for being able to see Narcissus' beauty every day. The lake is confused and does not know who Narcissus is because it never looked at Narcissus; instead, it looked at its own beautiful reflection through Narcissus' eyes.
The prologue's unexpected ending is one whose meaning I am still trying to interpret. When I first read the prologue I thought the lake saw its own reflection but now I sometimes think it was seeing Narcissus reflection and thought it was its own reflection. No matter how many times I read it, I can never decide. I also like the fact that the prologue seems irrelevant to the main story on the surface.
Another reason I liked the book was because of its idea of Historia Personal or Personal Legend- which can be defined as one's destiny, goal, or purpose in life. Unlike other stories, a person's Personal History will not be automatically fulfilled or known. One must first find it and want to pursue it. Life and the Universe itself will then conspire to help you- whether one accepts the help, is up the person.
_____Ending One_______
Although I do not know what my main goal is, the Universe has not been ignoring me. For example, how I was able to participate in Prep for Prep, a rigorous academic program that aims to have the best students in public school, in private schools. My fifth grade teacher praised the program and talked about it frequently. My parents did not want me to apply because they heard people's negative experiences. But my teacher convinced them to at least let me try. She did not deny that a very negative experience could happen but the reward was greater. And years later, even if I was not successful, I would not regret the experience.
Two years later I was beginning the school year at a private school and my life was changed.
Ending Two-------------------------------------------------------
I do not know specifically what my goal in life is, but I believe that the universe has been helping me accomplish my smaller goals in life. When I was younger, I was interested by the Holocaust and always wanted to see and listen to a survivor. That came true when I was seventh grade and realized that my school dedicated a yearly lecture to listening to a survivor.
El Alchimista reminded me that my life can have fantastical aspects to it without having to live in a purely fantastical world.
Filling out college applications is time consuming and requires a lot of thought. Let's go back to a time when learning was a pure joy. Please tell us your favorite childhood book and why.
When I was a child every second Friday of each month my brother and I would find a gift on our pillows. My father would buy a book for each of us and leave it wrapped on our pillows. It was always a joy to unwrap and read the book. This is how I met one of my favorite books El Alchimista: Primera Edicion Ilustrada by Paulo Coelho. It is a book about Santiago, a young sheepherder, who in the process of fulfilling his dream of traveling learns about Historia Personal and the Universo.
It is one of my favorite books because it had an unexpected prologue and has lessons that I still try to apply to my life. The prologue is the story of Narcissus - a beautiful boy that looks at his reflection at a lake and one day falls in and drowns. The prologue continues the story where it would have normally ended. Water nymphs mourn Narcissus' death and tell the lake how fortunate it was for being able to see Narcissus' beauty every day. The lake is confused and does not know who Narcissus is because it never looked at Narcissus; instead, it looked at its own beautiful reflection through Narcissus' eyes.
The prologue's unexpected ending is one whose meaning I am still trying to interpret. When I first read the prologue I thought the lake saw its own reflection but now I sometimes think it was seeing Narcissus reflection and thought it was its own reflection. No matter how many times I read it, I can never decide. I also like the fact that the prologue seems irrelevant to the main story on the surface.
Another reason I liked the book was because of its idea of Historia Personal or Personal Legend- which can be defined as one's destiny, goal, or purpose in life. Unlike other stories, a person's Personal History will not be automatically fulfilled or known. One must first find it and want to pursue it. Life and the Universe itself will then conspire to help you- whether one accepts the help, is up the person.
_____Ending One_______
Although I do not know what my main goal is, the Universe has not been ignoring me. For example, how I was able to participate in Prep for Prep, a rigorous academic program that aims to have the best students in public school, in private schools. My fifth grade teacher praised the program and talked about it frequently. My parents did not want me to apply because they heard people's negative experiences. But my teacher convinced them to at least let me try. She did not deny that a very negative experience could happen but the reward was greater. And years later, even if I was not successful, I would not regret the experience.
Two years later I was beginning the school year at a private school and my life was changed.
Ending Two-------------------------------------------------------
I do not know specifically what my goal in life is, but I believe that the universe has been helping me accomplish my smaller goals in life. When I was younger, I was interested by the Holocaust and always wanted to see and listen to a survivor. That came true when I was seventh grade and realized that my school dedicated a yearly lecture to listening to a survivor.
El Alchimista reminded me that my life can have fantastical aspects to it without having to live in a purely fantastical world.
