After so much procrastination, I finally finished this. Please comment.
25 years have I remained hidden.
I was once a great traveler like you. I traversed Paris, beaches across the world, the center of the earth, even space. Heisenberg couldn't determine my position or my momentum, and I bent space-time. How futile you are to question where I am!
But the realities of a globalized world caught up to me. What use is there in reading the countless books detailing my location, or exploring the world just to see my face when a simple Google search can reveal all? Soon the U.S. and China began to discuss my whereabouts, and I had to hide somewhere else. Then it was England. The rest of Europe. Africa, Asia, then the world. To escape the infinite cameras of the Internet and of the international community became impossible. I cannot hide.
25 years of solitude. The world wasn't satisfied with just my location. Within days of my discovery, myriads began to assume my name. I became known as Hugo in Sweden, or Charlie in France, bearing little resemblance to the title my mother bestowed upon me. Not only did they take my name and my credit card info in the largest identity theft crisis this world has ever seen, but soon they took my signature red and white shirt. First the shopping franchises, then Canada, and now Santa Claus: what does my once-distinguishable apparel mean now? What am I now?
I found my original identity by being lost in a crowd. The infinite cries, "Where are you? Where are you?" fueled my very existence, motivated me to travel in seclusion. But today's world is different. There is a crowd in front of me. 6.9 billion people mock me. They jeer, laugh. 6.9 billion red and white stripes. Gazing, searching until there is nowhere left to run. Nowhere left to hide.
25 years of everything. 25 years of nothing.
They begin to cheer. Their faces become animalistic, hungry, ready to devour me - they know where I am, and they are coming for me. My screams are drowned under their shouts "I found him! I found him! There he is! It's Waldo!" I can only think of one thing.
Where am I?
I really liked your essay. I thought it was quirky to do it from Waldo's point of view, and it definitely will make your essay stand out. Your writing style is really strong, and it definitely amused me when you wrote about Waldo trying to escape the "masses".
I think one point of criticism I have to offer is, can you make the essay even deeper? You establish a strong and intruiging beginning, but now I want to know, why does he not want to be found? Is there some symbolism behind his not wanting to be found, and people's need to search for him? Can you connect those two somehow to something relevant to today's society, like maybe paparazzi/modern fame/today's 24/7 technology? Because right now while it is well written I'm left wanting some deeper analysis-there's something more there that can be discussed. At the very end, he asks "Where am I?" Can you elaborate more on this-make a deeper analysis? I'm left a bit confused and wanting more
Can you edit my Where's Waldo essay? I'll be posting it either today or tomorrow. Any help would be appreciated!
