I remember being five and six-years old, my mother would ask me every December what it was I wanted for Christmas; Mine and my brothers responses would come in lists. My mother would put out plain white paper, a few glue sticks and a collection of magazines that advertised all of the local Christmas sales. Me and my brothers would cut out the pictures of what we wanted to find under the tree on Christmas morning and glue them to the blank pages. When we were done decorating our lists and writing specific notes for certain items, we would give our lists to mother who would assure us that our Christmas lists would be delivered to the jolly old elf up north immediately. On Christmas morning we would find those same items decorated in boxes and bags in our stockings and under the tree, we would be delighted.
To us, back then, finding those items at Christmas was a miracle, but now that I grow older I've realized the gifts my parents gave to me weren't Gameboys and Bicycles, but something more meaningful; something less tangible. My parents gave me a gift I'd like to give.
Maybe some day I'll have a child of my own to raise and teach. If I do I hope I get to be a positive influence in my child's life, because I owe it to him or her. I could think of no gift greater to a child than happiness and a family that cares for their well-being, one like the family I grew up with.
Suppose I don't have a child of my own, I could be a philanthropist. I could feed the hungry, house the sick and befriend the friendless. My gift could be shelter, warmth or conversation. I could be a father to the fatherless. I seem to recall being in Paris and seeing the beggars and the homeless, and I remember my heart breaking. I know it's cliche and I'm aware that writers all around the world have written about beggars, but nobody deserves to live like that. The gift I'd like to give could make it so somebody doesn't have to.
The gift I'd like to give is personal awareness, the gift my mother and my father gave me. My own parents would gladly make any sacrifice to make us happy. When we're young it's hard to imagine something more worthwhile than money, but we seem to depreciate the value of awareness. I believe awareness is something that nobody wants to live without receiving, but most of all awareness is something nobody should live without giving.
About Me
- Major Tom
- I was the result of a freak lab accident. This blog will be used for the submission of pieces for my creative writing class.
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7 comments:
Really great! I dont think its cliche in a negative way about the homeless. When I go to big cities where i see more homeless, it really makes me feel guilty for every wining about when dinner is, or not getting everything i wanted for my birthday. GREAT GIFT!
the magic of christmas! i like how you take this back to your childhood. and then as time goes by your veiws and such become alot more insightful.
i think your trying to change the world. a little bit at a time. every little bit helps.
i think you should give the topic of awarness a little more credit because if you were not aware of the problems on this earth it would not matter. idk if that makes sense. but good luck.
Yes, I appreciated this essay greatly. You did a great job of putting feeling into your essay. I wish I could do that. I think the gift you'd like to give is being a role model, but that's where I got a little confused. You said you would like to give the gift of personal awareness, too. My suggestion would be to just focus on one or the other. Otherwise, great job.
I love how you start with a story to draw the dreader in. I really like this essay. I think it is bom. It's developed really well, and i enjoyed reading it. I like how clear you are in the gift you are giving. You could go on and talk about what exactly you could do to be a better dad.
This is a very well written essay. One of the better ones I've read this morning. (Sorry, the bell is going to ring, so I have to hurry).
Choose one angle and go with it. Do you want to give the gift of Christmas? Or is that just an example? Think about how you can give this gift NOW not when you have kids or when you become a philanthropist. What can you do NOW to help these people you want to help? And you can't solve poverty or homelessness...so what can you do? Have you seen the movie "The Soloist"? That's a good place to start. That could get you thinking about things you can do. Dramatize this. Give us a specific experience. Walking downtown and encountering a homeless man. Will you talk to him? Give him money? Who do you want to help? (And don't say everyone).
I really liked your writing style on his one. The start of the essway brings back good memories. Very well written. Go deeper into whatever you write, but don't forget simplicity.
I know it's not completed, but my main question is who are you giving this gift to? It seeemed like you were jumping around ideas. Pick one and stick with it, unless that's not your intent for this essay. Then do whatever the heck you want. Writing should be what you want not the reader.
I think by explaining who you are gifting your reader will get a deeper sense of what your gift means. At least your gift relates to everyone, right? You seem like you know where you're going. Awesome work. Continue writing as you do.
I'm looking foreword for the final push to the sum.
The first paragraph was a hook beyond belief. Nicely done! Maybe I'm dumb, but I don't see how Gameboys and Bicycles gave YOU awareness. it seems like getting exactly what you wanted would have the opposite effect on somebody. A little awareness truly would make the world a lot better.
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